diff --git a/packages/match-list/src/answer-area.jsx b/packages/match-list/src/answer-area.jsx
index 01ee7b38f9..54c749b965 100644
--- a/packages/match-list/src/answer-area.jsx
+++ b/packages/match-list/src/answer-area.jsx
@@ -6,9 +6,14 @@ import { isEmpty, isUndefined, reduce } from 'lodash-es';
 import Arrow from './arrow';
 import DragAndDropAnswer from './answer';
 
+// matches the min width of the answer entries (see AnswerContainer in ./answer), so the two columns
+// give the row an intrinsic min width that the horizontal scroll container can overflow.
+const MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH = 200;
+
 const ArrowEntry = styled('div')({
   alignItems: 'normal',
   display: 'flex',
+  flexShrink: 0,
   height: 40,
   margin: '10px 20px',
 });
@@ -29,6 +34,7 @@ const PromptEntry = styled('div')(({ theme }) => ({
   flex: 1,
   margin: '10px 0',
   minHeight: 40,
+  minWidth: MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
   overflow: 'hidden',
   padding: 10,
   textAlign: 'center',
diff --git a/packages/match-list/src/main.jsx b/packages/match-list/src/main.jsx
index b8ba8e9e53..4efd0293fb 100644
--- a/packages/match-list/src/main.jsx
+++ b/packages/match-list/src/main.jsx
@@ -19,6 +19,20 @@ const MainContainer = styled('div')({
   backgroundColor: color.background(),
 });
 
+const InteractiveRegion = styled('div')({
+  width: '100%',
+  overflowX: 'auto',
+  overflowY: 'hidden',
+});
+
+// A block child of a scroll port is sized to the scroll port, so it has to opt out explicitly for
+// the content to be able to overflow. min-content keeps the rows and the pool the same width.
+const InteractiveRegionContent = styled('div')({
+  display: 'flex',
+  flexDirection: 'column',
+  minWidth: 'min-content',
+});
+
 export class Main extends React.Component {
   static propTypes = {
     session: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
@@ -182,22 +196,26 @@ export class Main extends React.Component {
             language={language}
           />
 
-          <AnswerArea
-            instanceId={this.instanceId}
-            model={model}
-            session={session}
-            onRemoveAnswer={(id) => this.onRemoveAnswer(id)}
-            disabled={mode !== 'gather'}
-            showCorrect={showCorrectAnswer}
-          />
-
-          <ChoicesList
-            instanceId={this.instanceId}
-            model={model}
-            session={session}
-            disabled={mode !== 'gather'}
-            onRemoveAnswer={(id) => this.onRemoveAnswer(id)}
-          />
+          <InteractiveRegion>
+            <InteractiveRegionContent>
+              <AnswerArea
+                instanceId={this.instanceId}
+                model={model}
+                session={session}
+                onRemoveAnswer={(id) => this.onRemoveAnswer(id)}
+                disabled={mode !== 'gather'}
+                showCorrect={showCorrectAnswer}
+              />
+
+              <ChoicesList
+                instanceId={this.instanceId}
+                model={model}
+                session={session}
+                disabled={mode !== 'gather'}
+                onRemoveAnswer={(id) => this.onRemoveAnswer(id)}
+              />
+            </InteractiveRegionContent>
+          </InteractiveRegion>
 
