Diploma exam · Alberta
English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam
English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Examination
- Grade 12
- ELA3104
Dates and details can change. We do our best to keep this page up to date, but check the official sources before relying on it.
- Total time
- 6 h
- Marked questions
- 73
- Parts
- 2
- Counts for
- 30% of the final mark
- Calculator
- Not allowed
- Format
- Paper and computer
English 30-2 Diploma practice test
The whole exam or the parts you choose, in its own format, on the clock.
The exam in the app
Its parts, and what you can use in each
A question, timed, with the exam’s tools
The marked result, part by part
A practice run of Saskatchewan’s Grade 9 math assessment.
Free with a MapleMind account
When
5 sessions this school year: November, January, April, June and August.
November 2026
- Thursday, October 29, 20269:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part A
- Monday, November 2, 20269:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part B
January 2027
- Monday, January 18, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part A
- Thursday, January 21, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part B
Later sessions · 3
April 2027
- Tuesday, April 6, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part A
- Friday, April 9, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part B
June 2027
- Tuesday, June 15, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part A
- Friday, June 18, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part B
August 2027
- Tuesday, August 3, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part A
- Friday, August 6, 20279:00 AM–12:00 PM · Part B
The dates are Alberta’s own, read on September 28, 2026. See the official schedule (alberta.ca)
What’s on it
4 topics. Part B — Reading counts most, at 50%.
- Part A — Visual Reflection10%
- Part A — Literary Exploration25%
- Part A — Persuasive Writing in Context15%
- Part B — Reading50%
The skills it tests · 23 skills
- Addressing matters of stylistic choice
- Appreciating effectiveness and artistry
- Assessing the text-creation context
- Choosing form, structure and medium
- Connecting self, text, culture and milieu
- Developing content
- Devices that create clarity and emphasis
- Discerning and analyzing context
- Editing for correctness
- Engaging prior knowledge
- Enhancing organization
- Enhancing thought, support and detail
- Evaluating sources and detecting bias
- Evaluating texts with criteria
- Focusing purpose and form
- Forming generalizations and conclusions
- Planning and identifying sources
- Producing and presenting the text
- Relating form to purpose
- Reviewing the inquiry process and findings
- Selecting, recording and organizing information
- Understanding and interpreting content
- Using reference strategies
How it’s built
An essay, multiple-choice questions and questions in sets.
- Part A: Written Response
- Time
- 180 min
- Questions
- 3
- Marks
- 50
- Of the marks
- 50%
- Essay
Three pieces of writing: a reflection on a visual, an exploration of literature, and persuasive writing for a practical situation.
- Part B: Reading
- Time
- 180 min
- Questions
- 70
- Marks
- 70
- Of the marks
- 50%
- Multiple choice
- Questions in sets
70 multiple-choice questions on short texts and excerpts: stories, plays and screenplays, poems, visual texts such as ads and cartoons, essays, news and reviews.
How it’s marked
- Below the acceptable standardUnder 50%
- Acceptable standard50% to 79%
- Standard of excellence80% and up
Teachers mark Part A centrally, and a computer marks Part B. Your exam mark is 30% of your final English 30–2 mark, and your school mark is the other 70%. You need a final mark of at least 50% for the credit; 80% meets the standard of excellence.
On the day
- First sittingPart A, the writing, in a 3-hour morning sitting.
- A few days laterPart B, the reading, in another 3-hour morning sitting.
Two parts in separate sittings: Part A is writing and Part B is reading. Everyone may take up to double the time for each part, 6 hours each.
Getting ready
1 official document to practise with, and 4 tips.
Official practice
Tips from the people who write it
- Part A is three shorter pieces of writing, not one long essay.
- Persuasive Writing in Context is practical writing for a real situation, such as a letter or an article: practise the form.
- Part B includes screenplays, ads, posters, cartoons and technical writing, so read widely.
- Some Part B questions ask about two or more readings together.
The mark you need
Your class mark counts for 70% of the final mark, the exam for 30%.
You need
59% on the exam
With 75% in class, your final mark lands between 52.5% (0 on the exam) and 82.5% (100% on it).
After the exam
- Results
Your marks are posted on myPass: your school mark, your exam mark and your blended final mark. A final mark of 48% or 49% is raised to 50%.
- November 2026November 19, 2026
- January 2027February 12, 2027
- April 2027April 30, 2027
- June 2027July 16, 2027
- August 2027August 20, 2027
- Re-marking
Ask for a rescore on myPass by the deadline: November 26, February 25, May 6, August 3 or August 27, by sitting. It costs $35, refunded if your mark rises 5% or more. Teachers re-mark the written part without seeing the first marks; the machine-scored part isn’t rescored. The new mark stands, even if it’s lower.
- Writing it again
You can rewrite at any later sitting: register on myPass and pay $35 (Alberta students). An exam with two parts is rewritten whole. Every mark stays on your record, but only your highest exam mark goes on your transcript. Retaking the course for a new school mark doesn’t mean rewriting the exam.
- If you miss it
If illness, a death in the family or another emergency keeps you from writing, your school applies to Alberta Education: either an exemption, where your school mark stands in for the exam, or a later sitting. A planned trip or work isn’t a reason; you write at a later sitting. Without a passing school mark, an exemption doesn’t help you.
From General Information Bulletin 2026–2027, Diploma Examinations Program (alberta.ca), read on October 27, 2026.
More for you
Students
Start with the topics worth the most marks, then write full practice exams under the real time limit.
Practise itParents
Put the dates on the family calendar. The Parent Dashboard shows each practice exam’s result and the skills that need another look.
See the Parent DashboardEducators
The topic weights and the official practice above make a review plan. Students can practise each skill on its own in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
For schools
Questions about this exam
When is the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam in 2026–27?
The next sitting is January 18, 2027, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM. This school year it’s written in November 2026, January 2027, April 2027, June 2027 and August 2027.
How long is the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam?
It takes 6 hours in all, over 2 parts.
How many questions are on the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam?
It has 73 marked questions: 3 in Part A: Written Response and 70 in Part B: Reading.
Can you use a calculator on the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam?
No. Calculators aren’t allowed.
How much does the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam count?
It’s worth 30% of the final mark in English Language Arts 30-2.
How are English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam results reported?
At 3 levels: Below the acceptable standard (under 50%), Acceptable standard (50% and up) and Standard of excellence (80% and up).
When do English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam results come out?
For 2026–27: the November 2026 sitting on November 19, 2026, the January 2027 sitting on February 12, 2027, the April 2027 sitting on April 30, 2027, the June 2027 sitting on July 16, 2027 and the August 2027 sitting on August 20, 2027.
Where can I find practice tests for the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam?
Alberta publishes ELA 30-2 Released Items + writing standards exemplars. MapleMind also builds a full practice exam in its format, free with an account.
Practise for the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam
Every skill on the English Language Arts 30–2 Diploma Exam, taught one at a time, then practised on questions written like the real ones.
