A fall screening shows that six seventh graders read well below grade level. In a multi-tier system of support, what does Tier 2 typically add for them?Wikipedia, Response to intervention. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0001
A science teacher and a language arts teacher both plan to teach the word "analyze" because it turns up in texts across subjects. In the three tiers of vocabulary named in the framework for this test, what kind of word is it?ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0003
A seventh grader decodes accurately but slowly. Her teacher has her read the same short passage aloud several times with feedback. What is this approach called?Put Reading First, third edition (National Institute for Literacy). Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0002
Show all 44 questions (41 more)
Foundations of language and literacy, continued
A sixth-grade teacher models how to annotate a paragraph, then annotates the next one with the class, then has pairs try one, then assigns one for each student to do alone. Which model of instruction is she following?Wikipedia, Gradual release of responsibility. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0001
A student divides "robot" as ro-bot and reads the first syllable with a long o. What kind of syllable is "ro"?Wikipedia, Syllable. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0002
A student who reads well in Spanish meets the English word "family" and connects it with "familia" at once. What do linguists call this helpful carry-over from a first language?Wikipedia, Language transfer. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0001
A teacher asks a struggling fifth-grade reader, "What is 'crane' without the /k/?" Which phonemic awareness task is this?Put Reading First, third edition (National Institute for Literacy). Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0002
A teacher runs a chapter through a readability formula that scores it from word length and sentence length. Which part of text complexity has she measured?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Standard 10. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0004
After a class reads an article on wolves returning to a park, which question is text-dependent in the sense of reading standard RI.6.1?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RI.6.1. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0004
An eighth grader thinks "mad" always means angry and is thrown by a British character who is "mad about football". By standard L.6.4c, which reference would clarify the word's precise meaning?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, L.6.4c. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0003
In a small group, students take turns leading the talk about a passage by predicting, asking questions, clarifying and summarizing. Which instructional method is this?Wikipedia, Reciprocal teaching. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0004
In the word "graph", the letters p and h together spell one sound. What is such a pair of letters called?Wikipedia, Digraph (orthography). Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0002
Sixth graders meet "inaudible" in a story. The teacher writes "audience" and "auditory" beside it and asks what the three words share. Which word-learning strategy is she teaching?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, L.6.4b. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0003
Which word carries an inflectional ending, one that marks a grammatical category and leaves the word's class unchanged?Wikipedia, Morphological derivation. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0002
"The wind blew" and "wind the clock" use one spelling for two words with different meanings. What is the term for such a pair?Wikipedia, Homograph. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0003
Literary and informational texts 11
A narrator complains, "My backpack weighs a thousand pounds." Which figure of speech is this?Wikipedia, Hyperbole. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0005
A novel follows an invented girl through the real Chicago fire of 1871. Which genre is it?Wikipedia, Historical fiction. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0007
A poem has the line "the sly snake slid on silent sand". Which sound device is at work?Wikipedia, Alliteration. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0005
A poem in short rhymed stanzas tells how a sailor was lost at sea, and it was first passed along as a song. Which form is it?Wikipedia, Ballad. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0007
A sixth-grade unit pairs a chapter on hurricanes with a storm-track map and a video of a forecast. Which reading standard does the pairing serve?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RI.6.7. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0006
A student reading a book on volcanoes wants every page that mentions "magma". Which text feature lists terms with pointers to where they appear?Wikipedia, Index (publishing). Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0006
An editorial argues for a later school day and mentions, in passing, that the author's dog sleeps until noon. By reading standard RI.8.8, what should an eighth grader recognize about that detail?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RI.8.8. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0006
Eighth graders read a new novel in which a boy must pass three tests set by a river spirit, then trace the pattern to an old folktale. Which reading standard is the lesson built on?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RL.8.9. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0005
In a short story the reader learns in chapter one that the map is a fake, while the hero trusts it to the end. Which effect does reading standard RL.8.6 tie to such a gap between what readers and characters know?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RL.8.6. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0005
In a tale, the animals of a barnyard overthrow the farmer, and each animal stands for a figure in a real revolution. What is this kind of narrative called?Wikipedia, Allegory. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0007
Two articles on the same dam give different figures for the fish lost. Which task matches reading standard RI.8.9?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, RI.8.9. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0006
Writing and research 11
A fifth-grade teacher plans from writing standard W.5.1. What does that standard have students write?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.5.1. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0009
A seventh grader's project on sleep starts with one question. By writing standard W.7.7, what should the research generate along the way?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.7.7. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0010
A sixth grader explaining how bees make honey adds headings and a labeled chart. Which writing standard names formatting and graphics as aids to comprehension?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.6.2a. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0009
