essay for language arts

52 Language Arts Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best language arts topic ideas & essay examples, ✅ simple & easy language arts essay titles, 📌 interesting topics to write about language arts.

• 5th Grade Language Arts Classroom Language arts are essential to learners as it helps in communication, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, productivity, imagination, and curiosity.
• Teaching Language Arts: Phonemic Awareness The paper will be based upon the National Reading Panel report that, according to the program of Congress, studied a lot of research in the field of reading instruction so that to increase the number […]
• Language Arts in Montessori Curriculum A lot of attention is paid to language in the framework of the Montessori curriculum. In addition to that, teachers of the Language Arts have a range of external duties, such as meetings with other […]
• Observation Lesson Plan: Math, Science and Language Arts As far as the science lesson plan is concerned, it incorporates elements of the student-centered approach and the so-called Montessori method. Researchers stress that the development of students’ creativity is important as it positively affects […]
• Language Arts: Major Areas and Teacher’s Role The purpose of Language Arts is to develop the child’s oral and written language, as well as to teach the child reading and paying attention to her or his handwriting.
• Narratives in the Middle School Language Arts It is important to note that the narrative is not the story itself, but the event of telling the story; the narrative is not several happenings, but the act of communicating those events, possibly omitting […]
• English Language Arts Lesson Plan: Valentine’s Day Subject English Language Arts Lesson Title Valentine’s Day Grade Level 4th grade Central Focus The focus of this lesson will be the identification of similarities as well as differences in the way people of different […]
• English Language Arts Standards in Reading As far as the table limits the description of the Understanding by Design lesson template, it is necessary to evaluate particular parts of the template separately.
• English Language Arts and Common Core State Standards In the proposal, the author does not define the target audience, and it is impossible to say whether the chosen subject matter is age-appropriate for the audience.
• Language Arts Development in Elementary-Aged Children To develop the ability to communicate effectively the skills of reading, listening, writing, representing ideas visually, and viewing are essential for this purpose. With regard to elementary aged students, visual representing comes in the form […]
• Educational Strategies for the Fourth Grade English Language Arts The teachers should use strategies to enable the students to learn the use of euphemisms, affixes and roots and be able to apply them in their work.
• History of Language Arts: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• New York State Standards in English Language Arts
• Charles Dickens and Great Expectations for Language Arts Activities
• Investigating the Relevance and Importance of Language Arts
• Writing and Language Arts in Literature: Fables, Parables and Allegories
• Language Arts for Cover Letters and Resumes PPT
• Grammar Corrections in Language Arts
• Language Arts: Curriculum Adaptations
• California Language Arts Framework Analysis
• The Common Core State Standard for Language Arts
• Magical Realism and Gothic Horror of Language Arts
• Skills Children Learn in First Grade Language Arts
• What’s on the GED: Reasoning through Language Arts
• Language Arts: Teaching Effectiveness Techniques
• Intervention Programs Increase Student Achievement in Language Arts
• Achieving Language Arts Standards: Using the Ruler Approach to Social and Emotional Learning
• Language Arts: Essential Tool Used in Everyday Life
• Comparation between Satire and Parodia: Language Arts Activities
• Student’s Achievement in Language Arts: Getting Ideas for Narrative
• The Connection of Language Arts, Education and Science
• Chinese Language Arts for Lower Primary Schools
• Language Art and How It Effects Society
• Language Arts and the Uses of Technology
• Cooperative and Direct Learning Approaches in the Language Arts
• Environmental Education through Science, Visual and Language Arts
• Modern and Innovative Technologies for Teaching Language Arts
• Language Arts: Linguistic Picture of the World and Linguistic Mentality
• Importance of Synthetic Phonics in Language Arts
• The Main Stages of the Development of Writing in Language Arts
• Language Arts – Core Knowledge Foundation
• The Importance of Language Arts Development
• Analyzing the Most Traditional Language Arts Programs
• The Main Components of Language Arts: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing
• Charlotte Mason’s Approach to Language Arts
• The Link Between Culture And Language Arts
• Language Arts: Building Better Introductory Paragraphs
• A Phonic Approach to Reading in Language Arts
• The Six Language Arts: Definitions & Skills
• Homeschool Language Arts Programs
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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127 Language Arts Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Language arts essays can be both challenging and rewarding to write. They require critical thinking, analysis, and creativity, making them a great way to showcase your writing skills. However, coming up with a topic for your language arts essay can sometimes be a daunting task. To help you get started, here are 127 language arts essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your next writing project.

• The impact of technology on language and communication
• The importance of reading in developing language skills
• How social media influences language use
• The evolution of language over time
• The role of language in shaping cultural identity
• The power of storytelling in language arts
• The benefits of studying multiple languages
• The influence of music on language
• The connection between language and emotions
• The role of language in politics and power dynamics
• The impact of slang and informal language on communication
• The significance of grammar in effective writing
• The portrayal of gender in language
• The use of metaphor and symbolism in literature
• The role of language in building relationships
• The representation of race and ethnicity in language
• The impact of colonialism on language diversity
• The role of language in education and learning
• The influence of advertising on language and persuasion
• The connection between language and memory
• The role of language in shaping worldviews
• The impact of globalization on language diversity
• The representation of disability in language
• The influence of technology on language learning
• The significance of code-switching in bilingual communication
• The portrayal of mental health in literature
• The connection between language and power dynamics
• The impact of social media on language and communication
• The role of language in shaping personal identity
• The representation of social class in language
• The influence of dialects on language variation
• The significance of tone and voice in writing
• The portrayal of family dynamics in literature
• The connection between language and creativity
• The impact of censorship on language use
• The role of language in shaping political discourse
• The representation of sexuality in language
• The influence of pop culture on language trends
• The significance of rhetoric in persuasive writing
• The portrayal of aging in literature
• The impact of trauma on language development
• The role of language in shaping cultural norms
• The representation of religion in language
• The influence of technology on language evolution
• The significance of narrative structure in storytelling
• The portrayal of social justice issues in literature
• The connection between language and identity politics
• The impact of colonization on language preservation
• The role of language in shaping historical narratives
• The representation of sexuality in literature
• The influence of social media on language norms
• The significance of syntax and sentence structure in writing
• The portrayal of mental illness in literature
• The impact of globalization on language standardization
• The role of language in shaping personal relationships
• The representation of gender roles in language
• The influence of social norms on language use
• The significance of figurative language in literature
• The portrayal of cultural stereotypes in literature
• The connection between language and social change
• The impact of language barriers on communication
• The role of language in shaping personal narratives
• The representation of disability in literature
• The influence of technology on language acquisition
• The significance of intonation and emphasis in communication
• The portrayal of race and ethnicity in literature
• The connection between language and emotion
• The impact of language on cognitive development
• The role of language in shaping public opinion
• The representation of social class in literature
• The influence of slang and jargon on language use
• The significance of word choice in effective writing
• The connection between language and cultural values
• The impact of social media on language diversity
• The representation of mental health in literature

These language arts essay topic ideas and examples cover a wide range of themes and concepts, allowing you to explore different aspects of language and communication in your writing. Whether you're interested in literature, linguistics, or cultural studies, there's plenty of inspiration here to help you craft a compelling and thought-provoking essay. So pick a topic that resonates with you, and start writing!

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GED Essay Writing Guide

What is the ged rla “extended response” question.

The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) section of the GED includes an Extended Response essay question. You will only have 45 minutes to complete this essay, so it is important to familiarize yourself with the nature of the prompt. Read through this guide to become more familiar with the prompt and how to write the best response possible.

If you follow the strategies and the template provided in this guide, you’ll be able to produce a high-scoring essay in the time allotted! 😀

GED Essay Overview

Since the GED Exam is administered on a computer, you will type your essay into a text box. You will first be presented with two Stimulus Passages and then you will be given an essay prompt. The Stimulus Passages will each have 4–5 short paragraphs that introduce an issue and take a stance on that issue, with one passage opposing the other. You will then be given the following prompt:

  ➤ Pro Tip: Remember that the 45 minutes includes the time you take to read the Stimulus Passages. Read the passages thoroughly, but quickly, and make note of any specific points that stand out to you so that you can easily reference them as you formulate your argument.

GED Essay Strategy

In order to maximize your 45 minutes, it’s important to decide ahead of time how much time you will spend on each step. We recommend following the guide below, but you should write some practice responses with a timer nearby to get a good understanding of how our guide can best serve you. Make sure you do not hand-write your practice essays, as it is always best to recreate test conditions as closely as possible when preparing.

Follow this strategy when writing your GED Essay:

Step 1 ► Read and Analyze the Stimulus Passages (5 Minutes).

Start by reading both of the passages. Make sure you understand the issue and the position that each passage is taking. Try to ignore your own personal feelings on the topic as you read. Ultimately, your job is to explain why one of the sides is better supported ; it is fine to completely disagree with the side you defend, so long as you adequately support your stance. You are not writing about who you agree with, you are writing about who supports their argument best .

Step 2 ► Select Your Position and Outline Your Ideas (5 Minutes).

Ask yourself: which side seems like it has more supporting details and/or examples? Your task with this essay is similar to that of a teacher grading an essay. It doesn’t matter if you agree with the position; it matters that the writer supported their position well.

Remember, “better-supported” does not necessarily mean “right.” You are not required to argue in favor of one of the positions; you only need to explain why one position is better-supported than the other position.

Passage 1 : argues that school lunches should be 100% vegetarian in order to improve the health of students and to tackle the obesity epidemic in schools. This passage provides:

• statistics showing that vegetables are good for children.

Passage 2 : argues that animal protein is crucial for superior athletic performance and sustained energy levels in children. This passage provides:

• quotes from a doctor who says that protein from meat keeps children alert in classes after lunchtime.
• scientific research that supports this claim.
• statistics from counties that switched to vegetarian lunches which show that test scores dropped after adopting vegetarian lunches.

Which side is “best supported?” Which side should you choose for your essay? If you said, Passage 2, you are correct. Even if you are a vegetarian, you should be able to see that there is more supporting evidence in the passages for the “pro-meat” side. You will not receive a bad score if you choose to support the side that has less evidence, but it makes your task harder.

You should spend approximately 5 minutes deciding your position and outlining your essay. You can simply type your outline at the top of the text box (and delete it after you finish your essay). We will discuss more specifics about how to outline our essay in the “Template” below!

