Quick answer
Build a Sentence gives you 10 items, one point each, in about six and a half minutes. Each item offers word chunks, one more than there are blanks, and you order them into a grammatical reply. Some items have more than one correct order, and every correct order earns the point.
What you are actually being tested on
Build a Sentence looks like a puzzle and is really a grammar test with the vocabulary removed. Two people appear on screen. One says a line. You complete the other person's reply by dragging word chunks into a row of blanks. The reply comes with a fixed opening (something like I, Did she, It is) and a fixed punctuation mark at the end, and those two things narrow the possibilities far more than most students realise.
You are not being asked to be creative. There is a target structure behind every item, and the chunks are cut so that exactly one arrangement (occasionally two) forms that structure. Your job is to recognise the structure fast, not to invent a sentence.
This matters because it changes how you practise. Reading more English will not move this task much. Learning to recognise nine or ten recurring patterns will move it a lot, and quickly. Ten items at one point each, converted into a score out of 5 and averaged with your email and discussion scores, is roughly a third of your Writing band. It is the cheapest third on the whole test.
The patterns that keep coming back
| Pattern | The signal that it is this pattern | The rule that fixes the order |
|---|---|---|
| Relative clause | A chunk is that, who, which or when, and there is a noun phrase in the set | The relative clause goes immediately after the noun it describes, not at the end of the sentence. |
| Embedded question | A chunk is a question word (what, when, where, why, how, whether) and the opening is a statement | Keep statement word order after the question word. Subject then verb. Never invert. |
| Modal plus infinitive | A chunk is can, should, must, would, will, might | The modal is followed by the bare base form. Not the -s form, not the -ed form, not to. |
| Present perfect and present perfect continuous | A chunk is have, has, or I have contracted | have or has plus past participle, or have or has plus been plus -ing. The time phrase goes last. |
| Reported speech | The opening is told me, said, was told | The reported clause keeps statement order and often carries a modal like should. No inversion, no question mark. |
| Time clause | A chunk is when, after, before, as soon as, while, or a duration like for an hour | The time expression attaches to the main clause without changing anything inside it. |
| Purpose clause | A chunk is to, so, so that, in order to | The purpose clause explains why and follows the action it explains. |
| Conditional | A chunk is if or unless | The if-clause uses present tense even when the main clause uses will. Never put will inside the if-clause. |
| Comparative and superlative | A chunk is than, more, most, or an -er or -est form | One-syllable adjectives take -er, longer ones take more. Never both. than introduces the thing compared. |
| Adjective and adverb order | Two or more describing words with a noun, or an adverb like completely, mainly, just, already | Opinion before size before colour before noun. Adverbs of degree sit next to what they modify, and several of them are mobile. |
Drawn from the grammar patterns tagged on our Build a Sentence items. Recognise the signal in the left column and the answer builds itself.
The forty-second routine
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1. Read the speaker line first
The line you are replying to fixes the tense and often the whole structure. Did you manage to get tickets? pushes the reply into the past. Have you decided which courses to take? pushes it into an embedded question about a decision. Students who skip straight to the chunks lose this for free.
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2. Read the fixed opening and the final punctuation
An opening of Did she with a question mark means the answer is a question, so the verb after she has to be a bare base form. An opening of I was told means reported speech is coming. An opening of It is usually means a noun phrase with modifiers. These two fragments do half the work.
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3. Find and discard the distractor
Look for two chunks that are forms of the same verb, or two verbs that mean roughly the same thing. One of them is the decoy. Decide which by asking which form the frame demands: after a modal you need the base form, after have you need the participle, after was or were you need -ing or the participle.
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4. Place the verb, then the subject, then everything else
The core of an English clause is subject plus verb plus object. Place those three and the remaining chunks usually have only one home. Time and place phrases go at the end unless a fixed opening has already claimed the front.
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5. Read it back once, silently, at speed
If it sounds like something a person would say, it is almost certainly right. If a word feels stranded, you have probably used the distractor. Do not use more than five seconds on this step. The whole module is about six and a half minutes for ten items.
Fifteen practice items, worked
Work through these with a pen before reading the answer. For each one, the speaker line is given, then the fixed opening, then the chunks in scrambled order. Build the reply, then read the explanation. The explanation names the pattern, because naming the pattern is what makes the next item faster.
