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GED Essay: Everything You Need To Know In 2024

Learn all you need to know about the GED essay, its structure sample, topics, tips, and how it is scored in this post.

January 1, 2022

The GED essay is intimidating to many people. Writing an entire essay from scratch in 45 minutes or less may seem difficult, but it does not have to be. This GED essay writing overview will help you prepare for and learn about the written section of the exam . In this post, Get-TestPrep will show everything you need to know about GED essays , including their structure, sample topics, tips, and how they are stored .

What Is The GED Essay?

The GED exam consists of four subjects : Mathematical Reasoning, Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts Reasoning (RLA ). The GED extended response , sometimes known as the GED essay, is one of the two portions of the RLA subject test. You’ll have 45 minutes to finish the essay to your best capacity. Don’t worry if you don’t finish on time! Because the essay accounts for just 20% of your ultimate RLA score, you can still pass the test even if you don’t receive a high essay score.

The GED extended response can cover a wide range of topics, but it will always be formatted in the same way. You will be assigned two articles on the same topic, which will typically be argumentative essays with a firm position. You’ll be asked to assess the two arguments and create your own argumentative essay based on which article delivered the more compelling argument. The essay should be three to five paragraphs long, with each paragraph including three to seven sentences.

GED Essay Structure

An introduction, a body, and a conclusion are included in every well-written GED essay. You have to write an argument or an argumentative essay. Keep in mind that you are not expressing your own view on the subject. You’re analyzing two of the author’s points of view and determining which one is more compelling. Keep in mind that the Extended Response (GED Essay) is graded by machine intelligence that has been designed to detect the right responses. So, instead of trying to be creative, simply be accurate. Also:

• Make sure you’re using proper grammar and sentence structure.
• Practice writing a 300-500 word essay.

Let’s take a look at the format of a GED Essay : an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

• The introduction outlines your claim or thesis statement and explains the topic you’re writing about. Maintain your position.
• The body of the essay includes facts and arguments to back up your claim. This section of the response should be at least two paragraphs long.
• The concluding paragraph restates your claim and summarises your important points.

GED Essay Topic Examples

Here are a few GED Essay Topics to get you started:

Topic 1: An Analysis of Daylight-Saving Time

The article presents arguments from proponents and opponents of Daylight Saving Time, who disagree on the practice’s impact on energy consumption and safety.

Topic 2: Should the Penny Stay in Circulation?

Analyze the arguments offered and pick which one has the most support.

Topic 3: Is Golf a Sport?

Golf , according to proponents, satisfies the criteria of “sport.” Opponents argue that golf more closely resembles a “game” than a “sport.” Analyze both points of view to see which one has the most support.

Visit our website for more topics as well as full articles on each topic and take our free latest FREE GED practice test 2024 to get ready for your exam!

GED Essay Examples

Getting to know the GED essay sample  can assist you in planning your essay and determining which elements are most vital.

When reading the essay topic, you should truly take your time to collect your views. You will be able to articulate your views better on paper if you organize your thoughts properly. Concentrate on the standards that you learned in English class before you begin writing.

Pay attention to how you use the English language (grammar); you must use proper punctuation and capitalization, and you must use appropriate word solutions.

Tips For Writing Your GED Essay

Make sure you carefully read the stimulus and prompt.

Putting this into practice is an excellent idea. Examine each question carefully and set aside some time to determine the topic and the type of response that will be requested. It is critical to read the questions thoroughly. Students frequently skip past the stimulus and prompt and get right into writing, assuming that they will save time this way. 

This is, by far, the most uninteresting thing to do. Take a few moments to attempt to fully comprehend the questions so that you can reply accurately. If you like, underline the important words and phrases in the stimulus so you can go over it again later to make sure you’re on track.

Make a rough outline for the GED language arts essay

In general, planning your essay will only take a few minutes, but it is critical that you spend that time. Make an outline of the essay and follow it as soon as you have a complete understanding of the questions and have scribbled down some early ideas.

Make an outline for your introduction, body, and conclusion. Following this procedure will save you a lot of time and aid in the development of a logical thought process.

Keep your focus on the topic

To describe your evidence, each paragraph in the body of your response should explain why a piece of evidence supports your claim or disputes the opposing claim. You have the option of describing or restarting it. This demonstrates that you know exactly what it means and how it applies to your claim. Refer to the specifics or facts of a certain issue that you’ve discussed and tie them to your claim.

Include evidence from both passages in your response, and explain why strong evidence supports one thesis and why flawed evidence undermines the other.

Revision and proofreading

By the time you’ve finished writing your essay, you should go back to the beginning and reread it attentively, since you may easily have missed a comma or misspelled a term while doing so.

Pay great attention when rereading your essay to see if it has well-targeted arguments, is arranged properly, contains particular information and facts, has good sentence construction, and has no grammatical or spelling mistakes.

Learn more about how to practice GED essays as well as the whole Language Arts section in GED Language Arts Study Guide  

How To Write a GED Essay?

When writing the GED essay, you should allocate the time as follows:

• 3 minutes to read the directions and the topic
• 5 minutes of prewriting (freewriting, brainstorming , grouping, mapping, etc.)
• 3 minutes to organize (create a thesis statement or controlling idea, and summarize important points)
• 20 minutes to draft (write the essay)
• 8 minutes to revise (go over the essay and make adjustments to concepts)
• 6 minutes to edit (check for grammatical and spelling errors). 

How Your GED Essay Is Scored?

Smart machines that are designed to detect the right answers score your GED essay. So don’t try to be creative; just be accurate.

They will evaluate your essay based on five factors.

• Organization : did you give a well-thought-out approach to writing your essay and were you clear on the main idea?
• Clear and swift response: Did you deal with the matter appropriately, without straying from one emphasis point to another, with a clear and quick response?
• Progress and specifics: instead of utilizing lists or repeating the same material, did you use relevant instances and particular details to expound on your initial notions or arguments?
• Grammar Rules of English: Did you apply proper writing strategies such as sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and grammar, and did you shape and revise your essay after you finished the initial draft?
• Word choice : How well did you pick and use appropriate phrases to express your points of view?

Your 45 minutes will fly by, so focus on these key elements to get the best score possible. What is more important is to state unequivocally which side is more popular. Check that your phrases are clear and that your paragraphs are organized logically.

Each of the four modules (independent subtests) in Mathematical Reasoning (Math), Reasoning via Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies can be taken independently. To pass the subtest(s) for which you registered, you must study thoroughly and be efficient on test day. Consider taking our GED Language Arts Practice Test for the Language Arts section.

GED essay writing can be difficult, but you can keep a list of everything you need to know and switch to proper essay writing approaches before the exam. Simply practice a lot and you’ll notice that it gets better over time. So you’ve learned everything there is to know about writing the GED Essay .

How to write an essay for the GED?

• Read through all of the instructions.
• Create an outline.
• Make a list of all the evidence.
• Last, write your introduction.
• Write first, then edit.
• Make use of formal language.
• Don’t look at the time.

Is there an essay portion on the GED test?

How is the ged essay graded.

The essay is graded on a four-point scale by two certified GED essay readers. The scores of the two GED readers are averaged. If the essay achieves a score of 2 or above, it is merged with the language arts multiple-choice score to generate a composite result.

Final Words

In conclusion, this guide on the GED essay provides valuable insights and strategies to help you excel in the GED essay section. By understanding the structure of the GED essay , practicing effective writing techniques, and familiarizing yourself with the scoring rubric, you can approach the GED essay with confidence and achieve a successful outcome. Remember to plan your essay, organize your thoughts, and support your ideas with relevant examples and evidence. Additionally, refining your grammar and punctuation skills will enhance the overall quality of your writing. With consistent practice and a thorough understanding of the expectations for the GED essay, you can showcase your writing abilities and earn a strong score on the GED essay.

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November 25, 2022

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You may learn more about how to obtain a GED in Wyoming by reading the answers to the questions related to GED requirements in Wyoming we receive below.

September 19, 2022

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How To Write The GED Essay 2023 (Extended Response)

Santiago mallea.

• Career Planning , Non-Traditional Students , Writing Tips

Chief of Content At Gradehacker

• Updated on August 2023

How to Write The GED Essay

The best strategy for writing the GED essay is:

• Read the passages (5 minutes)
• Analyze the data and create an outline (5 minutes)
• Write your extended response (30 minutes)
• Reread and edit your writing (5 minutes)

If you want a clear example of what your GED essay should like like, later in this blog you’ll find a sample.

