Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks is the first task in the Reading part and has the most items. Each blank has its own drop-down list, so the method is different from the drag-and-drop task in the previous lesson. This lesson covers the three kinds of distractor, a blank-by-blank check, and an official example worked through option by option.
How the task works
You get a passage of 120–200 words with several blanks. Each blank is its own drop-down menu with four or five options. Pearson's instruction reads: "Click on each blank. A list of choices will appear. Select the appropriate answer choice for each blank." Per the PTE Core Score Guide, there are usually 5–6 items, scored one point per correct blank, with no deduction for wrong answers. Check the latest official guide before your test.
Compare this with FIB-R from the previous lesson:
| FIB-R | R&W FIB | |
|---|---|---|
| Options | One shared bank of 6–8 words; more words than gaps; drag and drop | A separate drop-down for each blank, 4–5 options |
| Effect of a mistake | A misplaced word can knock out another blank | Blanks are independent |
| Main skills | Word class, collocation, balancing the bank | Telling close options apart: word class → collocation → meaning |
| Order of work | Surest blank first | In order; it makes no difference |
R&W FIB matters most in Reading because it has the most items and feeds both Reading and Writing, not because mistakes spread (they don't).
Timing follows the Reading overview: up to 1 minute 45 seconds per item. It's the first task in the fixed order, so any overrun here is paid for by all four tasks after it.
Three kinds of distractor
Every drop-down has one correct answer. The others were written for that blank: words that look or mean nearly the same but don't work in that position. Pearson's tips put it this way: some words may seem right, but there's only one correct answer. The drag-and-drop version is covered in Reading Fill in the Blanks. Distractors come in three kinds:
- Same root, different form. offer / offered / offering. The sentence structure decides the form.
- Near-synonyms with different partners. restore / recover, empower / enable, empower / encourage. Collocation decides.
- Right word, wrong logic. A cause-and-effect word where the passage needs a contrast.
Examples. The same thinking applies to both fill-in-the-blanks tasks:
- Companies are empowering their suppliers to carry out customer surveys… Their employees are encouraged to send cards to customers. Close in meaning, but a company empowers a supplier (gives it authority) and encourages staff. The partner decides.
- The ancient library has just been restored, and its shelves are full of manuscripts. Restored (repaired) versus recovered (got back): for a building, only restored works.
- Teenagers joined a 5–8 mile bike outing. Voyage and outing both suggest a trip, but a voyage is usually a long journey by sea. A short ride is an outing.
That last example shows an important point: some near-synonyms can't be separated by word class or basic meaning. Specific details in the passage (a distance, a type of transport) decide which word's range fits. That's why understanding the whole passage matters, not just the one sentence.
An official example, one option at a time
Pearson's PTE Core Test Tips include an R&W FIB example with its explanation:
How is your search for accommodation going? I've started but haven't found anything ____.
Options: still / already / ever / yet
All four are adverbs used with the perfect tense, so word class can't separate them. That's typical of this task. The explanation goes option by option:
- still: says something hasn't happened, but it goes between the subject and auxiliary ("I still haven't found…"), not at the end.
- already: something happened earlier than expected; it goes between auxiliary and main verb and isn't used in negatives, which clashes with "haven't".
- ever: "at any time before"; mainly in questions, placed between auxiliary and main verb.
- yet: used in the negative present perfect for something that hasn't happened but is expected, and it goes at the end of the sentence.
The answer is yet.
Why never leave a blank empty. Each blank is scored separately and wrong answers aren't penalised; Pearson's tips say not to leave blanks empty because you don't lose points for incorrect responses on this task. An empty blank scores zero for certain; a guess might not. And because blanks are independent, you never need to trade one blank against another.
The blank-by-blank check
For each blank:
- Structure: what word class and form does this position need?
- Fit: try each option in the sentence. Does the collocation work? Is the position right?
- Meaning: if two still fit, go back to the context and the logic of the passage.
When to skip step 1. If the options are different word classes, step 1 removes two or three quickly. If they're all the same class, as in the official example, go straight to position and collocation. Same-class options are the norm here, because distractors are built for that one blank.
Where to look (a practice tip): the clue is usually in the sentence containing the blank, occasionally the next one. Start local and widen only if you need to.
A note on practice material. Practice sentences from unofficial sources often contain mistakes. For example, "contacting information" isn't a standard phrase; the natural form is "contact information", while "accessing information" means getting information. If the passage is about parents looking up school records, "accessing" fits; if it's about getting in touch, "contact" does. When a practice sentence doesn't read correctly, suspect the source before you learn the pattern.
Practice checks
- Do 15 fill-in-the-blanks items (both types together), writing down why you ruled out each wrong option. Don't memorise answers. Practise in the Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks questions.
- Find five pairs of confusable words (empower / encourage, restore / recover) and write how their collocations differ.
- Label each miss by distractor type to find your pattern.
A four-step review for each miss:
- Distractor type: same root, near-synonym, or wrong logic?
- Partners: try each option with the words around it. A library can be restored, not recovered.
- Wider context: if collocation doesn't decide it, use sentence structure and meaning (still / already / ever / yet) or passage details (outing / voyage).
- Read it back, and fill every blank: read the completed sentence aloud to check grammar and meaning, and never submit an empty blank.
Check: across ten new items in a row, no more than one wrong blank per item, and you can explain why you ruled out each distractor ("it felt right" doesn't count), all within 1 minute 45 seconds per item. If you're not there, use the Reading overview's diagnosis table: two or more wrong blanks per item means the blank-by-blank method isn't in place yet; one wrong blank that's always a near-synonym means you need finer meaning distinctions and more vocabulary work. Those are different fixes.