PTE Reading: Fill in the Blanks
Two task types with gaps in a text: choose the right word from a drop-down list, or drag words from a box into the gaps.
Both tasks test how well you understand a text and how well you know collocations, word forms and grammar. Each correct gap earns credit, so every word counts.
The Two Task Types
Similar idea, different format.
| Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) | Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop) | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Reading: Fill in the Blanks |
| Text | Up to 200 words | Up to 80 words |
| How you answer | Choose a word from a list at each gap | Drag words from a box into the gaps |
| Options | A separate list for each gap | One shared box with more words than gaps |
| Scoring | Credit for each correct gap; full marks only if all gaps are correct | |
Dropdown Practice
Choose the best word for each gap. Allow about 2 minutes per text.
Dropdown 1: Coral Reefs Under Pressure
Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet they a remarkable variety of marine life. Reefs are built over thousands of years by tiny animals called polyps, which hard skeletons of calcium carbonate. Many reefs are now under from rising sea temperatures. When the water becomes too warm, corals expel the algae that live in their tissues and most of their food, a process known as bleaching. If temperatures return to normal quickly, reefs can , but repeated bleaching events leave them little time to do so.
Show the answers
1. support · 2. produce · 3. threat · 4. provide · 5. recover
Dropdown 2: The Rise of Remote Work
Since 2020, remote work has a normal part of working life for many office employees. Surveys suggest that most people value the it offers, particularly the time saved by not commuting. However, managers have raised about collaboration and about the training of new staff, who may on learning informally from experienced colleagues. As a result, many companies have on a hybrid model, in which employees spend part of the week in the office.
Show the answers
1. become · 2. flexibility · 3. concerns · 4. miss out · 5. settled
Drag and Drop Practice
Click a word in the box, then click a gap to place it. Click a filled gap to send the word back. There are more words than gaps.
Drag and Drop 1: Why Bees Matter
Bees play a vital in agriculture. As they move from flower to flower, they pollen, which allows many crops to produce fruit and seeds. In recent years, bee populations in many regions have , partly because of habitat loss and the use of pesticides. Farmers and governments are now looking for ways to them.
Show the answers
1. role · 2. transfer · 3. declined · 4. protect
Drag and Drop 2: Two Languages, One Brain
Learning a second language can benefits that go beyond communication. Studies suggest that bilingual people are often better at between tasks, and some research links language learning to a risk of memory problems in old age. However, the size of these effects is still .
Show the answers
1. bring · 2. switching · 3. lower · 4. debated
Strategies
Meaning first, then grammar, then collocation.
✓Five Tips
- Skim first Read the whole text quickly before you fill any gap, so you know the topic and the direction.
- Check the word class Does the gap need a noun, verb, adjective or adverb? After "the", a noun is likely; after "has", a past participle.
- Think in collocations Words go together: "under threat", "raise concerns", "play a role".
- Watch the logic Words like "however", "yet" and "because" tell you whether the gap continues or contrasts the idea.
- Reread at the end Read the full text with your answers. Each sentence should sound natural and make sense.
The right word in the right place.
Read for meaning, check the grammar around the gap, and trust the word that sounds natural with its neighbours.
Skim. Analyse. Choose. Reread.
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