TOEIC Part 5: the grammar part, and how to clear it fast

What TOEIC Part 5 actually is

Part 5 is the first part of the TOEIC Reading section. According to the official ETS Examinee Handbook, it contains 30 questions, numbered 101 to 130. The directions are simple: "A word or phrase is missing in each of the sentences below. Four answer choices are given below each sentence. Select the best answer to complete the sentence."

Every question is one self-contained sentence — no passage, no context beyond the sentence itself. That's what makes Part 5 both fast and unforgiving: there's nowhere to hide, but also nothing extra to read.

Why Part 5 is your points bank

The Reading section gives you 75 minutes for 100 questions, and there's no separate timing between parts. That means Part 5 has a double value: it's worth 30 questions and it's where you buy time for Part 7, the long-passage monster at the end. Every minute you overspend on a single-sentence grammar item is a minute stolen from a 5-question reading set later.

Part 5 feeds the Reading section score, which the Handbook confirms runs from 5 to 495 (it sums with Listening to the familiar 10–990 total). Because the test is statistically equated, you can't put a point value on one question — but 30 fast, high-accuracy answers is one of the cleanest ways to lift a Reading score, especially compared with the slow grind of Part 7.

The 5 patterns ETS tests — with real examples

Part 5 looks varied, but almost every question is one of five recognisable types. The examples below are the real opening questions (101–105) from ETS's official sample test — a perfect cross-section, because they happen to show four of the five patterns in a row.

1. Word form (part of speech)

The four options are the same word in different forms. Your job is to decide what part of speech the blank needs — noun, verb, adjective or adverb — from the words around it.

2. Connecting words (prepositions & conjunctions)

The options are linking words — since, although, because, during, despite — and the answer depends on the logical relationship between two parts of the sentence.

3. Verbs (tense, voice & agreement)

The options are forms of a verb, and you choose based on tense, subject–verb agreement, or active vs. passive voice. Look for time markers (already, next week, since) and whether the subject is singular or plural.

4. Pronouns & determiners

The options are pronouns or determiners — it / them / those / their — and you pick the one that agrees with the noun it stands for.

5. Vocabulary & collocation

Here the four options are different words of the same part of speech, and only one fits the meaning — often because of a collocation (words that naturally go together, like "make a decision" or "meet a deadline"). These are the questions where you must read for meaning.

The 20-second method

Speed in Part 5 comes from a fixed routine, not from reading faster. Run every question through the same four steps:

1. Glance at the four options. Same word in different forms, or four different words? This tells you instantly whether you're solving grammar or meaning.
2. If it's grammar, find what the blank needs. Look at the words touching the gap: an adverb before it and a linking verb usually wants an adjective; "the ______ of" usually wants a noun; a subject with no verb wants a verb. Decide the part of speech, then pick the option that matches.
3. If it's vocabulary, read the whole sentence once. Meaning is the only judge, so read the full sentence and test each word — a collocation or a context clue usually settles it.
4. Eliminate and commit. Rule out what's grammatically impossible, choose the best of the rest, and move. If you're still stuck past ~30 seconds, guess, flag, and go.

The traps that cost easy points

• The "sounds right" word form. ETS loves offering a noun where an adjective belongs. Don't trust your ear — check the grammar of the words next to the blank.
• Near-synonyms in vocabulary questions. Two options often mean almost the same thing; the answer is the one that collocates with the surrounding words. Learn common collocations, not just word lists.
• Ignoring time markers. On verb questions, a single word — already, since, next, yesterday — usually fixes the tense. Missing it turns a 10-second question into a guess.
• Over-reading. On grammar questions you rarely need the sentence's meaning. Reading every clause "to be safe" is how a 20-second question becomes a minute.

How to practise Part 5 so it sticks

Part 5 rewards pattern recognition, and pattern recognition is built by volume plus review. Two habits move the needle fastest:

• Sort every miss into one of the five patterns. Were you wrong on a word form, a connecting word, a verb, a pronoun, or a vocabulary choice? A stack of "word form" misses tells you exactly what grammar to review — far more useful than a raw score.
• Practise under a clock. Untimed grammar drills teach accuracy but not the 20-second reflex Part 5 actually rewards. Do timed sets, then full Reading sections, so the pace becomes automatic.

That's how our free mocks are built: full-length Reading sections in the official 2026 format, auto-scored on the 5–495 scale, with the AI coach tagging which Part 5 pattern each miss belongs to — then turning your weakest pattern into targeted drills. And once your grammar is quick, read our Part 7 guide to spend the time you've banked where it counts.

Frequently asked questions