Updated October 2026
Write an Email: what raters look for and how to practise
In Write an Email you read a situation and write a short email in response. It is a few minutes long, and it is scored on whether the email does its job.
What you see
A situation from study or everyday life, the person you are writing to, and a list of things your email must do. There are usually three: for example, explain a problem, ask a question and suggest a solution.
You type the email in a box with a word count. The time is short, so the email is too: several clear sentences for each point is enough.
What decides the score
First, coverage: every point on the list must be clearly addressed. Second, tone: the language should suit the reader, more formal for a professor or a manager than for a classmate. Third, the language itself: clear sentences, accurate grammar and sensible vocabulary.
Length is not rewarded for its own sake. A short email that covers all three points beats a long one that covers two.
A structure that works
A greeting; one sentence saying why you are writing; one short paragraph for each point, in the order of the task; a closing line saying what you would like to happen next; a sign-off.
Following the order of the task makes it easy for you to check that nothing is missing, and easy for a rater to see it.
Common mistakes
Leaving one point out is the most frequent and the most costly. Next come a tone that is too casual, a request with no details (no date, no time, no reason), and a missing greeting or closing.
Save a minute at the end to read the email against the list of points, and to fix the errors you can see.
How to practise
Write one timed email a day from a new situation. Afterwards, tick the three points off against your text and rewrite any sentence that was vague.
Collect useful phrases for the things emails keep doing: apologising, asking politely, proposing a time, thanking. Having them ready saves time for the content.
This is an independent summary written for test takers. ETS publishes the official specification of the test on its own website.