TOEFL Build a Sentence practice with instant checking
Arrange 6 to 12 given words into one correct sentence, exactly like test day. Each set takes about 6 minutes, and every answer is checked the moment you submit.
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How it works
How Build a Sentence practice works
Open a question set
You get a scrambled set of 6 to 12 words, the same range the 2026 test uses.
Arrange the words in order
Build one grammatically correct sentence under the real time limit.
Submit and see the result
Each answer is marked correct or incorrect right away, so you know which structures still trip you up.
Track what to review
Your results are saved to your progress page, so weak grammar patterns are easy to spot and repeat.
How the task actually works
What ETS states
The current Writing section lists 12 items: 10 Build a Sentence items, one Write an Email task, and one Academic Discussion task.
Build a Sentence represents 10 of the 20 listed maximum raw points in the Writing specification.
That is half of the listed raw points, not a claim that it determines half of the final band score; ETS does not publish a simple raw-to-band conversion here.
The maximum points per Build a Sentence item is 1.
The 2026 Reading and Listening sections use multistage adaptive designs; Speaking and Writing are linear.
Sourced from the ETS 2026 test specifications, accessed 17 July 2026.
Reach120 interprets — our reading, not ETS’s explanation
What the task is really testing
A Build a Sentence item gives you a context — typically a completed sentence plus a question — and a set of scrambled words and phrases. Your job is to arrange them into one sentence that is grammatically correct and functions as a natural answer to the question. Both conditions matter: a grammatical sentence that ignores the question is still wrong.
The skill being measured is syntactic control under time pressure: subject-verb agreement, word order, modifier placement, and — most often decisive — which clause a connector attaches to.
One item, one decision
This item was written by Reach120 to illustrate the task pattern. It is not an ETS item and does not reproduce any official material.
- Context
- Last month, our study group started meeting at the library instead of the cafeteria.
- Question
- Why did you change the location?
Wrong arrangement
Because we moved, the library is much quieter than the cafeteria.
Grammatical as a sentence, but it answers a different question — it claims the library got quieter because the group moved. It does not answer “why did you change the location?”
Correct arrangement
We moved because the library is much quieter than the cafeteria.
The main clause states the action, “because” controls the reason clause, and the comparative “much quieter … than” stays intact as one unit.
Before ordering anything else, decide which clause the connector controls, then keep comparative and prepositional units unbroken. Most arrangement errors are connector-attachment errors, not vocabulary errors.
What a raw result means
In our reading of the specification a Build a Sentence item is scored correct or incorrect, so a practice result on these items is a raw count — not a band score. Official score reports for tests taken on or after January 21, 2026 use a 1-6 scale in half-band increments, and ETS does not publish a simple raw-to-band conversion here. Treat raw-item accuracy as evidence about your grammar control, never as a predicted official score.
The Build a Sentence practice screen
Word tiles, the countdown timer, and instant checking on submit.
Pricing
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FAQ
Build a Sentence questions, answered
Build a Sentence is the first task in the 2026 TOEFL Writing section, and the specification lists 10 of the section’s 12 items as Build a Sentence items. You receive 6 to 12 words and must arrange all of them into one grammatically correct sentence that answers the prompt. The whole task takes about 6 minutes.
No. You are not selecting one option among answers; you arrange the given words and phrases into a sentence yourself. In our reading of the ETS specification, the arrangement is then scored correct or incorrect rather than on a rubric — the specification itself publishes the point allocation, a maximum of 1 point per item.
Build a Sentence represents 10 of the 20 listed maximum raw points in the Writing specification. That is half of the listed raw points, not a claim that it determines half of the final band score; ETS does not publish a simple raw-to-band conversion here.
Word order, subject-verb agreement, articles, and linking words come up constantly. Practicing full question sets is the fastest way to find which of these patterns you miss under time pressure.
Reading and Listening practice, sample answers, practice topics, and all blog guides are free. Unlimited AI-scored Writing and Speaking practice needs a paid plan: $29 every month or $59 every three months, cancel any time — each renews automatically until you cancel. Pricing is shown on this page, and there is no signup wall to see it.
Yes. The TOEFL Writing section changed on January 21, 2026 to three task types: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Academic Discussion. Reach120 practice follows the official ETS task descriptions for that format. Our scores are practice estimates, never official results.
Ready for your next Build a Sentence question?
Practice under the real 2026 time limits and walk into test day knowing exactly what to fix.
Practice Build a Sentence