Re-order Paragraphs

Re-order Paragraphs

Reading Time: 11 minutes

Part 2: Reading

Reorder Paragraph

Made Easy

  • Length of text: around 50 - 110 words
  • Number of Text Boxes 4 - 5
  • Number of these tasks: 2 - 3
  • Total time for reading tasks: 29 - 30 minutes

Reorder Paragraph is a reading task which tests how well you can follow the organisation of an academic text and understand how it is joined together.

  • You will see instructions, and two panels. The one on the left has some sentences in the wrong order and the other is empty.
  • Drag the sentences to the empty panel, putting them in the right order.
  • This task tests your Reading skills.
  • The timer shows how much time is left for all the reading tasks in the test.
  • Read the task instructions.
  • Use the arrow buttons between the panels to move boxes between the left and right panels or drag and drop them. You can move the boxes around as much as you like: • click on a box to select it, then drag it to the right-hand panel. • click on a box to select it, and then click on an arrow button to move it across. • double click on a box to make it move to the other panel.
  • You can move the boxes in the right-hand panel (by using the up and down arrow buttons or dragging and dropping the text).
  • Click ‘Next’ to go to the next question after you have checked your answer.
  • PTE Academic - Candidate Name
  • Time Remaining 00:18:34
  • 09 of 18 (86786.2)

The text boxes in the left panel have been placed in a random order. Restore the original order by dragging the text boxes from the left panel to the right panel.

Next

Reorder Paragraph Test Only One Skill

  • Reading
    up to 9 points
  • Following a logical or chronological sequence
  • Identifying supporting points or examples
  • Identifying relationships in the text
  • Understanding academic vocabulary
  • Inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words
  • Comprehending abstract and concrete information

Top Strategies for Success in Reorder Paragraph

  • Before The Test

Cohesion

Make sure you’re familiar with how sentences in a text can link together. Recognising cohesive devices will help you work out the order of the text because they show the relationship between sentences. Here are some examples.

Linking words and phrases like however, as a result and in fact which show the relationships between ideas.

Articles that can link to previous ideas: the + noun sometimes refer back to where the noun was mentioned before; a / an + noun can show that it’s the first time the noun is being mentioned.

Reference words like this, it, the, one and some refer to ideas elsewhere in the text

Different words that are often used for the same idea or thing (e.g. a car might be referred to as the automobile and his new vehicle in the same text)

  • Practice Tips
    Follow To Succeed

Practise reading serious texts from websites, textbooks or online academic journals. To better understand the connection and flow of sentences, choose a paragraph and do the following:

• Analyse the first sentence, asking yourself: ‘Why is this sentence before all the others?’ Decide whether or not it communicates the main idea of the paragraph it’s in, or acts as an introduction to the other sentences.

• Highlight all the words or phrases in the passage that are used for cohesion. Decide what each cohesive word or phrase does. Does it refer to another thing or idea in the text? Or does it show the relationship between two ideas?

• Highlight all the articles (a /an and the). Decide why these articles are used. Are they used when a thing is mentioned for the first time? Does the article change when the thing is mentioned again later?

• Look at the text and decide if the information flows logically from one sentence to the next. For example, does it follow a sequence such as:
1. topic
2. opinion on the topic
3. detail, reason or ideas
4. explanation
5. examples
Or is does it follow another type of sequence?

  • During The Test

FIRST

Skim all the sentences in the text boxes quickly to get an understanding of the topic and purpose of the text. When you have understood the topic and purpose, it will be easier to find a logical order for the ideas.

NEXT

Read all the sentences carefully and look for a main topic sentence.
• This will most likely be a general statement about the topic. It is less likely than other sentences to contain reference words (he, this etc.) or linking words (however, nevertheless etc.) that refer to anything in another sentence.
• Move this sentence to the right panel, at the top. You can re-order the sentences later if you change your mind.
• Don’t worry if some words are unfamiliar. If you need to know their meanings, try to infer them from the context.

FINALLY

Read the right-hand panel again to check that it makes sense in the order you’ve chosen. Change it only if necessary.

