TELPAS Reading and Writing Test: What to Expect and How to Practice

Until 2022, TELPAS reading was an online test and TELPAS writing was rated by teachers from a collection of classroom writing. Since spring 2023, the two have been one online test for grades 2–12: the reading questions and the writing items are mixed through a single form.

Reading and writing still get separate ratings. Each is one of the four domains in the TELPAS composite rating, and each counts for 25 percent of it, the same as listening and speaking.

The test is grouped into six grade clusters: grade 2, grade 3, grades 4–5, 6–7, 8–9 and 10–12. These are narrower than the clusters for the TELPAS listening and speaking test, which are 2–3, 4–5, 6–8 and 9–12. A grade 8 student, for example, takes the grades 8–9 reading and writing test and the grades 6–8 listening and speaking test.

TEA's reading blueprints set the number of reading items for each cluster, and every cluster has the same nine writing items. The released 2025 forms follow the blueprints closely; a form can differ from the blueprint by an item.

Reading questions are about short literary and informational passages. In grade 2 a passage may be a few sentences with a picture; by grades 10–12 passages are longer, more academic and include features such as charts and headings. Every question is worth one point.

The questions fall into three reporting categories. The first is the same size at every cluster, and the third, analyzing and evaluating, grows as students get older.

Most reading questions are multiple choice. On the 2025 forms, each cluster also had one or two technology-enhanced reading items: a hot text item, where the student selects words or sentences in the passage, or a drag-and-drop item.

The writing part has nine items in two reporting categories, as explained in the TELPAS writing test guide. Six are one-point editing items and three are written responses.

On the 2025 released forms for every cluster, the six editing items came together near the start of the test, and the three written responses were spread through it, between reading passages. The editing items were of four kinds:

• Two multiple-choice items: choose the correct way to write part of a sentence.
• Two text entry items: type the correct form of a word or words.
• One two-part text entry item: type two corrections.
• One sentence rewrite: retype a sentence with every error corrected. It earns its point only if the new sentence is complete and fixes all the errors, spelled correctly. Punctuation and capitalization do not count, and new errors are not held against the student.

Each of the three written responses asks the student to write about a prompt: a picture to describe, an experience to narrate, or a topic to explain. The directions usually list what to include, and answering every part matters.

In grades 2 and 3, each response is scored as a whole on a four-point rubric by two human scorers whose scores are added, so the three responses are worth up to 24 points. In grades 4–12, each response is scored on three traits, vocabulary, usage and completeness, from 1 to 4 each, for up to 12 points per response and 36 in all.

The TELPAS writing test guide explains the rubrics in detail, and TEA's writing scoring guides, published with the TELPAS released tests, show real student responses at each score point.

Students take the test on a computer during the spring TELPAS window, which in 2027 runs from February 15 to March 26 (see TELPAS test dates). Schools choose the days.

TEA's guidance to testing coordinators is that the reading and writing test and the listening and speaking test should be given on different days. Students are expected to finish a test within three to four hours, and a student who needs more time may keep working until the end of the regular school day, up to seven hours in all. A test must be finished on the same school day unless the student has an approved accommodation or a health-related interruption.

Because three written responses are typed, keyboard skills affect the result. A student who types slowly will often write less than they could, and completeness is one of the scored traits from grade 4.

Reading questions and the multiple-choice and text entry editing items are scored automatically against an answer key. In grades 4–12, the written responses and the sentence rewrite are scored with a hybrid model: an automated scoring engine scores every response, and at least 25 percent also go to trained human scorers. In grades 2 and 3, written responses and the sentence rewrite are scored entirely by people.

Reading and writing each get a scale score and one of the four TELPAS ratings: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced or Advanced High. In every grade cluster, Advanced starts at a scale score of 1525 and Advanced High at 1600. TELPAS scores explained shows how to read a report.

This site has reading and writing practice for every cluster, written to match the test design but not copied from TEA. Reading questions and editing items are checked as you go with an explanation for every answer, and the written-response prompts come with the TELPAS rubric, a sample response and optional AI practice feedback. Each cluster also has a reading and writing practice test that takes the reading and editing questions in order.

• Grade 2: TELPAS reading practice for grade 2, writing practice and the grade 2 reading and writing practice test.
• Grade 3: TELPAS reading practice for grade 3, writing practice and the grade 3 reading and writing practice test.
• Grades 4–5: TELPAS reading practice for grades 4–5, writing practice and the grades 4–5 reading and writing practice test.
• Grades 6–7: TELPAS reading practice for grades 6–7, writing practice and the grades 6–7 reading and writing practice test.
• Grades 8–9: TELPAS reading practice for grades 8–9, writing practice and the grades 8–9 reading and writing practice test.
• Grades 10–12: TELPAS reading practice for grades 10–12, writing practice and the grades 10–12 reading and writing practice test.

The official TELPAS practice tests are the place to learn the testing screens, including the hot text and text entry items, which look different from paper questions. After that, regular reading and writing in English does more than test practice, and the two together work best. How to prepare for TELPAS covers each domain.

• Reading: read the whole passage before the questions, then go back to the part each question points to. Questions about word meaning can usually be answered from the sentences around the word.
• Editing: read the sentence aloud, quietly. Errors in verb tense, plurals and word order are often easier to hear than to see.
• Sentence rewrite: retype the whole sentence, then check it against the original for every error, not just the first one found.
• Written responses: answer every part of the prompt, in full sentences, with a detail or example for each main point, then reread for the two or three errors you know you make.
• Typing: ten minutes of keyboard practice a few times a week adds up over a couple of months.