Get to know all the topics, question types and format of the ACT English section.
The ACT English section, the first part of the exam, measures your ability to revise and edit written text. As a proofreader and editor, you'll evaluate passages for grammar, punctuation, and clarity by examining underlined or highlighted portions that may need improvement. This section assesses both standard English conventions (grammar, usage, and mechanics) and rhetorical skills (organization and effective wording) in context.
Unlike other standardized tests, spelling and difficult vocabulary aren't directly tested on ACT English. Questions are based on passage context, requiring you to determine the best answer using the information provided rather than recalling obscure rules. While reading comprehension helps you follow a passage's logic, the focus remains on editing and improving clarity—essentially testing how well you can identify and fix writing errors.
The ACT introduced an enhanced format in 2025, which includes changes to the English section. While the core skills and question types remain the same, the format has been updated with fewer questions and adjusted timing. This guide covers both formats to ensure you're prepared regardless of which version you take.
In-depth guides with strategies and practice questions for each question type:
See all question types: ACT English Question Types
The ACT English section consists of 75 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 45 minutes. This makes it the fastest-paced section of the ACT, with roughly 36 seconds per question on average. It is always the first section of the test, so you'll begin your exam day with English while you're fresh.
The 75 questions are divided across 5 passages with about 15 questions per passage. Each passage is a slice of written text (an essay, article, or story excerpt) with certain portions underlined or highlighted. Questions refer to those marked portions or to the passage as a whole.
Beginning in April 2025 for online testing and September 2025 for paper-pencil testing, the ACT English section will be shortened to 50 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 35 minutes. The core skills and question types remain the same. For more information about these changes, visit ACT Enhancements.
Information derived from ACT.org
| Feature | Current Format | Enhanced Format (Starting April 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Questions | 75 multiple-choice questions | 50 multiple-choice questions |
| Time Limit | 45 minutes (about 36 seconds per question) | 35 minutes (about 42 seconds per question) |
| Passage Count | 5 passages (approximately 15 questions each) | Fewer passages (exact distribution not specified) |
| Question Format | Choose the best alternative for an underlined/highlighted portion of text, or "NO CHANGE" if the original is best. Some questions address the whole passage's structure or a paragraph's role. | Same format (underlined portions with multiple-choice answers) |
| Skills Tested | Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, style, and overall passage organization | Same skills assessed |
For each question, you'll be given four answer choices. Your task is to choose the answer that makes the best improvement to the underlined/highlighted text, or to select the option stating that no change is needed. "NO CHANGE" is a valid answer choice for many questions — if you believe the original phrasing is already correct and effective, you would choose that option.
Some questions ask about a specific sentence or phrase, while others ask about a larger portion of the passage or the entire passage's structure. Questions that apply to a whole paragraph or the entire passage are often indicated with a number in a box or a special symbol, rather than an underlined segment.
The ACT English questions are categorized into three reporting categories. Each corresponds to a set of writing skills, and your score report breaks down your performance by category.
| Category | Skills | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Production of Writing | Topic Development; Organization, Unity, and Cohesion | 29-32% (22-24 questions) |
| Knowledge of Language | Precision and Concision; Style and Tone Consistency | 15-17% (11-13 questions) |
| Conventions of Standard English | Sentence Structure and Formation; Punctuation; Usage and Grammar | 52-55% (39-41 questions) |
This category focuses on the rhetorical aspects of writing — the content and organization of the passages. You'll need to improve or evaluate a text based on its purpose and focus, making sure the author's message is clear, ideas are developed appropriately, and included material is relevant.
Topic Development questions ask whether the content of a paragraph fulfills its intended purpose. You might be asked if a certain sentence should be added or removed. Organization, Unity, and Cohesion questions test whether the passage flows logically — choosing transition words, ordering sentences, or picking effective introductions and conclusions.
This smaller category requires an ear for effective language use, focusing on precision and concision. You'll be asked to recognize redundant phrasing, wordiness, or awkward wording and replace it with something more concise. You also must ensure the style and tone of the passage remain consistent.
A typical question might ask you to choose the most concise wording that doesn't change the meaning, or to select a word that better fits the context of the sentence.
This is the largest category, making up over half the English test. It covers the mechanics of writing: grammar, usage, and punctuation. You'll need a solid grasp of standard English rules to spot errors and correct them.
Sentence Structure questions check for proper sentence boundaries (no run-ons or fragments), correct coordination, and parallel structure. Punctuation questions cover commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and apostrophes. Usage and Grammar questions test verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and idiomatic expressions.
Another way to think about the test is mechanics vs. rhetoric. Conventions of Standard English is about mechanics (technical correctness), while Production of Writing and Knowledge of Language deal with rhetorical skills (effectiveness of communication). In older ACT descriptions, these were referred to as "Usage/Mechanics" and "Rhetorical Skills" subscores.
All questions are passage-based, so even a grammar question provides the context of a full sentence or more. A question might underline a verb, and to decide the correct form you may need to check the subject earlier in the sentence or the tense of surrounding sentences.
You earn one point for each correct answer, and no points are deducted for wrong answers. Your raw score (the number of correct answers out of 75) is converted to a scaled score from 1 to 36. The scaling adjusts for difficulty so that scores are comparable across test dates.
A raw score of 70/75 might convert to a 34 on one test form but a 32 on an easier form — it depends on the curve. As a general rule, scoring in the 30s requires the vast majority of questions correct. A perfect 75/75 is a 36, and even just a few mistakes will usually land in the low 30s.
With the enhanced format, your raw score will be out of 50 questions instead of 75, but the same 1–36 scaling applies. The Composite score will be calculated from English, Math, and Reading only, with Science becoming optional and reported separately.
The English section score is averaged with Math, Reading, and Science to produce your Composite score (rounded to the nearest whole number). Score reports also show category-level scores for Production of Writing, Knowledge of Language, and Conventions to highlight strengths and weaknesses.
If you take the optional ACT Writing essay, that score is reported separately and does not affect your English score or Composite.