Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks · Part 2: Reading

Internet Use

23 students marked "I sat this"Added 3 Jan 2022Question #120400

Choose the word for each blank.

People are spending twice as much time online compared to 10 years ago, fuelled by increasing use of tablets and smartphones. The biggest 1 has been among young adults, with time spent online almost tripling from 10 hours and 24 minutes each week in 2005 to 27 hours and 36 minutes in 2014. In total, the average adult spends more than 20 hours online a week, which includes time spent on the internet 2 work. 3 the average person spends 2.5 hours every week “online while on the move” - away from their home, work or place of study. This is a five-fold increase from 2005, when the figure was just 30 minutes. Overall, the proportion of adults using the internet has risen by half - from six in ten in 2005 to almost nine in ten today, 4 Ofcom’s Media Use and Attitudes 2015 report, which questioned 1,890 adults aged 16 and over about their internet consumption habits.

Options for each gap (alphabetical)

  • 1 decline · decrease · incline · increase
  • 2 at · in · to · with
  • 3 as a result · however · meanshile · nevertheless
  • 4 according to · related to · responding to · with regard to

More Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks questions

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks format (Pearson)

Pearson's name: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

PromptText up to 200 words
Time to answerNot set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes)
Skills assessedReading, Writing

How it is scored

  • Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores.

Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 2: Reading, checked 9 October 2026.