Savvy College Students Deserve Help With Their Essays

If you need help with an entry essay, submit your request and get an original paper that helps you enroll in college!

If you are planning on taking the GED test , you’ll eventually have to pass the GED essay .

Also known as the extended response, this assignment tests your evidence-based writing skills, and it’s where many students get stuck. However, writing the GED essay is easier than most people make it out to be .

It just takes practice and patience . And with these tips, you’ll be able to ace the test in no time!

Here at Gradehacker, we are the non-traditional adult student’s most trusted resource. Earning a GED diploma is necessary to enroll in college or access better job opportunities. We want you to be capable of writing an entire essay that will clearly show that you are up to the task .

This guide will teach you how to write a GED essay and share the best tips to make your text stand out and meet the passing score.

What Is The GED Essay?

The GED test consists of four sections:

• Mathematics
• Social Studies
• English Language Arts

The Reasoning Through Language Arts exam mainly consists of multiple-choice questions but also includes the Extended Response assignment, where you have to write an essay from scratch from two passages they give you.

You’ll have 45 minutes to analyze these two texts, choose which argument presents strong evidence, and explain why each piece of evidence supports your point.

While this part only represents 20% of your Reasoning Through Language Arts exam score (meaning that you can pass the Language Arts writing test even if you perform poorly in this section), it’s key that you know how to create a well-written GED essay.

Since they are testing your analysis of arguments and writing skills, it’s your opportunity to prove that you have mastered the core elements of the entire Language Arts section.

Plus, if you are planning on pursuing a college degree, where knowing how to analyze texts and write an essay response is important, passing the GED extended response is key.

GED Essay Prompt

To pass the essay portion, you’ll have to read two different passages that talk about the same issue but take an opposite stance about it. Your task is to determine which position presented is better supported.

It doesn’t matter if you disagree with that position; you must defend and explain your decision using multiple pieces of evidence from the texts.

Regarding length, the essay prompt suggests that your response should be approximately four to seven paragraphs of three to seven sentences each , which should be a 300-500 word essay.

While there is no essay length requirement regarding the number of words, we recommend writing between 400 and 500 .

GED Essay Sentence Structure

So, how do you write a GED extended response? Well, It has a structure similar to an argumentative essay.

• Introductory paragraph:

This should be a primary and short thesis statement where you clearly address which of the two passages is better supported.

• Body paragraphs: 

Consist of three or four body paragraphs where you formulate your thesis using the text’s information as your source.

• Conclusion paragraph:

As a final step, briefly summarize your argument and reiterate its importance. If this is not your forte, there are many conclusion tips that can help you!

How to Pass The GED Essay

Now that you understand the GED Extended Response and what you need to do, here is our essay writing guide.

You’ll find multiple tips throughout it, but essentially, to write a cohesive, well-constructed essay, you’ll have to follow this four-part strategy:

• Read the passages
• Analyze the data and create an outline
• Write your extended response essay
• Reread and edit your writing

Begin Your Classes With The Right Foot

After you pass the GED Essay, save time and graduate faster by receiving top-quality assistance in your classes!

Read the two passages (5 min)

The first step is to read both body passages thoroughly but quickly.

You need to understand what the topic is about, and while you read the text, highlight the statistics and factual data each author uses as support.

Remember that you can have differing views on your chosen side. Recognize which stance has better sources to defend your point, and explain why in your essay.

Analyze the data and create an outline (5 min)

Once you are done reading both texts and already highlighted all the essential information the authors use, you’ll need to analyze the evidence!

While ideally, you should recognize who supports their point better in the previous step , doing it in this part will be easier as you have all the factual data on sig ht.

Usually, the text with more information highlighted will be the one that defends its stance the best . 

So, the next thing you need to do is make an outline and write down your ideas. This way, you’ll have all the information organized to begin the most crucial part of the writing process.

Write your extended response essay (30 min)

And now, with evidence highlighted and an outline created, you are ready to start writing!

If you are going for the minimum and writing a 5-paragraph essay, you’ll need at least three major ideas to develop individually in separate paragraphs.

Stick to one idea per paragraph , and include one or two of your selected pieces of evidence from the texts to organize the information better and keep a good flow.

Remember to use connectors! However, nevertheless, furthermore, additionally, and more! These vital elements will help you introduce the reason for your argument at the beginning of each paragraph.

And just like with any essay, you must use formal and academic language , but remember to be concise and straightforward. It’s the content of what you write that’s important here, so choose your words wisely to show your English language knowledge.

Plus, remember that there’s no specific word count you need to meet.

Our own pro-tip here is to write the introductory paragraph last.

Because many students struggle and waste valuable minutes when trying to begin with the introduction, you can save extra time by explaining and defending your arguments first and writing the intro once you are done.

You’ll see how easy it will be to summarize the main issue and thesis statement once you’ve already developed your points.

Since the GED essay works very similarly to an argumentative paper, there are many more pro-tips you can learn in our guide on how to write an argumentative essay . So be sure to check it out!

Reread and edit your writing (5 min)

Before submitting your essay, you must read what you wrote, check for spelling errors, and ensure that your ideas are clearly understood .

Not editing your essay can be one of your most critical mistakes!

Remember they are testing your understanding of the English language and writing skills; handing in an essay with spelling mistakes, flawed evidence, or poorly structured text can make you lose valuable points.

For this part, it’s crucial you know the most common essay mistakes so you can avoid them!

Find Guidance For Your Entire Journey!

Get in touch with us and see how we can help you graduate faster!

GED Essay Sample

Follow all of these tips, and you are guaranteed to pass the GED essay!

However, here you have a   GED Testing Service’s essay example that perfectly explains how this assignment should be completed:

Mastering the GED Essay

Now you know how to write the GED essay!

Remember to follow our essay-writing strategy to pass the Language Arts section by demonstrating mastery of your writing skills.

You are more than capable of completing the GED test with the highest score and then applying to the best colleges to continue your educational journey .

Once you make it happen, don’t forget that if you ever need assistance with your essays or classes , Gradehacker is always here to help!

And if you need more tips on how to improve your writing skills , check out these related blog posts:

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Santiago Mallea is a curious and creative journalist who first helped many college students as a Gradehacker consultant in subjects like literature, communications, ethics, and business. Now, as a Content Creator in our blog, YouTube channel, and TikTok, he assists non-traditional students improve their college experience by sharing the best tips. You can find him on LinkedIn .

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33 min read

Ged reading & writing study guide 2024 [ged academy].

By: Teresa Perrin on January 3, 2023 at 3:45 AM

Welcome to the Reading & Writing Study Guide part of our GED study guide series to help you better prepare for taking the GED test.

Table of Contents Frequently Asked Questions about the Reading & Writing Test What is language arts and why it is important? Is the GED language arts test hard? Is GED reading hard? Is GED writing hard? What to Expect on the GED Language Arts Test How Many Questions are on the GED Language Arts Test and How Long Does the Test Take? The Reading Questions The Writing Questions Part I: Reading, Writing, and Essay Part II: Reading and Writing How Can I Pass my Language Arts Test? 1. Reading 2. Writing (Language) 3. GED Essay, or Extended Response Where Can I Take the GED Language Arts Practice Tests? What GED Language Arts Books Should I Study? Essential Skills Workbooks Steck-Vaughn GED: Test Prep 2014 GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Spanish Student Workbook (Spanish Edition) GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Study Guide 2018–2019 Are There GED Language Arts Worksheets to Help Me Study? Reading Worksheets Writing Worksheets Is There a GED Language Arts Cheatsheet to Help Me Understand the Test? What to Expect on the GED Language Arts Test GED Reading Test GED Writing Test Grammar and Language GED Essay, or Extended Response 10 GED Language Arts Tips and Tricks: How to Study for the Test 1. Study Reading First 2. Take GED Language Arts Practice Tests 3. Study More Quickly and Effectively, Here Is How! 4. Read for Pleasure! 5. Make Time and Space to Study 6. Answer Reading Practice Questions 7. Write Practice Essays! 8. Have Someone Read Your Writing 9. Say It Out Loud! 10. Review What You Need to Know to Pass the GED Language Arts Test (Checklist) Reading for Meaning Relationships Purpose and Point of View Words and Phrases Structure Comparisons Identify and Create Arguments Main Idea and Details Conclusions Arguments and Evidence Comparisons Grammar and Language Essay 10 Ways to Improve Reading Comprehension Eight GED Essay Tips Online GED Reading and Writing Classes

Reading and writing for the GED can seem hard, and even confusing! The good news is, with the right kind of preparation, any student can pass the test. This guide will help you understand what you need to study to learn the skills you need quickly and easily.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Test—the reading, writing, and language portion of the GED Test. The GED Test gives you one test for both reading and writing because these skills are closely connected. If you want to get a personalized idea of where you are now and what you need to learn, try taking a GED Reading Practice Test or a GED Writing Practice Test . When you’re done, you can always come back here to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Reading & Writing Test

What is language arts and why it is important.

