TOEFL Build a Sentence
One of the 3 task types in the Writing section. 210 practice questions in the bank, across 25 sets.
Build a Sentence gives you a set of words and asks you to order them into one grammatically correct sentence. There are about 10 items in roughly 6 minutes, they are machine-scored, and they are the most reliably improvable marks in the TOEFL Writing section.
What it looks like
A real item from the practice bank:
A: Where can I check the grades? — B:
beenthepostedresultshavewebsiteonThe
Correct sentence: The results have been posted on the website.
*Explanations in the PrepScore bank are written for a Chinese-speaking audience, so the reasoning on this page is ours rather than a translation of the bank’s.*
How to approach it
- Find the verb first, then the subject that governs it.
- Place the subject and verb before worrying about where modifiers go.
- Read the finished sentence back — word order that looks right often sounds wrong.
How much practice there is
The bank holds 210 questions of this type across 25 sets. 83% sit in the basic layer and the rest in the advanced layer, which unlocks once your basic-layer accuracy passes 60% — the same two-stage shape the real test uses in Reading and Listening.
Practise Build a Sentence free
Ten questions a day at no cost, with the reasoning on every answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many Build a Sentence questions are there?
About ten, in roughly six minutes, at the start of the Writing section.
Is Build a Sentence machine-scored?
Yes. It has one correct order, which is why it is worth drilling — the marks are not a matter of judgement.
Keep reading
By PrepScore · Last reviewed · Editorial standards