Step 3 ► Write your Essay (30 Minutes).

At this point, approximately 10 minutes will have gone by. You have read the passages and outlined your position. Now, simply start with paragraph 1, and follow the outline you created. Remember to stop periodically and refer back to your outline at the top. Most GED Extended Response essays are between 4–7 paragraphs and each paragraph is composed of 3–7 sentences. We suggest that you aim for 5 paragraphs; doing so ensures that your argument is complete.

As you will see in the Template below, it’s okay if some paragraphs are shorter than others! Don’t feel like you have to write sentences to fill up space; always write with purpose. Once you’ve made your point in a given paragraph, add a concluding sentence and move on. You should spend approximately 30 minutes on your essay.

Step 4 ► Read Everything Over At Least Once (5 Minutes).

Proofreading can make a good essay great, and a great essay stellar, so don’t forget that you will need at least 5 minutes at the end to thoroughly read through what you have written. Go back to the outline and review your notes. Does the essay you wrote follow the outline? Is it well-organized? If you’re happy that you didn’t stray from your plan, delete your outline notes. This is very important! If you do not delete your notes, scorers will think it is part of your response and take points off.

If you have extra time, look for spelling and grammar errors. Do your verb tenses agree? Did you accidentally leave off the “s” on a plural noun? How are the transitions between paragraphs? Does the essay “flow?” Remember, you can re-type any sentences you dislike, and you can add additional sentences for clarity. This is a timed response, so it does not have to be perfect, but if you have the time to fix mistakes you’ll only be helping your chances.

GED Essay Template

In the four-part strategy above, you read about the importance of planning and making an outline for the position you selected. Your outline should follow this general format:

• Paragraph 1 — Introduction
• Paragraph 2 — Body Paragraph
• Paragraph 3 — Body Paragraph
• Paragraph 4 — Body Paragraph
• Paragraph 5 — Conclusion

★ Paragraph 1 — Introduction

The introduction and conclusion are short paragraphs that “bookend” your essay. Your introduction should:

• introduce the topic from the passage,
• explain both sides of the issue (showing that you understood what you read),
• and make a claim that one side is better-supported and thus, more convincing (this should be the final sentence of the introduction).

Below is a possible template for the introductory paragraph. When you are writing your essay, you can write a very similar introductory paragraph while replacing the underlined portions to fit the prompt that you are answering:

  ★ Paragraphs 2–4 — Body Paragraphs

The real strength of your essay lies in your body paragraphs. Each body paragraph must introduce and describe one reason why the position you chose is better-supported. There will be 3 reasons in total (if you follow the 5-paragraph format). Look for some of these common ready-made arguments when reviewing the passages:

Authority figure — Does the passage quote a reputable figure with specialized knowledge, such as a doctor, scientist, or other expert? Does the reference lend credibility to the overall argument?

History — Does the passage explain a historical event or a precedent to back up its claim?

Statistics — Does the passage provide any numbers or data? Does the data help the author’s position?

Logical reasoning — Is there a strong element of logic or “common-sense” to the argument, and is it presented in a clear, cohesive manner?

Ethics — Is a moral argument made? Does the author insist his or her position is correct because it is the “morally right” thing to do?

Emotion — Does the author appeal to the reader’s feelings? Does the argument evoke an emotional response?

Reasonable Assumptions — Does the author rely on assumptions to draw any conclusions? Are the assumptions reasonable?

Forceful Vocabulary — Does the author’s word choice add weight and importance to the argument?

Not all of these will be present in every passage, but you will only need 3, and it is likely that at least 2–3 of these will be used in each argument. If the passage you choose only has 2 of the above supports, consider writing more than one paragraph about each, using different support. Let’s look at how we can “plug” three of these examples into our thesis from above:

  When you outline your GED Essay, pre-write your thesis and decide on which three forms of support you will discuss to prove that your passage is better-supported. This will help you organize of the rest of your essay. Now that we have chosen our three examples, we can make a more specific outline:

• Paragraph 1 — Introduction (why Position X is better-supported)
• Paragraph 2 — Emotional Appeal
• Paragraph 3 — Authority Figure’s Opinion
• Paragraph 4 — Forceful Vocabulary
• Paragraph 5 — Conclusion (why Position Y is not well supported)

Let’s look at how we can “plug” some of these ready-made arguments into a body paragraph:

  Notice how this body paragraph introduces the example in the first sentence (“logical reasoning”), and then cites 3 specific examples from the passage that employ this logical reasoning. The final sentence reiterates and emphasizes the overall idea of the paragraph. This paragraph is only 5 sentences (if you include a quote), yet it does a great job (1) introducing the superiority of the argued position, (2) giving examples from the passage to support a specific idea, and (3) concluding the paragraph.

In each body paragraph, you must defend your assertion that ONE position is better-supported with at least one specific reference showing this support. If you choose, “authority figures” as an example, but there is only 1 authority figure mentioned in the passage, it’s okay to spend the entire body paragraph discussing that one figure. You do not need to make up anything that is not in the passage—in fact, you shouldn’t!

★ Paragraph 5 — Conclusion

Finally, let’s look at how we can structure the conclusion:

GED Essay Scoring

Three separate scorers will grade your response based on each of the three traits of your essay: (1) Analysis of Arguments and Use of Evidence, (2) Development of Ideas and Structure, and (3) Clarity and Command of Standard English. Notice that if you follow the strategy and template provided above, all of these traits will be accounted for, and you won’t have to worry about them on Test Day! 😀

GED Essay Practice

Now you’re ready to write a practice essay. Try our GED Essay Practice Question .

GED Essay-Topics, Samples, And Tips

Last Updated on May 16, 2024.

This language Arts lesson is part of this website’s free online GED classes a nd practice tests, generously provided by the accredited comprehensive GED prep course created by Onsego.

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Our free support is a great way to start with your GED prep, and if you like these free practice tests and video lessons, you may easily switch to Onsego GED Prep’s full-scope, accredited course to earn your GED fast!

One part of the GED Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) test is writing a GED Essay, also known as the Extended Response. You have 45 minutes to create your essay. The GED essay is an argumentative essay.

A common method for writing this type of essay is the five-paragraph approach.

Writing your GED Essay is not about writing an opinion on the topic at hand. Your opinion is irrelevant. You are asked to determine and explain which of the arguments is better.

This lesson is provided by Onsego GED Prep.

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Table of Contents

• 0.1 Video Transcription
• 1 GED Essay Structure
• 2 GED Essay Topics
• 3 GED Essay Samples
• 4 Tips for Writing your GED Essay
• 5 How your GED Essay is Scored

Video Transcription

After reading the stimulus with two different arguments about a subject, your task is to explain why one of these arguments is better.

Remember, when writing your GED Essay, you are NOT writing your opinion on the topic. That’s irrelevant. You must write about why one argument is better than the other.

You are writing an analysis of the author’s two positions and explaining which argument is stronger. These two arguments are presented in the stimulus, so you don’t need to create any own examples.

So again, you only need to decide what argument is stronger and claim it and prove it. It is NOT about your opinion.

Since in your essay, you need to determine which argument is best supported, your claim should clearly state which of the two positions is stronger.

You will be provided with the stimulus material and a prompt.

The stimulus is a text that provides 2 opposing opinions about a certain subject. The prompt provides instructions and tells you what you need to do.

I’ll say it again because so many students make mistakes here, it’s NOT about your opinion on the topic but the subject that matters!

You need to analyze the arguments and determine which opinion is best supported throughout the text.

You are NOT asked which argument you agree with more, and you should NEVER respond with a personal opinion.

So, don’t use the word “I” such as “I think that…” “I agree because…” “In my opinion…”.

The GED essay is graded on a machine that uses algorithms to figure out your score.

So, no teacher will decide about the score in any way.

It’s very important that you remember this!

Let’s take a look at the structure, topics, and format of the GED Essay.

GED Essay Structure

Ged essay topics.

• GED Essay Sample
• GED Essay Scoring
• GED Essay Writing Tips

Remember: you need to analyze which of the presented arguments is better and explain why it’s better.

Likewise, make sure your reasons come from the text – you aren’t making up your examples; you’re talking about the ones in the passages.

How should you prove that one argument is stronger? – Look at the evidence in the text.

Did the author use a relevant statistic from a reliable source, or did he/she assume something with a hypothetical anecdote?

Once you know which is better supported, you’re on your way.

Keep in mind: Don’t Summarize!

It’s easy to substitute a simpler task (summarize each side) for the more complex task of evaluating arguments. But if all you do is summarize, your response will be considered off-topic and likely will not receive any points.

The GED Essay should contain:

• 4-7 paragraphs of 3 to 7 sentences each and 300-500 words in total.
• An essay (or response) that is significantly shorter could put you in danger of scoring a 0 just for not showing enough of your writing skills.
• As you read the stimulus material (text), think carefully about the argumentation presented in the passage(s). “Argumentation” refers to the assumptions, claims, support, reasoning, and credibility on which a position is based.
• Pay close attention to how the author(s) use these strategies to convey his or her position.

Every well-written GED essay has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Your response will be an argument or an argumentative essay. Remember that you are NOT writing your opinion on the topic.

You are writing an analysis of two of the author’s positions and explaining which argument is stronger.

Things to keep in mind: the Extended Response (GED Essay) is scored by smart machines that are programmed to recognize correct answers. So, don’t try to be creative; just be correct. Also:

• Use proper grammar and sentence structure.
• Practice writing a 300 to 500-word essay.

Let’s look at the GED Essay structure: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

• The Introduction introduces the topic you are writing about and states your claim or thesis statement. Stand your position.
• The Body of the essay presents reasoning and evidence to support your claim. This is the longest part of the response and should be at least two paragraphs.
• The concluding paragraph sums up your main points and restates your claim.

Here are a few examples of GED Essay Topics. Click on the title to read a full stimulus and a prompt.

An Analysis of Daylight-Saving Time

The article presents arguments from both supporters and critics of Daylight-Saving Time who disagree about the practice’s impact on energy consumption and safety. Check here to read the full article.

Should the Penny Stay in Circulation?

Analyze the presented arguments and decide which one is better supported. Check here to read the full article.

Is Golf a Sport?