Put simply, language arts is reading and writing. The GED tests your ability to understand what you read and to write clearly and effectively. In other words, it’s about communication. Can you read an email from your boss? Can you write a letter asking for a refund? Can you read and understand a news article or get the point of a story? Can you express your thoughts on a topic? These everyday skills are the core of the language arts test.

Is the GED language arts test hard?

The GED language arts test is one test that covers both reading and writing. It doesn’t have to be hard, with the right preparation.

Is GED reading hard?

The reading test will ask you to read a few passages that are 400 to 900 words long, and then you’ll answer 6 to 8 questions about each passage.

About 25% of the passages will be stories—literary passages. The language won’t be too hard or complicated, but you’ll need to understand the characters, theme, and plot. What’s going on?

The other 75% of the passages are informational. The main topics are workplace, science, or social studies. The whole idea of these passages is to give you real-world letters or articles, and see if you understand what you read. They might include diagrams or graphics.

The basic idea is, can you read a short passage and understand what it says? Can you find details? Can you get the main idea? Can you compare what two passages say? With a little bit of practice, you can easily get the skills you need.

Is GED writing hard?

The writing part of the test will have two types of question. First, along with the reading passages, you’ll have some writing passages. For these questions, you’ll need to make edits or corrections to the passages. The readings will be mostly workplace documents, like letters and memos. The passages will be short, around 450 words. You’ll need to make choices to make sure the grammar and punctuation is correct. What is the right word to use? What’s the best punctuation? Where should a sentence end, and another one begin? Most learners need to brush up on their language skills a little, but luckily, these skills are easy to learn.

Second, you’ll need to write an essay. The essay is called the extended response, and it combines your reading and writing skills. You’ll need to read two passages with two different points of view about a topic. Then you’ll need to write a response that talks about the arguments in each passage. What points do the authors make? Which one has better evidence? Which is the strongest argument? The essay can seem hard, but it doesn’t have to be. To be successful, you need to know what to expect. You need a structure to follow, with a beginning, middle, and end. If you try to answer the question with details from the passage and write a full essay with a beginning, middle, and end, then you’ll do well. It doesn’t have to be perfect!

What to Expect on the GED Language Arts Test

The GED Reading Test is about 80% of the test and consists of:

• What order do things happen in?
• What inferences can you make about what you read?
• What are the relationships between ideas, people, or events?
• What are the details, and why are they important?
• What’s the author’s point of view or purpose?
• How does the writer use words and phrases?
• What is the structure of the text, and why is it organized that way?
• How do two passages compare?
• What are the details and evidence?
• What’s the main idea?
• What inferences or conclusions can you make about what the author is saying?
• How are details used to support the main idea?
• How good is the evidence or support for an idea?
• How do two arguments compare?
• The other 20% of the test is writing.
• They’re between 400 and 900 words.
• They cover science, social studies, work texts, and stories.
• There are 6 to 8 questions about each passage.

The GED Writing Test is about 20% of the language arts test and consists of:

• Can you edit to fix commonly confused words?
• Can you fix problems with word usage, like the wrong verb form or the wrong pronoun?
• Can you fix confusing language or make the language clearer?
• Can you fix capitalization?
• Can you fix run-on sentences, fragments, or connecting words?
• Can you use apostrophes correctly?
• Can you use punctuation correctly?
• This essay question tests your reading and writing skills!
• Read two passages.
• Write an essay that compares the two arguments. Which has better evidence? Why?

How Many Questions are on the GED Language Arts Test and How Long Does the Test Take?

The GED Reasoning Through Language Arts test is one reading and writing test, so you’ll take it all at one time. You’ll have one 10-minute break.

• You’ll take the test on a computer at a testing center.
• The whole test is 150 minutes, or 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• There are about 50 questions, plus 1 essay.
• The test is scored from 100 to 200 points.
• You need 145 to pass the test. (In New Jersey, you need to score 150.)

The Reading Questions

• Expect about 40 reading questions and 5 or 6 passages.
• Expect 1 to 2 literary passages, and 4 or 5 science, social studies, or workplace passages.
• Expect 6 to 8 questions per passage.
• Reading questions could be on Part I (before the break) as well as Part II (after the break).
• Most questions are multiple choice.
• Some questions are drag-and-drop.

The Writing Questions

• Expect about 10 editing (language) questions and about 2 passages to edit.
• Most questions will be a drop-down in a sentence, so you’ll choose the best way to complete the sentence.
• Editing questions could be on Part I or Part II.
• 1 essay question is on Part I. You’ll need to read two passages and compare them.
• The essay is called the extended response.

Part I: Reading, Writing, and Essay

• You’ll have 3 minutes to read the instructions.
• Part I is 72 minutes.
• Part I will have a set of questions plus the essay, or extended response.
• After Part I, you’ll have a 10-minute break.

Part II: Reading and Writing

• Part II is 65 minutes.
• You’ll answer most of the multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, and drop-down questions in Part II.

How Can I Pass my Language Arts Test?

To pass GED language arts, you should study three things:

Reading questions are about 80% of the test. You should be able to read and understand passages on a wide variety of everyday topics, including stories, science, social studies, and workplace documents like letters, instructions, or memos. Here are some good steps to take:

• Take a practice test to find out what you need to study. You can take a free reading practice test here .
• Study with a workbook, an online course, or on your own.
• Start by reading easier passages and answering questions. What’s the main idea? What are the details? Then, start reading harder passages. Can you compare them? What’s the author’s point of view.
• A good online course like GED Academy can help lead you through, step by step.

2. Writing (Language)

Writing questions are about 20% of the test. You should be able to edit workplace documents like emails, letters, and memos to fix errors or make the meaning clearer:

• Take a practice test to find out what you need to study. You can take a free writing practice test here .
• The questions for this section are editing questions, so make a list of topics you need to study, like subjects and verbs, punctuation, or pronouns. If you use an online course, it can make this list for you.
• Study with a workbook, an online course, or on your own. Try to focus on the specific topics that you need help with. Ask yourself: What are common errors or mistakes? Can you edit a sentence to make it error-free?

3. GED Essay, or Extended Response

• You’ll read two different points of view about a topic that make an argument and use evidence.
• You’ll compare the two points of view. Which one has better evidence? Which one is better supported?
• You’ll use details from the reading in your written response.
• Learn about arguments, so you can compare two arguments and their evidence.
• Learn about essay structure, so you can write an essay with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Practice writing extended responses with GED-type essay questions.
• Make sure you write 300 words or more, with a beginning, middle, and end!

Where Can I Take the GED Language Arts Practice Tests?

A good practice test is a great place to start! You can find out what types of questions you’ll see on the GED test and figure out what you need to study. You can take a free online practice test for the GED Reading Practice Test and for the GED Writing Practice Test .

What GED Language Arts Books Should I Study?

For many people, studying with a written workbook is the best way. Here are some good workbooks to try.

Essential Skills Workbooks

For the reading portion of the language arts test, try Essential Reading Skills . This workbook is easy to use and targets the types of questions on the GED Language Arts test. In this book, you’ll:

• Read science, social studies, literary, and workplace texts.
• Answer questions about GED topics like point of view, main ideas, themes, and details.
• Learn to read about arguments and support, to help with both writing and reading.

For the writing portion of the test, including the extended response essay, try Essential Writing Skills . This workbook focuses on practical editing and writing GED extended response essays. You’ll get a wide range of practice that will help you score well on writing.

Steck-Vaughn GED: Test Prep 2014 GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Spanish Student Workbook (Spanish Edition)

If you’re planning to take the Reasoning Through Language Arts test in Spanish, Steck-Vaughn provides a complete Spanish-language prep workbook that can help you prepare. This workbook covers both reading and writing in Spanish for the GED test.

• A simple, repeated structure takes you through lessons on both reading and writing for the GED
• Includes practice questions and tips

GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Study Guide 2018–2019

If you’re looking for a quick, short study guide, this book by Inc. Exam Prep Team Accepted gives a brief overview of the GED and three quick preparation guides:

• Grammar and Sentence Structure

The preparation section is only about 65 pages long, and provides a practice test at the end. For students seeking a quick refresher, this book might suit your needs.

