About the GED Language Arts,Writing Exam

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What to Expect on the Language Arts, Writing Exam
As you know, the Language Arts, Writing Exam has two parts. Part I consists of 50 multiple-choice questions that
measure your knowledge in four key writing areas:
■
Sentence structure—30%
■
Usage—30%
■
Mechanics—25%
■
Organization—15%
You will have 75 minutes to complete this part of the test. Each question will have five answer choices; only one
will be correct.
Because there’s a lot more to writing an effective essay than good grammar or logical organization, and because
effective writing is essential if you are to succeed in college or in the workplace, the GED writing test also includes an
essay section. Part II consists of one essay topic. You will have 45 minutes to write an essay in response to that prompt.
A lot of people are intimidated by essay exams. After all, you are being asked to write well under pressure, and if
you don’t pass the essay exam, you don’t pass the Language Arts, Writing Test. But there is some good news about the
GED writing exam. For one thing, the essay doesn’t have to be long. In fact, because you have only 45 minutes, you
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CHAPTER
5
About the GED
Language Arts,
Writing Exam
TO PREPARE effectively for the Language Arts, Writing Exam, you
need to know exactly what the test is like. This chapter explains the
structure of the exam, including the types of questions and passages
you will see on the test.
are only expected to write about five paragraphs or

approximately 250 words. (In contrast, most college-level
essays are expected to be at least three to five pages!) For
another, you are given only one essay prompt. That
means you don’t have to spend any time deciding which
question to answer. You only have to decide how you will
answer that question.
In addition, no matter what writing prompt you get,
you will be able to answer the question. All of the essay
topics are general enough for anyone to write about.
None of them will require you to have any kind of spe-
cialized knowledge or experience.
If you finish your essay in less than 45 minutes, you
can return to Part I for the remainder of the test time.
This can give you the opportunity to double-check your
answers, especially those where you guessed at the
answer.
One Test, Two Parts
The Language Arts, Writing Test consists of two
separate exams:
➧
Part I: Multiple-choice questions on sen-
tence structure, usage, mechanics, and
organization (75 minutes)
➧
Part II: An essay of approximately 250
words (45 minutes)
You must pass both tests to pass the Lan-
guage Arts, Writing GED.
Questions in Context
Unlike many other standardized English exams, the

questions on Part I of the GED Language Arts, Writing
Exam do not test writing knowledge and skills in isola-
tion. Instead, all questions are asked in context. You may
be used to seeing grammar or usage tests with questions
like the following:
Identify the correct spelling of the word below:
a. embellesh
b. embelish
c. embillish
d. embellish
e. imbellish
On the GED, however, each question refers to specific
words, sentences, or paragraphs taken from a complete
passage. All the questions on the pretest use this format,
and you can expect all the questions in Part I to look like
this, too:
Sentence 8: Be sure to be honest and not embel-
lish the truth in you’re resume.
Which correction should be made to
sentence 8?
a. change B
e sure to M
ake it sure
b. insert a comma after ho
nest
c. change ho
nest to ho
nesty
d. replace y
ou’re with your

e. change be honest to being honest
(The correct answer for both examples is d.)
To answer this kind of question, you will often need to
read and understand the entire sentence and often sur-
rounding sentences as well. A smaller portion of the
questions will require you to read and understand the
surrounding paragraphs in order to select the correct
answer. You may also need a sense of the author’s pur-
pose and writing strategies. This is especially true of revi-
sion questions that ask you to find the best place
for sentences or decide the best place to start a new
paragraph.
Kinds of Passages
On Part I of the Language Arts, Writing Test, questions
will be drawn from reading passages that are between
200–300 words and 12–18 sentences long. Most passages
will have three to five paragraphs. The GED Writing
Exam will have three different types of reading passages:
1. informational, with topics such as home com-
puters, recreational activities, historical events,
family matters, health, and careers
2. business communications, such as memos, let-
ters, reports, meeting minutes, e-mails, applica-
tions, and executive summaries
3. how-to documents that provide directions or
instructions on matters such as finding a job,
acing an interview, buying a computer, choosing
a college, etc.
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ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM

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36
Types of Multiple-Choice
Questions
The questions on Part I will be one of three types:
correction, revision, and construction shift.
1. Correction. These questions will present you
with a sentence (or sentences) and ask you to
identify the correction that should be made to the
sentence(s). Correction questions test your edit-
ing skills: how well you can correct errors in sen-
tence structure, usage, and mechanics. These
questions are typically worded as follows:
Which correction should be made to sentence 4?
2. Revision. These questions will also present you
with a sentence (or sentences) and ask you to
identify the revision that should be made to the
sentence(s). To revise means to look at something
again (to re-examine) in order to improve or
amend it. This is quite different from editing for
grammatical mistakes. Revision questions will
focus on changes that clarify ideas rather than
correct errors. Revision questions will also deal
with improving organization, fluency, and overall
impact. Revision questions are typically worded
as in the following examples:
The most effective revision of sentence 3 would
begin with which group of words?
Which revision should be made to the placement of
sentence 9?

