If you need help studying for the ILTS English Language Arts exam or just want some more information about what the exam is like, you’ve come to the right place!
Click below to take a free ILTS English Language Arts practice test!
What’s on the Exam?
First, let’s talk about the questions on the exam. There are 100 multiple-choice questions total, but only 80 of the questions will count toward your score. Why is that?
The 20 unscored questions on the exam are called “pretest” questions. These are added to the exam to determine if they’re good enough questions to add to future versions of the test.
The trick is that you won’t have any way of knowing which questions are scored and which ones are pretest. They will appear just like the scored questions throughout the test.
The time limit for the exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes. There aren’t any scheduled breaks, but you’re free to take restroom breaks as needed.
The exam is split into four subareas:
1. READING COMPREHENSION
28 questions
- The nature, development, and relevancy of reading
- Planning reading instruction
- Teaching and assessing word identification skills and vocabulary development
- Reading fluency
- Using oral language to help develop reading skills
- Assessing students’ reading comprehension
2. READING LITERARY AND INFORMATIONAL TEXTS
22 questions
- Literature from various cultures, genres, media, traditions, and eras
- Literary nonfiction and other informational texts
- Developing comprehension and analysis of literary and informational texts
3. WRITING AND RESEARCH
39 questions
- Writing processes
- Effective composition
- Strategies for writing arguments
- Strategies for writing informative and explanatory texts
- Locating and evaluating information from various sources representing multiple perspectives
- Strategies for writing narratives
- Revising, proofreading, editing, and publishing documents
4. SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING
11 questions
- Developing speaking, presenting, and participation skills in academic discussions
- Developing listening and viewing skills
How to Register
To get started with the registration process, you’ll need to create an ILTS/ISBE account on their website. You can then register for the exam via your account.
The testing fee is $122.
How the Exam is Scored
The ILTS English Language Arts exam is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
A passing score is a scaled score of at least 240.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the exam is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
FAQs
How many questions are on the ILTS English Language Arts exam?
The exam contains 100 questions.
What is the time limit for the ILTS English Language Arts exam?
The exam is timed at 3 hours and 15 minutes.
What is the passing score for the ILTS English Language Arts exam?
You’ll need to get a final score of at least 240 to pass.
How much does the ILTS English Language Arts exam cost?
The exam fee is $122.