Are There GED Language Arts Worksheets to Help Me Study?

Here are some free GED worksheets to help you refresh your skills!

Reading Worksheets

Try this sample Essential Reading Skills chapter with sample questions and exercises to learn about text structure. Use these worksheets while you read to improve your reading comprehension and understanding:

• Are the Ideas Clear?
• How Sentences Develop a Claim
• Outline by Paragraph or Section

Writing Worksheets

• Use this Paragraph Writing Worksheet to help organize your paragraphs.
• Learn about Fallacies in this worksheet, to help you evaluate arguments in your GED essay.

Is There a GED Language Arts Cheatsheet to Help Me Understand the Test?

Check out our GED Reasoning Through Language Arts cheat sheet below to get a quick overview of the test and what you need to know.

Before you take the test, it’s important to know what to expect on the GED Language Arts test. If you’re prepared, then you’ll score better. It’s that simple!

The Reasoning Through Language Arts test can be confusing because it combines reading and writing in one test. That includes:

• Reading: Multiple choice and drag-and-drop reading questions
• Language: Multiple choice and drop-down language questions
• Writing: An essay question, called the extended response

These aren’t separate tests or even really separate parts of the test. When you take the test, it will have two parts, with a 10-minute break in between. Part I will include some reading and/or language questions and the writing essay. Part II will be more reading and language questions. What’s important is that you know what to study for the three subject areas of the test. Here’s a closer look.

GED Reading Test

About 80% of the test is reading. For these questions, you’ll read a short passage and then answer 6 to 8 questions about it. So, what are the passages like?

• The passages are 400 to 900 words long. That’s about 1 to 2 single-spaced typed pages. They’re not very long, but they’re long enough to give a good amount of details.
• 75% of the passages are informational. Some of them will be workplace documents, like instructions, emails, memos, or letters. Some of them will be science or social studies articles.
• 25% of the passages are literary. These passages are short stories with characters, themes, events, and details.

What are the questions like? Well, here are the topics on the GED Reading portion of the test.

Reading for Meaning questions make up about 35% of the test. The questions ask whether you understand the structure of the text, the use of words, the point of view, and the development of ideas, relationships, and events. In short, what’s going on? Try a sample question!

Read this passage and answer the question that follows.

Buffalo Bill in Show Business

William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody was an accomplished Indian scout and buffalo hunter when E.Z.C. Judson, a writer who went by the name of Ned Buntline, met him in the summer of 1869. Judson wrote western stories and what were known as "dime novels" (small paperback books that sold for 10 cents.) He helped create "Buffalo Bill" and made him the hero in a number of his books. These stories made Buffalo Bill famous in the East and when he went to New York for a visit, he saw a play based on his adventures.

After his trip to New York, Buffalo Bill went home to Nebraska but decided to try his hand at show business. Ned Buntline adapted the play and together they produced the show, The Scouts of the Plains. Although some critics thought the show was ridiculous, Buffalo Bill was praised because his acting was based on genuine experience. The following year Buffalo Bill organized his own troop of players, called the Buffalo Bill Combination. In 1883, he came up with the idea for the Wild West show. It was an outdoor spectacle designed to educate and entertain. When Buffalo Bill's Wild West show came to town, it was a big deal. There would be a parade, like the one in this film, which included cowboys, Indians, soldiers on horseback, and horse-drawn carriages.

In 1887, Buffalo Bill's show performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City with 100 Indians, Annie Oakley, trick riders, ropers, and shooters as well as many different wild animals. The show was four hours long and included Indian war dances and an "attack" on a stagecoach. The show even went on tour to England and Europe. It was such a success that Queen Victoria saw it three times. Even after Buffalo Bill died in 1917, the Wild West shows continued.

Source: “Buffalo Bill in Show Business” by America’s Library. Available at: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/cody/aa_cody_business_1.html

What does the writer mean by saying that Judson “helped create ‘Buffalo Bill’”?

• Judson helped William F. Cody create the nickname “Buffalo Bill.”
• Judson helped make “Buffalo Bill” popular by writing stories about him.
• Judson created a fictional character in his books called “Buffalo Bill.”
• Judson created the idea of “dime novels,” which inspired “Buffalo Bill.”

Answer: Judson helped make “Buffalo Bill” popular by writing stories about him. When the writer says Judson “helped create ‘Buffalo Bill,’” he or she means the popular stories about and popularity of “Buffalo Bill.” Judson wrote stories about William Cody that helped make him popular as “Buffalo Bill.”

Identifying Arguments questions make up about 45% of the test, although part of this 45% is the essay. The questions ask about the main idea and details of an argument the writer is trying to make. What evidence does the writer use? How strong is the evidence? Can you compare two arguments and their evidence? Try a sample question about an argument!

To: General Manager From: Anna Garcia, Human Resources Subject: We Need a New Workplace Policy

After last week’s office party, it is clear that the workplace needs a clear policy about decorations. Currently, the employee handbook contains no policy about decorations in the office. Decorations, both permanent and temporary, can cause damage to the office walls and cubicles. I am proposing a new policy, with the following wording:

All temporary office decorations for holidays, parties, or other events should be put in place using non-damaging, removable wall adhesives. Permanent decorations for your cubicle may use non-damaging, removable adhesives or thumbtacks applied to cubicle walls. Any decorations that cannot be hung without damage require approval from human resources. Non-damaging wall adhesive tape will be made available in the supply closet.

The main reason for this policy is the use of nails, tacks, and tape in the conference room walls to hang decorations for last week’s party. These temporary decoration caused damage to the paint and walls of the conference room, which is used for client meetings. The repairs took most of a week and cost the company $200.

I understand that our supply budget is low, but the cost of non-damaging tape will be far less than the potential cost for repairs after future events. Please see the attached spreadsheet for details.

Thank you for your attention, Anna Garcia

Which piece of evidence would help support Anna Garcia’s argument?

• After one employee’s last day, the company found that water from a plant had damaged her desk.
• After one employee’s last day, the company found that her cubicle wall was torn by hanging a photo.
• When one employee started, employees in nearby cubicles complained about the bright colors of her decorations.
• When one employee started, employees in nearby cubicles complained about the noise caused by nailing pictures to the wall.

Answer: After one employee’s last day, the company found that her cubicle wall was torn by hanging a photo.

This is an example of hanging decorations causing damage to the office. This problem would be solved by hanging the photo with a non-damaging material.

GED Writing Test

About 20% of the test is language or editing questions, and the writing portion also includes the GED essay, or extended response, which covers both reading and writing skills.

Grammar and Language

Language or editing questions might be multiple choice or drop-down. A drop-down question will ask you to complete a sentence with the correct word, phrase, or punctuation. For this section of the test, you’ll need to:

• Write clearly and eliminate wordy or awkward language
• Fix commonly confused words
• Edit errors in verbs, pronouns, informal language, or misplaced modifiers
• Use parallel sentence structure
• Use transition words and phrases and connecting words
• Use correct sentence structure
• Use correct punctuation, capitalization, and apostrophes

Try a sample question!

One group of employees ____________ meeting in the conference room right now.

• will have been

Answer: is The sentence should read: “One group of employees is meeting in the conference room right now.” The words “right now” show that the verb should be present tense. The subject is singular, “group,” so the verb needs to be singular, too. The phrase “of employees” is a distraction that can sometimes lead to mistakes. Try eliminating any phrase between the subject and the verb to see what sounds best! “One group is meeting in the conference room” sounds right, but “one group are meeting…” doesn’t!

GED Essay, or Extended Response

The GED essay is only one question on the test, but often it’s the one that students worry about the most. Keep in mind that the essay is only one part of the test. If you write a complete essay with a beginning, middle, and end that answers the question, you’ll do great. Try this technique:

• What is the main position of each side?
• Which point of view has better support or evidence?
• What are some general reasons why one is better?
• What is one piece of evidence that’s strong from the best argument? What does it mean? How does it support the argument? Why is it strong?
• What is one piece of evidence that’s weak from the worse argument? What does it mean? How does it hurt the argument? Why is it weak?
• What are two pieces of evidence that you can compare in the two arguments? How do they compare? Which is stronger? Why?
• How would you summarize the evidence in the two arguments?
• What other information would be helpful to know?
• Which point of view has better support?
• Why is this issue important?

Download this sample essay prompt to try your skills!

