ACT English Tips: How to Raise Your Section Score

By Maya R., Test Prep Specialist

The direct answer: to raise your ACT® English score, stop treating it as one big grammar test and split it into the groups ACT actually measures, then drill the weakest group with timed passages. The section is 50 questions in 35 minutes, and about 38 to 43 percent is rhetoric (purpose, unity, cohesion), not punctuation. Students who only memorise comma rules cap out early. This guide gives the rule groups, a timed method, and a review system you can run with free official material.

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ACT English at a Glance

Know the Three Reporting Categories

ACT Inc. lists the English reporting categories with percentage ranges so you can weight your study (ACT description of the English test). I teach students to map every missed question back to one of these.

Conventions of Standard English

Punctuation, usage, and sentence structure. This is where commas, apostrophes, agreement, and verb form live. It is learnable in chunks if you drill by sub rule.

Production of Writing

Topic, unity, and cohesion. These questions ask whether a sentence belongs, where a paragraph should go, and whether a transition fits. The right answer is the one that serves the passage's purpose.

Knowledge of Language

Precise and appropriate word choice. Smaller slice, but it separates a 30 from a 34 because strong writers handle it and weak ones guess.

Tips That Move the Score

Tip 1: read the question stem, not just the underline

The redesigned ACT adds a stem above the choices for some items, stating what the question asks. Read it. It tells you whether to judge grammar or purpose, and guessing the type wastes the question.

Tip 2: drill one rule group per session

Do not mix commas, agreement, and cohesion in one untimed block. Isolate them. Work 15 items on a single rule so the pattern locks in, then write the rule in your own words.

Tip 3: use the fourth choice as a tell

With four answer choices, the "no change" option is real and often correct. Do not fear it. If the sentence is already correct, the test wants you to recognise that.

Tip 4: time the passage, then time the review

Seven minutes per passage for the drill, then double that for review. Resurface the weak rule the following week so it does not return.

Tip 5: practise rhetoric on real passages

Grammar drills will not raise the production of writing slice. Use full passages from ACT's free timed practice tests (ACT online practice tests) so you meet rhetoric in context.

A Timed Method for Test Day

Walk in with a per passage clock. Skip the item that eats time, mark it, and return. The section rewards finishing, because the last questions are not harder than the first.

Build an error tally

After each practice, tally misses by rule. The tally, not your gut, decides next week's drill. Group the rules in your notes so you can jump to the exact one.

Common Misconceptions

• "Shorter is always better." Only for redundancy; not a general rule.
• "English is the easy section." It is the most rule based, which helps and hurts.
• "Reading the passage first saves time." No; work item by item.
• "No change is a trap." It is a legitimate answer about 20 to 25 percent of the time.
• "One drill fixes everything." You need the tally to target the real gap.

A Worked Example: Catching the Distractor

Concrete practice shows how the tips play out. Take this item: the passage says "the author moves from a broad claim to a specific case." The question asks which transition fits. One choice restates the claim, one jumps to a new topic, and the correct one signals the specific example with "for instance."

The trap is the choice that sounds academic. The right answer is the one the stem demands: a signal of example. Read the stem, then the choices, and ignore how polished a distractor sounds. Pair stem first items with full passages so the habit locks in.

Your Four Week Lift Plan

• Week 1: build the rule tally from two timed passages; name the weakest group.
• Week 2: drill that group untimed, 15 items per session.
• Week 3: one full section from ACT's free timed practice tests (ACT description of the English test), then re tally.
• Week 4: attack the new weakest group from your notes and sit another full section.
• Every week: redo the weak rule so it does not return.
• Checkpoint: a 2 point rise in the weak category is a real win; chase that, not a vague total.

Test Day Routine

A clean routine protects the gains from your drills.

• Sleep and eat; the section is early and small slips cost marks.
• Scan passage lengths in 30 seconds, then start with your fastest.
• Hold 7 minutes per passage; mark the slow item and return.
• Read the question stem first on rhetoric items so you judge purpose, not style.
• Use the fourth choice, "no change," when the sentence is already correct; it is legitimate.
• Guess on every blank; no penalty exists, and four choices reward an informed guess.

One untimed review passage the night before is enough; do not cram.

Mistakes That Cost Points

The same slips appear in every cohort, and each is a drill away from fixed.

Treating it as pure grammar

Nearly half the section is rhetoric. Students who only study commas cap out. Use full passages so rhetoric shows up in context.

Trusting the smoothest choice

The polished distractor is often wrong. Name the rule or the purpose before choosing.

Fearing "no change"

The fourth choice is legitimate about a quarter of the time. Do not auto edit.

Skipping the review

A miss with no named rule returns. Log it by category and redo the group next week.

Putting It Together

The section is learnable because it is rule based. Pick the weakest category from your tally, drill it untimed until the pattern is obvious, then prove it under a timer. The students who rise fastest are not the ones who study longest; they are the ones who review every miss by rule and refuse to let a gap return. Keep the redesigned ACT's reporting split in mind, about 38 to 43 percent conventions, 38 to 43 percent production, and 18 to 23 percent language, and your weekly focus will match the test. One point in the right category beats an hour of scattered reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to gain points?

Fix the single weakest rule group from your tally; that is where the easiest marks sit.

How long should one passage take?

About 7 minutes for 10 questions, leaving buffer for review.

Is the redesigned ACT English different in structure?

The question stem style changed for some items, but the 50 question, 35 minute format holds (ACT description of the English test).

Does English count toward the Composite?

Yes, with math and reading, under the EMR Composite used from September 2025.

Should I use a course book or free tools?

Both. Use official ACT practice tests for volume and a notebook to track your rule tally.

Where do I start tonight?

Run one timed passage and build your rule tally from the misses.