Lesson 7 of 9 · Part 6
Part 6: Text Completion
Part 6 gives you four short business texts, each with four blanks. Three of the blanks look like Part 5 questions, but many of them can only be answered by reading the sentences around the blank; the fourth blank asks you to choose a whole sentence. This lecture shows you how to read for context, recognize the four question types at a glance, and finish the whole part in about eight minutes.
Free extract from the Noto Tracks TOEIC course
In the full lesson you will learn to
- recognize the common text types in Part 6 and how each one is organized;
- identify the four question types in a few seconds;
- use the context to choose verb tense, voice, pronouns and connectors;
- choose the sentence to insert by checking pointers and logical flow before and after the blank;
- complete Part 6 in about eight minutes so that you protect your time for Part 7.
1. Part 6 at a glance
Part 6 is the second part of the Reading section. It comes after the 30 sentences of Part 5 and before the long reading passages of Part 7. You read four short texts. In each text, four words, phrases or sentences are missing, and for each blank you choose the best of four options (A)–(D). There is no audio and no separate time limit: the whole Reading section lasts 75 minutes and you decide how to spend them.
| Feature | Part 6 |
|---|---|
| Question numbers | 131–146 (16 questions) |
| Number of texts | 4 |
| Blanks per text | 4, each with four options (A)–(D) |
| Sentence-insertion blanks | 1 per text (4 in total) |
| Typical text length | About 100–150 words |
| Recommended time | About 8 minutes (about 2 minutes per text) |
How Part 6 differs from Part 5
In Part 5, every sentence is complete in itself: if you know the grammar or the vocabulary, the sentence alone gives you the answer. In Part 6, the test writers deliberately build blanks where two or even three options are grammatically possible inside the sentence. Only the text decides which one is right. A verb can be correct in the past or in the future; a connector can be correct as "however" or "therefore"; a pronoun can be "it" or "they." The sentence does not tell you, but the paragraph does.
This is good news for prepared test takers. Part 6 rewards a habit that you already need for Part 7: reading the whole text, from the beginning, and asking what each sentence is doing. Students who jump from blank to blank and read only the sentence with the blank make many more mistakes here than in Part 5, even if their grammar is excellent.
2. The texts you will read
Part 6 texts are short, practical documents from working life. You will not see literature or academic essays. Knowing the usual shape of each text type helps you predict what a missing sentence should do.
| Text type | Typical purpose | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Request, confirmation, reply to a complaint, update on an order or a project | The header (To, From, Date, Subject). The subject line predicts the content; the date tells you which events are past and which are future. | |
| Memo or internal notice | Policy change, new procedure, schedule for staff | "To: All staff," a department name, an effective date ("Beginning March 1"). Memos often explain a change, give the reason, then say what employees must do. |
| Public notice or announcement | Closure, renovation, event, service interruption | Dates, times, places and conditions. Notices usually say what will happen, what people should do instead, and whom to contact. |
| Letter | Formal message to a customer, supplier, job applicant or partner | The purpose is in the first paragraph; the requested action and a polite closing are at the end. |
| Article or press release | News about a company, a local business or an industry | A headline and often a dateline (city and date). Articles move between past events and future plans, and often quote a person. |
| Advertisement | Promote a product, a service or an offer | Features, benefits, a special offer with a deadline, and a call to action ("Visit our website," "Call today"). |
| Instructions or product information | Explain how to use, install or return something | Sequence words (first, then, once) and imperative verbs. |
3. The four question types
Every Part 6 question belongs to one of four types. Look at the four options first and decide which type it is: this tells you how much of the text you need to read before answering.
| Type | What the options look like | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Word form and grammar | Forms of one word (decide, decision, decisive) or one verb (opens, opened, will open); pronouns; determiners | Often the sentence alone; for tense, voice and pronouns, the context |
| 2. Vocabulary in context | Four different words of the same part of speech | The meaning of the sentence and the topic of the text |
| 3. Connector or transition | However, therefore, in addition, for example, otherwise… | The logical relationship with the previous sentence |
| 4. Sentence insertion | Four complete sentences | The sentences before and after the blank, and the paragraph as a whole |
3.1 Word form and grammar
Some grammar blanks can be answered as quickly as in Part 5. If the blank comes after "your" and before a period, you need a noun; if it comes after "much more" and before a period, you probably need an adjective. Answer these immediately. Other grammar blanks need the context: the tense of a verb, active or passive voice, singular or plural agreement, and the person or thing that a pronoun refers to.