10 GED Language Arts Tips and Tricks: How to Study for the Test

The best way to study for GED Language Arts is to spend some time, separately, on reading, writing, and language. Although they are on the same test, you can study these three different skills separately.

1. Study Reading First

Reading is a great place to start for the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts test! Reading is about 80% of the test, and bumping up your reading skills will help you with the essay, too.

2. Take GED Language Arts Practice Tests

Taking a practice test is the best way to start studying and improve your score. A good practice test shows you what the test is like. It also shows you what you need to study. You can start with our free, online reading and writing practice tests. You’ll find practice questions just like the ones on the GED Test.

3. Study More Quickly and Effectively, Here Is How!

The language arts test can be tough because reading and writing are big subjects. How can you learn quickly? Use these techniques every time you study! To learn to read better, use this easy technique:

• Ask yourself questions before you read. Skim through the title, the beginning, and the end. Then ask questions about what you’ll read.
• Think about the questions and make notes while you read. Did you find the answers? Do you have more questions? What seems important?
• Review and organize your notes after you read. What conclusion can you come to about what you read?

To learn to write better, use a writing process:

• Plan before you begin to write. What is your main idea? What details will you use? What will go in your conclusion?
• Draft a complete essay with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• Revise and edit what you’ve written. Make it clearer. Give it more details. Fix any errors.

4. Read for Pleasure!

What do you like? What are you interested in? Find short, easy books or stories that are interesting to you, and read them for fun. Read newspapers or magazines or websites. Get a library card for access to free books. With most library cards, you can check out free ebooks from the Libby app or Overdrive . Read about something that is important to you! This is a great way to improve your reading. It doesn’t matter what you read, but reading more will help!

5. Make Time and Space to Study

Make a study space that’s organized and has everything you need. Schedule a regular time to study every day and stick to it!

• Study a little every day before you go to sleep. What you learn will stick with you better!
• Stick with studying. Keep a tracker and mark off every day that you study. After a whole week, give yourself a reward!

6. Answer Reading Practice Questions

Here’s how to approach a reading question when you study or on the test!

• Read the question or questions first. The question tells you what to look for in the text! If you know what you need to answer, you can pay attention to the right part of the text.
• Read the text carefully. Find the part that’s relevant to the question, and slow down. Check your understanding of what you read. Do you get the meaning?
• Read the answer choices. Eliminate any answer that you know is wrong. Most of the questions will be multiple choice, so you can increase your chances by removing wrong answers!
• If you know the right answer, great! If not, have a strategy for guessing. After taking away all the answers you know are wrong, guess either the first or last answer. This can help you improve your test score! Don’t leave any answers blank.
• For practice questions, make sure you understand! Read or listen to the feedback on your answer so that you understand the right answer and learn more.

7. Write Practice Essays!

Here are some practice GED writing prompts from the GED Testing Service to help you get started. Make sure you write a complete essay, at least 300 words, with a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Answer the question: Which passage makes a better argument? Why? Be sure to use details from the text!

8. Have Someone Read Your Writing

Have a friend, teacher, or family member read what you wrote. Are some parts confusing? What good points did you make? Can they tell what your main idea is? Can they tell that you have a beginning, middle, and end? Some feedback from a reader will help improve your writing!

9. Say It Out Loud!

Reading out loud can help with reading, writing, and language.

• Try reading a section of text out loud to see if it helps you understand better. Go slow, and go back to check your understanding.
• When you’re writing, try reading your own writing out loud! Does it make sense? How would you say it to a friend? Revise your writing to sound more like someone talking.
• When you answer a language question, read the answer choices out loud in the full sentence. Which choice sounds right? While a few rules might be tricky, for the most part, what sounds right is right. Don’t overthink. Trust your ear when you’re not sure!

When you sit down to study, review what you went over the previous day. A quick review will help yesterday’s learning stick and make your next learning task a little easier. At the end of a week, do a whole-week review to go over what you’ve learned.

What You Need to Know to Pass the GED Language Arts Test (Checklist)

The GED Reasoning Through Language Arts test covers reading, writing, and language in one test. Here’s what you need to know.

Reading for Meaning

Relationships.

• You need to know how to put events in a text in the order that they happened.
• You need to know how to make inferences about the events, people, setting, relationships, or ideas in what you read.
• You need to know how to analyze relationships between people, ideas, and events, and their roles in the text.

Purpose and Point of View

• You need to be able to identify details and their purpose in a text.
• You need to figure out the writer’s point of view or purpose, even if it’s not stated outright in the text.
• You need to analyze the specifics of a writer’s point of view and how a writer response to other people with different opinions.

Words and Phrases

• You need to know how to analyze how a writer uses rhetorical techniques, like repetition or analogies.
• You need to figure out the meaning of words and phrases, including figurative language and connotations.
• You need to know how the writer’s word choice impacts the meaning and tone of the text, and analyze why the author uses specific words.
• You need to know how sentences, paragraphs, chapters, or sections fit into the structure of the text. What purpose do they serve? How do they support the author’s purpose or create meaning?
• You need to look at the relationships between two nearby sections of a text.
• You need to know how to analyze the author’s use of transition or connecting words and phrases.

Comparisons

• You need to compare texts that have similar themes or topics but different formats or genres.
• You need to know how to find similarities and differences in perspective, tone, style, structure, purpose, or impact.

Identify and Create Arguments

Main idea and details.

• You need to understand the main idea and details in what you read and be able to summarize them or make inferences about them.
• You need to know how to make inferences about the main idea and details.
• You need to understand how the details support the author’s purpose, ideas, or point of view.
• In a story, you need to know how to find the theme and support for the theme.

Conclusions

• You need to know how to make generalizations, hypotheses, or conclusions based on one or more ideas or pieces of evidence in what you read.
• You need to know how to apply or extend what you read.

Arguments and Evidence

• You need to know the parts of an author’s argument and how they work together.
• You need to identify whether a claim is supported by evidence and identify specific evidence that the author gives.
• You need to know whether the author gives enough good evidence to support a claim, including identifying fallacies or problems with the writer’s logic.
• You need to evaluate data, charts, graphs, or images and whether they support an author’s ideas.
• You need to compare two arguments on the same topic or two similar ideas or themes in different genres or formats.

You need to know how to:

• choose the correct word among commonly confused words or words that sound alike but are spelled differently.
• correct errors involving verbs, pronouns, informal language, and modifiers.
• use parallel structure.
• use good sentence structure, including independent and dependent clauses, avoiding run-ons and fragments.
• edit to eliminate wordiness or awkward sentences.
• use transitional and connecting words and phrases.
• use capitalization, punctuation, and apostrophes correctly.

You need to:

• write a clear and well-organized essay that compares two texts.
• compare two different arguments about the same topic, citing specific evidence from the text.

10 Ways to Improve Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is a big part of the GED Language Arts test. Here are some easy ways to improve your ability to understand what you read.

• Identify what you don’t understand. Try reading slowly and asking, do I understand what I just read? When you don’t understand, go back and check. What’s giving you a problem? Is it a long sentence that you can break apart? Is something else confusing you? Can you figure it out?
• Identify words you don’t know. Sometimes, you can guess the meaning of a sentence without all the words, but it helps to find the words you don’t know. Then, find the definition. Go back and try to understand the sentence or paragraph again. Does the meaning of the word help you understand it better?
• Make an outline. A good way to understand what you read is by making an outline. What’s the main idea? What are the important points? Which details are important, and where are they? Make the outline while you read, and then revise and reorganize it after.
• Make and organize notes. You don’t always need to make a formal outline. Sometimes, it’s helpful to just make notes about what’s important. The difference here is that you can ask questions and put down your own thoughts. Try writing your thoughts and questions in different colors to keep track! Then, when you’re done reading, reorganize your notes. That will help you understand and remember better.
• Identify the structure. Figuring out the structure of a text helps you understand it better. Does it talk about cause and effect? Does it give a problem and then explain a solution? Does it give events in order by time? Does it make a claim and then give reasons?
• Ask questions. Try asking questions before you read, while you read, and after you read. Asking questions makes you think about what you’re reading.
• Make a diagram. Try making a diagram or chart to compare ideas or show relationships in the text.
• Predict. Ask yourself: what do you think will happen next? What’s the writer going to say? Predicting helps you understand what you read.
• Visualize. If you’re reading a story or a description, try to imagine what you’re reading about. Creating pictures in your mind will help you understand.
• Summarize. Write a summary of the important ideas in the text. If you can pick out the most important ideas and details, you’ll understand the reading better.