Proponents say that golf meets the definition of “sport.” Opponents say that golf better meets the definition of “game” than “sport. Analyze both opinions and determine which one is better supported. Check here to read the full article.

GED Essay Samples

Click here to access a sample of a GED essay with an explanation of the structure. Getting familiar with GED essay samples will help you plan your essay and understand what elements are important.

When reading the essay subject, you really should take the time to pull together your thoughts. By arranging your ideas rationally, you will be able to express your thoughts far better on paper. When you start writing, concentrate on the guidelines that you came to understand in English class.

Pay attention to English language usage (grammar); you must use the right punctuation and capitalization and decide on suitable word solutions.

Check here to read a GED Essay Sample with our comments.

Tips for Writing your GED Essay

1. Make sure you read the stimulus and prompt cautiously

It’s good to practice this carefully. Check out each question carefully and take a little time to figure out the topic and what kind of answer will be expected.

It is important to read the questions meticulously.

Usually, students simply run over stimulus and prompt and begin to write immediately, believing that they will save time this way.

Well, this actually the most undesirable thing to do. Take a short while and try to understand the questions completely in order to respond to them appropriately. If you wish, highlight the essential words and phrases in the stimulus to be able to look at it from time to time to be certain you stick to the topic.

2. Sketch an outline for the essay

In general, you will only need a few minutes to plan your essay, and it is imperative to take that time. As soon as you grasp the questions entirely, and once you have scribbled down some initial ideas, make an outline of the essay and follow that.

Plan an introduction, body, and conclusion. Following this process is going to save you a lot of time and it helps establish a rational development of thoughts.

3. Stick to the subject

Each paragraph in the body of your response should explain why a piece of evidence supports your claim or disputes the opposing claim to explain your evidence.

You can describe or restate it. This shows that you understand precisely what it means and how it relates to your claim.

Cite the mentioned details or facts of a specific point and relate them to your claim.

Your response should include evidence from both passages and explain what strong evidence supports one argument and why faulty evidence weakens the other argument.

4. Proofreading and Revision

By the time you completed writing your essay, you should go back to the beginning and read your essay carefully again, as you quite easily could have forgotten a comma or have misspelled a word while writing your essay. See also this post ->  Is the GED Language Arts Test Hard?

While rereading your essay, pay close attention to whether your essay provides well-targeted points, is organized clearly, presents specific information and facts, comes with proper sentence construction, and has no grammar or spelling mistakes.

How your GED Essay is Scored

Your GED essay is scored by smart machines that are programmed to recognize correct answers. So don’t try to be creative; just be correct.

They will be using five criteria to assess your essay.

• Organization: were you clear about the essential idea, and did you present a well-thought strategy for composing your essay?
• Clear and swift response: did you deal with the subject adequately, without shifting from one focal point to another?
• Progress and details: did you apply relevant examples and specific details to elaborate on your original concepts or arguments, as opposed to using lists or repeating identical information?
• Grammar Rules of English: did you use decent writing techniques like sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and grammar, and did you shape and edit your essay after you penned the first draft?
• Word choice: how far did you choose and employ suitable words to indicate your points of view?

Your 45 minutes will go quickly, so focus on these important points to get the best score.

What’s important is to make a clear statement about which position is better supported. Write clear sentences and arrange paragraphs in a logical order.

GED testing includes four modules (independent subtests) in Mathematical Reasoning (Math), Reasoning through Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies that can be taken separately. You should study very well, be effective on test day, and pass the subtest(s) you registered for.

GED writing for essays may be a bit tricky, but you can store all this information for proper learning on a list and change to proper write essay techniques before test day has arrived. Just practice a lot, and you’ll see that it’ll be getting better and better. So now you know all about writing the GED Essay.

How to Write & Pass a GED Essay

By: Jen Denton, Student Success Coach on January 3, 2023 at 3:21 AM

The GED essay intimidates a lot of people. Writing a whole essay from scratch in 45 minutes or less can be tough, but it doesn't have to be. This GED essay writing guide will help you know what to expect and how to pass the written portion of the test. Learn all about the GED extended response with examples, tips, and a breakdown of everything you'll be graded on.

Table of Contents

What is the ged essay, example ged essay questions, example ged essay, ged essay practice, ged essay structure, how is the ged essay scored, 8 tips to help you pass the ged essay.

The GED test is made up of four subjects: mathematical reasoning, social studies, science, and reasoning through language arts (RLA). The RLA subject test includes two parts, one of which is the GED extended response, sometimes called the GED essay. You will have 45 minutes to complete the essay to the best of your ability. If you don’t finish in time, don’t worry! The essay is only worth 20% of your final RLA score, so you can still pass the test even if you don’t get a high score on the essay.

The extended response can be on a variety of topics, but it will always follow the same format. You will be given two different articles on the same topic, usually argumentative essays with a firm position. You will be asked to evaluate the two arguments and write your own argumentative essay determining which article presented the strongest position. The essay should be 3-5 paragraphs long, with each paragraph between 3-7 sentences.

All GED essay questions will ask you to read and evaluate two passages that take different stances on the same topic. Essays should determine which passage presents a stronger argument and back up that claim with analysis of evidence from the passages.

Here is an example GED essay question:

Analyze the arguments presented in the press release and the letter to the editor. In your response, develop an argument in which you explain how one position is better supported than the other. Incorporate relevant and specific evidence from both sources to support your argument.

Remember, the better-argued position is not necessarily the position with which you agree. This task should take approximately 45 minutes to complete. 1

1  "Extended Response Scoring - GED." https://ged.com/wp-content/uploads/extended_response_scoring.pdf . Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

The following is an example high scoring essay:

Both the press release and the letter to the editor offer positions that are supported by both fact and opinion. The press release seeks to exhort the new bill for expansion of Highway 17, while the letter argues that the passing of the bill could prove detrimental to the district. While both sides make an acceptable case, the latter provides a stronger argument.

One example of the letter’s stronger argument is the explanation that federal tax dollars pay for the road, as it will incorporate six different states, therefore eliminating this particular state’s ability to strike the bill down. This proves, with factual information, that the district did not have a fair say in the bill. The notion that few residents will use the road that their tax dollars are providing is an opinion. However, a resident and small-business owner in the town is more credible in the awareness of the town’s concern, as compared to a representative who attended a few meetings in the town hall.

Another example of the better supported argument in the letter is the reference to the construction jobs as temporary. The press release praises the new jobs created by the highway construction, as this is a valid point. However, the author of the letter is correct in the fact that the jobs will not create a boom in the district’s economy, or fill in the gap caused by the closures in the manufacturing plants, as the press release leads listeners to believe. The road construction does not solve the long-term issue of unemployment in the town. In addition, the author of the letter counters the argument that new motels, restaurants, and gas stations along the highway will create permanent jobs for the residents of the town. She explains that, “…only minimum wage jobs will remain.” This is a valid argument also, as unemployed residents that need enough income to support a household would not be much better off. Providing restaurant or motel jobs is very unlikely to feed or support an entire family. It will not pick up the laid-off employees of the manufacturing plants, who may have worked for many years towards promotions and a pension.

Another example of the letter’s stronger argument is the author’s explanation of the 2001 study. She concedes that the representative is correct in citing that bypasses are proven to reduce noise and traffic in town, but she argues that the study shows a negative effect on local businesses. This piece of the study was not mentioned by Representative Walls or the press release, and it is a proven fact. This draws more credibility to the argument in the letter. Also, although it is a speculation, it is more reasonable that traveler’s will stick to the main highway and not venture miles off their path into small town when chain gas stations, restaurants, and motels are conveniently located directly at the highway exits. It is less likely that old roads in the towns will become historical locations, attracting tourists and boosting small business sales.

Despite the argument and evidence given by the press release, it appears that the letter to the editor offers a stronger case. The author’s ideas are backed up by logical explanations and facts with a few speculations. Though the press release offers some fact, it is mainly specked with anticipations and hopes, driven to overshadow any doubts and quell any concerns. The letter is penned by a resident of the town and owner of a business, subject to firsthand opinions of the citizens of the district. The press release is pushed by an elected representative who, upon visiting the town a number of times and consulting a small percentage of the constituents, is convinced she understands the majority. Although both parties may very well have the best interests of the district in mind, and either position could be correct, it is clear that the letter provides a better-supported argument. 2

2  "Extended Response Scoring - GED." https://ged.com/wp-content/uploads/extended_response_scoring.pdf . Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

For GED essay practice, try writing your own essay based on the example above. Set a timer for 45 minutes and do your best to write an essay with your own analysis and ideas.

You can practice more writing skills with this free test or enroll today in the GED Academy to get access to more GED essay prompts and personalized feedback from GED Essay graders.

The structure for the GED essay can take a few different forms, depending on how you decide to organize your ideas. No matter what, it should include an introduction paragraph, 1-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. To receive a passing score, your essay must present a clear topic supported by details from both passages. Include your main idea in an introductory paragraph. In middle paragraphs, make connections between your details and your main idea. Your conclusion should also fit logically with the details.

The introduction should demonstrate your understanding of the overall topic based on the passages you read and a claim. The claim is a statement of your argument. It doesn’t need to go into detail, but should state your essay’s position on the questions presented.

The body paragraphs will go into more detail. They will include a combination of summary, analysis, and evidence to back up your claim. Be sure to include analysis of both passages.

The conclusion should explain the result of your findings and reinforce your original claim.

You can earn up to six points on the GED extended response. There are three main categories your essay is graded on, and you can earn up to two points for each.

Creation of arguments and use of evidence: Craft a strong claim and use analysis of the arguments and evidence from the passages to support it.

Development of ideas and organizational structure: Write a substantial essay with clear transitions between ideas, including a strong introduction and conclusion.

Clarity and command of standard English conventions: Use appropriate language and demonstrate strong language and grammar skills.

The extended response accounts for 20% of the total RLA score.