THEN

Choose a sentence that follows logically from the first sentence.
• Identify a logical order for the remaining sentences.
• Use language clues (e.g. cohesion) as well as the meaning of sentences.
• If you don’t know, then guess. Guessing is better than choosing no options in this task.

Remember, What To Do What Not To Do In Reorder Paragraph

  • You should identify the topic sentence first.
  • You should not choose a sentence with linking words or references to earlier information as the first sentence.
  • You should manage time effectively.
  • You should not spend too much time on one task; keep an eye on the timer.
  • You should attempt the task even if you are not sure of your answers.
  • You should not leave this task unanswered, even if you aren’t sure of the correct order. It is better to guess than give no response.
  • You should read the whole text again to double check.
  • You should not finish before reading the whole text in the right-hand panel, to check it makes sense.

Practice Now With Your Trainer

Practise Reorder Paragraph 2 here if you want to try Re-order paragraphs without a time limit. Think about the strategies mentioned above. Then follow the task instructions.

  • PTE Academic - Candidate Name
  • Time Remaining 00:17:26
  • 10 of 18 (86786.2)

In the text below some words are missing. Drag words from the box below to the appropriate place in the text. To undo an answer choice, drag the word back to the box below the text.

1. Unfortunately for most people, modern life can make this amount difficult to get.

2. There is plenty of research showing that a good night’s sleep is important for health, in many ways.

3. The question for many people, though, is how much sleep is enough?

4. The amount varies from person to person, but for adults, around eight hours of sleep per night, give or take half an hour or so, is about right.

Next

Reflecting on your practice

1. Use the checklist below to decide what you did well and what you need to practise more. Set aside time to work on each area that you want to improve.

  • First, I read the sentences quickly to get an idea of the topic and purpose of the text.
  • I moved boxes around if I found a good reason to make a change.
  • I identified the first box by finding the one with no references to earlier ideas.
  • I was able to reorganise the boxes into a logical sequence.
  • I found connections between the boxes by identifying language clues (e.g. reference words, articles, linking words/phrases, or words/ expressions with the same or similar meaning).
  • I read the right-hand panel from start to finish to check my answer before finishing.
  • If I really didn’t know the answer, I made the best possible guess.

2. Check the answers given below. Were your answers correct? Try to think about how you could improve.

There is plenty of research showing that a good night’s sleep is important for heath, in many ways.

The question for many people, though, is how much sleep is enough?

The amount varies from person to person, but for adults, around eight hours of sleep per night, give or take half an hour or so, is about right.

Unfortunately for most people, modern life can make this amount difficult to get.

Common Mistakes Problems Errors In Reorder Paragraph

Points To Remember Reading Tasks

The reading texts are designed to test only English. You don’t need any special knowledge. It doesn’t matter if you are unfamiliar with the subject. All the information you need to answer the question is in the text.

The reading section of the test has 13-18 tasks that you need to complete. When you are satisfied with your response for a task, click ‘Next’ to move on to the next one.

Most Repeated Reorder Paragraph Questions in 2025

1. But this map has always fascinated me and still does, even though it now seems very primitive.

2. For as long as I can remember, there has been a map in the ticket hall of Piccadilly Circus tube station supposedly showing night and day across the time zones of the world.

3. This is because it chops the world up equally by longitude, without regard the reality of either political divisions or the changing seasons.

4. This is somewhat surprising given the London Underground’s history difficulty in grasping the concept of punctuality.

1. For as long as I can remember, there has been a map in the ticket hall of Piccadilly Circus tube station supposedly showing night and day across the time zones of the world.
2. This is somewhat surprising given the London Underground’s history difficulty in grasping the concept of punctuality.
3. But this map has always fascinated me and still does, even though it now seems very primitive.
4. This is because it chops the world up equally by longitude, without regard the reality of either political divisions or the changing seasons.

1. Having worked as a literacy tutor with teenagers, Ms. Bocking saw the need for good attitudes towards reading to be formed early on — with the help of more male role models.

2. Julia Bocking’s Literacy and Dads (LADS) project aim to increase the number of fathers participating as literacy helpers in K-2 school reading programs at Queanbeyan Primary Schools.

