ELPAC practice test for grades 3–5
Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 take the same form of the ELPAC. Reading passages run roughly 100 to 200 words, and listening passages are short classroom exchanges, stories and presentations.
Students across grades 3–5 take the same form of the test. The reading and listening practice below is scored as you go, with an explanation after every question. Writing and speaking cannot be scored automatically — a trained person judges them against a rubric on the real test — so those pages give you the prompts, the rubric, a worked sample and personalized practice feedback instead of a score. Work through one part at a time to get used to a single task type, or take the mixed practice test to practice switching between them the way the real test does.
Mixed practice tests
Mixed practice test 1
Reading and listening from end to end, in the order the real test presents them, with an explanation after every question.
Start the mixed practice test →Mixed practice test 2
A second reading and listening test with all-new passages and questions, in the order the real test presents them, with an explanation after every question.
Start the mixed practice test →
Practice one part at a time
Reading
Passages followed by comprehension questions, plus word and sentence choice tasks.
Practice Reading →
Listening
Short spoken passages played as recorded audio, with a transcript available, followed by questions.
Practice Listening →
Writing
Writing prompts with a rubric based on the published scoring guides, plus sample responses and optional personalized feedback. Not scored here — writing is scored by a person on the real test.
Practice Writing →
Speaking
Speaking prompts with a rubric based on the published scoring guides, plus sample responses and optional personalized feedback. Not scored here — speaking is scored by a person on the real test.
Practice Speaking →
ELPAC for grades 3–5: common questions
Do students in grades 3, 4 and 5 take the same ELPAC?
Yes. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 take the same form of the test, so a fourth grader and a fifth grader sit the same test. Reading passages run roughly 100 to 200 words, and listening passages are short classroom exchanges, stories and presentations. That is why practice for grades 3–5 is organized as one band here rather than by single grade.
How is the ELPAC given in grades 3–5?
From grade 3, listening, reading and writing are taken on a computer in a group, with listening played through headphones, and students type their writing. Speaking is still given one to one by a test examiner, who scores each answer as the student gives it, and the testing system also records the answers. A listening recording is normally played once unless the student has the pause or replay support, so practice listening the first time.
What grades 3–5 ELPAC practice is on this site?
There are 20 listening questions, 32 reading questions, 6 speaking prompts and 8 writing prompts. Four of the reading questions are extra vocabulary and grammar practice, which is not a separate task on the real test. There are also two mixed practice tests of reading and listening, 24 questions each, with all-new passages in the second, in the order the real test presents them and with an explanation after every question.
What are the ELPAC writing prompts and rubrics for grades 3–5?
There are four writing task types: improving sentences a classmate wrote about a picture by expanding, correcting and combining them; writing about an experience; answering two questions about information in a graphic organizer; and a short essay justifying an opinion on a school topic. Each prompt here has a four-level practice rubric based on the published scoring guides, plus a sample response. The official rubrics are in the practice test scoring guides on caaspp-elpac.org.
Guides for families and teachers
Practice for another grade
Or compare every band on one page: free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the California Department of Education or the official ELPAC program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published task formats.