3. Construction shift. These questions will present
you with a sentence (or sentences) with part of
the sentence(s) underlined. You will be asked to
identify the best way to rewrite the underlined
portion of a sentence or the best way to combine
sentences. These questions may be a matter of
editing or revision. For example, connecting two
sentences properly may correct a sentence frag-
ment. Construction shift questions are typically
worded as in the following examples:
Which is the best way to write the underlined por-
tion of the sentence? If the original is the best way,
choose option a.
Which is the most effective combination of sen-
tences 2 and 3?
Types of Essay Prompts
Part II of the writing test is, of course, the essay. The test
will include one writing prompt—a topic and direction
for your essay. The prompt is designed to be general
enough for all test candidates to respond in a short essay
(200–300 words) that explains or describes an idea, sit-
uation, or experience. (In other words, you should write
a factual piece based upon your own opinions, knowl-
edge, and experiences, not a fictitious story.)
The essay prompt on the GED will typically be one of
three types:
1. A narrative prompt asks you to describe an expe-
rience and why it is significant to you. Here’s an
example:
Sometimes events take an unexpected turn and

things turn out differently than we imagined. Tell
about a time when something unexpected hap-
pened to you. In your essay, describe what was sup-
posed to happen and how things actually turned
out. Use supporting details throughout your essay.
2. A persuasive prompt asks you to take a position
on an issue and explain why you have taken that
position. Here’s an example:
The Internet includes many websites with images
and content that are inappropriate for children.
Other sites on the Internet promote violence or
intolerance against certain groups of people. Should
websites like these be censored? In your essay, state
your position on this issue and explain why you
take that position. Use your personal observations,
experiences, and knowledge to support your essay.
3. An expository prompt asks you to explain or
describe your response to a specific situation or
question. These topics can vary widely. Here is an
example:
Our relationship with our neighbors is very impor-
tant. Sometimes, these relationships are the source
of great joy in our lives; other times, they can be the
source of great trouble. In your opinion, what
makes a good neighbor? In your essay, identify the
characteristics of a good neighbor and explain why
these characteristics are important for people living
side by side. Use your personal observations, experi-
ences, and knowledge to support your essay.
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ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM
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The importance of responding accurately to the
prompt cannot be understated. If you do not write on
the assigned topic, you will not receive a score for the
essay exam.
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How the Tests Are Scored
You will receive one point for each correct answer on
Part I. Part II is scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 4 (high-
est). The ACE uses a special formula to combine these
scores and then convert them to the standard 200–800
scale. Thus, you will receive one score for both parts of
the Language Arts, Writing Exam.
Part II, the essay exam, is scored by two independent
readers. The essay is graded holistically, which means that
the readers assess the essay’s overall effectiveness, not just
its grammatical correctness. You can still earn a high
score if you have a few comma splices or misspelled
words (after all, you aren’t allowed to use a dictionary).
If your essay
■
has a clear main idea,
■
maintains focus,
■
develops its ideas,
■
provides strong support,

■
is logically organized, and
■
adheres to the conventions of standard written
English,
you are well on your way to a passing score.
Follow Directions
Your essay will not be scored if you leave the
page blank, if your essay is illegible, or if you
write on a topic other than the one that was
assigned. It is therefore extremely important
that you respond to the prompt you are given.
Do not write about a different topic.
Also, make sure you write your essay on the
lined pages in the answer booklet. Only the
writing in that booklet will be scored.
While scoring an essay is far more subjective than cor-
recting a multiple-choice exam, the ACE has developed
a detailed scoring rubric to guide readers through the
essay scoring process. This rubric lists the specific crite-
ria that essays should meet for each score. The following
is a scoring rubric modeled after the official scoring
guide for the GED. Be sure to review the scoring guide
carefully. The more you know about what is expected of
you in the essay, the better you will be able to meet those
expectations.
Sample Essay Scoring Rubric
The essay exam is scored on a four-point scale from
4 (high) to 1 (low). The four levels of writing are:
1. Effective

2. Adequate
3. Marginal
4. Inadequate
The overall evaluation will be based on the following five
areas:
1. Response to the assigned prompt
2. Organization of the essay
3. Demonstration of the development and details
4. Conventions of language (grammar, usage,
mechanics)
5. Word choice
A “4” Essay
■
presents a well-developed main idea and a clear
focus that respond to the assigned prompt
■
exhibits a logical and clear organizational plan
■
offers support that is specific, substantive, and/or
highly illustrative
■
consistently follows sentence structure and the
conventions of Edited American English (EAE)
■
exhibits accurate, diverse, and appropriate word
choice
A “3” Essay
■
uses the writing prompt to establish a main idea
■

exhibits a sufficient organizational plan
■
demonstrates a reasonably focused development
with some relevant details and examples
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ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM
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38
■
generally controls sentence structure and the con-
ventions of Edited American English (EAE)
■
exhibits appropriate word choice
A “2” Essay
■
essay responds to the prompt, but the focus may
shift
■
exhibits some indication of organizational plan
■
demonstrates some development, but details and
examples may be redundant or generalized
■
exhibits inconsistency in sentence structure and
the conventions of Edited American English
■
exhibits a narrow range of word choice, fre-
quently including inappropriate choices
A “1” Essay
■

lacks a clear purpose or presents more than one
purpose
■
shows evidence of insufficient organizational
plan
■
is significantly underdeveloped or offers inade-
quate or inappropriate support
■
exhibits minimal or no control of sentence struc-
ture and the conventions of Edited American
English (EAE)
■
exhibits weak or inappropriate word choice
The scores of two independent readers are combined
and averaged. If the essay receives a score of 2 or above,
the essay score will be combined with the multiple-
choice score from Part I of the Language Arts, Writing
Test to form a composite score. If a GED candidate
receives a score below 2 on the essay, there will be no
composite score, and the candidate will have to retake
both the essay and multiple-choice portion of the test.
Write Neatly, Please
Though the quality of your writing should be the
only thing that matters, the quality of your
handwriting counts, too. You must write neatly
enough for the readers to understand each
word. It won’t matter how wonderful your
essay is if the readers can’t understand what
you have written.

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