Reasoning Through Language Arts B
- There are two parts to the test: Part I, Editing and Part II, Essay.
- Part I has 50 multiple-choice items based on three types of documents.
- The content areas for the multiple-choice items:
- Organization 15%
- Sentence structure 30%
- Usage 30%
- Mechanics 15%
- In Part II, the candidate writes an original essay on a specified topic. The
essay is scored holistically.
- The test is 120 minutes long. Candidates may use the first 75 minutes to
answer the 50 multiple-choice questions in Part I, with the remaining 45 minutes
to write the essay in Part II. Candidates who finish the multiple-choice section
before the 75 minutes are up may use the additional time to work on the essay.
Likewise, if a candidate completes the essay in less than 45 minutes and wishes
to return to Part I, he or she may do so.
- Candidates receive a combined score for Parts I and II; however, a candidate
must pass the essay with a score of 2 or higher in order to pass the Language
Arts Writing Test.
In the Language Arts
Writing Test Part I, the multiple-choice items prompt candidates to make
revisions and edits like the ones people make in everyday writing. The passages
are drawn from informational and how-to texts, as well as workplace and
community documents.
There are three question formats in Part I: correction, revision, and
construction shift. As you prepare students to take the test, they will need to
become familiar with all three formats. You can see more about these formats in
the Writing module, Multiple-Choice section.
In the Writing Test Part II, the student writes an expository essay on a
general topic. Students are encouraged to support their points by writing about
their personal experiences and views. The essay represents about 40 percent of
the Language Arts Writing Test score.
Candidates must receive an essay score of at least 2 on a 4-point scale
in order to pass the GED Writing Test, no matter how well they do on Part I.