(Memo dated October 3) The cafeteria on the second floor ________ for renovations from October 10 to October 24. During this time, employees may use the snack area in the lobby.
(A) closed (B) was closed (C) will be closed (D) has closed
Answer: (C) — The memo is written on October 3 and the work happens later in the month, so a future form is needed. The cafeteria does not close itself; someone closes it, so the passive "will be closed" is natural. (A), (B) and (D) all describe the past and contradict the dates.
Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Bell will lead Thursday's workshop. ________ have both worked in customer service for more than ten years.
(A) He (B) It (C) They (D) We
Answer: (C) — The pronoun refers to two people mentioned in the previous sentence, and "have both" confirms a plural subject. (D) "We" would mean the writer is one of the trainers, which nothing in the text suggests.
3.2 Vocabulary in context
All four options belong to the same part of speech and often all four produce a grammatical sentence. The question is which word makes sense in this text. Read the full sentence and the topic of the paragraph, and say the meaning in your own words before you look at the options again.
Our warehouse in Reno is closed for its annual inventory count until Friday. We regret that the ________ of your order will therefore be delayed by three business days.
(A) payment (B) shipment (C) description (D) approval
Answer: (B) — The cause of the delay is a closed warehouse, so what is delayed is the sending of goods. A closed warehouse does not delay a payment (A), a description (C) or an approval (D). All four nouns fit the grammar; only the context selects one.
3.3 Connectors and transitions
A connector question asks how the sentence with the blank relates to the sentence before it. Is it an extra point, a contrast, a result, an example, a later step or an alternative? These questions are impossible to answer from one sentence, because every connector is grammatical at the start of a sentence followed by a comma. Section 5 gives you a full table.
The printer on the third floor is being repaired. ________, please use the printer next to the reception desk.
(A) However (B) In the meantime (C) For example (D) Likewise
Answer: (B) — The second sentence tells people what to do during the repair, so we need a time connector meaning "until the repair is finished." There is no contrast (A), the second sentence is not an example of the first (C), and it does not describe a similar situation (D).
3.4 Sentence insertion
Once per text, all four options are complete sentences. Each option is grammatically correct and most of them sound like they could belong to a business text. Only one fits the logic of the paragraph at that exact position. This type is the slowest, and Section 6 is dedicated to it.
4. Why context decides tense and voice
Tense questions are the most common context-based grammar questions in Part 6. Inside a single sentence, "The store opened," "The store has opened" and "The store will open" can all be correct. In a text, only one matches the timeline. Use these clues, in this order:
- The date of the document. Compare it with the dates in the text. Events after the date are future; events before it are past.
- Time expressions anywhere in the paragraph, not only in the sentence with the blank: "last month," "since the merger," "next quarter," "by the end of the year."
- The tense of the surrounding sentences. A paragraph that describes a finished event usually stays in the past; a paragraph of instructions usually stays in the present or future.
- The function of the sentence. Confirming something that has just happened and still matters now often uses the present perfect ("We have received your application"). Announcing a plan uses "will" or "be going to," or the present continuous for an arrangement ("We are opening a new branch in May").
Voice (active or passive) is also a context question. Ask who performs the action. If the subject is a document, a product or a place ("The report," "The shipment," "The office"), the action is usually done to it, so the passive is likely. If the text names the agent with "by," the passive is almost certain.
Our grand opening took place on March 3, and the response has been wonderful. Since then, more than 2,000 customers ________ our Delmont Avenue store.
(A) visit (B) will visit (C) have visited (D) are visiting
Answer: (C) — "Since then" describes a period that started in the past and continues until now, which requires the present perfect. (A) and (D) do not match a period with a starting point, and (B) refers to the future.
Pronouns and agreement in context
Pronoun blanks work the same way. Find the noun the pronoun replaces, which is usually in the previous sentence. Remember that a company, a team or a department is normally treated as singular in American English: "Harlow Kitchenware announced that it will…" not "that they will…" Watch also for determiners such as "each," "every," "both" and "all," which must agree with the noun after them: "each session," "both sessions," "all sessions."
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Keep going with the full lesson
The rest of this lesson is in the Noto Tracks TOEIC course, with the practice questions and the answer key.
- 5. Connectors: choose the relationship first
- 6. Choosing the sentence to insert
- 7. A step-by-step method for each text
- 8. Typical traps in Part 6
- 9. Pacing: about eight minutes for Part 6
- 10. Worked example: a complete text
Also in the full lesson
- Practice questions
- Answer key with explanations
- One-page summary
50 questions, free, with an estimated score.
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