Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks is the first question type that you see on your screen when you start the PTE Reading section. Previously, before November 2021, this question type used to appear as the fifth and the last question type in the PTE Reading section. But, that has changed now, probably due to the importance and weightage of this type of question in the PTE test. So, in this article, we will learn everything you need to know about the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks including the tips and tricks, strategy, skills built-up required, practice questions with answers and explanations, and guidance for further ahead.
Just to let you all know in the beginning, the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions are very important if you really want a great reading score. So, learn the tips and tricks discussed below.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks
To start with, let’s understand what the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks is all about. A text passage appears on the screen, where you see several gaps or blanks. These blanks are substituted with dropdown lists that present you with the answer options (typically 4 options) for each of those gaps, see the picture below. The answer options will be grammatically similar and also have similar meanings. But, you need to select the answer which makes perfect sense, both meaningfully as well as contextually. Select the answers for each of the blanks that you seem fit in the best way. That sums up the layout of Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions, let’s move on to scoring.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Layout
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Scoring
The passage will be up to 300 words in length and you will get 5 to 6 of these questions in the real PTE test. Being precise is the key here. The PTE Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions are designed to test your ability to use grammatical and contextual hints to identify the right words that complete the given text. This question type also contributes to your writing score, as it also judges your writing skills when you are selecting the precise words for the gaps.
Each correct answer with give you 1 mark, but there is no negative marking. So, if you select any wrong answers, you still get marks for the correct ones. With up to 4 blanks in each question and 5 to 6 questions in total, you are looking at a potential of scoring 20 to 24 marks alone in this question type. These facts make the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks of utmost importance if you desire a good reading score. Now that you have understood how this task is scored, let’s move to understand how you should manage time for these questions, which is equally important.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Time Management
Since there is no allocated time for the PTE Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions or the entire PTE reading section, you need to learn to manage your own time. But, these are very important question types, so ideally we recommend one should spend around 2 min per question. Remember, if you need more time on the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks, you will have to make it up by spending lesser time on other tasks in the reading section. Hence, you should judge yourself and decide how you should divide time for the PTE Reading section.
It is equally important for you to give some mock tests specifically for the Reading section, which will help you in devising a plan for time management. At Edutrainex, we also have mock tests for each of the individual PTE sections for your practice. So, in the end, speed reading is the essence here. To understand how to manage time for the entire reading section, please read Reading: Questions and Format.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips and Tricks
Now that you know all the information about the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks, let’s deep dive into how to solve this one efficiently, and look at the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips and Tricks. The trick to solving this question is to select the right word, which is of the right word type, in the right place, and to sound contextually right. Doesn’t make sense? Let’s elaborate on this, so it’s easier to understand.
See the diagram below. You need to select the best word choice from the given options in the test. So, how do you do that?
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Strategy
Ask these questions to yourself.
Meaning – What does the given word mean? Is it the right word?
Grammar – Is it in the correct grammatical format? Is it the right word type?
Collocation – Does the word pair make sense together? Do the words fit together?
Context – Does the word fit the context, or say the right thing?
The best choice will have its meaning, grammar and collocation fit together in the given context and it will make perfect sense. So, what skills do you need to excel in this task? Let’s have a look at each of the four skills that you need to excel in this PTE task. But before doing that, assess yourself and see if your English language skills need improvement because without improving your English, you cannot get a good score in the PTE test.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips/Skill 1: Vocabulary
This is the first and the most important tip/ skill that you need to develop for the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks. Building this skill requires time and continuous effort, so start on it in the early days of your PTE preparation and practice daily to expand your vocabulary. Create a goal for yourself to learn a few new words everyday, and try to use them throughout the day. In order to understand word meanings, you need to build the vocabulary. Also, read our blog on PTE Reading Tips and Tricks, specially written to focus on this area. Let’s do an example, identify which word will fit in the blank.
