Reading - PTE Academic / UKVI, PTE Core
Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)
Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop) practice builds reading control, vocabulary selection, and grammar fit inside short passages.
Task facts at a glance
| Appears in | PTE Academic / UKVI and PTE Core — Reading part |
|---|---|
| Items per test | 4–5 |
| Text length | Up to about 80 words |
| Word bank | More words than blanks — some are distractors |
| Scoring | Partial credit — 1 point per correctly placed word |
| Negative marking | None |
| Skills credited | Reading |
Worked example
“The Life Science Institute… achieves [1] in biomedical research by bringing together the world’s leading scientists… to [2] breakthroughs… exploiting the power of a [3] and interdisciplinary approach.” Drag the right words from a six-word bank into three blanks. (Real bank question — shown in the player below.)
[1] excellence · [2] accelerate · [3] collaborative. The distractors (ambiguity, quit, positive) stay unused in the word bank.
Why this scores well: Each blank earns its own point, and the extra distractor words are there to punish guessing by collocation alone.
Scoring traits to watch
ReadingVocabulary
Key takeaways
Check the sentence before and after each blank.
Use grammar, meaning, and collocation together.
Re-read the completed passage before submitting.
How to practise Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)
Strong answers fit both the sentence structure and the passage meaning. Practise explaining why each word belongs in that exact blank.
- Read the full passage before moving words.
- Place obvious grammar matches first.
- Use remaining options to solve tighter blanks.
Practice framework
- Read the full passage before moving words.
- Place obvious grammar matches first.
- Use remaining options to solve tighter blanks.
- Review wrong answers by phrase pattern.
Common mistakes
- Dragging words by meaning only and ignoring grammar.
- Missing collocations around the blank.
- Leaving no time to re-read the completed passage.
Frequently asked questions
How is Reading Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop) different from the dropdown version?
This drag-and-drop version credits Reading only, uses a shorter text of up to about 80 words, and shares one word bank; it has 4–5 items. The dropdown version credits both Reading and Writing.
Are there extra words in the word bank?
Yes. The word bank always contains more words than blanks, so some are distractors that you never use.
Is there negative marking on Reading Fill in the Blanks?
No. There is no negative marking, and you receive per-blank partial credit for each correct answer.
This task inside EdKnot
