PD2 Reading Walkthrough: Solving a Real Gap-Fill Task, Word by Word

Most PD2 reading advice stays general — "read carefully", "manage your time". This one does the opposite. We are going to take a real task from a real exam — the gap-fill text Simon skal dyrke motion from a PD2 reading paper — and work through it the way you should work through it on exam day: one gap at a time, with a method you can reuse on every gap-fill you ever meet.

At the end you can open this exact task in the Bestå app and finish it yourself with instant checking.

The task type: fill the gap from a word list

In this PD2 reading task you get a short text with numbered gaps and a word bank underneath. You write the missing word in each gap, and — this is the rule that makes it solvable — you use each word only once. That "once only" rule is not a restriction; it is your best tool, and we will use it.

In the exam, one answer is already filled in for you as an example, so you can see what a correct one looks like before you begin.

Here is the word bank for this task:

hyggeligt · mindre · nemlig · så · fortsætte · aldrig · bevæge · mere · lægge · svært · stoppe · normalt · men

Thirteen words, eight gaps. So five words are decoys that never get used. Do not let them scare you — every word you correctly place makes the decoys easier to spot.

The method (use it on every gap)

1. Read the whole text first, for meaning — do not fill anything in yet. You cannot choose words correctly until you know what the story is about.
2. For each gap, ask "what kind of word is missing?" — an adjective, a verb, an adverb, a linking word? That alone eliminates most of the bank.
3. Use context and logic to choose between the words that are left.
4. Cross each word off the bank as you use it. The "once only" rule turns the last few gaps into simple elimination.

Let's do it.

The text, and the first three gaps

The text opens by setting up the situation (no gaps yet):

Simon Nielsen er tit meget træt og mangler energi, og derfor går han til lægen og bliver undersøgt. Simon fejler ikke noget alvorligt, men hans blodtryk er lidt for højt, og lægen siger, at han bl.a. skal begynde at dyrke noget motion.

So: Simon is tired, his blood pressure is a bit high, and the doctor tells him to start exercising. Now the gaps begin.

The first gap — Simon synes, det er ___ at komme i gang med motionen, og han ved heller ikke, hvad for en slags motion han skal vælge.

• What kind of word? After det er ___ at …, you need an adjective. In the bank, the adjectives are svært and hyggeligt.
• Context: the same sentence says he doesn't even know what kind of exercise to choose. That is a problem, not a pleasure — so the feeling is negative.
• Answer: svært (hard). Hyggeligt (cosy/nice) is positive and would contradict the sentence. Cross off svært.

The second gap — Simon går ___ lange ture selv, for han synes, det er så kedeligt.

• What kind of word? Between the verb går and the object lange ture, you need an adverb of frequency. Candidates: aldrig, normalt.
• Context: the reason given is for han synes, det er så kedeligt — because he finds it so boring. If it bores him, he doesn't do it.
• Answer: aldrig (never). Normalt (normally) would mean the opposite of what the reason implies. Cross off aldrig.

The third gap — Men han synes, det lyder rigtig ___ at gå sammen med andre, så han beslutter sig for at gå med.

• What kind of word? Another adjective after det lyder rigtig ___. The only adjective left in the bank is hyggeligt — but check it makes sense before you write it.
• Context: Men (but) signals a turn from the boring solo walks; and he decides to join. So the feeling is positive.
• Answer: hyggeligt (nice/sociable). It fits, and the "once only" rule confirms it — svært is already used. Cross off hyggeligt.

Notice what just happened on the third gap: word class plus elimination handed you the answer almost before you read the context. That is the whole game.

In short — the method on any gap-fill

You now have everything you need for this task type, on any PD2 paper:

1. Read the whole text first, for meaning — before you fill in a single gap.
2. Name the word class each gap needs (adjective, verb, adverb, linking word). That alone cuts the word bank down to a handful.
3. Choose with context and logic from what's left.
4. Cross off each word as you use it — "each word once" means every correct answer makes the next gap easier, and the leftover words are simply the decoys.

That is the entire technique. The three gaps above show it working; the remaining gaps in any paper are just the same four moves repeated.

Now put it to use — in the app

You've got the method — now the fastest way to make it stick is to apply it yourself and check instantly. The same text runs on for five more gaps, testing the same skills: verbs (move more, the urge to stop, the choice to keep going), a linking word, and a comparison (he feels less tired than before).

This exact task is free in Bestå — open it and finish the rest yourself:

Open this task in Bestå →

For the wider picture — how all five PD2 reading task types work and how to spend your time across them — see how to approach every task and score full marks and our quick tips for all five task types.