PTE Academic Reading: Strategies for Every Task Type

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks

A passage has several gaps, each with a dropdown of word options. This task scores both reading and writing, so it carries extra weight.

• Read the whole sentence around each gap before choosing — context decides the answer.
• Use collocations and grammar: look for the word that fits naturally and matches the part of speech needed.
• Eliminate options that clash with tense, preposition, or meaning.
• Each blank is scored separately, so there is no penalty for a wrong dropdown choice — always pick one.

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

You select all the correct options for a question. This is the one reading task with negative marking — a wrong tick cancels out a correct one.

Re-order Paragraphs

Several text boxes appear in a jumbled order and you drag them into a logical sequence. Marks are awarded for each correctly ordered adjacent pair, so partial credit is real.

1. 1Find the topic sentence — the one that introduces the subject and works alone, with no pronouns referring back.
2. 2Track linking words and pronouns ('this', 'however', 'as a result') that signal what comes before.
3. 3Look for chronology, cause-and-effect, or general-to-specific flow.
4. 4Re-read your final order to confirm it makes sense as a paragraph.

Reading: Fill in the Blanks (drag & drop)

A passage has gaps and a bank of words below it; you drag each word into the right gap. There are usually more words than gaps, so some are distractors.

• Read for meaning first, then test which bank word fits each gap grammatically.
• Place your most confident answers first to narrow the remaining options.
• Use grammar clues — articles, prepositions, and verb forms often reveal the right word.

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

A short passage with one correct answer from several options. There is no negative marking, so never leave it blank.

• Read the question first, then scan the passage for the relevant part.
• Eliminate clearly wrong options to improve your odds.
• Watch for options that are true but do not answer the specific question asked.

Timing & strategy for the whole part

1. 1The reading part is not individually timed per question — budget roughly 2 minutes per item.
2. 2Do not over-invest in one hard Re-order — partial credit means a 'good enough' order still scores.
3. 3Build vocabulary daily; most reading errors come from unknown words, not poor strategy.
4. 4Practise under timed conditions so the on-screen reading pace feels normal on test day.