PTE Fill in the Blanks, drag vs dropdown
How PTE Academic Reading fill-in-the-blanks works, the difference between the drag bank and dropdown tasks, and how PeakPTE scores partial credit.
PTE Academic Reading includes two fill-in-the-blanks tasks. They look similar. The interaction is not the same. PeakPTE ships both, with Pearson-faithful controls: drag from a word bank, or pick from a dropdown on each blank.
What is Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop)?
You get a passage with gaps and a bank of words. Drag a word into each gap. The bank has extra words you should not use. On a phone, you can tap a word and then tap a gap if drag is awkward.
This task is Reading only. Grammar and collocation in the sentence are the cue.
What is Fill in the Blanks (dropdown)?
Each gap has its own dropdown. You choose one option per blank. There is no shared bank. Official PTE treats this as Reading and Writing because you are selecting language that fits both meaning and form.
How does PeakPTE score these?
Each blank is marked on its own. Correct blanks add up. Wrong or empty blanks do not. You can leave a gap blank. We do not force a full passage to be perfect before you see a practice estimate.
That estimate is still a practice score, not an official Pearson score.
How should you practice?
Do a few drag items, then a few dropdown items. They train different habits. Drag trains you to scan a bank. Dropdown trains you to compare close options in place. Use Answer to check keys after you submit, then redo the same item if the pattern is new to you.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between RFIB and RWFIB?
Drag and drop Fill in the Blanks uses a shared word bank. Dropdown Fill in the Blanks gives each gap its own list. PeakPTE ships both.
Do you need the whole passage correct to score?
No. PeakPTE awards partial credit per blank. Empty blanks score zero.
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