TOEIC Part 5 & 6 Test-Taking Strategies: Common Grammar Traps and How to Handle Them

Do you feel that Parts 5 & 6 of the TOEIC test are "not difficult but easy to get wrong"? That's a very common feeling! Even though it's just grammar and vocabulary, if you don't master the common "traps," you can easily lose points unnecessarily. In this article, Lingoland for TOEIC Test will help you identify common traps and share strategies to handle questions in Parts 5 & 6 quickly, accurately, and effectively.

🔍 1. Overview of Parts 5 & 6 in the TOEIC Exam

• Part 5: Incomplete Sentences (30 sentences)
  You will have to choose the correct answer to complete a sentence that is missing a word or phrase.
• Part 6: Text Completion (16 sentences)
  Read four short passages (emails, announcements, letters, etc.) and choose the appropriate word/sentence to fill in the blanks.

👉 These two sections primarily test grammar, vocabulary, and speed reading comprehension skills. And of course – grammar traps are also very common!

⚠️ 2. The most common TOEIC grammar traps

🪤 Trap 1: Word Form Trap

Ex: The company is looking for a ______ assistant.
A. efficient B. efficient C. efficiency D. efficiency's
👉 Correct answer: B. efficient (adjective, modifying the noun "assistant")

Tip: Learn how to identify suffixes:

• -ly → adverb
• -tion , -ment → noun
• -ful , -ous , -ive → adjectives

🪤 Trap 2: Missing subject/verb in the correct tense (Verb Tense Trap)

Ex: By the time the manager arrived, the report ______.
A. finished B. had finished C. finished D. was finished
👉 Correct answer: B. had finished (past perfect tense)

Tip: Keywords like “by the time,” “before,” and “after” often request tenses that are appropriate in terms of time.

🪤 Trap 3: Pronoun Mistake (Pronoun Trap)

Ex: Each employee must submit ______ timesheet by Friday.
A. his B. their C. its D. our
👉 Correct answer: B. their

Tip: Each/Everyone/Every + singular noun → singular pronoun

🪤 Trap 4: Conjunctions (Easily Confused Conjunctions)

Ex: She is highly qualified ______ lacks the experience.
A. so B. but C. because D. and
👉 Correct answer: B. but (contrast)

Tip:

• So → result
• Because → cause
• But → opposite
• And → list

📘 3. Strategies for completing Parts 5 & 6 quickly and accurately

✨ Strategy 1: Look at the blank space first – guess the type of question to fill in.

• Is this a grammar or vocabulary question?
• What part of speech should be filled in? → noun, verb, adjective?

✨ Strategy 2: Smart Elimination

• Use the process of eliminating obvious incorrect answers first.
• For word-based trick questions, try substituting each answer into the sentence.

✨ Strategy 3: Do Part 5 first – save time for Part 6

• Part 5 is usually easier → do it first to "score points quickly".
• Part 6 has a lengthy context → requires reading comprehension, which can be time-consuming.

📱 4. Practice Parts 5 & 6 effectively with the Lingoland app

The Lingoland for TOEIC Test app helps you:

• 📖 Practice exercises focusing on different types of traps (Word Form, Verb Tense, Pronoun, etc.)
• 🧠 Learn vocabulary and grammar through real-life examples
• 📝 Practice mini test papers for Parts 5 & 6 every day.
• 📊 Track your mistakes to accurately improve your weak skills.