By 5th grade, the IAR ELA test asks students to read several texts on one topic, compare stories, back up every answer with evidence and then write about it all in two sections of 90 minutes. If you’re looking for IAR 5th grade ELA test prep that covers all of it, this workbook was made for you.
The Illinois IAR 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook is aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts and built from the IAR ELA blueprints, evidence statements and task models published by the Illinois State Board of Education. Every passage and question is original, and a certified teacher reviewed the book.
It’s a Printable PDF, so you can print the pages you need for whole-class lessons, small groups, centers or homework. Below you’ll find what’s on the test, what’s inside the book, a look-inside video and a simple plan for the months before testing.
- An 18-question pretest, a Learn It lesson + test-style practice for all 19 standards, mixed review, test-taking strategies, 2 full-length practice tests and a 202-answer key.
- One practice test like each IAR form: Practice Test 1 is like Form A and Practice Test 2 is like Form B, with 20 questions each.
- Printable PDF, 296 full-color pages, $9.99.
- Writing rubrics, a writing checklist with every written task, bubble answer sheets, progress trackers and class data sheets.
- Free with a Have Fun Teaching membership.
What’s on the IAR 5th grade ELA test?
The IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) is Illinois’ state test for grades 3 to 8. In 5th grade, the ELA test comes in two sections, and most students take it on the computer. A paper form is also available.
Two sections
Two sections of 90 minutes each, 3 hours in all.
Form A or Form B
Each student gets one of two forms at random, so students need to be ready for both.
Two-point questions
About 18 reading questions worth 2 points each. Most are Part A/Part B: answer the question, then pick the evidence.
Two written responses
Every student writes twice: a Literary Analysis or Narrative Writing Task, plus a Research Simulation Task.
Two writing scores
Analysis and research responses are scored 0 to 4 and 0 to 3; the narrative gets two scores of 0 to 3. A writing checklist comes with every written task starting in 2027.
One spring window
Online testing runs March 1 to April 16, 2027. Your district picks the days inside it.
Form A starts with a Literary Analysis Task (two stories) and a short text, then a Research Simulation Task with two or three sources on one topic. Form B starts with a Narrative Writing Task and a long or paired text set, then the same kind of Research Simulation Task. Online, some questions ask students to put events in order, fill in a table or pick words from drop-down boxes, and the practice tests in this workbook turn those into tables and boxes students fill in on paper.
What’s inside the IAR 5th grade ELA test prep workbook
The workbook follows the order you’d teach it. Find out what students already know, teach the gaps one standard at a time, mix everything together, then rehearse the real thing twice.
Inside · PretestPretest18 questions and a scoring guide that shows which standards to teach first.
Inside · Learn ItLearn It pagesA story or article, a worked example and a tip for every standard.
Inside · ReviewMixed ReviewPassage sets mix literary, informational and vocabulary questions to keep earlier skills fresh.
Inside · Practice testFull practice testsTwo tests in two sections each, 20 questions apiece: one like Form A, one like Form B.
Practice Test 1 starts with a short text and a Literary Analysis Task, then a Research Simulation Task with three sources. Practice Test 2 starts with a Narrative Writing Task, then paired stories and a Research Simulation Task. The answer key has sample answers and rubrics for every written response, so you can score both traits the way the state does.
Take a look inside (video)
Want to flip through it before you buy? This short look-inside video walks through the whole workbook, from the pretest to the class data sheets at the back.
How to use the printable workbook in class
Because it’s a PDF, you print only what you need, when you need it. Here’s how teachers tend to use each part.
Print the pretest
One sitting shows you which standards each reader needs most.
Small groups + centers
Pull the Learn It and practice pages for the skills your groups need.
Test day rehearsal
Give one 90-minute section a day, two days in a row, just like the real test.
Track the growth
Score with the answer key and rubrics, then fill in the progress trackers and class data sheets.
5 tips to get 5th graders ready for the IAR
Read for evidence
Ask “How do you know?” every day. Most reading questions have a Part B that asks for the sentence that proves the answer.
Use the clues around a word
Vocabulary questions sit inside the passage sets. Practice figuring out a new word from context, word parts and signal words like however and although.
Read across sources
The research task can use three sources on one topic. Have students jot what each source adds before they write.
