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PTE Core · Reading · R1

PTE Core Reading: Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks shows a short text with several gaps. Each gap has a dropdown list, and you choose the one word that fits the meaning and the grammar. It is the most frequent reading task in PTE Core, with 5 to 6 items per test.

Items per test
5–6
Response
Choose one option from each dropdown
Correct answers
One per gap
Timing
Shares the Part 2 Reading time (27–37 minutes)

How it works

  1. 1Read the whole text quickly for its general meaning.
  2. 2Open each dropdown and compare the options against the words around the gap.
  3. 3Select the option that fits both grammar and meaning.
  4. 4Reread the full text with your choices before moving on.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

"Staff must ___ their hours in the online system by Friday. Late submissions may ___ your payment." Options for gap 1: record / recorded / recording / records. Options for gap 2: delay / delays / delaying / delayed.

  1. Arecord … delay
  2. Brecords … delays
  3. Crecorded … delaying
  4. Drecording … delayed
Show answer

Answer: record … delay

After "must" and after "may" English needs the base form of the verb, so "record" and "delay" are the only grammatical choices.

Tips that work

  • Look at the word directly before and after the gap first; grammar often removes two options immediately.
  • Watch for collocations such as "make an appointment" or "take responsibility", which only one option completes.
  • Check singular and plural agreement with the subject, even when it is several words away.
  • Do not spend more than about two minutes on one text; the reading time is shared across all items.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a word because it looks familiar rather than because it fits the sentence.
  • Ignoring small signals such as "an", "to" or "has" that decide the grammatical form.

Questions candidates ask

Can more than one option fit a gap?

Each gap is designed to have one best answer. If two seem possible, check collocation and grammar again.

How is this different from Reading: Fill in the Blanks?

Here each gap has its own dropdown. In Reading: Fill in the Blanks you drag words from one shared word bank.

Does this task affect my writing score too?

In PTE, this task type draws on both reading and writing skills, because choosing the right word depends on grammar and vocabulary.

Other PTE Core Reading tasks

PTE Core overviewPTE Core Reading: all partsPTE Core full mock testsPTE Core articles on the blog