ELPAC practice test for grades 9–10
Students across grades 9–10 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 full run of reading and listening, with different recordings and passages from practice test 1, in the order the real test presents them and 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 9–10: common questions
What is on the ELPAC for grades 9–10?
Students in grades 9 and 10 take the same form of the test. Reading includes short and longer informational passages, literary passages, and a student essay with numbered sentences where the student finds the one with an error. Listening includes an extended conversation where a classmate argues for an opinion. Speaking includes summarizing a graph or chart and saying whether a claim about it is supported, and summarizing an academic presentation.
What grades 9–10 ELPAC practice is on this site?
There are 21 listening questions, 32 reading questions, 8 speaking prompts and 8 writing prompts. Seven 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, with 24 and 25 questions, the second using different recordings and passages from the first, each with an explanation after every question.
How is the ELPAC given in grades 9–10?
Listening, reading and writing are taken on a computer in a group, with listening through headphones and writing typed. Speaking is given one to one by a test examiner who scores each answer on the spot, and the testing system records the answers. A listening recording is normally played once unless the student has been assigned the pause or replay support, so it helps to practice catching the main idea on the first hearing.
Why does the ELPAC matter for a high school schedule?
An Overall Performance Level 4 on the Summative ELPAC is one of four criteria for reclassification, alongside a teacher evaluation, a basic skills comparison and parent consultation. In many schools, English learners in grades 6 to 12 take a designated ELD class as one of their periods, which can leave less room for electives and for the A–G courses needed for UC and CSU admission. Ask how ELD is scheduled at your school.
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.