Do all fifteen here first
Tap the chunks into the answer line, then check. Every item has one chunk more than the sentence needs, exactly as the real task does, so leaving one in the tray is part of getting it right. Three of these accept two orders and will tell you when you have found the second one. The worked explanations for all fifteen follow underneath, so try each item before you scroll.
Speaker“Where did you find that jacket?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Did the office say anything about the deadline?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Have you finished the reading for tomorrow?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Can you meet before class?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“You look exhausted.”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“What did the advisor say?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“How was the second lecture?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Why are you leaving so early?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Will you come to the study session?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Have you handed in the application?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Is the lab open on Sunday?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“When do we get the results?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Did you speak to him?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Why did you go to the writing centre?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Speaker“Should I email the department about this?”
Make an appropriate sentence.
Items 1 to 8
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Item 1. Relative clause
Speaker: Where did you find that jacket?
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: bought / it / from a / small shop / that / just opened / buysAnswer: I bought it from a small shop that just opened.
The relative clause that just opened attaches to small shop, the noun it describes, so it has to sit immediately after it. Putting it at the end of the sentence is the standard error and it produces something that no native speaker would say. The distractor is buys: the speaker used did you find, so the reply is in the past.
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Item 2. Embedded question
Speaker: Did the office say anything about the deadline?
Your reply begins: They told me ... .
Chunks: when / the form / is / due / when isAnswer: They told me when the form is due.
This is the single most tested pattern in the whole task, and the distractor is designed to catch it. Once a question word is embedded inside a statement, you keep statement word order: subject (the form), then verb (is). They told me when is the form due is the error, and the chunk when is exists purely to tempt you into it.
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Item 3. Mobile adverb, two right answers
Speaker: Have you finished the reading for tomorrow?
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: have / already / read / the first chapter / readingAnswer: I have already read the first chapter. Also correct: I have read the first chapter already.
already is standard both between the auxiliary and the participle and at the end of the clause. Both orders earn the point. The distractor is reading: after have you need the past participle, not the -ing form. If you built the version with already at the end and worried you had it wrong, this is exactly the anxiety this item is here to remove.
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Item 4. Modal plus base form
Speaker: Can you meet before class?
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: should / be / free / after / my seminar / amAnswer: I should be free after my seminar.
A modal is always followed by the bare base form, so should be and never should am. The distractor am is there because I am free is a perfectly good sentence on its own, which is what makes it tempting. Once you have committed to should, am is dead. The time phrase after my seminar goes last.
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Item 5. Present perfect continuous
Speaker: You look exhausted.
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: have / been / revising / since / seven this morning / revisedAnswer: I have been revising since seven this morning.
Three chunks in a fixed sequence: have, then been, then the -ing form. The pattern connects a past starting point to right now, which is why since appears in the set. revised is the distractor and it fails because have been revised would be passive and would mean something absurd here.
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Item 6. Reported speech with a modal
Speaker: What did the advisor say?
Your reply begins: She said ... .
Chunks: that / I / should / retake / the placement test / retookAnswer: She said that I should retake the placement test.
Reported speech keeps statement order inside the reported clause, and the modal should is followed by the base form retake. The distractor retook is a past form that cannot follow a modal. Note also that that comes first: it introduces the whole clause, so nothing can sit in front of it.
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Item 7. Comparative
Speaker: How was the second lecture?
Your reply begins: It was ... .
Chunks: much / clearer / than / the one / last week / clearestAnswer: It was much clearer than the one last week.
Two lectures are being compared, so the slot takes the comparative clearer, and one-syllable adjectives form it with -er. The distractor clearest is a superlative, which cannot appear with than at all. Note that it is not a verb form: a competing degree form is the second most common distractor design. much intensifies the comparative and sits directly in front of it. than introduces what you are comparing with.
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Item 8. Purpose clause
Speaker: Why are you leaving so early?
Your reply begins: I want to get there early ... .
Chunks: so / that / I can / find / a seat / findingAnswer: I want to get there early so that I can find a seat.
A purpose clause explains why the main action happens, so it follows the main action. so that is followed by a full clause with a subject and a verb, which is why I can is in the set. The distractor finding would be the right shape after a preposition, but so that is not a preposition.