Eight GED Essay Tips

The GED essay can seem tough, but it’s not really that hard. Use these tips to write a high scoring essay!

• Read the Passages First. Your writing prompt will have two passages. Start by reading through them. What’s the point of view of each writer? What evidence do they give?
• Write a Good Beginning. Start by explaining the issue that you read about. Then say which of the two arguments is stronger. Give a general reason why.
• Quote from the Text. Find 2 to 3 pieces of evidence or support in each passage that you read. In your essay, quote the evidence and tell which passage it is from. Explain how the writer uses it. Then, tell whether it’s strong or weak and why. Does it help prove the writer’s argument? Why is it good or bad?
• Tell Which Passage Has the Most Evidence. Sometimes a writer doesn’t have enough evidence. The passage with more evidence might be stronger.
• Point Out Problems. Does one of the passages have flaws or problems? Is the reasoning not logical? Can you think of a way the argument isn’t true? If you don’t agree, point it out! (And be sure to tell why!)
• Write a Conclusion. In your conclusion at the end of the essay, restate which passage has a better argument. Summarize your evidence and details.
• Write Clearly. If you have trouble writing, don’t try to make it too complicated. Write simple sentences, and make sure it’s easy to understand.
• Write Enough. If you have a beginning, a middle with quotes and details, and a conclusion, then you’ve probably written enough. But make sure! Write about 5 paragraphs, with at least 300 words. Otherwise, you need more detail.

Remember to practice using these tips by writing practice essays! Here’s a good way: Find two newspaper articles that disagree about a topic, and write about them for practice.

Online GED Reading and Writing Classes

Are you looking for easy online classes to help you get ready fast? GED Academy provides a quick and easy way to get prepared. GED Academy has three language arts courses:

• The GED Reading course is filled with lessons that help you read and understand GED-style passages and answer the kinds of questions you’ll find on the GED exam.
• The GED Language lessons teach you all the grammar and language you’ll need to know for the language questions.
• The GED Writing course prepares you to write the GED essay. You’ll take easy-to-understand writing lessons and write practice GED essays. You’ll learn everything you need to know in a quick and easy course.

Everyone starts out their GED prep at a different level. GED Academy finds out what you need to know and then gives you the exact lessons that you need to prepare. Our online GED language arts prep course can take as little as three or four weeks. With directed learning, you can be ready to take your GED language arts test right away.

Try studying an hour every night. With short, easy lessons, you can move forward through the GED Academy course quickly. After about 15 or 20 hours of language arts study, you could be ready for the test. Some people need a little more or a little less study, but no matter what your level, GED Academy has the right lessons for you.

GED Academy starts out by giving you a practice test or self-assessment to see what you need to study. Then it gives you a personalized learning plan that leads you through every lesson you need. It’s like having a personal tutor who can recommend the lessons and quizzes that you need right now to get ready quickly.

Are you ready to get started? Take a look at how GED Academy works.

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Ged science study guide 2024 [ged academy], ged social studies study guide 2024 [ged academy], how to write & pass a ged essay.

GED Essay — Reasoning Through Language Arts

There are is now an extended response (essay) question on the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Test (RLA). You are given 45 minutes to type your GED Essay on the RLA test. Read through our tips and strategies, use our sample prompt to write out a practice essay, and then examine our essay examples to gauge your strengths and weaknesses.

Essay Tips & Strategies

Essay prompt, sample essay.

• GED: Format of the Test
• High School
• High School Equivalency Exams
• CHSPE: Study, Exam Basics
• GED: Introduction to Mathematics, Parts I and II
• GED: Language Arts Reading Test — Subjects to Know
• GED: Science
• GED: Social Studies Test
• GED: Taking the GED Test
• GED: Writing Test — Part I, Multiple Choice
• GED: Writing Test — Part II, Essay

The GED consists of the following sections (also, see the following table, "Format of the GED Test):

Language Arts-Writing. The scores from these two sections are combined to give the Writing Test Score. The sections are not reported separately.

Part I: Multiple Choice (50 questions, 75 minutes)

Part II: Essay (one essay, 45 minutes)

Social Studies (50 questions, 70 minutes)

Science (50 questions, 80 minutes)

Language Arts-Reading (40 questions, 65 minutes)

Mathematics

Part I: with calculator (25 questions, 45 minutes)

Part II: without calculator (25 questions, 45 minutes)

Each test is scored from 200 to 800 (standard score) and a percentile rank of 1 to 99 is also given. A standard score of 410 on each individual test and an average score of 450 for the complete test battery is the minimum passing standard set by the GED Testing Service. Each state or jurisdiction may establish its own standards for passing the tests, which are the same as or higher than the national standards. Be sure to check the current policies in your state.

A passing score varies from state to state. Generally, you must correctly answer 50% to 60% to pass. Remember, no one is expected to answer all the questions correctly.

Format of the GED Test

Which of the following is the correct solution to | x + 3| > 6?

X > 3 and x < –9, x > 3 or x < –9, 9 < x < –3.

GED Language Arts Study Guide

Last Updated on April 10, 2024.

This GED Language Arts Study Guide explains everything you’ll have to learn and understand if you want to pass the GED Language Arts Test.

Online GED Classes

A simple and easy way of getting your ged diploma., learn fast, stay motivated, and pass your ged quickly..

This Language Arts GED study guide teaches you what subject fields are covered in this GED® subtest and what the format of the test is.

Additionally, we offer you free Language video lessons, with short practice tests and Language test-taking tips.

Our free support is courtesy of Onsego GED Prep. The free lessons include videos, texts, and short practice tests so you’ll learn how to answer the questions correctly.

So, benefit from our GED Language Arts study guide free lessons to begin your GED prep. We provide online free GED classes as well as free GED practice tests.

If this appeals to you, switch to the complete GED course from Onsego GED Prep and get your GED diploma fast. Let’s get started.

Online GED Classes-Fast, Simple and Cheap

Table of Contents

• 1 GED Language Arts Lessons
• 2 GED Language Arts Essay
• 3.1 How to Write the GED Essay
• 4 How long is the GED Language Arts Test?
• 5 How many questions can you miss on the Language Arts Test?
• 6.1 1. Read the questions carefully
• 6.2 2. Answer the easy questions first
• 6.3 4. Use lots of practice tests
• 6.4 4. Do not jump to conclusions
• 6.5 5. Use more formal language
• 6.6 6. Answer all of the questions
• 6.7 7. Eliminate obviously wrong answers
• 6.8 8. Keep an eye on the clock
• 6.9 9. Edit and proofread your extended response
• 6.10 10. Trust your instinct

GED Language Arts Lessons

This website publishes 24 free GED Language lessons with practice tests to help you get started with your GED Language Arts prep.

• 24  Language Arts Lessons

These lessons are provided by Onsego GED Prep.

GED Testing Service recognizes Onsego as a trusted publisher that has developed curriculum materials that are 100% aligned with the GED test.

By taking practice tests, you will discover which academic subject areas require most of your study time.

GED Language Arts Essay

On the GED Language Arts test, you’ll also have to write an essay. Check out our resources for writing the GED Essay.

GED Essay Sample Topics

What to study for GED Language Arts?

The GED Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) test measures your reading and writing skills.

These are skills you’ll be using all through your life when communicating. You are given 150 minutes, so 2.5 hours, to complete this longest section of the 4-test GED exam.

There are two parts in the GED RLA subtest that include, in total, 46 questions.

You’ll need to answer questions about given texts to assess your skills in writing, reading, and analytical reasoning.

You’ll also have to review written texts and select words and phrases to make sentences and expressions correct regarding grammar and language use.

You’ll also have to produce your essay (extended response) based on a prompt. You’ll have to read one or two passages about some contemporary issue or read a passage that has a visual element (e.g., a graphic), and write your 5-paragraph to measure your writing skills.

After a 10-minute break, the second part of the RLA exam starts. This section includes only questions about correct language use and reading comprehension.

How to Write the GED Essay

The usual method for writing your GED essay (in the test referred to as “Extended Response”) is the 5-paragraph approach to writing a 300 to 500 words essay.

After you’ve read the provided stimulus that includes two different arguments on a subject, you’ll have to explain why one argument is better than the other. This is not about your personal opinion on the subject.

You just have to write a good analysis of the two positions given by the author and explain which of the arguments is stronger. Keep in mind that the arguments are already given in the provided stimulus, so creating your own examples is not needed.