           {model.correctness && model.feedback && !showCorrectAnswer && (
             <Feedback correctness={model.correctness.correctness} feedback={model.feedback} />
diff --git a/packages/placement-ordering/package.json b/packages/placement-ordering/package.json
index d5f63413ef..fe70979911 100644
--- a/packages/placement-ordering/package.json
+++ b/packages/placement-ordering/package.json
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@dnd-kit/core": "6.3.1",
+    "@dnd-kit/modifiers": "9.0.0",
     "@emotion/react": "^11.14.0",
     "@emotion/style": "^0.8.0",
     "@mui/icons-material": "^7.3.4",
diff --git a/packages/placement-ordering/src/placement-ordering.jsx b/packages/placement-ordering/src/placement-ordering.jsx
index 0e4777f6cc..f64a447f19 100644
--- a/packages/placement-ordering/src/placement-ordering.jsx
+++ b/packages/placement-ordering/src/placement-ordering.jsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import debug from 'debug';
 import { difference, isEqual, uniqueId } from 'lodash-es';
 import { styled } from '@mui/material/styles';
 import { closestCenter } from '@dnd-kit/core';
+import { restrictToParentElement } from '@dnd-kit/modifiers';
 
 import { Collapsible, color, Feedback, hasMedia, hasText, PreviewPrompt, UiLayout } from '@pie-lib/render-ui';
 import { renderMath } from '@pie-lib/math-rendering';
@@ -29,6 +30,26 @@ const PlacementOrderingContainer = styled('div')({
   boxSizing: 'border-box',
 });
 
+// The interactive region - the choices and answers columns for a vertical item, or the choices and
+// answers rows for a horizontal one - scrolls horizontally when it does not fit the available width.
+const InteractiveRegion = styled('div')({
+  // the ancestors centre their children, which shrink-wraps this box to its content. without a
+  // definite width it grows with the tiler and the overflow escapes outwards instead of scrolling.
+  alignSelf: 'stretch',
+  maxWidth: '100%',
+  overflowX: 'auto',
+  // tiles are dragged by transform, which counts towards scrollable overflow, so leaving this axis
+  // scrollable would pop a vertical scrollbar mid-drag
+  overflowY: 'hidden',
+});
+
+// keeps the tiler at its natural width, and centred while it still fits
+const InteractiveRegionContent = styled('div')({
+  display: 'flex',
+  justifyContent: 'center',
+  minWidth: 'min-content',
+});
+
 const StyledPrompt = styled('div')(({ theme }) => ({
   paddingBottom: theme.spacing(1),
 }));
@@ -321,10 +342,16 @@ export class PlacementOrdering extends React.Component {
       flexDirection: 'column',
       alignItems: 'center',
       boxSizing: 'border-box',
+      width: '100%',
     };
 
     return (
-      <DragProvider onDragStart={() => { }} onDragEnd={this.onDragEnd} collisionDetection={closestCenter}>
+      <DragProvider
+        onDragStart={() => { }}
+        onDragEnd={this.onDragEnd}
+        collisionDetection={closestCenter}
+        modifiers={[restrictToParentElement]}
+      >
         <PlacementOrderingContainer>
           <UiLayout extraCSSRules={extraCSSRules} style={containerStyle}>
             {showTeacherInstructions && (
@@ -347,18 +374,22 @@ export class PlacementOrdering extends React.Component {
               language={language}
             />
 
-            <OrderingTiler
-              instanceId={this.instanceId}
-              choiceLabel={config.choiceLabel}
-              targetLabel={config.targetLabel}
-              ordering={ordering}
-              tiler={Tiler}
-              disabled={disabled}
-              addGuide={config.showOrdering}
-              tileSize={config.tileSize}
-              includeTargets={includeTargets}
-              choiceLabelEnabled={model.config && model.config.choiceLabelEnabled}
-            />
+            <InteractiveRegion>
+              <InteractiveRegionContent>
+                <OrderingTiler
+                  instanceId={this.instanceId}
+                  choiceLabel={config.choiceLabel}
+                  targetLabel={config.targetLabel}
+                  ordering={ordering}
+                  tiler={Tiler}
+                  disabled={disabled}
+                  addGuide={config.showOrdering}
+                  tileSize={config.tileSize}
+                  includeTargets={includeTargets}
+                  choiceLabelEnabled={model.config && model.config.choiceLabelEnabled}
+                />
+              </InteractiveRegionContent>
+            </InteractiveRegion>
 
             {displayNote && <StyledNote dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: note }} />}