TOPIK II Sentence Ordering: How to Use Connectors and Reference Words
Quick summary: The fastest useful question is not “Which sentence sounds like an introduction?” but “What must this word point back to?” Mark expressions such as 그러나 (however), 그 결과 (as a result), and 이 변화 (this change). Then connect each one to the sentence that supplies its contrast, cause, or referent. Use the topic and writing flow only after testing those local links.
What the task is really testing
In a sentence-order item, all the sentences usually discuss the same topic. Topic matching alone therefore leaves several plausible orders. The difference lies in relationships between sentences.
The National Institute for International Education lists PBT and IBT as different TOPIK formats, with different numbers of reading items. The examples below are original practice, not copied questions or a claim about a fixed position in either format. The reasoning skill applies whenever a reading task asks you to reconstruct a short passage.
Four signals are especially useful:
| Signal in Korean | What it asks you to find | Useful question |
|---|---|---|
| 그러나, 반면에 | an earlier idea to contrast with | What expectation or fact is being reversed? |
| 그래서, 따라서, 그 결과 | an earlier cause or condition | What could produce this result? |
| 이/그 + noun, 이것, 그것 | an earlier event, object, or idea | What exactly does “this/that” replace? |
| 처음에는, 이후, 마침내 | a stage on a timeline | Which event must already have happened? |
These are clues, not mechanical rules. A passage can begin with a contrast when it continues an implied context, and 이 can point to an idea developed across more than one sentence. Confirm meaning instead of assigning a fixed position to a word.
Worked example: build links before choosing an option
Put the following sentences in the most natural order.
(가) 그 결과, 주민들이 버리는 일회용 컵의 양도 자연스럽게 줄었다.
(나) 한 동네 카페가 일회용 컵 대신 빌려 쓰는 컵을 도입했다.
(다) 처음에는 컵을 돌려주는 일이 번거롭다는 의견도 있었다.
(라) 그러나 반납 장소가 늘어나면서 참여하는 사람이 많아졌다.
- (나)–(다)–(라)–(가)
- (다)–(나)–(가)–(라)
- (나)–(라)–(다)–(가)
- (다)–(라)–(나)–(가)
Correct answer: 1, (나)–(다)–(라)–(가).
Start with the strongest pair. 그러나 in (라) introduces a contrast. Sentence (다) provides the negative starting situation: returning cups felt inconvenient. Sentence (라) reverses it by saying that participation grew after more return points appeared. That makes (다)–(라) a tight pair.
Next, 처음에는 in (다) requires a program or situation to have been introduced already. Sentence (나) introduces the reusable-cup system, so (나) comes before (다). Finally, 그 결과 in (가) summarizes a consequence of the growing participation in (라). The chain is introduction → initial objection → improvement and contrast → result.
Why the others fail:
- Option 2 opens with “at first” before telling us what began. It also places the result before the contrast that helps cause it.
- Option 3 says participation grew before presenting the initial objection. 그러나 has no clear negative statement to reverse at that point.
- Option 4 again opens with an unexplained “at first,” then uses 그러나 before the cup program itself has been introduced.
A three-pass method
Pass 1: underline dependent expressions. Circle connectors and box reference words. Do not translate every sentence yet.
Pass 2: make two-sentence links. Write small arrows: (다) → (라) for contrast, (라) → (가) for result. A reliable pair is more useful than guessing the entire order at once.
Pass 3: test the remaining sentence. Read the completed chain and check three things: Is the topic introduced before details? Does every reference have an antecedent? Does each cause actually support its stated result?
When two orders still work, compare the information flow. Korean expository writing often moves from a newly introduced object to a reaction, change, or evaluation. That is an editorial observation for solving practice items, not an official scoring rule.
Try one more
(가) 이 변화 덕분에 회의 전에 자료를 읽는 직원이 늘었다.
(나) 한 회사는 매주 하던 보고 회의를 격주로 바꾸었다.
(다) 대신 회의가 없는 주에는 핵심 자료를 미리 공유했다.
Choose the best order: A. (가)–(나)–(다), B. (나)–(다)–(가), C. (다)–(가)–(나).
Answer: B. Sentence (나) introduces the scheduling change. 대신 in (다) presents the substitute action, so it depends on (나). 이 변화 in (가) refers to the combined new arrangement and gives its result. A fails because “this change” has no antecedent; C presents a substitute before saying what it replaces and leaves the main change until the end.
Review checklist
Before selecting an order, ask:
- What noun or event does each 이/그 expression refer to?
- Does 그러나 connect ideas that genuinely contrast?
- Is the sentence before 그 결과 a believable cause?
- Does a time marker such as 처음에는 have a starting event?
- Can I explain why every rejected order breaks one link?
When reviewing reading practice in TOPIK Note, record the clue you missed in a notebook rather than writing only the answer letter. For a broader map of reading tasks, see TOPIK Reading Question Types.
Sources and scope
- NIIED TOPIK overview — official source for the distinction between TOPIK PBT and IBT and their current section/item structure.
- Korean Basic Dictionary: -은 반면에 — official dictionary meaning for an expression that contrasts the preceding and following facts.
- Korean Basic Dictionary: 그것 — official dictionary meaning for a pronoun that can refer to a previously mentioned object.
The three-pass method, arrow notation, and checklist are the TOPIK Note team’s editorial study recommendations. They are not an official scoring formula, and the practice sentences and choices are original.