• Read all the instructions. The most common reason people score low on the essay is because they misunderstand the prompt.
• Make an outline. After reading the passages and the prompt, write down your ideas and organize them during your pre-writing.
• Make a list of evidence. When you read the passages, take notes on the important details you want to remember later, so you don’t have to spend time searching for it later.
• Write your introduction last. A lot of people get tripped up by how to start the essay. If that’s you, just skip this step and go back to it once you’ve written the rest of the essay.
• Write first, edit later. You only have 45 minutes, so use your time wisely. Write your first draft of the essay before you start fine-tuning and editing it. Save that for your remaining time so you don’t turn in a half-written essay.
• Use formal language. Avoid “I” statements like, “I think” or casual language like slang.
• Don’t check the clock. Time always seems to go faster when you need it to go slow. Every time you look at the clock, that’s breaking your focus on your essay.
• Practice! The only way to get better at writing essays is to write more essays. Practice using the GED Writing Practice Test , and remember to time yourself!

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HiSET Essay Writing Guide

The HiSET Language Arts Writing Test is composed of 50 multiple-choice questions and one essay. You will have 50 minutes to complete the essay portion, which will come after the multiple-choice section of the test.

The exam requires you to read two passages and understand them thoroughly before you offer your own opinion. In your response, there are specific criteria upon which you are evaluated. These include:

• Effective introduction and conclusion
• Logical sequence of ideas
• Command of English grammar (few spelling, punctuation mistakes, etc.)
• Formal style and tone
• Proper and clear organization
• A clear central thesis with supporting ideas
• An acknowledgement of opposing/alternative points of view

You will receive a score between 1 and 6, and a minimum score of 2 is required in order to pass the test.

The Thesis Statement

The word “thesis” might seem intimidating, but remember the thesis is merely a central position. What is the main idea that you want the reader to understand? In other words, what is your opinion on the subject presented? For example, “All students should receive funding for college,” or “Governments around the world must protect the environment for future generations.”

Think of the general topic that the two passages discuss, and then ask yourself, “what do I think about this topic?” Don’t worry about picking a position the test-scorers will agree with—as long as your position is clear and you explain how your examples support your position, you can easily score a 4 or higher.

5 Steps to a Great Essay

In order to finish the essay within 50 minutes, it’s important that you keep track of the clock! Here is how you can best organize your time:

Step 1 – Read the 1st Passage and take notes (5 minutes max)

Step 2 – read the 2nd passage and take notes (5 minutes max), step 3 – plan your 5-paragraph essay: pre-write your thesis and supporting ideas (5 min max).

One possible breakdown you can follow is to write 5-paragraphs as follows:

2.) First Idea — State your first supporting idea and back it up with evidence from the passage. Introduce an example from your life to provide further support.

3.) Second Idea — State your second supporting idea and back it up with evidence from the passage. Introduce a second example from your life to provide further support.

4.) The Opposing Side — Acknowledge that some people believe the opposite of your thesis. Explain their position, then refute it with logic or (even better!) additional information from one of the two passages.

  Remember that this is merely a suggestion. If you can only write four paragraphs, then you can combine Paragraphs 4 & 5, and discuss the opposing side in your short conclusion. Writing fewer than 4 paragraphs is unwise if you are aiming for a 5 or 6. Length itself doesn’t matter, but usually 2–3 paragraphs is not enough time to sufficiently develop your thesis.

Step 4 – Write your Essay (30 minutes max)

This may not seem like a lot of time, but your essay doesn’t have to be too long. Thirty minutes is more than enough time to write 5–6 paragraphs, especially since your introduction and conclusion may be short. The biggest mistake students make is not taking enough time to plan out their essay. If you have a plan for each paragraph, then the actual writing should not take you too long. If you’re prepared, you’ll have plenty of time!

Step 5 – Revise your Essay (5 minutes max)

Since too many spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can distract from your ideas, it’s important to re-read your entire essay once (if not twice!) before the time is up. Ask yourself:

• Does the “logical flow” of ideas makes sense?
• Is the thesis convincing?
• Are the examples logical?
• Do you use good transition words?

Make any necessary changes prior to your timer running out!

What your Essay Needs in Order to Be Successful

Include a thesis statement as part of your first paragraph: This is just a one-sentence statement that clearly states your position on the issue that is discussed in the passages.

Use evidence from the passages: Your essay needs to reference information that is stated in the passages. For each of your ideas, you should cite at least one fact or supporting statement from the passages.

Use examples from your life: For each of your ideas, you need to use one example from your life or experiences. Don’t be afraid to stretch the truth here a little, but make sure your example is something you have at least partially experienced so it feels organic.

Acknowledge the opposing argument: You can do this in a separate paragraph, or you can just do it in the beginning of your last paragraph. Pick a strong argument from the opposing side that some people believe to be true or that has some merit. Then, prove why it is still not convincing or why it’s logically flawed.

Re-state your thesis in the final paragraph: Your final paragraph should summarize your argument and re-state your thesis.

HiSET Practice Essay

Now you’re ready to write a practice essay: HiSET Essay Practice Question .

Common Core State Standards Initiative

English Language Arts Standards

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the standards”) represent the next generation of K–12 standards designed to prepare all students for success in college, career, and life by the time they graduate from high school.

The Common Core asks students to read stories and literature, as well as more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that are required for success in college, career, and life.

The standards establish guidelines for English language arts (ELA) as well as for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

The College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards form the backbone of the ELA/literacy standards by articulating core knowledge and skills, while grade-specific standards provide additional specificity. Beginning in grade 6, the literacy standards allow teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, and technical subjects to use their content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields.

It is important to note that the grade 6–12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are meant to supplement content standards in those areas, not replace them. States determine how to incorporate these standards into their existing standards for those subjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.

The skills and knowledge captured in the ELA/literacy standards are designed to prepare students for life outside the classroom. They include critical-thinking skills and the ability to closely and attentively read texts in a way that will help them understand and enjoy complex works of literature. Students will learn to use cogent reasoning and evidence collection skills that are essential for success in college, career, and life. The standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate person who is prepared for success in the 21 st century.

• Key Design Consideration
• Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, & Language
• How to Read the Standards
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
• Introduction for K-5
• Kindergarten
• Introduction for 6-12
• Grade 11-12
• Introduction
• Language Progressive Skills
• Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
• Range of Text Types for K-5
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading K-5
• Staying on Topic Within a Grade & Across Grades
• Range of Text Types for 6-12
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading 6-12
• English Language Arts Appendix A
• English Language Arts Appendix B
• English Language Arts Appendix C

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How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the ap language argument essay, tips for writing the ap language argument essay, ap english language argument essay examples, how will ap scores impact my college chances.

In 2023, over 550,148 students across the U.S. took the AP English Language and Composition Exam, and 65.2% scored higher than a 3. The AP English Language Exam tests your ability to analyze a piece of writing, synthesize information, write a rhetorical essay, and create a cohesive argument. In this post, we’ll be discussing the best way to approach the argumentative essay section of the test, and we’ll give you tips and tricks so you can write a great essay.

The AP English Language Exam as of 2023 is structured as follows:

Section 1: 45 multiple choice questions to be completed in an hour. This portion counts for 45% of your score. This section requires students to analyze a piece of literature. The questions ask about its content and/or what could be edited within the passage.

Section 2: Three free response questions to be completed in the remaining two hours and 15 minutes. This section counts for 55% of your score. These essay questions include the synthesis essay, the rhetorical essay, and the argumentative essay.

• Synthesis essay: Read 6-7 sources and create an argument using at least three of the sources.
• Rhetorical analysis essay: Describe how a piece of writing evokes meaning and symbolism.
• Argumentative essay: Pick a side of a debate and create an argument based on evidence. In this essay, you should develop a logical argument in support of or against the given statement and provide ample evidence that supports your conclusion. Typically, a five paragraph format is great for this type of writing. This essay is scored holistically from 1 to 9 points.

Do you want more information on the structure of the full exam? Take a look at our in-depth overview of the AP Language and Composition Exam .

Although the AP Language Argument may seem daunting at first, once you understand how the essay should be structured, it will be a lot easier to create cohesive arguments.

Below are some tips to help you as you write the essay.

1. Organize your essay before writing

Instead of jumping right into your essay, plan out what you will say beforehand. It’s easiest to make a list of your arguments and write out what facts or evidence you will use to support each argument. In your outline, you can determine the best order for your arguments, especially if they build on each other or are chronological. Having a well-organized essay is crucial for success.

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

When you write the essay, it’s best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the arguments of the other side has. This can make the essay a bit more nuanced and show that you did consider both sides before determining which one was better. Often, acknowledging another viewpoint then refuting it can make your essay stronger.

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

The AP readers will be looking for examples and evidence to support your argument. This doesn’t mean that you need to memorize a bunch of random facts before the exam. This just means that you should be able to provide concrete examples in support of your argument.

For example, if the essay topic is about whether the role of the media in society has been detrimental or not, and you argue that it has been, you may talk about the phenomenon of “fake news” during the 2016 presidential election.

AP readers are not looking for perfect examples, but they are looking to see if you can provide enough evidence to back your claim and make it easily understood.

4. Create a strong thesis statement

The thesis statement will set up your entire essay, so it’s important that it is focused and specific, and that it allows for the reader to understand your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis statement is the very last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In this sentence, list out the key points you will be making in the essay in the same order that you will be writing them. Each new point you mention in your thesis should start a paragraph in your essay.

Below is a prompt and sample student essay from the May 2019 exam . We’ll look at what the student did well in their writing and where they could improve.

Prompt: “The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that “[b]eing queen is overrated.”

Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

Sample Student Essay #1:

[1] Competition is “overrated.” The notion of motivation between peers has evolved into a source of unnecessary stress and even lack of morals. Whether it be in an academic environment or in the industry, this new idea of competition is harmful to those competing and those around them.

[2] Back in elementary school, competition was rather friendly. It could have been who could do the most pushups or who could get the most imaginary points in a classroom for a prize. If you couldn’t do the most pushups or win that smelly sticker, you would go home and improve yourself – there would be no strong feelings towards anyone, you would just focus on making yourself a better version of yourself. Then as high school rolled around, suddenly applying for college doesn’t seem so far away –GPA seems to be that one stat that defines you – extracurriculars seem to shape you – test scores seem to categorize you. Sleepless nights, studying for the next day’s exam, seem to become more and more frequent. Floating duck syndrome seems to surround you (FDS is where a competitive student pretends to not work hard but is furiously studying beneath the surface just like how a duck furiously kicks to stay afloat). All of your competitors appear to hope you fail – but in the end what do you and your competitor’s gain? Getting one extra point on the test? Does that self-satisfaction compensate for the tremendous amounts of acquired stress? This new type of “competition” is overrated – it serves nothing except a never-ending source of anxiety and seeks to weaken friendships and solidarity as a whole in the school setting.

