Go to GED Test - Language Arts, Reading.
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Source: Compiled from information from The American Council on Education, the official GED Testing Service, in an easy-to-use format.
Language Arts, Writing (Part 1)
What You Need to Know for Part 1: Organization, Sentence Structure, Usage, and Mechanics
Part 1 of the writing test assesses your knowledge and understanding of grammar. You will need to show proficiency in:
- Organization (15% of your score): You will be asked to restructure paragraphs or ideas within paragraphs, identify topic sentences, and create unity and coherence in the document.
- Sentence Structure (30%): Correct sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, improper coordination and subordination, misplaced modifiers, and lack of parallel structure.
- Usage (30%): Correct errors in subject-verb agreement, verb tense, and pronoun reference.
- Mechanics (25%): Correct errors in capitalization, punctuation, spelling (restricted to errors related to possessives, contractions, and homonyms).
Question Format
There are 50 multiple choice questions that test your ability to revise and edit documents.
You’ll find three kinds of questions:
- Correction (correcting mistakes)
- Revision (revising passages)
- Construction Shift (rearranging sentences)
Time Allowed on Test
75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Resources for Learning and Practicing
- Sample Test Questions from the GED Testing Service
- McGraw-Hill’s Online Learning Center has chapter-by-chapter help coordinated with their GED books.
- Most-Missed Questions Study Guide by Thelma Margulies and Carole Blair (PDF format)
- Check your local cable and public television stations. Many cable and public stations air GED prep programs.
Language Arts, Writing (Part 2)
What You Need to Know for Part 2: Essay
In Part 2 of the writing test, you will write an essay on a familiar subject. You will be assigned a topic of general interest and asked to present your views and opinions. Scratch paper will be given for writing notes, an outline, and a first draft. Your answer booklet will have two pages of lined paper on which you will write your final essay.
You will need to demonstrate:
- Well-focused main points
- Clear organization
- Specific development of your ideas
- Control of sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, word choice, and spelling
It is important that you write only on the assigned topic. If you write about anything in addition to that topic, you will have to retake both parts of the test. Take your time, plan well on the scratch paper provided, and review for mistakes.
Question Format
Essay. An essay is a short composition that usually presents the author’s opinion of something. There is no right or wrong answer, but correct paragraph structure, development, and logic will be required.
Sample essay question: What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
Time Allowed on Test
45 minutes
Resources for Learning and Practicing
- McGraw-Hill Online Learning Center Essay Practice
- Essay Tip Collection from the About.com Guide to Homework Tips
- The Personal Essay
Go to the GED Test - Language Arts, Reading.