A student rewrites a paragraph from a website in his own words, keeps every idea and names no source. How should a teacher describe the result?Wikipedia, Plagiarism. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0010
A teacher asks students to combine "The rain stopped. We went outside." into one complex sentence. Which answer is complex?Wikipedia, Sentence clause structure. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0008
At which grade do the argument writing standards first ask a writer to acknowledge alternate or opposing claims?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.7.1a. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0009
"By June, Maya will have read twelve novels." Which verb tense, named in language standard L.5.1b, does the sentence use?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, L.5.1b. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0008
The grade 6 research standard asks students to gather information from print and digital sources. Which skill does the grade 7 standard, W.7.8, add to that sentence?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.7.8. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0010
Language standard L.6.1c asks sixth graders to correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person. Which sentence has such a shift?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, L.6.1c. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0008
The narrative standard for grade 6 lists dialogue, pacing and description as narrative techniques. Which technique does the grade 8 standard add?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.8.3b. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0009
Writing standard W.6.6 asks sixth graders to use technology to produce and publish writing. How much does it ask them to be able to type in a single sitting?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, W.6.6. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0008
Speaking, listening and viewing 7
A student adds a sound clip and two photographs to her talk on city gardens. By speaking standard SL.6.5, what are such components for?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, SL.6.5. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0011
A student jokes in slang with friends at lunch, then gives a book talk in formal English. What do sociolinguists call a variety of language suited to a particular purpose or situation?Wikipedia, Register (sociolinguistics). Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0011
A teacher leads a talk about a poem with nothing but questions and requests to clarify, until the students reach a conclusion on their own. Which method of dialogue is she using?Wikipedia, Socratic method. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0011
After a classmate's speech on recycling, a sixth grader sorts its claims into those backed by reasons and evidence and those that are not. Which standard describes this listening task?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, SL.6.3. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0012
Eighth graders watch a thirty-second spot for a sports drink and ask who paid for it and why. Which part of listening standard SL.8.2 are they practicing?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, SL.8.2. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0012
In a video ad, a shopper who is not famous says a backpack "changed my mornings". Which advertising technique is this?Wikipedia, Testimonial. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0012
Which three delivery skills does speaking standard SL.6.4 name for a sixth grader presenting claims and findings?Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, SL.6.4. Written to the ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201) test framework, objective 0011
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test design and framework of field 201, Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts, in the study guide on the Illinois Licensure Testing System website (https://www.il.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/IL_SG_OBJ_201.htm, copyright 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.; test page https://www.il.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/IL201_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-13): 100 multiple-choice questions, 80 scorable and 20 not, in 3 hours 15 minutes, passing score 240; Foundations of Language and Literacy Development (objectives 0001 to 0004, 33%), Reading Literary and Informational Texts (0005 to 0007, 25%), Writing and Research (0008 to 0010, 25%) and Speaking, Listening, and Viewing (0011 and 0012, 17%). The bank holds 44: 15, 11, 11 and 7. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 5 to 8 on thecorestandards.org (the standards Illinois applies under 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1, Appendix D; the state's copy is https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ela-standards.pdf), Put Reading First, the framework itself and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
Written for field 201, the grades 5 to 8 test, this free ILTS Middle Grades Language Arts practice test asks 44 questions of our own. It is unofficial, with no connection to the Illinois State Board of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
ILTS Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts (201): the four subareas
The framework on the ILTS site, read October 13, 2026, gives Foundations of Language and Literacy Development 33%, Reading Literary and Informational Texts 25%, Writing and Research 25%, and Speaking, Listening, and Viewing 17%. Of the 44 questions here, 15, 11, 11 and 7 fall to the four subareas in that order. A timed run gives 40 of them 78 minutes, which is the pace of the real test.
A third of the test is how reading is taught
Subarea 1 is the largest, and it is about teaching older readers who still struggle: phoneme tasks, digraphs, open syllables and inflectional endings, fluency, the three tiers of vocabulary and text complexity. The standards questions quote the Common Core standards for grades 5 to 8, which the Illinois Administrative Code applies.
No reference materials are provided with this test, by its test page.
Questions and answers
Is this an ILTS 201 practice test?
Yes. On the ILTS test list, read October 13, 2026, the number 201 belongs to Middle Grades (5–8) Language Arts, the field these questions follow. English Language Arts is a separate field on that list, numbered 207, with its own framework.
How many questions are on the ILTS Middle Grades Language Arts 201 test?
A hundred, all multiple choice, answered on a computer in 3 hours 15 minutes; the appointment runs 3 hours 30 minutes with the tutorial. The framework's table counts 80 of them as scorable.
What is the passing score for ILTS Middle Grades Language Arts?
The framework and the test page agree on 240. Neither tells how many right answers that takes, which is why the result on this page is a count without a pass or fail.