[3] A similar idea of “competition” can be applied to business. On the most fundamental level, competition serves to be a beneficial regulator of prices and business models for both the business themselves and consumers. However, as businesses grew increasingly greedy and desperate, companies resorted to immoral tactics that only hurt their reputations and consumers as a whole. Whether it be McDonald’s coupons that force you to buy more food or tech companies like Apple intentionally slowing down your iPhone after 3 years to force you to upgrade to the newest device, consumers suffer and in turn speak down upon these companies. Similar to the evolved form of competition in school, this overrated form causes pain for all parties and has since diverged from the encouraging nature that the principle of competition was “founded” on.

The AP score for this essay was a 4/6, meaning that it captured the main purpose of the essay but there were still substantial parts missing. In this essay, the writer did a good job organizing the sections and making sure that their writing was in order according to the thesis statement. The essay first discusses how competition is harmful in elementary school and then discusses this topic in the context of business. This follows the chronological order of somebody’s life and flows nicely.

The arguments in this essay are problematic, as they do not provide enough examples of how exactly competition is overrated. The essay discusses the context in which competition is overrated but does not go far enough in explaining how this connects to the prompt.

In the first example, school stress is used to explain how competition manifests. This is a good starting point, but it does not talk about why competition is overrated; it simply mentions that competition can be unhealthy. The last sentence of that paragraph is the main point of the argument and should be expanded to discuss how the anxiety of school is overrated later on in life. 

In the second example, the writer discusses how competition can lead to harmful business practices, but again, this doesn’t reflect the reason this would be overrated. Is competition really overrated because Apple and McDonald’s force you to buy new products? This example could’ve been taken one step farther. Instead of explaining why business structures—such as monopolies—harm competition, the author should discuss how those particular structures are overrated.

Additionally, the examples the writer used lack detail. A stronger essay would’ve provided more in-depth examples. This essay seemed to mention examples only in passing without using them to defend the argument.

It should also be noted that the structure of the essay is incomplete. The introduction only has a thesis statement and no additional context. Also, there is no conclusion paragraph that sums up the essay. These missing components result in a 4/6.

Now let’s go through the prompt for a sample essay from the May 2022 exam . The prompt is as follows:

Colin Powell, a four-star general and former United States Secretary of State, wrote in his 1995 autobiography: “[W]e do not have the luxury of collecting information indefinitely. At some point, before we can have every possible fact in hand, we have to decide. The key is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Powell’s claim about making decisions is valid. 

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position. 
• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning. 
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning. 
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Sample Student Essay #2:

Colin Powell, who was a four star general and a former United States Secretary of State. He wrote an autobiography and had made a claim about making decisions. In my personal opinion, Powell’s claim is true to full extent and shows an extremely valuable piece of advice that we do not consider when we make decisions.

Powell stated, “before we can have every possible fact in hand we have to decide…. but to make it a timely decision” (1995). With this statement Powell is telling the audience of his autobiography that it does not necessarily matter how many facts you have, and how many things you know. Being able to have access to everything possible takes a great amount of time and we don’t always have all of the time in the world. A decision has to be made with what you know, waiting for something else to come in while trying to make a decision whether that other fact is good or bad you already have a good amount of things that you know. Everyone’s time is valuable, including yours. At the end of the day the decision will have to be made and that is why it should be made in a “timely” manner.

This response was graded for a score of 2/6. Let’s break down the score to smaller points that signify where the student fell short.

The thesis in this essay is clearly outlined at the end of the first paragraph. The student states their agreement with Powell’s claim and frames the rest of their essay around this stance. The success in scoring here lies in the clear communication of the thesis and the direction the argument will take. It’s important to make the thesis statement concise, specific, and arguable, which the student has successfully done.

While the student did attempt to provide evidence to support their thesis, it’s clear that their explanation lacks specific detail and substance. They referenced Powell’s statement, but did not delve into how this statement has proven true in specific instances, and did not provide examples that could bring the argument to life.

Commentary is an essential part of this section’s score. It means explaining the significance of the evidence and connecting it back to the thesis. Unfortunately, the student’s commentary here is too vague and does not effectively elaborate on how the evidence supports their argument.

To improve, the student could use more concrete examples to demonstrate their point and discuss how each piece of evidence supports their thesis. For instance, they could discuss specific moments in Powell’s career where making a timely decision was more valuable than waiting for all possible facts. This would help illustrate the argument in a more engaging, understandable way.

A high score in the “sophistication” category of the grading rubric is given for demonstrating a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, context, etc.), making effective rhetorical choices, or establishing a line of reasoning. Here, the student’s response lacks complexity and sophistication. They’ve simply agreed with Powell’s claim and made a few general statements without providing a deeper analysis or effectively considering the rhetorical situation.

To increase sophistication, the student could explore possible counterarguments or complexities within Powell’s claim. They could discuss potential drawbacks of making decisions without all possible facts, or examine situations where timely decisions might not yield the best results. By acknowledging and refuting these potential counterarguments, they could add more depth to their analysis and showcase their understanding of the complexities involved in decision-making.

The student could also analyze why Powell, given his background and experiences, might have come to such a conclusion, thus providing more context and showing an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

Remember, sophistication in argumentation isn’t about using fancy words or complicated sentences. It’s about showing that you understand the complexity of the issue at hand and that you’re able to make thoughtful, nuanced arguments. Sophistication shows that you can think critically about the topic and make connections that aren’t immediately obvious.

Now that you’ve looked at an example essay and some tips for the argumentative essay, you know how to better prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

While your AP scores don’t usually impact your admissions chances , colleges do care a lot about your course rigor. So, taking as many APs as you can will certainly boost your chances! AP scores can be a way for high-performing students to set themselves apart, particularly when applying to prestigious universities. Through the process of self-reporting scores , you can show your hard work and intelligence to admissions counselors.

That said, the main benefit of scoring high on AP exams comes once you land at your dream school, as high scores can allow you to “test out” of entry-level requirements, often called GE requirements or distribution requirements. This will save you time and money.

To understand how your course rigor stacks up, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine . This resource takes your course rigor, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, to determine your chances of getting into over 1600 colleges across the country!

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, expert guide to the ap language and composition exam.

Advanced Placement (AP)

With the 2023 AP English Language and Composition exam happening on Tuesday, May 9, it's time to make sure that you're familiar with all aspects of the exam. In this article, I'll give a brief overview of the test, do a deeper dive on each of the sections, discuss how the exam is scored, offer some strategies for studying, and finally wrap up with some essential exam day tips.

Exam Overview

The AP Language and Composition exam tests your rhetorical and composition skills. Essentially, how do authors construct effective arguments in their writing? What tools do they use? How can you use those tools to craft effective writing yourself? That is the essence of rhetorical analysis.

The exam has two parts: the first section is an hour-long, 45 question multiple-choice section. It includes five sets of questions, each based on a passage or passages. In this section, there will be 23-25 rhetorical analysis questions which test your rhetorical skills. There will also be 20-22 writing questions which require you to consider revisions to the texts you're shown.

The second section is free response. It starts with a 15-minute reading period, and then you'll have 120 minutes to write three analytical essays:

• One essay where you synthesize several provided texts to create an argument
• One essay where you analyze a nonfiction passage for its rhetorical construction
• One essay where you create an original argument in response to a prompt.

You will have about 40 minutes to write each essay, but no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay—you can structure the 120 minutes as you wish.

In the next sections I'll go over each section of the exam more closely—first multiple choice, and then free response.

The AP English Language and Composition Multiple-Choice

The multiple-choice section tests you on two main areas. The first is how well you can read and understand nonfiction passages for their use of rhetorical devices and tools. The second is how well you can "think like a writer" and make revisions to texts in composition questions.

You will be presented with five passages, about which you will receive a small amount of orienting information, e.g. "This passage is excerpted from a collection of essays on boating" or "This passage is excerpted from an essay written in 19th-century Haiti." Each passage will be followed by a set of questions.

There are, in general, eight question types you can expect to encounter on the multiple-choice section of the exam. I've taken my examples from the sample questions in the " Course and Exam Description ."

Magic eight-ball says there are eight types of multiple-choice questions!

Type 1: Reading Comprehension

These questions are focused on verifying that you understood what a certain part of the passage was saying on a concrete, literal level. You can identify these questions from phrases like "according to" "refers," etc. The best way to succeed on these questions is to go back and re-read the part of the passage referred to very carefully.

Type 2: Implication

These questions take reading comprehension one step further—they are primarily focused on what the author is implying without directly coming out and saying it. These questions will have a correct answer, though, based on evidence from the passage. Which interpretation offered in the answers does the passage most support? You can identify questions like these from words like "best supported," ‘"implies," "suggests," "inferred," and so on.

Type 3: Overall Passage and Author Questions

These questions ask about overall elements of the passage or the author, such as the author's attitude on the issue discussed, the purpose of the passage, the passage's overarching style, the audience for the passage, and so on.

You can identify these questions because they won't refer back to a specific moment in the text. For these questions, you'll need to think of the passage from a "bird's-eye view" and consider what all of the small details together are combining to say.

Type 4: Relationships Between Parts of the Text

Some questions will ask you to describe the relationship between two parts of the text, whether they are paragraphs or specific lines. You can identify these because they will usually explicitly ask about the relationship between two identified parts of the text, although sometimes they will instead ask about a relationship implicitly, by saying something like "compared to the rest of the passage."

Type 5: Interpretation of Imagery/Figurative Language

These questions will ask you about the deeper meaning or implication of figurative language or imagery that is used in the text. Essentially, why did the author choose to use this simile or this metaphor? What is s/he trying to accomplish?

You can generally identify questions like this because the question will specifically reference a moment of figurative language in the text. However, it might not be immediately apparent that the phrase being referenced is figurative, so you may need to go back and look at it in the passage to be sure of what kind of question you are facing.

Type 6: Purpose of Part of the Text

Still other questions will ask you to identify what purpose a particular part of the text serves in the author's larger argument. What is the author trying to accomplish with the particular moment in the text identified in the question?