Example – An extremely ______ (talented/ inspired/ creative/ genius) idea paves way for greater things.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips/Skill 2: Grammar
The next one in Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips and Tricks is to identify the correct word type, you need to have good grammar skills. Shown below briefly are the 7 essential word types in the English language.
- Nouns – a person, place, thing, or intangible idea (abstract nouns). E.g. Jack, Sydney, Ship, or Freedom
- Tip: Article precedes a noun. E.g. A ship, An ice cream, A/ the book
- Pronouns – It replaces nouns (substitutes). E.g. I, He, She, Them, Who
- Adjectives – describes nouns or pronouns. E.g. Hot, lazy, Bright, Unique
- Verbs – an action that tells what happened. E.g. eat, go, do, run, see.
- Adverbs – describes verbs or adjectives. E.g. softly, slowly, loudly.
- Prepositions – shows a relation between nouns or pronouns. E.g. to, in, of, up, at, over.
- Conjunctions – joins words and phrases into sentences. E.g. And, but, Or, With.
If you understand the above grammar well, many tasks in the PTE test will be a lot easier for you. So, strive hard to improve this, as it will definitely take a bit of time and repeated practice to excel in it. At EduTrainex, we focus on the grammar in our live classes as well as provide video tutorials on different areas of English grammar. Let’s do an example.
Example – His ______ (creativity/ creative/ create/ creatively) paved way for greater ideas.
Tips/ Skill 3: Collocation
The third one in the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips and Tricks is that you also need to build an understanding of collocation. So, what is a collocation? It is a group of words that often go together or that are likely to occur together. The usage of collocation is very common among native English speakers. You can also download the official PTE collocation word list from here.
Let’s look at some forms of collocation.
- Verb + Noun -> achieve goals, collect data
- Verb + Adverb -> communicate effectively, increased dramatically
- Adjective + Noun -> brief introduction, commit crime
- Adverb + Verb -> critically evaluate, closely linked
- Noun + Noun -> government policy, information gathering
Knowing the collocation related to a word increases your chances of getting the answers right.
Example – Higher ______ (inventive/ original/ productive/ cognitive) abilities can pave way for greater things.
Tips/ Skill 4: Context
You have witnessed how vocabulary, grammar, and collocation can boost your scoring efficiency for this question type. Lastly, for the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Tips and Tricks, you also need to understand the whole context or the theme that has been presented to you in the text passage. It may be political, scientific, social, historical, mythological, etc. The text/ words before and after the blanks will help you determine the context and select the precise answer. Look at the example below.
Example – Johnny and Tom are best friends. But they differ in their qualities. Johnny is very creative and always has an eye for art, while Tom is not so bright. For a competition, both friends submitted their ideas. Johnny’s _____ idea was praised while Tom’s _____ idea was not so much admired.
Answer Options – unimaginative, innovative.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks with Answers
Shown below are some of the practice questions Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks with answers and explanations. This will help you to further strengthen your preparation for the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks task. You can also find explanations for each answer and also on why the other answers are incorrect. You can find many such practice questions for this task on the Edutrainex PTE Learning platform, and each of the questions has detailed explanations as below to further boost your knowledge and expertise on the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks task.
Practice 1:
Internal combustion engines are a kind of heat engines that generate force by combusting fuel mixed with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. Within these internal combustion engines, the _____ (diversification/ expansion/ enlargement/ amplification) of hot and pressurized gases produced during the combustion exert force on a few engine components. This force is typically _____(employed/ rendered/ applied/ executed) to turbine blades and piston, in a process where chemical energy is transformed to mechanical energy. Internal combustion engines were first invented in the late 19th Century, all using the principles of James Watt.
The main variants of the internal combustion engines are the 6-stroke, 4-stroke and 2-stroke engines, where combustion takes place intermittently. Another variety of internal combustion engines, that also work on the same principle, include jet engines and gas turbines, use ________(continuous/ consecutive/ endless/ eternal) combustion. We can also classify firearms as a ______ (pattern/ configuration/ formation/ form) of the internal combustion engine.
