Reading
Reorder Paragraphs
Several text boxes belong to one paragraph. You drag them back into the original order.
- Reading
- Items on a test
- About 2–3
- What you move
- Text boxes into order
- Scoring
- 1 point per correct adjacent pair
- Section timer
- 23–30 minutes, shared
Item counts vary slightly by test form. The ranges follow Pearson’s PTE Academic test-taker score guide.
What this task asks
The sentences of a short text are shown as separate boxes, out of order. You restore the original sequence by dragging, or by using the on-screen arrows. The item is about cohesion: how one sentence leads to the next.
The reading timer is shared, so a reorder that will not resolve is safer left in your best order than polished until the blanks have no time left.
How scoring works
You receive 1 point for each pair of boxes that are next to each other in the correct order, and 0 is the minimum. The score is not “one point if the whole paragraph is perfect”. Getting the first and last boxes right does not score those positions unless each is beside its correct neighbour.
If every box is in the correct order, you receive the maximum. The item contributes only to Reading.
Timings and scoring follow Pearson’s published format for Reading.
Tips that match the task
- 1
Read every box before you move anything, and note the key noun in each one. You are looking for one topic, then the sentences that develop it.
- 2
Find the sentence that can stand first: it introduces the topic and does not open with a pronoun or a linker that needs an earlier sentence.
- 3
Next, look for references. “This study”, “these results” and “however” have to point at something already said.
- 4
Lock in pairs you are sure about. Because the score is adjacent pairs, a correct pair still scores even if another part of the paragraph is wrong.
- 5
Watch time order and cause. A result cannot come before the event that produced it unless the sentence itself signals that.
- 6
If two orders both seem possible, choose the one where every pronoun has a clear noun before it, then move on.
Common mistakes
- Scoring the task in your head as all-or-nothing and giving up when one sentence will not fit. The other pairs can still score.
- Putting a sentence that starts with “However” or “This” first.
- Ordering by interesting detail rather than by what each sentence refers to.
- Swapping two middle sentences and breaking two pairs at once.
- Using most of the reading timer on a single reorder.
Frequently asked questions
How is PTE Reorder Paragraphs scored?
One point for each pair of text boxes that sit next to each other in the correct order. Partial credit applies. A paragraph that is perfect earns the maximum. The item contributes to Reading.
Does the first sentence have to be a topic sentence?
It has to be a sentence that can open the text. Pearson’s tips note that a well-written paragraph usually has a clear statement of the topic, with the other sentences related to it. A sentence that refers back to something else is rarely first.
Is there negative marking?
No. Incorrect pairs score nothing. They do not deduct points you earned from the pairs you got right.
Practise Reorder Paragraphs on a real question
Open a free practice question in the LearnPTE app and try this task with instant feedback.