The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word STREAMED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
T
R
E
A
M
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "sorted by ability" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sorted by ability = streamed.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does STREAMED mean?
STREAMED verb- To flow in a continuous or steady manner, like a liquid.
- To extend; to stretch out with a wavy motion; to float in the wind.
- To discharge in a stream.
- To push continuous data (e.g. music) from a server to a client computer while it is being used (played) on the client.
- Divided into academic streams.