Items 9 to 15
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Item 9. Conditional
Speaker: Will you come to the study session?
Your reply begins: I will come ... .
Chunks: if / I finish / my lab report / in time / will finishAnswer: I will come if I finish my lab report in time.
The rule that decides this item: the if-clause uses the present tense even though the sentence is about the future. If I will finish is the error and the distractor will finish exists to produce it. This is one of the most common mistakes in the extended writing tasks as well, so the item is worth more than one point of attention.
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Item 10. Mobile adverb, two right answers again
Speaker: Have you handed in the application?
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: just / submitted / it / this morning / submitAnswer: I just submitted it this morning. Also correct: I submitted it just this morning.
just can sit before the verb, where it means recently, or before the time phrase, where it narrows the time. Both are natural English and both earn the point. The distractor submit is the base form, which cannot stand alone as a past action.
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Item 11. Existential there
Speaker: Is the lab open on Sunday?
Your reply begins: I do not think ... .
Chunks: there / is / anyone / in the building / on Sundays / areAnswer: I do not think there is anyone in the building on Sundays.
The existential there takes its number from the noun that follows it, and anyone is singular, so is and not are. Place then time at the end: in the building before on Sundays. Getting those two in the wrong order does not make the sentence ungrammatical but it does make it sound wrong, and this item wants the natural order.
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Item 12. Future passive
Speaker: When do we get the results?
Your reply begins: They ... .
Chunks: will / be / posted / on Friday / afternoon / postingAnswer: They will be posted on Friday afternoon.
Passive is be plus past participle, and the future adds will in front, so the sequence is fixed: will be posted. The subject They is the thing being acted on, which is the tell that a passive is wanted. The distractor posting would give will be posting, an active future continuous, which does not fit because results do not post themselves.
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Item 13. Time clause with as soon as
Speaker: Did you speak to him?
Your reply begins: I ... .
Chunks: called / him / as soon as / I / got / your message / callingAnswer: I called him as soon as I got your message.
as soon as introduces a full clause, so it needs its own subject and verb (I got). Both verbs are past because both events are past. The distractor calling has no auxiliary to attach to. Note that the time clause could open the sentence in free writing, but the fixed opening I rules that out here, which is exactly why reading the opening first saves time.
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Item 14. Infinitive of purpose plus gerund after a preposition
Speaker: Why did you go to the writing centre?
Your reply begins: I went ... .
Chunks: to / ask / about / citing / sources / citeAnswer: I went to ask about citing sources.
Two rules in one item, which is why it is harder than it looks. to plus base form gives the purpose (to ask). Then about is a preposition, and a verb after a preposition takes the -ing form (citing). The distractor cite is the base form, correct after to and wrong after about, so it punishes anyone applying one rule to both slots.
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Item 15. Mobile adverb in a question
Speaker: Should I email the department about this?
Your reply begins: Could you ... ?
Chunks: check / the website / yourself / first / checksAnswer: Could you check the website yourself first? Also correct: Could you first check the website yourself?
first is standard at the front of the verb phrase and at the end of the clause. Both orders are accepted. The distractor checks carries the third-person -s, which cannot follow the modal could. Notice the question mark in the fixed frame: it tells you the modal is doing the questioning, so nothing inside needs to invert.
Errors to eliminate, in order of how often they cost points
- Inverting an embedded question. They told me when is the form due should be They told me when the form is due.
- Putting will inside the if-clause. If I will finish should be If I finish.
- A non-base form after a modal. Should am, could checks, would retook are all dead on arrival.
- Stranding a relative clause at the end instead of putting it after its noun.
- Double comparatives. More clearer, more easier, most best.
- Using the -ing form after have when the participle is needed, and the participle after be when the -ing form is needed.
- Using the distractor because it looks like a real word. Every item has exactly one chunk that belongs nowhere.
- Spending more than about forty seconds on one item when nine others are waiting.
Six items under exam conditions
Each question shows a speaker line, a fixed opening, and four candidate orderings. Pick the one that is correct English. Give yourself forty seconds each.
Chunks available: how much / they / charge / for / the materials / how much do
Speaker: Do you know how much the lab fee is? Your reply begins with I am not sure.