3. She said. “A male that values reading sets a powerful role model, particularly for young boys, who are statistically more likely to end up in the remedial literacy program.”

4. A University of Canberra student has launched the nation’s first father-led literacy project, to encourage fathers to become more involved in their children’s literacy.

1. A University of Canberra student has launched the nation’s first father-led literacy project, to encourage fathers to become more involved in their children’s literacy.
2. Julia Bocking’s Literacy and Dads (LADS) project aim to increase the number of fathers participating as literacy helpers in K-2 school reading programs at Queanbeyan Primary Schools.
3. Having worked as a literacy tutor with teenagers, Ms. Bocking saw the need for good attitudes towards reading to be formed early on — with the help of more male role models.
4. She said. “A male that values reading sets a powerful role model, particularly for young boys, who are statistically more likely to end up in the remedial literacy program.”

1. Studies of this man led scientists to break through: the part of our brains where habits are stored has nothing to do with memory or reason.

2. In 1992 a retired engineer in San Diego contracted a rare brain disease that wiped out his memory.

3. It offered proof of what the US psychologist Willian James noticed more than a century ago that humans “are mere walking bundles of habits.”

4. Every day he was asked where the kitchen was in his house, and every day he didn’t have the foggiest idea.

5. Yet whenever he was hungry he got up and propelled himself straight to the kitchen to get something to eat.

1. In 1992 a retired engineer in San Diego contracted a rare brain disease that wiped out his memory.
2. Every day he was asked where the kitchen was in his house, and every day he didn’t have the foggiest idea.
3. Yet whenever he was hungry he got up and propelled himself straight to the kitchen to get something to eat.
4. Studies of this man led scientists to break through: the part of our brains where habits are stored has nothing to do with memory or reason.
5. It offered proof of what the US psychologist Willian James noticed more than a century ago that humans “are mere walking bundles of habits.”

1. The fibers are as strong and soft as wool and silk.

2. Narendra Reddy and Yiqi Yang, who produced the fibers at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. In addition, he says that because they are biodegradable, they might be used in biomedical applications such as surgical sutures.

3. Fibers suitable for clothing have been made for the first time from the wheat protein gluten.

4. However, they are 30 times cheaper.

1. Fibers suitable for clothing have been made for the first time from the wheat protein gluten.
2. The fibers are as strong and soft as wool and silk.
3. However, they are 30 times cheaper.
4. Narendra Reddy and Yiqi Yang, who produced the fibers at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. In addition, he says that because they are biodegradable, they might be used in biomedical applications such as surgical sutures.

1. This number can be raised if sea level ceaseless goes up, scientists notified.

2. Sea level raise led to 36 thousand people died every year.

3. If sea level raises 1 meter, 168 million people will die all around the world.

4. According to the research, if sea level raises 50 centimeters, 86 million people will die.

1. Sea level raise led to 36 thousand people died every year.
2. This number can be raised if sea level ceaseless goes up, scientists notified.
3. According to the research, if sea level raises 50 centimeters, 86 million people will die.
4. If sea level raises 1 meter, 168 million people will die all around the world.

Quick Tips Strategies For Better Score!

Read the text boxes in order to understand the main idea of each one. You can do this by noting the key words.

Next, use the key words to form an overall idea of what the original text is about. This will help you find the logical order for the ideas in the text boxes:

Every well-written paragraph has a topic sentence. It is usually a clear statement about the topic, and all the other sentences are related in some way to this sentence.

The topic sentence can stand alone; it does not begin with a linker or a pronoun that refers back to something or someone (e.g., 'he' or 'this'), nor does it does refer back to information or actions previously mentioned through the use of things like passive verb tenses (e.g., 'No link was found'):

Your response for Re-order Paragraphs is judged on your ability to understand the organization and cohesion of an academic text. If all text boxes are in the correct order, you receive the maximum score points for this question type. If one or more text boxes are in the wrong order, partial credit scoring applies.

Notes
• This question type affects the scoring of only reading.
• Your listening, speaking and writing skills are not tested by this question type.
• For more information download the Score Guide.