PTE Academic · Reading
PTE Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks
Read a text with gaps and choose the right word for each one from a drop-down list.
A text of up to 200 words appears on screen with several words missing. Beside each gap is a drop-down list, and you pick the option you think restores the text. Pearson judges how well you use contextual and grammatical cues to find the word that fits, and every gap you fill correctly earns a point. The task counts towards your Reading score.
How the task works
Skim for the meaning, then let each gap's neighbours decide
Pearson gives no separate time for each question. The whole Reading section runs for roughly 23 to 30 minutes, so time spent on one text is time taken from the others.
Skim for the overall meaning
Read the passage quickly first, without stopping at the gaps. Knowing what it is about narrows the choices before you look at a single list.
Read what comes before and after
The words on either side of a gap tell you what kind of word fits: a noun, a verb, a word that goes with the one next to it. Work out the need before you open the list.
Choose from the drop-down, and change your mind freely
Open the list beside the gap and select the option that fits both the meaning and the grammar. If a later gap makes you doubt an earlier choice, go back and pick a different option.
How Pearson scores it
A point for every gap you fill correctly
Each gap is a point of its own, so one wrong choice does not spoil the rest of the text.
Correctly completed gaps
Pearson judges your ability to use contextual and grammatical cues to identify the words that complete the text. Every correctly completed gap earns a point, and if all of them are right you receive the maximum for the question. If some are wrong, partial credit applies, and the lowest score on the question is zero.
Fill in the Blanks counts towards your Reading score. Five or six of these appear in a test, more than any other Reading task, so every gap you get right is worth working for.
What usually goes wrong
Where students lose points
Choosing on meaning alone
Two options can both make sense in the sentence, yet only one is grammatically right there. Check the part of speech and the ending the gap needs, not only the idea.
Missing the word that goes with the gap
Many gaps are settled by a partner word next to them, such as a preposition or a fixed pairing. If an option feels odd beside its neighbour, it is probably not the one.
Deciding each gap in isolation
A choice that suits its own sentence can clash with the paragraph. Once you have filled the gaps, read the whole text through again to make sure it holds together.
Leaving a gap unfilled
An empty gap cannot earn its point. Pearson's Score Guide gives a point for each correctly completed gap and lists no deduction for the others, so make a choice in every one.
Worked example
One text, four gaps, and the clue that settles each one
Here is a short text of the kind you read in this task: “Many cities have begun to (1) how much energy their street lighting uses. The main difficulty is not the cost of new lamps but the (2) of replacing thousands of them without leaving streets dark. A number of councils have therefore chosen to (3) the work over several years. Residents (4) fewer complaints about glare once the new lamps are in place.” Each gap has a drop-down list of options. Below is the reasoning that picks the right word for each one.
The four gaps and the clue that decides each
- Gap 1 measure, measured, measuring, measurement The gap follows “have begun to”, and “to” needs a base verb. Only “measure” has that form, so the grammar settles it, whatever the meaning of the others.
- Gap 2 process, processes, procedure, procession The gap follows “the” and precedes “of replacing”, so it needs a singular noun that takes “of”. “Process” fits in both meaning and grammar; “processes” is plural, and “procession” does not mean this.
- Gap 3 spread, spreads, spreading, spreader The gap follows “chosen to”, so it needs a base verb again, and “spread the work over several years” is the natural phrase. The other forms fail on grammar.
- Gap 4 report, reported, reports, reporting The subject “Residents” is plural, and the sentence describes something that happens each time, so the base form “report” fits. “Reports” does not agree with a plural subject, and “reported” shifts the time of the sentence.
The text with every gap filled
Many cities have begun to measure how much energy their street lighting uses. The main difficulty is not the cost of new lamps but the process of replacing thousands of them without leaving streets dark. A number of councils have therefore chosen to spread the work over several years. Residents report fewer complaints about glare once the new lamps are in place.
Strategy tip: Look at the words on either side of the gap first. Often they rule out half the list on grammar, and meaning only has to choose between what is left.
In each gap the deciding clue was the grammar around it, not the topic of the text. That is the habit this task rewards.
Practising here
See which gaps you filled right, and what belonged in the others
You practise on real-style texts with the drop-down lists in place, and see every gap marked after you check.
Choose from the lists and check
Open the drop-down beside each gap, choose your word and check. You earn a point for each gap filled correctly, the way Pearson scores the task.
Every gap marked in the text
After you check, each gap turns into a chip inside the passage. Where you were right you see your word. Where you were not, your choice is shown next to the word that belonged there.
A tip and your earlier attempts
Questions can come with a strategy tip and an explanation, and your earlier attempts on the same text are listed, so you can see whether the same kind of gap still catches you.
Practise the way that suits you
Work through all questions, go back to Mistakes only, or keep a set of Bookmarked only questions to revisit.
Common questions
Fill in the Blanks, answered
How long is the text?
Up to 200 words.
How do I answer?
Each gap has a drop-down list beside it. You select the option that best fills the gap, and you can choose a different one if you change your mind.
Is a wrong choice penalised?
Pearson's Score Guide gives a point for each correctly completed gap and lists no deduction for the others. The lowest score on the question is zero, so it is worth choosing something for every gap.
What if I get only some gaps right?
You still earn a point for each gap you filled correctly. Only if all of them are right do you get the maximum for the question.
How much time do I get for each question?
Pearson gives no time for each question. The whole Reading section takes roughly 23 to 30 minutes.
Which score does this task count towards?
Reading.
How many of these are in the test?
Five or six, depending on the test you get.
Try it with one text
Read the text, choose a word for every gap, and see which ones you filled right and what belonged in the rest.