Does Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks count for PTE writing?

What Pearson says

Pearson publishes a table that shows how much each question type adds to each score on an average test. In that table, this question type counts towards your reading score and your overall score. It adds nothing to writing.

Pearson's 2025 Score Guide agrees. It puts this question type in the reading part of the test and scores it for reading only.

Why many students think it counts for writing

The name is the main reason. A question type called Reading and Writing sounds as if it should count for both. Pearson's newer documents call it Fill in the Blanks Dropdown, without the word writing, but the old name is still the one most people use.

The old rules are the second reason. Older versions of Pearson's Score Guide listed it under both reading and writing, and many practice websites and videos still repeat that.

Even Pearson's own page about the reading part says two different things. An older line at the top says this question type also tests writing. Further down, the section about it says it affects your reading score and doesn't test writing.

When sources disagree, trust the scoring table. It's what decides your score, and it gives this question type nothing for writing.

What makes up your writing score

Your writing score comes from four question types, and Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks isn't one of them.

Two of them may surprise you, because they're in the listening part of the test: Write from Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text. You type your answers for both, so they count towards writing as well as listening.

The table shows how much each one is worth. Write Essay is worth the most, about 31 per cent of your writing score.

What to practise if your writing score is low

Practising Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks can raise your reading score, but it won't change your writing score.

That matters if you need PTE for an Australian visa. Home Affairs sets a minimum score for each skill, so a high reading score won't help if your writing score is too low.

So put your practice time into the four question types that count for writing. Start with Write from Dictation. The sentences are short, and it's worth about 23 per cent of your writing score and about 13 per cent of your listening score.

Then move on to Write Essay and Summarize Written Text. Together, they're worth about 59 per cent of your writing score.

Why it's still worth practising

That doesn't mean you should skip it. No other question type adds more to your reading score.

It's also worth about 7 per cent of your overall score. Only Describe Image and Summarize Group Discussion are worth more.

It can help your writing in another way, too. The grammar and vocabulary you practise in it are the same ones your essays need, even though it earns no writing points itself.

You'll get five or six of these questions in the reading part. Each one is a text of up to 300 words, with a dropdown list for each gap.

How it's scored

You get one point for every gap you fill correctly, and you don't lose points for a wrong answer. A question can't score below zero, so choose an answer for every gap.

If you're not sure which option is right, read the words on each side of the gap. Then pick the option that fits both the meaning and the grammar.

How our mock test counts it

Our PTE mock tests count this question type the way Pearson's current table does. Your answers add to your reading score and your overall score, but never to writing.

So if your writing score in a mock test is lower than you expected, look at the four question types that count for writing first.