So in the test centers (or online), you’ll be given the stimulus material for your essay and a prompt as well. The stimulus provides two opposing opinions on a subject, and the prompt provides you with instructions on what and how to do it.

The GED Extended Response is scored by machines that are recognizing correct answers. So, being creative doesn’t work, just being correct will get you a good score. So, learn to use proper sentence structure and grammar.

Your GED Essay should include an introduction, a body, and a concluding paragraph. Your introduction simply introduces the topic you’re going to write about and states your thesis statement or claim. Here, you stand your position.

In the body of your essay, you present your arguments and evidence to support your position or claim. This part is the longest of your essay and should be at least 2 or 3 paragraphs long. In the concluding paragraph, you sum up your main arguments and points and restate your claim.

How long is the GED Language Arts Test?

The GED Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) subtest is, in total, 2.5 hours long. There are two parts, separated by a small, 10-minute break.

The first part takes 45 minutes, during which you have to write your essay. In total, on the GED RLA test, there’ll be about 46 to 53 questions. You’ll have to answer questions related to single passages and paired passages to assess your reading and analytical thinking skills.

You’ll have to review written passages and select phrases and words so that the product is written in grammatically and textual correct English. Our RLA GED study guide offers you the support you deserve!

How many questions can you miss on the Language Arts Test?

As said earlier, there are around 46 to 53 questions on the GED Language Arts Test covering three main categories: Reading, Writing, and Grammar.

The number of questions that you must answer correctly to attain a passing score (145) will depend on your essay score. The higher your essay score, the fewer correct answers you require, and to compensate for a low essay score, you’ll have to answer more questions correctly. In general, though, we can say that you need to have between 32 and 42 questions correctly to pass the GED RLA test.

This GED RLA study guide and Language Arts lessons are a part of our free Online GED Classes module and are based on Onsego GED Prep, a complete course that teaches you how to pass GED Language Arts fast!

10 GED Language Arts Test Tips

1. read the questions carefully.

Before answering or looking at the answers, read each question carefully twice. It often happens that students read the questions too fast, so they’ll fall into traps. This also counts for your answers. Read them twice as well. Too often, a question is simply missed because students misread some terms. Our GED Reading study guide is a great help.

And also, keep in mind that you shouldn’t read too much into the RLA questions. They are usually pretty straightforward. So don’t over-read the language questions, and usually, your common sense answer is the best answer.

2. Answer the easy questions first

You shouldn’t waste time on questions that you don’t know the answers to right away. When you’re stuck on a question, move ahead. It’s useless to waste your time on these questions.

Just skip the questions you can’t answer or that you’re not sure about and concentrate only first on those questions that you’ve got right immediately.

When you have completed the questions that were easy for you, go back to the questions that you skipped and try to answer them. Maybe the other questions provided a hint, and the momentum may help to boost your confidence.

4. Use lots of practice tests

Practice makes perfect. Get familiar with reading prompts and writing essays by practicing a lot with sample tests. Think about what the prompt asks you to do. Find evidence in the text to support your argument or ideas.

There are prompts that ask you to cite specific evidence or provide a quote in your answer, while the prompt may also ask you to compare or analyze some passages.

4. Do not jump to conclusions

There are questions on the GED test that require some pretty careful analysis. At first glance, some wrong answers will appear to be correct at a first casual glance.

Very often, writers of the GED test will put a misleading answer first, so you’ll be tempted to choose that answer. Please be careful not to fall into this sort of trap! It is important to first recognize the main idea in a complex piece of reading. Once you manage that, finding the correct answer will become easier.

Sometimes, you’ll find more than just one right answer. If that’s the case, make sure you will choose the best answer option based on what the question asks, not on your assumption.

5. Use more formal language

It often happens that test-takers slide into a sort of language use that they’re used to when speaking to or texting with their friends. When writing your essay, make sure to avoid the use of slang or abbreviations.

Your score on the essay part is based on how well you use English language conventions. It’s all about grammar, word choice, and sentence structure. Your essay writing must have a formal tone.

6. Answer all of the questions

On the GED exam, there are no penalties for guessing or wrong answers. So be sure to answer each and every question, even when you don’t know the answer or when you need to guess.

When you need to guess, you will probably be able to eliminate one or two answer options straight away, the obviously incorrect options. When you’re left with just two remaining options, your chances of picking the right answer look much better, right?

7. Eliminate obviously wrong answers

When you’ve read the question carefully and looked at the answers, try to eliminate the answer options that you know are definitely wrong. This way, you can concentrate on a smaller pool of answers to choose from.

If an answer obviously does not refer to what’s being asked, you know that answer cannot be correct. Make sure that the answer option you choose is matching the question’s context clues. If an answer has absolutes such as never, must, or always, those options are generally incorrect, so start with eliminating those answers as they usually are not correct.

8. Keep an eye on the clock

Although the time restraints on the GED Language Arts subtest should be enough to complete the test in a timely manner, you should keep going at the correct pace.

Check the time regularly and remember to “budget” your precious time. You shouldn’t dwell on those questions that you really don’t know the answer to. Just skip these questions and move on.

On the other hand, try not to rush the questions that you’re sure you know, or that you think you know. Read them twice carefully. That will allow you to come up with the best answer choice. It happens but too often, that some careless mistake is what separates a top GED Language Arts score from a mediocre score.

9. Edit and proofread your extended response

Make sure you’ll save the last 10 minutes or so for proofreading your extended response! Check what you’ve written for organizational mistakes, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and perhaps unclear statements.

Reading what you’ve produced out loud (of course, in a quiet voice, more inside your mouth) may also be helpful for catching writing errors.

10. Trust your instinct

When answering questions on the GED Language Arts test, trust your first instinct. Once you’ve picked the answer that you think is right, move ahead and don’t over-analyze the choice you made.

If you spend too much time on a question, stress can take over, and then, you often want to change something. When, in the end, you’ve got some time left for reviewing, change only those answers that have obvious mistakes.

When you’ve read the question carefully twice, and you’ve picked an answer option, chances are your first choice is the best.

GED Essay Question

The Reasoning Through Language Arts section of the GED includes an “Extended Response” question. This is simply an essay question. You will have 45 minutes to type your answer. This is a tricky part of the GED test, so it’s very important to familiarize yourself with this task ahead of time. First read our essay guide and then review our sample question. Try typing out your own essay before you look at our sample response.

• GED Essay Writing Guide
• GED Essay Practice Question
• GED Essay Sample Response

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GED Essay: How To Write An Essay For GED

Before launching into how to write an essay for GED, you need a basic understanding of what GED is and what it stands for. So, what is GED? GED stands for General Educational Development. It is simply referred to as GED on the website.

Then, what is GED test? GED test is a group of tests on four subjects that gives the test taker an equivalent certificate to a high school diploma. A Certificate of High School Equivalency is awarded to people who pass by the States and jurisdictions. It has some common features with Standardized College Admissions Test.

What is a GED Essay? The GED Essay is one of the tests in the GED Language Arts (RLA) tests. A GED Essay is also known as an Extended Response. Let’s look into how to write the essay, GED essay topics, sample, prompts, and tips on writing and passing the essay.

Structure Of A GED Essay

The GED writing practice test essay is written online only. You don’t have to be fast in typing to pass but a moderate speed is important as you would have only about 45 minutes to finish planning and writing the essay.

The structure of a proper GED Language Arts Essay is consistent. It is the basic structure of writing an essay. Your essay should be arranged as follows; the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The essay is an argumentative essay but not in the regular structure of an argumentative essay.

What you are expected to do when writing your GED test online is to present an analysis of both sides of the argument and explain which side of the argument is stronger. You don’t have to write a creative essay, you just have to ensure you write proper grammar. It is not a person that will mark your essay. You have to ensure you write your correct answers that the machines will recognize.

The acceptable standard is to write a five-paragraph essay that fits into this structure. Here is what is expected in the structure of your GED essay:

• Introduction: The introduction is the first paragraph of the essay. At this point, you state your claim and thesis statement. State your position and stand by it.
• The Body: In this part of the essay, you present your reasons and evidence. Usually the longest part of the essay, you should write at least two paragraphs.
• Conclusion: This paragraph concludes your essay by emphasizing your standpoint. Restate the strongest points of your view.

Examples of Topics In A GED Essay

For writing your GED essay topic, you would be provided a stimulus and a prompt. The stimulus material is a text that gives you two opposing sides of an argument. The prompt is the instructions on what you need to do.