You can identify these questions because they will generally explicitly ask what purpose a certain part of the text serves. You may also see words or phrases like "serves to" or "function."

Type 7: Rhetorical Strategy

These questions will ask you to identify a rhetorical strategy used by the author. They will often specifically use the phrase "rhetorical strategy," although sometimes you will be able to identify them instead through the answer choices, which offer different rhetorical strategies as possibilities.

Type 8: Composition

This is the newest question type, first seen in the 2019/2020 school year. For these questions, the student will need to act as though they are the writer and think through different choices writers need to make when writing or revising text.

These questions can involve changing the order of sentences or paragraphs, adding or omitting information to strengthen an argument or improve clarity, making changes to draw reader attention, and other composition-based choices.

Some very important stylish effects going on here.

The AP English Language and Composition Free Response

The free response section has a 15-minute reading period. After that time, you will have 120 minutes to write three essays that address three distinct tasks.

Because the first essay involves reading sources, it is suggested that you use the entire 15-minute reading period to read the sources and plan the first essay. However, you may want to glance at the other questions during the reading period so that ideas can percolate in the back of your mind as you work on the first essay.

Essay One: Synthesis

For this essay, you will be briefly oriented on an issue and then given anywhere from six to seven sources that provide various perspectives and information on the issue. You will then need to write an argumentative essay with support from the documents.

If this sounds a lot like a DBQ , as on the history AP exams, that's because it is! However, this essay is much more argumentative in nature—your goal is to persuade, not merely interpret the documents.

Example (documents not included, see 2022 free response questions ):

Essay Two: Rhetorical Analysis

In the second essay, you'll be presented with an excerpt from a nonfiction piece that advances an argument and asked to write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies used to construct the passage's argument. You will also be given some orienting information—where the passage was excerpted from, who wrote it, its approximate date, where it was published (if at all), and to whom it was directed.

Example (excerpt not included, see 2022 free response questions ):

Essay Three: Argument

In the third essay, you will be presented with an issue and asked to write a persuasive essay taking a position on the issue. You will need to support your position with evidence from your "reading, experience, and observations."

This doesn't look like a very well-constructed argument.

How The AP Language and Composition Exam Is Scored

The multiple-choice section of the exam is worth 45% of your score, and the free-response section is worth the other 55%. So each of the three free-response essays is worth about 18% of your score.

As on other APs, your raw score will be converted to a scaled score of 1-5. This exam has a relatively low 5 rate. Only 10% of test takers received a 5 in 2022 , although 56% of students received a score of 3 or higher.

In terms of how the raw score is obtained, the multiple-choice section is similar to other AP multiple-choice sections: you receive a point for every question you answer correctly, and there is no penalty for guessing.

The grading rubrics for the free-response questions were revamped in 2019. They are scored using analytic rubrics instead of holistic rubrics. For each free-response question, you will be given a score from 0-6. The rubrics assess three major areas:

#1: Thesis (0 to 1 points): Is there a thesis, and does it properly respond to the prompt?

#2: Evidence and Commentary (0 to 4 points): Does the essay include supporting evidence and analysis that is relevant, specific, well organized, and supports the thesis?

#3: Sophistication (0 to 1 points): Is the essay well-crafted and does it show a sufficiently nuanced understanding of the prompt?

Each scoring rubric broadly assesses these three factors. However, each task is also different in nature, so the rubrics do have some differences. I'll go over each rubric—and what it really means—for you here.

Synthesis Essay Rubrics

EVIDENCE AND COMMENTARY

SOPHISTICATION

Time to synthesize this dough into some cookies.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Rubrics

Examine your texts closely!

Argumentative Essay Rubrics

The best kind of frenzy is a puppy frenzy!

AP English Language Prep Tips

Unlike its cousin, the AP English Literature and Composition exam, the AP Language and Composition exam (and course) have very little to do with fiction or poetry. So some students used to more traditional English classes may be somewhat at a loss as to what to do to prepare.

Luckily for you, I have a whole slate of preparation tips for you!

Read Nonfiction—In a Smart Way

A major thing you can do to prepare for the AP Lang and Comp exam is to read nonfiction— particularly nonfiction that argues a position , whether explicitly (like an op-ed) or implicitly (like many memoirs and personal essays). Read a variety of non-fiction genres and topics, and pay attention to the following:

• What is the author's argument?
• What evidence do they use to support their position?
• What rhetorical techniques and strategies do they use to build their argument?
• Are they persuasive? What counterarguments can you identify? Do they address them?

Thinking about these questions with all the reading you do will help you hone your rhetorical analysis skills.

Learn Rhetorical Terms and Strategies

Of course, if you're going to be analyzing the nonfiction works you read for their rhetorical techniques and strategies, you need to know what those are! You should learn a robust stable of rhetorical terms from your teacher, but here's my guide to the most important AP Language and Composition terms .

• We've compiled a list of 20 rhetorical devices you should know.
• A heroic individual from Riverside schools in Ohio uploaded this aggressively comprehensive list of rhetorical terms with examples. It's 27 pages long, and you definitely shouldn't expect to know all of these for the exam, but it's a useful resource for learning some new terms.
• Another great resource for learning about rhetorical analysis and how rhetorical devices are actually used is the YouTube Channel Teach Argument , which has videos rhetorically analyzing everything from Taylor Swift music videos to Super Bowl commercials. It's a fun way to think about rhetorical devices and get familiar with argumentative structures.
• Finally, a great book—which you might already use in your class—is " They Say, I Say. " This book provides an overview of rhetoric specifically for academic purposes, which will serve you well for AP preparation and beyond.

You also need to practice argumentative and persuasive writing. In particular, you should practice the writing styles that will be tested on the exam: synthesizing your own argument based on multiple outside sources, rhetorically analyzing another piece of writing in-depth, and creating a completely original argument based on your own evidence and experience.

You should be doing lots of writing assignments in your AP class to prepare, but thoughtful, additional writing will help. You don't necessarily need to turn all of the practice writing you do into polished pieces, either—just writing for yourself, while trying to address some of these tasks, will give you a low-pressure way to try out different rhetorical structures and argumentative moves, as well as practicing things like organization and developing your own writing style.

Not the most auspicious start to an argumentative essay.

Practice for the Exam

Finally, you'll need to practice specifically for the exam format. There are sample multiple-choice questions in the " AP Course and Exam Description ," and old free-response questions on the College Board website.

Unfortunately, the College Board hasn't officially released any complete exams from previous years for the AP English Language and Composition exam, but you might be able to find some that teachers have uploaded to school websites and so on by Googling "AP Language complete released exams." I also have a guide to AP Language and Composition practice tests .

Once you're prepped and ready to go, how can you do your best on the test?

AP Language and Composition Test Day Tips

Here are four key tips for test-day success.

You are one hundred percent success!

Interact With the Text

When you are reading passages, both on the multiple-choice section and for the first two free-response questions, interact with the text! Mark it up for things that seem important, devices you notice, the author's argument, and anything else that seems important to the rhetorical construction of the text. This will help you engage with the text and make it easier to answer questions or write an essay about the passage.

Think About Every Text's Overarching Purpose and Argument

Similarly, with every passage you read, consider the author's overarching purpose and argument. If you can confidently figure out what the author's primary assertion is, it will be easier to trace how all of the other aspects of the text play into the author's main point.

Plan Your Essays

The single most important thing you can do for yourself on the free-response section of the AP English Language exam is to spend a few minutes planning and outlining your essays before you start to write them.

Unlike on some other exams, where the content is the most important aspect of the essay, on the AP Language Exam, organization, a well-developed argument, and strong evidence are all critical to strong essay scores. An outline will help you with all of these things. You'll be able to make sure each part of your argument is logical, has sufficient evidence, and that your paragraphs are arranged in a way that is clear and flows well.

Anticipate and Address Counterarguments

Another thing you can do to give your free responses an extra boost is to identify counterarguments to your position and address them within your essay. This not only helps shore up your own position, but it's also a fairly sophisticated move in a timed essay that will win you kudos with AP graders.

Address counterarguments properly or they might get returned to sender!

Key Takeaways

The AP Language and Composition exam tests your rhetorical skills. The exam has two sections.

The first section is an hour-long, 45 question multiple-choice test based on the rhetorical techniques and composition choices.

The second section is a two-hour free-response section (with a 15-minute initial reading period) with three essay questions: one where you must synthesize given sources to make an original argument, one where you must rhetorically analyze a given passage, and one where you must create a wholly original argument about an issue with no outside sources given.

You'll receive one point for every correct answer on the multiple-choice section of the exam, which is worth 45% of your score. The free-response section is worth 55% of your score. For each free-response question, you'll get a score based on a rubric from 0-6. Your total raw score will be converted to a scaled score from 1-5.

Here are some test prep strategies for AP Lang:

#1 : Read nonfiction with an eye for rhetoric #2 : Learn rhetorical strategies and techniques #3 : Practice writing to deploy rhetorical skills #4 : Practice for the exam!

Here are some test-day success tips:

#1 : Interact with each passage you encounter! #2 : Consider every text's overarching purpose and argument. #3 : Keep track of time #4 : Plan your essays #5 : Identify and address counterarguments in your essays.

With all of this knowledge, you're ready to slay the AP English Language and Composition beast!

Noble knight, prepare to slay the AP dragon!

What's Next?

Want more AP Lang review? We have a complete collection of released AP Language practice tests , as well as a list of the AP Lang terms you need to know and a guide to the multiple choice section .

Taking the AP Literature exam? Check out our ultimate guide to the AP English Literature test and our list of AP Literature practice tests .

Taking other AP exams? See our Ultimate Guides to AP World History , AP US History , AP Chemistry , AP Biology , AP World History , and AP Human Geography .

Need more AP prep guidance? Check out how to study for AP exams and how to find AP practice tests .

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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Six ELA (English Language Arts) Essentials for Middle School and High School Classrooms

As a middle school or high school English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, you have the important task of empowering students to listen to the voices of others, to find and use their own voices, and to communicate clearly so their voices are heard. From my 23 years of teaching ELA, here are six essentials for the middle school and high school ELA classroom that can help make your teaching a success.

1. ELA Essential: A variety of reading materials

It is important to provide your students with a variety of reading materials that cater to their interests and reading levels and help them to build schemas. This can include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, and audio books. By providing a variety of reading materials, you can keep your students engaged and interested in reading.

