ACT English Test Content
(5 Passages - 45 Minutes – 75 Questions)
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Our program focuses on foundational mastery by ensuring a solid understanding of Parts of Speech, punctuation usage, topic development, and consistency in style and tone.
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Students have 45 minutes to complete 75 multiple-choice questions that are presented in five essay or passages. The English measure students understanding of the Conventions of Standard English (punctuation, usage, and sentence structure), production of writing (topic development, organization, unity, and cohesion), and knowledge of language (word choice, style, and tone).
Three reporting categories – Production of Writing, Knowledge of Language and Conventions of Standard English
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I. Production of Writing (29–32%) | 21-24 Questions
Require students to apply their understanding of the purpose and focus of a piece of writing.
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Topic Development: Demonstrate an understanding of, and control over, the rhetorical aspects of texts. Identify the purposes of parts of texts, determine whether a text or part of a text has met its intended goal, and evaluate the relevance of material in terms of a text’s focus.
Organization, Unity, and Cohesion: Use various strategies to ensure that a text is logically organized, flows smoothly, and has an effective introduction and conclusion
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II. Knowledge of Language (13–19%) | 9–14 Questions
Demonstrate effective language use through ensuring precision and concision in word choice and maintaining consistency in style and tone
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Clear: Revise vague, clumsy, and confusing writing that creates obvious logic problems.
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Concise: Delete redundant and wordy material when the meaning of the entire sentence must be considered
Complete: Revise expressions that deviate in subtle ways from the style and tone of the essay. Determine the need for conjunctions to create logical links between clauses. Use the word or phrase most appropriate in terms of the content of the sentence when the vocabulary is uncommon.
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III. Conventions of Standard English (51–56%) | 38–42 Questions
Require students to apply an understanding of the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics to revise and edit text.
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Sentence Structure and Formation: Apply understanding of sentence structure and formation in a text and to make revisions to improve the writing.
Punctuation: Recognize common problems with Standard English punctuation and to make revisions to improve the writing.
Usage: Recognize common problems with standard English usage in a text and to make revisions to improve the writing.