PTE Academic · Reading
PTE Re-order Paragraphs
Several text boxes appear in the wrong order. You drag them into the sequence that makes a logical text.
A text of up to 110 words is split into separate boxes and shown to you jumbled. You move the boxes until the text reads in a sensible order. You earn a point for every pair of neighbouring boxes that you place correctly, so a partly right order still scores. The task counts towards your Reading score only.
How the task works
Find how the boxes lead into one another, then build the order
Pearson gives no separate time for each question. The whole Reading section runs for roughly 23 to 30 minutes, so a jumbled text is no reason to stall. The boxes are pieces of one text, so each one has to connect to the piece before it and the piece after it.
Skim every box before you move any
Read each box quickly to see what the text is about. One of them usually opens the topic in a general way, and that gives you a place to begin.
Follow the clues that tie one box to the next
Look for pronouns such as “they” or “this”, linking words such as “however” or “for this reason”, and a name or term that is introduced in one box and taken up in the next.
Build the chain, then read it through once
Place the boxes one after another and read the whole sequence. If a join sounds wrong, that pair is the one to rethink. Here you drag a box into place, or on a phone or tablet move it with the up and down buttons.
How Pearson scores it
A point for every correct pair of neighbours
The score is built from pairs, not from the position of each box, so one misplaced box does not cancel everything else.
Correctly ordered adjacent pairs
Each pair of correct adjacent text boxes earns a point. It is partial credit for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair, and the lowest score on the question is zero.
Re-order Paragraphs counts towards your Reading score only. Two or three of these appear in a test. Pearson lists no deduction for the pairs you get wrong.
What usually goes wrong
Where students lose points
Hunting only for the first box
Finding the opening is useful, but it is one pair at most. The rest of the points come from every later join, so spend your effort on how the boxes connect, not on the start alone.
Ignoring pronouns and linking words
A box that begins with “This”, “They” or “However” cannot come first, because it points back to something. Ask what it refers to, and the box that supplies that thing goes just before it.
Guessing the last box
The ending is often the box left over once the others are placed. Build from the clear links and let the last one settle itself, instead of choosing a closing box early on a hunch.
Never reading the finished order
An order can look right link by link and still read oddly as a whole. Read the sequence from top to bottom once before you check, and rethink any join that jars.
Worked example
Four short boxes, three joins to find
Here are four boxes of the kind you meet in this task. Box A: “Many cities are now planting trees along busy streets.” Box B: “These trees give shade in summer, and residents notice the difference straight away.” Box C: “However, roots can damage pavements if the wrong species is chosen.” Box D: “For this reason, planners now choose species with deep roots.” Below is the clue that joins each pair in the right order.
The three joins, one clue each
- First pair A → B Box A introduces the trees, and Box B begins “These trees”, which can only refer back to them. A general opening followed by a box that points back to it is the strongest kind of link.
- Second pair B → C Box B describes a benefit, and Box C starts with “However”, which turns to a problem. The linking word only makes sense after something positive has been said.
- Third pair C → D Box C names a problem with roots, and Box D begins “For this reason” and offers a fix that mentions roots. The result is a response to the problem, so it comes after it.
The boxes in the right order
A, B, C, D. Many cities are now planting trees along busy streets. These trees give shade in summer, and residents notice the difference straight away. However, roots can damage pavements if the wrong species is chosen. For this reason, planners now choose species with deep roots.
Strategy tip: Start with the box that needs nothing before it, then ask of each other box what it points back to. Every “this”, “however” or “for this reason” is a hand held out to the box before it.
Each join was found from a clue inside the boxes, not from a feeling about where a box belonged. That is what makes a partly right order still worth its points.
Practising here
See which joins held and which did not
You practise on jumbled texts and get a pair-by-pair breakdown once you check.
Drag, or use the buttons on touch
Drag a box to a new place. On a phone or tablet, each box has up and down buttons instead. Every box carries a letter, so you can keep track of them as you move them around.
Every pair marked
After you check, each neighbouring pair is shown as earned or missed, and you see the correct order, so you can compare it with your own.
A tip and your earlier attempts
Questions can come with a strategy tip, and a short explanation of the join between each pair. Your earlier attempts on the same text are listed, so you can see whether the same join still trips you up.
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
Re-order Paragraphs, answered
How long is the text?
Up to 110 words.
How is the task scored?
Pearson's Score Guide gives a point for each pair of correct adjacent text boxes. The lowest score on the question is zero.
What if only some of my pairs are right?
Partial credit applies. Each correctly ordered adjacent pair earns its point, so a partly right order still scores.
Is a wrong pair penalised?
Pearson's Score Guide lists no deduction for wrong pairs. The lowest score on the question is zero.
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 only.
How many of these are in the test?
Two or three, depending on the test you get.
Try it with one text
Put the boxes in order, check, and see which joins held and which need another look.