One easy way to help expose students to a variety of authors and genres on a wide range of topics is by implementing an article of the week program . Sharing an article each week with students helps to expose students to over thirty different writing pieces throughout the school year. Plus, FREE articles can easily be found online. NPR is my favorite place to source articles of the week from a variety of authors on a wide range of topics. Throughout the year, we'll read articles with topics ranging from animals to young people changing the world to the political climate of South Sudan (we read the novel A Long Walk to Water, so my students have a vested interest!).

You can check out my full Article of the Week program here . Each week, I share links to the articles I read with my students on my blog and on this Instagram highlight .

2. ELA Essential: Writing tools that empower

Writing helps our students to find their voices. Providing your students with the necessary tools to write and to help build confidence is key. Writing is a vulnerable place, and the first step towards building a successful writing program is helping our students feel comfortable expressing their ideas.

One of the very best writing tools is also one of the most readily available: books! Use author's writing (and as appropriate student and teacher writing) as a model. Analyze author's techniques with students. Break down model writing into lists that work as guidelines. For example, before we write informative essays, we find examples in the articles we read. We write a list of "Qualities of Effective Informative Writing" and we use that list to guide us through out writing process.

Additionally, if I notice my students struggling with a specific element of writing (for example, blending quotes), I pull out mentor texts (sometimes these are exemplar student examples I use with permission) and we examine what successful writers do. Modeling is one of the best writing tools out there and models are all around us!

This Ultimate Writer's Notebook walks students through the writing process and includes mentors for all the major genres of writing throughout the school year. Share this with your students in Google Classroom at the beginning of the school year, and use it as a home for writing all year long.

3. ELA Essential: Tools to highlight grammar and vocabulary in context

Grammar can put your kids to sleep or it can awaken their power as writers. Empower student writers by teaching them how to harness the power of grammar to strengthen their communication and even how to break the rules of grammar so they can develop their own unique writing style.

Research shows that grammar is best taught in context. Throughout the writing process, authors can make great models of proper grammar and can help students notice specific elements of grammar. Use these grammar foldables to help students notice grammar as they read and then apply those rules to their own writing.

Math teachers use reference sheets as students work through challenging problems. As students work through the writing process, provide them with a similar tool for ELA. This ELA reference sheet provides students with essential guidelines for blending quotes, structuring sentences, and using proper capitalization and punctuation.

After writing, leave feedback on student grammar pointing out any errors along with the suggested fixes. A time-saving hack: create a numbered list of your students most common errors, then add your list to your Google Classroom Comment bank ( grab this list of 58 comments done and organized for you ). When leaving feedback, simply type the number and the comment will auto-generate. The comment bank only works in Google Classroom, but you can do something similar by providing students with a numbered list and simply leaving numbers as feedback on student work.

Along with feedback, it is essential to provide students time to apply it. When you hand back writing, give students a class period to read and apply your feedback. Motivate students by allowing them to make the fixes for a higher grade. To save time, you can use the "last edits" tool in Google Docs to see the changes students made versus having to regrade the entire piece of writing.

Alongside grammar, vocabulary is best taught in context. Encourage students to collect powerful words in a writer's notebook or reading journal, and then encourage students to use those words in their own writing. Building morphemic awareness is another research based strategy--teaching students how to identify and break down word parts (prefix, affix, and suffix). This Greek and Latin Root Word project is perfect for the beginning of the school year because students create posters sharing different word parts and definitions that can hang on your walls as a reference all year long!

4. ELA Essential: A well-stocked classroom library

A well-stocked classroom library is my favorite classroom decor. Books give our students windows into the world, reflections that help them to examine their own lives, and doors to escape into other worlds. Having a variety of books and other reading materials at students' fingertips is a beautiful gift. If you're having trouble growing your classroom library, take heart. Growing your classroom library can take years, but here are some tips for bringing more books into your classroom:

Ask for donations. Families are often looking to pass books their kids have read or grown out of onto someone else.

Scholastic book orders can be your best friend. When students purchase even a small number of books, teachers earn credits that can be used to purchase books for the classroom.

Many libraries have very inexpensive used book sales. They can be a treasure hunt, but hit them up whenever you can to get stacks of books for super cheap!

Talk to administration: textbook funding is often separate from other school budget expenses, and you just might luck out and have your school purchase the books you need.

Encourage reading by providing students with choice and creating a positive reading culture. Use this Independent Reading Program and Interactive Journal to help students choose books, track their must-reads list, take pride in their reading accomplishments over time, facilitate book talks, and write letters to each other and their authors in response to their reading.

5. ELA Essential: A transparent, meaningful grading system

Having a transparent, meaningful system of communicating students' understanding is not only an ELA essential, it's an essential of good teaching. Nothing has had a bigger impact on my classroom culture and my approach to teaching and learning than making the shift towards standards based learning and grading. I have an entire section on my blog dedicated to standards based learning and grading here .

Grades are communication. They allow students and their families to have a clear measure of understanding. Grades also provide feedback. A few tips for creating a grading system that clearly communicates understanding:

Define grades by levels of understanding. Whether you use a five or 100 point scale, the top should reflect mastery. Define mastery with or for your students. Likewise, the bottom of the scale is a reflection of a lack of understanding. Define what this looks like along with what actions students can take if they demonstrate a lack of understanding. Hang posters in your classroom that clearly define levels of understanding.

Purify your grading system by taking away any grading that does not directly measure student understanding. Although controversial, I highly recommend eliminating late point systems and replacing them with alternative consequences. I have a full blog post of suggestions here . Eliminate taking off points for other behavior-based criteria as well (i.e., writing outside the margin, forgetting names on papers, etc.). Just because you don't take off points does not mean there isn't a consequence for irresponsible behaviors; it just means the consequence does not come in the form of grades, skewing your communication system.

Provide rubrics ahead of time. Allowing students to see how they are being graded empowers them to meet the criteria. Hand students the rubric for a writing assignment before they begin writing. Place rubrics for smaller assignments directly on the work like this:

Allow revisions and retakes. This seems like a lot of extra work on the teacher, but with clear guidelines, it provides students the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and apply feedback. Save time by using the last edits feature in Google Docs for any essay rewrites. For test retakes, require students to sign up for specific time-slots and to complete a request to retake ahead of time. You can see the form I use here . Set a deadline for all revisions or retakes at least one week before the end of the marking period so students don't bombard you with last minute work.

Shifting the focus from grades as a tool of control or judgment to grades as a tool to communicate understanding changes classroom culture. Students and teachers become more focused on learning and growing their understanding as a team.

6. ELA Essential: A positive classroom culture

A successful ELA classroom is not possible without a positive classroom culture. Believe it or not, one of my favorite ways to build a positive classroom culture is by having a clear and consistent structure. When class routines are predictable, kids know exactly what to expect. This brings a sense of comfort and also frees up cognitive space for learning! Structure your class using standards based lesson framing. You can read about that here . Stick to a basic structure:

Standards based bell ringer: think of this like a learning target but interactive. You can find the standards based bell ringers I use here .

Mini lesson directly teaching or reviewing the standard.

Modeling through sharing teacher, student, or author work.

Student application of skill.

Brief review: share exemplars, questions, reflections.

Focus on building community from the start (you can read more about that here ), and encourage students to be upstanders for you and for each other throughout the school year. Facing History & Ourselves has some great resources to teach students about upstanders here . I use free posters from their site for an upstander bulletin board in my classroom.

Beyond being upstanders, model what it means to exist in a reading and writing community. Share your reading and writing struggles along with your triumphs. I'm perfectly honest with my students that I am a painfully slow reader. I like to read deeply, and that takes time. Write in front of your students and make mistakes. Think aloud as you persevere through those mistakes. Beyond sharing finished authors' work, share their writing process. Search YouTube for interviews with authors sharing their writing process ( here's an example with author Jason Reynolds).

Create a culture where reading is celebrated and shared. Create a whole class bookshelf on Google Slides (you can see mine here ) to track novels and celebrate accomplishments. Encourage students to write mini reviews on index cards of the books they read and tape them to your classroom library.

Last, create a safe space to make mistakes. Allowing retakes and revisions shows students that mistakes are a learning tool.

Creating a positive classroom culture where students are encouraged to share their ideas and opinions can help them feel more comfortable and engaged in the classroom. Additionally, providing positive feedback and praise can help build confidence in students and motivate them to continue to improve.

What you do is important. Throughout your ELA teaching career, you'll touch thousands of lives. Through reading and writing, we give students the tools to communicate clearly and effectively. By incorporating these six essentials into your middle school or high school ELA classroom, you can help your students become successful, empowered writers and readers.

You don't have to do this teaching thing alone. Be sure to sign up for updates from my blog and follow me on Instagram where I share day to day adventures from my 7th grade ELA classroom. Comment below with questions and ideas! I look forward to connecting!

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It is important to provide your students with a variety of reading materials that cater to their interests and reading levels and help them to build schemas. geometry dash

English Language Arts Learning Standards

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Heidi Aijala, Ph.D. Associate Director of Secondary English Language Arts 360-972-4044

Carey Kirkwood Associate Director of Elementary English Language Arts 360-995-3232

Maja Wilson English Language Arts Assessment Specialist 360-725-4979

In 2011, Washington formally adopted the Learning Standards (Common Core State Standards) for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. The Washington Learning Standards for ELA provide a rich depth of knowledge and skills that young people will need to succeed in technical school, college, careers, and life. The standards are vital to ensuring our students can be successful in their communities and global society.

Washington State ELA Learning Standards

At the core of the Washington Learning Standards for ELA , four shifts in practice were identified:

• Range, Quality, and Complexity of Text
• Regular practice with complex texts and academic vocabulary
• Reading and writing and speaking grounded in evidence from the text both literary and informational
• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

Learning Standards Review Project

The ELA (along with the parallel SLA standards used in Spanish literacy instruction in Spanish-English dual-language programs), Math, and Science learning standards will be reviewed starting in the 2022–23 school year! Learn more about the goals and timeline of this project.

Menu of Best Practices & Strategies

The ELA menu offers best practices for students in grades for K-4 (2022) and K–12 (2020). At the heart of the menu is a focus on accelerating student ELA performance. The practices align with Washington State K–12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts (Common Core State Standards).

