Unofficial practice. We wrote these questions to match the official PTE Academic task types and timings. They are not real exam questions, and points shown are practice feedback, not a PTE score. For an official estimate, use Pearson's scored practice tests.
The method
- Find the topic sentence. It makes sense on its own and doesn't start with This, However, He or These.
- Follow the links. Pronouns (it, they, this process) point back to something earlier.
- Look for time and logic signals: first, later, as a result, for this reason.
- Check pairs. You're marked on adjacent pairs, so getting two sentences together correctly still earns points.
Use the â–˛ and â–Ľ buttons to move sentences.
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Answers, explanations and transcripts
Finish the test first, then open each section to check your answers. Every answer has an explanation.
reading-reorder
Answer key (2 answers)
| # | Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reorder paragraph | (1) Sleep plays a vital role in how we learn and remember new in… → (2) During deep sleep, the brain replays experiences from the da… → (3) This process, known as memory consolidation, helps turn shor… → (4) For this reason, students who stay up all night before an ex… | Start with the topic sentence (it doesn't refer back to anything). 'During deep sleep' develops it, 'This process' refers back to the replaying, and 'For this reason' gives the conclusion. |
| 2 | Reorder paragraph | (1) The Snowy Mountains Scheme is one of the largest engineering… → (2) Construction began in 1949 and took twenty-five years to com… → (3) More than 100,000 people from over thirty countries worked o… → (4) Their contribution is now remembered as an important part of… | Introduce the scheme, then when it was built, then who built it ('it' refers to the scheme), then what 'their contribution' means today. |
Frequently asked questions
How is PTE Reorder Paragraphs scored?
You get a point for each pair of sentences in the correct order next to each other.
How do I find the first sentence?
Look for a sentence that introduces the topic and doesn't depend on anything before it (no 'this', 'however' or 'he').
What clues help with the order?
Pronouns, linking words (however, as a result), time words and the move from general to specific.