Plainness
Drag words into the blanks.
Now that doesn't mean that plainness is the only good style, or that you should become a 1 to spare, unadorned writing. Formality and ornateness have their place, and in 2 hands complexity can carry us on a dizzying, breathtaking journey. But most students, most of the time, should 3 to be sensibly simple, to develop a baseline style of short words, active verbs, and relatively simple sentences 4 clear actions or identities. It's faster. It makes arguments easier to follow. It increases the chances a busy reader will bother to pay attention, and it lets you 5 more attention on your moments of rhetorical flourish, which I do not advise 6 altogether.
Word box (alphabetical)
Opens question #110002 in the RealPTE practice screen.
More Reading: Fill in the Blanks questions
Reading: Fill in the Blanks format (Pearson)
Pearson's name: Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)
| Prompt | Text up to 80 words |
|---|---|
| Time to answer | Not set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes) |
| Skills assessed | Reading |
How it is scored
- The box has more words than there are gaps.
- Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 2: Reading, checked 9 October 2026.