Practice 1 Answer
Practice 2:
Despite considerable progress being made in the last two ___ (span/ decades/ period/ time), more than 30 percent of the urban population of the under-developed regions of the world still live in slums. In poorer countries, this number is much higher, close to 70 percent. This percentage is extremely high in sub-Saharan Africa, ___ (hover/ varying/ ranging/ distributed) from 70 percent in West Africa to 80 percent in Central Africa.
In the less developed ___ (regions/ terrains/ districts/ domains) of Asia, the proportion is around 20 percent lower than in Africa. Alarmingly, 22 percent of the West Asian urban population lives in slums, which is ___ (quite/ very/ drastically/ significantly) lower than the world average. Access to safe water and adequate sanitation are among the indicators used to monitor progress toward ___ (societal/ environmental/ regional/ global) sustainability.
Overall, more than 120 million of the urban population lacked ___ (access/ link/ approach/ entry) to adequate water supply and improved sanitation services. This is really a matter of concern for the governments of these countries.
Practice 2 Answer
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks FAQs
Q. What if I don’t know the meaning of words?
Ans- If you don’t know the word meaning, what you can do is read around them, and guess the meaning from the given context. Identify the idea presented in the text and think about what word creates meaning in the given context. This is the only way to make an educated guess, but at the same time, you should also try to improve your vocabulary skills.
Q. How to master the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks task?
Ans- Follow our strategy and LAB sessions on Grammar/ Vocabulary. Loads of practice material are provided to students. There is no simple trick or template to master this task, the only way to do that is to improve your overall English language skills, including grammar and vocabulary. Our PTE experts can help you with all the support and directions you may need, but in the end, you need to put in a lot of effort if you are struggling with this task.
Q. How to improve my score on this task?
Ans- Build your basic grammar – learn to identify word types, and build your collocation using the word list. Combining these two skills together, your chances of success increase substantially. You should firstly focus on improving these skills and then you should go on to practice a lot of questions.
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Mistakes to avoid
These are the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks Do’s and Don’t that you need to be mindful of.
- Relying too much on Repeated Questions: You should realize that PTE is an English language test and there are a lot of questions that come in the exam, which are repeated randomly. So, when you practice the repeated PTE questions, your focus should be on practicing those questions and not on memorizing them. Believe me, this is not a technical test, and memorizing the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions and answers is not going to help a lot. Don’t do that, instead focus on building your skills which will also help you on the other PTE tasks.
- Not managing your time properly. It is extremely important to manage your time well for this task and for the overall PTE Reading section. We have explained the time management for this question separately at the top of this blog post. So, always have a plan and follow it on how much time you need to spend on these questions, depending on your overall skills.
- Never leave the question unanswered. The Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks questions have no negative marking, so even if you don’t know the answer, select the one which you feel is the best. Try to work around the answer options, even if you don’t know the meaning or if you are confused and make an educated guess.
- Not mastering the skills and techniques. This is a very important task in the PTE Reading section, so if you do well in this, your overall reading score will be higher. Practice and improvement are the ultimate mantras for this PTE task, and you should concentrate on improving your English skills.
What next for PTE Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks?
The next step for the Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks task is building your English language skills, out of which grammar and vocabulary are key things that are essentially needed to make your quest, to score well in the PTE test, successful. We conduct live classes and doubt-clearing sessions for our enrolled students and help them in every way possible to ace this task.
Our world-class Intelli-assist is always monitoring your performance and keeps suggesting you important tips throughout your practice. Not only that, but if you are really struggling with any task, it alerts our PTE tutors about it and we reach out to you, without you needing to reach out to us. So, why not join Edutrainex, where your English language skills can be improved and proven techniques can be learned. Watch the video below to learn about the overview of this question type.
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