The question word is embedded inside a statement, so statement order applies: subject they, then verb charge. This is the highest-frequency pattern in the whole task.This inverts with the auxiliary do, which is what you do in a direct question, not an embedded one. The chunk how much do exists only to catch this.Verb before subject is inversion without an auxiliary, which is not possible in modern English outside a few fixed expressions.The question word has to introduce the embedded clause, not sit in the middle of it.Chunks available: might / have / to work / late / that evening / had
Speaker: Are you free on Thursday? Your reply begins with I.
The modal might is followed by the base form have, and have to work carries the obligation meaning. The time phrase that evening goes at the end.A past form cannot follow a modal. Had is the distractor in this item and it is the most common wrong pick.To cannot sit between a modal and its verb. Modals are followed by a bare base form with no to.The modal has to come before the verb it modifies, not after it.Chunks available: have / been / standing / here / for / twenty minutes / stood
Speaker: How long have you been waiting? Your reply begins with I.
Present perfect continuous is have plus been plus the -ing form, and the duration phrase for twenty minutes goes last. The speaker line asks how long, which is the signal for this pattern.Been cannot follow the main verb. The auxiliary chain has to be complete before the main verb appears.The auxiliaries are in the wrong order. Have always precedes been.Have been stood is a passive, which would mean somebody placed you there. The chunk stood is the distractor for exactly this reason.Chunks available: more interesting / than / the one / we saw / in March / interestinger
Speaker: Did you enjoy the exhibition? Your reply begins with It was.
Adjectives of three or more syllables take more rather than the -er ending, and than introduces the thing being compared, immediately after the comparative.Interestinger is not a word. Longer adjectives cannot take the -er ending, and this chunk is the distractor.Than has to sit directly after the comparative phrase, not at the end of the sentence.Than cannot precede the comparative it belongs to.Chunks available: have / already / emailed / the organiser / emailing
Speaker: Have you sent the confirmation? Your reply begins with I. Two of these are correct English. Which option lists them?
Already is standard both between the auxiliary and the participle and at the end of the clause. An item like this carries both orders as accepted answers, and either one earns the point.Placing already before the participle is correct, but it is not the only correct placement, so calling it the only right answer is wrong.Placing already at the end is correct, but again it is not the only correct placement.Already is one of the most natural adverbs in the present perfect. This option is the opposite of the truth.Chunks available: to / ask / about / changing / my grading option / change
Speaker: Why did you email the registrar? Your reply begins with I wrote.
To plus the base form ask expresses purpose, and the preposition about is followed by the -ing form changing. The item tests two different rules in adjacent slots.After the preposition about you need the -ing form, not the base form. Change is the distractor in this item.After to expressing purpose you need the base form, not the -ing form.About cannot come before the infinitive of purpose. The purpose clause has to attach directly to the verb wrote.One last thing about time
Ten items in about six and a half minutes averages to roughly forty seconds each, but that average is misleading. Most items take fifteen seconds once you recognise the pattern, which banks time for the two or three that are genuinely awkward. The failure mode is the opposite: spending ninety seconds on item three, then rushing the last four and losing points on items you would have got right with twenty seconds of calm.
If an item has beaten you for forty seconds, place your best-sounding order, move on, and do not look back. There is no going back anyway, and a plausible guess on a hard item costs you nothing while a panicked sprint through the last four items costs you several points.
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Take a Writing practice testCommon questions
Ten items, one point each, and roughly six and a half minutes for all ten, since the email takes about seven minutes and the discussion about ten out of the 23-minute section.
Yes, and many do. Mobile adverbs like already, just, first and mainly have more than one standard position, and some items offer two verb forms that are both defensible. Items like these carry a list of accepted orders and any of them earns the point.
No. Each item is one point and it is all or nothing. That is why the elimination step matters: discarding the distractor first is usually what makes the rest of the order obvious.
It is a distractor that belongs in no correct answer. Usually it is a wrong form of a verb already in the set, or a near-synonym that does not fit the grammar of the frame. Finding it first is the fastest route to the answer.
Embedded questions. They appear more often than any other pattern, the distractor is designed to trigger the classic inversion error, and the same rule protects you in the email and discussion tasks as well.
About a third. The ten points convert to a score out of 5, which is averaged with your email score out of 5 and your discussion score out of 5.