📶 How to create a Rank Order activity

The Rank Order template is a classic assessment tool that challenges students to organise items based on a specific sequence or correct order, such as chronological time, size, importance, or alphabetical order.

IN THIS ARTICLE:

• How to create a Rank Order activity?
• How is the Rank Order activity played?
• Where can I find some more examples?

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How the activity is played

The game displays a prompt and a dedicated zone for arranging the target sequence tiles.

• The prompt: An instruction line, question, or text context title appears at the top to let the student know the specific logical sequence required.

• The interaction: Students click, tap, or drag the unsorted item tiles into the correct numeric or relative positions to set the layout rank.

• The challenge: The initial layout mixes and scrambles the items, forcing students to rely on their contextual, chronological, or mathematical reasoning to locate the true position.

• Completion: Once the user organises the tiles and submits their order, each correctly placed item is marked. At the end, users can view their completion time, total score accuracy, and add their names to the Leader board.

  

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Creating your Rank Order activity

1. Click Create Activity and choose Rank Order.

   
    

2. Add your content:

   • Target items: Enter your items directly into the numbered rows in their absolute correct sequence (from 1 to X). The system will automatically scramble them for the students during gameplay.

   • Clue (Optional): You can use text, images, or both for each individual rank item to make the sequence visually engaging.

3. Click Add an item or press Enter to build out the next sequential item in your lesson list.

4. Click Done. Wordwall will process your structured targets and handle mixing them up for game launch.

   
    

5. Scroll down to Visuals style to add a creative style to your activity, or tailor the difficulty in the Options panel below the activity:

   

   • Timer
     • None: No time limit is shown, allowing students to logically think through the sorting order at their own pace without clock pressure.
     • Count up: Displays a stopwatch that tracks exactly how long it takes for a student to organise the information (ideal for competitive speed-running).
     • Count down: Sets a specific time limit (e.g., 5 minutes) to add pressure to the ordering process.
   • Random
     • Different layout each play: The starting position of the item tiles will be completely shuffled and randomised every time the game is opened, ensuring students cannot simply memorise the visual pattern.
     • Always the same layout: The tiles will start in the exact same scrambled layout order for every student upon launch.
   • End of game
     • Show answers: If checked, this gives students the opportunity to review the absolute correct sequence after they finish their grading attempt, making it a useful tool for self-correction.
   • Layout
     • Choose between Auto (adapts to screen size), One column (vertical list layout), or One row (horizontal list layout) to best fit your lesson content text blocks.
   • Labels
     • Decide how the target slots are marked to guide the students. You can choose 1st 2nd 3rd (ordinal markers), 1 2 3 (cardinal numbers), or No labels for a completely clean look without positional hints.
   • Saving your options
     • Apply to this activity: Saves these specific choices only for the activity you are currently editing.
     • More: Click this drop-down to find:
       • Set as default for template: Remembers these layout rules as your standard configuration for every future game you build using the Rank order template.
       • Revert to default: Clears temporary changes and returns the options panel back to your previously saved personal defaults.
       • Revert to author's setting: Restores the activity parameters back to the original layout configured by the initial community creator.

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Creating Rank Order with AI

You don't need to be a prompt expert to use our AI. It is designed to be intuitive and accessible directly from the activity creator.

1. Click Create Activity and select Rank Order.

   
    

2. Look for the ✨ Generate with AI button (magic wand icon) at the top right of the content table.

   
    

3. Enter your content:

   • Topic: Type a subject sequence like "Chronological Order of World War II Events" or "Steps of the Water Cycle."

   • Text / Notes: Paste your lesson summary or textbook passage. The AI will isolate the core chronological milestones or logical items and arrange them into a perfectly sequenced list.

   • File: Upload a PDF or Word doc. Wordwall AI will analyze the document text structure and instantly produce a balanced set of linear ranking items extracted from your material.

4. Click Generate. Review the target items and sequential flow, refine any individual rank sorting elements if necessary, and hit Done.

   

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Need inspiration?

Some examples of Rank Order activities have been created by our users and shared with the Wordwall resource community.