You can read through GED essay examples to know how the topics are written. A good GED essay example will also help you know the style and tone with which you are to write your essay. Some GED essays topics are:

• An Analysis of Daylight-Saving Time
• Should The Penny Stay In Circulation?
• Is Golf A Sport?
• What is the true meaning of honesty?
• Is the current high school system sufficient to educate our country’s youth?

It is very important to not write the GED Essay unprepared. You can take a GED essay practice test online that will help you gauge your skills before the actual exam. There are also great GED essay samples that you should take your time to go through. Ensure that you practice as many samples as you can before the actual essay. Professional writers can help as well.

Tips On Writing A Good GED Essay

There is a methodology for everything and GED essays are not an exception. When you might not be able to predict your stimulus or prompt, certain things need to be in place in your mind to pass the essay. These GED Essay tips will ensure that you do not just pass your test but do so, excellently.

Some tips that should be at the back of your mind when writing a GED essay are:

• Read your GED Essay Prompts and Stimulus Thoroughly: Take your time to meticulously read the questions ND figure out what it is about. Try to understand the topic and what is expected in your answers. Do not rush to answer the questions. You can even highlight certain words or phrases in the stimulus so you can always look back to confirm that you are on track.
• Plan the Outline of your Essay: Plan how you would progressively move through the structure of your essay. From the introduction to the conclusion, ensure you know what you are going to write before you set the pen on paper. The outline will help you save time on thinking what next when writing. It also helps you progressively write the essay without losing sight of the goal.
• Focus On The Subject: Every paragraph you write should either support your side of the argument or weaken the other end of the opponent. State your evidence, showing that you understand the claim you have chosen. Also, point out evidence in the stimulus that supports your claim.
• Proofread and Revise Your Essay: Make sure you leave enough time for proofreading and revision. Mistakes are human, you might find that you have spelled a word incorrectly or forgotten to punctuate. Proofreading and revising your essay assures you that you have written an essay correctly and from a justified and clear view. Make sure to let others proofread your essay as well, and provide you with some essay homework help .

If you can follow these tips and prepare adequately for the essay, you are sure to pass well in your GED writing test.

How Are GED Essays Graded?

As you know, the GED Essay is written online and graded by machines. Since you cannot sway the marker’s opinion with creative writing or big words, it is important to know how it is the test is graded and type accordingly.

The machines are programmed to grade the essay according to five criteria. The criteria are:

Organization: How clear and presentable is your ideas and strategies in the essay? Clear and Swift Response: Did you answer the question without changing focal points? Progress and Details: Did you use relevant examples and go into specific details instead of just stating what is in the stimulus? Do your arguments follow progressively? Grammar Rules Of English: Do you have a good command of English writing techniques? Was your sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, syntax, and grammar in place? Did you take the time to edit and proofread before submitting it? Word Choice: Did you use the right words to express your point of view?

Writing the GED Essay can be very easy with adequate practice and the right materials at hand. You just have to follow the right structure, read your stimulus and prompt well, and write to the best of your ability. GED is simple to pass if you just have the right knowledge and follow it.

GED Essay Preparation Help

Now that you have read about the GED essay you might still be wary of the challenge. It is not easy, but there are always alternative ways to improve. One of which is to get help from our online assignment help service. Our writers are total pros that will help you write and improve, and can do anything you ask. You will pass all your tests in no time.

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How Many Essays Does the GED Have?

Interpretation of GED Test Scores

The General Equivalency Development test, commonly known as the GED, tests high school students who didn't graduate to see if they sufficiently mastered basic high school academic subjects. Most states require students to be at least 16 years old to take the GED, and they must submit legal proof of residency. The test has five multiple-choice sections, including a two-part language arts section that requires one written essay.

Length of Essay

A GED essay must clearly communicate thoughts and ideas and should include an introduction and a conclusion. Even though there aren't any specific essay length requirements, GED Online recommends writing an essay that's approximately 250 words. You might have trouble transitioning from one point to another and incur difficulty creating a cohesive, well-constructed essay if it's much less than 250 words. Depending on your writing style, margins and the size of your letters, one to two handwritten pages is usually enough. Clear communication, word choice, sentence structure and the ability to thoroughly answer the topic question is more important than a lengthy response. Don't break your essay into several smaller essays -- only one meets the requirement.

Time Restrictions

Each section of the GED is timed, so you must work quickly and efficiently. According to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab, you have 45 minutes to plan, write, edit and proofread your essay. Make sure you have a good pencil eraser in case you need to revise, correct or rearrange some of the content. If you finish your essay in less than 45 minutes, you can go back to Part One of the language arts section and finish or proofread your answers. You aren't allowed to go back to other sections of the test.

Sample Topics

GED essay topics don't ask you to recite historical information or quote statistical data, so you don't need to study or memorize content for the test. According to sample GED topics on Purdue OWL's website, you can expect questions such as, "In your opinion, is censorship positive or negative?" or "What are common methods used to combat stress?" You must provide sufficient examples and express your ideas clearly, but the approach you take and the examples you choose won't affect your score. In other words, as long as you communicate effectively, it doesn't matter whether you support censorship or not. You're being tested on your writing skills, not your values or belief system.

Since you only have the opportunity to write one essay, the goal is to make sure you get a minimum score of 2 out of 4 -- two GED graders score your essay, and their scores are averaged. Your essay score is combined with your score on Part One to create a composite score for the entire language arts section. An essay score below 2 means you automatically failed the language arts section even if you got a passing score on the multiple-choice questions. According to Purdue OWL, evaluators analyze your response to the prompt, organizational skills, details and development, sentence structure and word choice. A score of 4 is considered effective, 3 is adequate, 2 is marginal and 1 is inadequate.

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As curriculum developer and educator, Kristine Tucker has enjoyed the plethora of English assignments she's read (and graded!) over the years. Her experiences as vice-president of an energy consulting firm have given her the opportunity to explore business writing and HR. Tucker has a BA and holds Ohio teaching credentials.

How Long Does It Take to Get Your GED?

Completing your high school education can hold the key to a better future, and taking the GED test offers the chance of earning a diploma in a matter of months. With enough preparation and dedication, you can get your GED certificate. If you’ve been wondering how long it takes to get your GED, here’s an overview of the process.

How Long Do People Generally Study for the GED? 

Depending on your learning style, you might be ready to take your GED test after a month or perhaps longer. If possible, take your time preparing thoroughly, and schedule the exam when you’re confident you can pass it. 

The GED comprises four different exam topics: 

• Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Mathematics

It’s a good idea to take the GED Ready practice test first to determine your strengths and weaknesses. You can then focus on the areas you need to improve.  

Studying for 90 minutes, four to five times a week, is an effective study routine for most people. If this isn’t possible, studying two to three times a week is still a good strategy, though it might take you longer to feel ready for the test. You can improve your concentration and retention of the material by creating the best study environment possible.

It’s possible to study for all the sections at once and take the entire exam on the same day. However, you can also spread out the test over several weeks and focus your study on whichever subject you’re taking. For example, you can focus on one subject for three weeks, then take the exam, or study all subjects for about three months and take the entire GED test at once. 

With a fixed study schedule, you’ll be better able to narrow down the length of time it takes to get a GED.

How Long Is the GED Test? 

Taking all four GED subjects at once would take around 7.5 hours. However, many test-takers choose to spread the sections out a bit more. 

You might find it more favorable to schedule one subtest at a time. How long it takes to get your GED depends on how you schedule your test.

The breakdown of each section is as follows:

• Language Arts: 150 minutes, with a 10-minute break
• Social Studies: 70 minutes
• Mathematics: 115 minutes
• Science: 90 minutes

How Long Does It Take to Get GED Scores? 

So you’ve put in the work. You’ve studied, taken the entire test, and are on the cusp of personally discovering how long a GED takes to earn. Now it’s out of your hands, but how long does it take to get your GED scores? 

Most people can get their results within a few hours of taking the GED test. If not, expect to get it within 24 hours of completing the exam. 

To know whether the results are ready for viewing, you can check your email or log into your GED account online. If it’s been four business days since your test and you still haven’t received your results, get in touch with the GED support team . They can help find your information or provide other GED-related assistance.

A Stepping Stone to Success

How long does it take to get your GED? It depends on when you take the first steps! 

Getting your GED can be a stepping stone to many exciting opportunities. So celebrate this milestone and keep moving forward. If you haven’t gotten your GED yet but are interested in pursuing this certification, be sure to prepare for the exam and contact us if you have any questions. We’re here to help you attain your credential and stay on track.

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