Provincial Achievement Test · Alberta
Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test
- Grade 9
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
- 3 h 15 min
- Marked questions
- 55
- Parts
- 2
- Calculator
- Not allowed
- Format
- On a computer
Grade 9 ELA PAT 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
2 sessions this school year: January and June.
January 2027
- Wednesday, January 20, 20279:00–11:00 AM · Part A
- Thursday, January 21, 20279:00–10:15 AM · Part B
June 2027
- Thursday, June 3, 20279:00–11:00 AM · Part A
- Tuesday, June 8, 20279:00–10:15 AM · Part B
The dates are Alberta’s own, read on September 28, 2026. See the official schedule (alberta.ca)
What’s on it
2 topics. Part A — Writing and Part B — Reading across fiction/nonfiction/drama/poetry/cartoons count most, at 50% each.
- Part A — Writing50%Narrative/essay + functional
- Part B — Reading across fiction/
nonfiction/ 50%drama/ poetry/ cartoons
The skills it tests · 18 skills
- Character choices and motives
- Comparing character, plot and theme
- Denotation and connotation
- Evaluating sources for bias
- Explicit and implicit meaning
- Focusing a research question
- Forms and genres
- Generating ideas from a theme
- Irony, symbolism and other techniques
- Organizing information
- Parallel structure
- Punctuation and quotation marks
- Revising for structure and flow
- Spelling strategies
- Structuring a narrative
- Summarizing in your own words
- Textual cues, skimming and scanning
- Why readers interpret differently
How it’s built
An essay, multiple-choice questions and questions in sets.
- Part A: Writing
- Time
- 120 min
- Of the marks
- 50%
- Essay
Two pieces of writing: a narrative or essay on a prompt, and a practical writing task.
- Part B: Reading
- Time
- 75 min
- Questions
- 55
- Marks
- 55
- Of the marks
- 50%
- Multiple choice
- Questions in sets
55 questions, each worth 1 mark, on 10 selections: fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry and cartoons.
How it’s marked
- Below the acceptable standard
- Acceptable standard
- Standard of excellence
Teachers mark your writing centrally, and a computer marks the reading. Your results are reported against two provincial standards: the acceptable standard and the standard of excellence.
On the day
- First sittingPart A, the writing, set for 2 hours.
- On another dayPart B, the reading, set for 75 minutes.
Two parts, on the computer. Part A starts with 10 minutes to talk over both assignments in a small group, and you can note ideas in planning spaces. Everyone may take up to double the time: 4 hours for Part A and 150 minutes for Part B.
Getting ready
1 official document to practise with, and 3 tips.
Official practice
Tips from the people who write it
- Use the 10 minutes of discussion well: you can write down planning ideas during it.
- You may use a dictionary or thesaurus, printed or on the platform, in Part A but not in Part B.
- Part B has 10 selections, including drama and cartoons, so practise every kind of text.
After the exam
- Results
The school shares early results with families by the end of the school year. The Individual Student Profile follows in early September 2027, on myPass and from the school.
- Marks
Whether the test counts in a school mark is up to the school authority.
- If you miss it
A student absent on test day writes it when they’re back, before the last scheduled day. The principal, with the parents, can ask for a student to be excused where writing would harm them or they can’t take part in a meaningful way.
From General Information Bulletin 2026–2027, Grades 6 and 9 Provincial Achievement Testing (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 Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test in 2026–27?
The next sitting is January 20, 2027, 9:00–11:00 AM. This school year it’s written in January 2027 and June 2027.
How long is the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test?
It takes 3 hours 15 minutes in all, over 2 parts.
How many questions are on the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test?
It has 55 marked questions.
Can you use a calculator on the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test?
No. Calculators aren’t allowed.
How are Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test results reported?
At 3 levels: Below the acceptable standard, Acceptable standard and Standard of excellence.
Where can I find practice tests for the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test?
Alberta publishes Grade 9 ELA scoring guide + parent guide + practice tests. MapleMind also builds a full practice exam in its format, free with an account.
Practise for the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test
Every skill on the Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test, taught one at a time, then practised on questions written like the real ones.