Best Practices for Instruction

In their report, The Power Of Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction , Achieve3000 outlined practical tips to help you navigate challenging issues and ensure you’re addressing the needs of all students while accelerating literacy growth. Achieve3000 brought together these best practices from three respected educators, Dr. Pedro Noguera , Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad , and Dwayne Reed .

The Science of Reading

“The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based* research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. The science of reading has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop; why some have difficulty; and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.” (The Reading League 2021)

The evidence is clear, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension with a foundation of oral language, ensure students will excel in their literacy development. ( National Reading Panel, 2000 and What Works Clearinghouse, 2016 ). Explicit skill development along with exposure to great literature and read alouds (ELA Standards: Appendix A, page 27), ensures that students will be able to access any type of reading, independently.

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Home > High School Equivalency > GED > GED Reading Language Arts (RLA) Practice Test

GED Reading Language Arts (RLA) Practice Test

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1 . Question

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

For homes in typically colder geographic regions , it is particularly important to have effective and efficient heating systems.

• a. For homes in typically colder geographic regions
• b. For people in homes in typically colder geographic regions
• c. For homes in typically cold geographic regions
• d. People in typically colder geographic regions
• e. Homes in typically colder geographic regions

2 . Question

Inside the glove compartment were legal documents, pictures,  and there were a few napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves.

• a. and there were a few napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves.
• b. and there were a few napkins from the coffee shop, but not any gloves.
• c. and napkins from the coffee shop, no gloves were there.
• d. and napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves.
• e. and napkins from the coffee shop, there were no gloves.

3 . Question

Concerns about global warming have grown into actual efforts sanctioned by non-governmental organizations and governments that not only work to  understand global warming and also to prevent it.

• a. understand global warming and also to prevent it.
• b. understand global warming but also to prevent it.
• c. understand global warming yet also to prevent it.
• d. understand global warming but also to prevent its growth.
• e. understand global warming yet also to prevent it’s growth.

4 . Question

Technology is rapidly expanding the scope of capabilities for both professional and personal use; such is the case with smart phones. Professionals now have devices available to them capable of digital media, internet access, phone communication, multi-person scheduling and office tools for documents and presentations. Businesspeople that are often mobile may maximize the use of these critical features on smart phones. Individuals who simply enjoy the luxury of multi-function devices often use these devices for frivolous pursuits such as downloading catchy ring tones, instant messaging about the latest gossip and looking up the world record for most cans crushed on one’s head during the Superbowl. This fusion of capabilities and increased availability of such devices could be a sign of a growing blend in society between work and personal life, or individuals could simply be taking a luxurious approach to their connectivity in personal lives.

The term “frivolous” implies that the author

• a. is fascinated by the endless capabilities on smart phones.
• b. hopes that technology ceases to expand its scope.
• c. believes that the average individual does not need a smart phone.
• d. has a smart phone.
• e. wants to see more developments added to smart phone technology.

5 . Question

What is the purpose of the conclusion sentence?

• a. Draw a conclusion about what we know smart phones can do
• b. Assume where technology is headed and how it will affect society
• c. Comment on human connectivity through the use of smart phones
• d. Predict how the government will regulate and guide future technology
• e. Present two possible explanations for the growing popularity of smart phones

6 . Question

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.

The main point from the author’s view is that

• a. Man's soul and spirit can not be destroyed by superpowers.
• b. Man's destiny is not fully clear or visible.
• c. Man's soul and spirit are immortal.
• d. Man's safety is assured by the delicate balance of power in terms of nuclear weapons.
• e. Human society will survive despite the serious threat of total annihilation.

7 . Question

The phrase ‘Go to the brink’ in the passage means

• a. Retreating from extreme danger.
• b. Declare war on each other.
• c. Advancing to the stage of war but not engaging in it.
• d. Negotiate for peace.
• e. Commit suicide.

8 . Question

In the author’s opinion

• a. Huge stockpiles of destructive weapons have so far saved mankind from a catastrophe.
• b. Superpowers have at last realized the need for abandoning the production of lethal weapons.
• c. Mankind is heading towards complete destruction.
• d. Nations in possession of huge stockpiles of lethal weapons are trying hard to avoid actual conflict.
• e. There is a silver lining over the production of deadly weapons.

GED RLA Prep Course (100% Pass Guarantee)

All ged rla practice tests.

Take our GED RLA practice test below. It is a diagnostic exam, so you will get a good idea of how well prepared you are.

Utilize our answer explanations to learn how to solve the problems.

GED RLA Diagnostic Practice Test

• 20 Questions
• 20 Minute Time Limit

16 Full-Length (Simulated) Exams

• 1,000+ Questions
• Simulate the Actual Exam

If you want to practice other subjects, visit our  GED practice test  home.

GED Language Arts Overview

The GED language arts test includes 3 main topics:

• Reading for Meaning (35%)
• Identifying and Creating Arguments (45%)
• Grammar and Language (20%)

You will have 150 minutes to complete this portion of the GED exam. Of the 150 minutes, 3 minutes will be slotted for instructions and final review, 10 minutes for a break between parts 2 and 3, and 45 minutes dedicated for the written essay.

In terms of format on the GED language arts test, there are 3 sections. Question types include multiple-choice, drag and drop, select an area, and drop-down questions. 1 of the 3 sections is a written essay (extended response).

You can practice for the other sections of the exam by visiting our free GED practice test home. Here is the official GED RLA page .

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the ged language arts section.

The number of questions varies, but you can expect there to be around 46 questions and a written essay.

What is a passing score for the GED language arts section?

You will need to score a 145 or higher to pass this section of the exam. For more information, read our guide to  GED scores .

What kind of topics are tested on GED language arts?

There are 3 main topics tested. Those 3 topics are reading for meaning, identifying and creating arguments, and grammar and language.

• Authored By: Dave Evangelisti
• Last Updated: March 5, 2024

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What I’ve Learned From My Students’ College Essays

The genre is often maligned for being formulaic and melodramatic, but it’s more important than you think.

By Nell Freudenberger

Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn’t supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they’re afraid that packaging the genuine trauma they’ve experienced is the only way to secure their future. The college counselor at the Brooklyn high school where I’m a writing tutor advises against trauma porn. “Keep it brief , ” she says, “and show how you rose above it.”

I started volunteering in New York City schools in my 20s, before I had kids of my own. At the time, I liked hanging out with teenagers, whom I sometimes had more interesting conversations with than I did my peers. Often I worked with students who spoke English as a second language or who used slang in their writing, and at first I was hung up on grammar. Should I correct any deviation from “standard English” to appeal to some Wizard of Oz behind the curtains of a college admissions office? Or should I encourage students to write the way they speak, in pursuit of an authentic voice, that most elusive of literary qualities?

In fact, I was missing the point. One of many lessons the students have taught me is to let the story dictate the voice of the essay. A few years ago, I worked with a boy who claimed to have nothing to write about. His life had been ordinary, he said; nothing had happened to him. I asked if he wanted to try writing about a family member, his favorite school subject, a summer job? He glanced at his phone, his posture and expression suggesting that he’d rather be anywhere but in front of a computer with me. “Hobbies?” I suggested, without much hope. He gave me a shy glance. “I like to box,” he said.

I’ve had this experience with reluctant writers again and again — when a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously. Of course the primary goal of a college essay is to help its author get an education that leads to a career. Changes in testing policies and financial aid have made applying to college more confusing than ever, but essays have remained basically the same. I would argue that they’re much more than an onerous task or rote exercise, and that unlike standardized tests they are infinitely variable and sometimes beautiful. College essays also provide an opportunity to learn precision, clarity and the process of working toward the truth through multiple revisions.

When a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously.

Even if writing doesn’t end up being fundamental to their future professions, students learn to choose language carefully and to be suspicious of the first words that come to mind. Especially now, as college students shoulder so much of the country’s ethical responsibility for war with their protest movement, essay writing teaches prospective students an increasingly urgent lesson: that choosing their own words over ready-made phrases is the only reliable way to ensure they’re thinking for themselves.

Teenagers are ideal writers for several reasons. They’re usually free of preconceptions about writing, and they tend not to use self-consciously ‘‘literary’’ language. They’re allergic to hypocrisy and are generally unfiltered: They overshare, ask personal questions and call you out for microaggressions as well as less egregious (but still mortifying) verbal errors, such as referring to weed as ‘‘pot.’’ Most important, they have yet to put down their best stories in a finished form.

I can imagine an essay taking a risk and distinguishing itself formally — a poem or a one-act play — but most kids use a more straightforward model: a hook followed by a narrative built around “small moments” that lead to a concluding lesson or aspiration for the future. I never get tired of working with students on these essays because each one is different, and the short, rigid form sometimes makes an emotional story even more powerful. Before I read Javier Zamora’s wrenching “Solito,” I worked with a student who had been transported by a coyote into the U.S. and was reunited with his mother in the parking lot of a big-box store. I don’t remember whether this essay focused on specific skills or coping mechanisms that he gained from his ordeal. I remember only the bliss of the parent-and-child reunion in that uninspiring setting. If I were making a case to an admissions officer, I would suggest that simply being able to convey that experience demonstrates the kind of resilience that any college should admire.

The essays that have stayed with me over the years don’t follow a pattern. There are some narratives on very predictable topics — living up to the expectations of immigrant parents, or suffering from depression in 2020 — that are moving because of the attention with which the student describes the experience. One girl determined to become an engineer while watching her father build furniture from scraps after work; a boy, grieving for his mother during lockdown, began taking pictures of the sky.

If, as Lorrie Moore said, “a short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” what is a college essay? Every once in a while I sit down next to a student and start reading, and I have to suppress my excitement, because there on the Google Doc in front of me is a real writer’s voice. One of the first students I ever worked with wrote about falling in love with another girl in dance class, the absolute magic of watching her move and the terror in the conflict between her feelings and the instruction of her religious middle school. She made me think that college essays are less like love than limerence: one-sided, obsessive, idiosyncratic but profound, the first draft of the most personal story their writers will ever tell.

Nell Freudenberger’s novel “The Limits” was published by Knopf last month. She volunteers through the PEN America Writers in the Schools program.