Plan, check, then write
Teach a five-minute plan before every written response, then have students check their work against the writing checklist.
Build stamina
Ninety minutes is a long sit for a 5th grader. Stretch independent reading time a little each month.
Printable PDF: $9.99, or free with a membership
The workbook comes as one Printable PDF with all 296 full-color pages. Print as many copies as your class needs, year after year.
Already a member? The Printable PDF is included with your Have Fun Teaching membership, so you can download it today at no extra cost.
When do 5th graders take the IAR ELA test?
The IAR is a spring test. For the 2026–27 school year, online testing runs from March 1 to April 16, 2027 (paper testing March 1 to April 2), and each district schedules its own days inside the window. Here’s an easy way to spread your IAR 5th grade ELA test prep across the year so spring never turns into a cram session.
Now: give the pretest
Score it with the guide and circle the standards each reader needs most.
Fall into winter: teach the gaps
Use one Learn It + practice set a few times a week, in the order your pretest points to.
January: mix it up
Mixed review keeps reading and vocabulary skills fresh while you teach new units.
Early February: Practice Test 1
Run both sections like test day, written responses included, then reteach what slipped.
Late February: Practice Test 2
The other form, with new passages and a story to write, builds stamina and shows real growth.
Test day: celebrate
They’ve seen every question type already. Tell them so.
Check your school calendar for your district’s dates. For the official test details, visit the Illinois State Board of Education IAR page, and to try the state’s own sample questions, open the IAR practice items. Our Illinois test prep page has every IAR workbook, and test prep by state keeps every state in one place.
Members: it’s already yours
With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the Printable PDF of this workbook is included, along with every other state test prep workbook PDF and the whole resource library. See membership plans.
5th grade ELA worksheets to pair with it
When the pretest flags a skill, a single-page worksheet is an easy way to add one more round of practice. These three line up with big 5th grade reading and vocabulary skills on the test.
5th · WorksheetMain IdeaFind the main idea of a passage and the details that support it.
5th · WorksheetSuffixes Word ListMatch suffixes to their meanings and use them to figure out new words.
5th · WorksheetPoetry ResponseRead a poem closely and respond to it with details from the text.
Keep exploring
Try a sample question: IAR 5th grade ELA
Here is a new practice passage written by Have Fun Teaching in the style of the IAR — not a real test item. Read it, answer each question, then tap to check.
The Great Wall of China is thousands of miles long. Workers built it over many centuries to protect the land from invaders. Today, millions of tourists visit it every year.
1. Why was the Great Wall built?
To protect the land from invaders — the second sentence explains.
2. What does centuries mean?
Hundreds of years — the wall took many lifetimes to build.
3. How is the passage organized?
Past to present — it describes building it, then visitors today.
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This workbook, plus 6,600+ resources
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- IAR 5th Grade ELA: Printable PDF included
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IAR 5th grade ELA test prep: questions teachers ask
Are these real IAR questions?
No. Have Fun Teaching wrote every story, article and question from scratch, and a certified teacher reviewed the book. It is aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts and built from the IAR ELA blueprints, evidence statements and task models published by the Illinois State Board of Education, but it is an independent practice resource and does not use real test items.
How long is the IAR 5th grade ELA test?
The test has two sections of 90 minutes each, 3 hours in all. Schools give the sections on different days or with a break, and the practice tests in this workbook are split into the same two sections.
What kind of writing is on the 5th grade IAR?
Students write about what they read. Each student gets one of two test forms at random: Form A has a Literary Analysis Task and a Research Simulation Task, and Form B has a Narrative Writing Task and a Research Simulation Task. Analysis and research responses get a score of 0 to 4 and a score of 0 to 3; a narrative gets two scores of 0 to 3. Practice Test 1 in the workbook is like Form A and Practice Test 2 is like Form B, so students practice all three task types.
How much does the workbook cost?
The Printable PDF is $9.99 for all 296 full-color pages, and you can print as many copies as your class needs. With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the PDF is included at no extra cost, along with the Printable PDF of every other state test prep workbook and the rest of the library.
Is the IAR ELA test online or on paper?
Most students take the IAR on the computer, and a paper form is also available. Online, some questions have students put events in order, fill in a table or pick from drop-down boxes; the printable practice tests turn those into tables and boxes students fill in on paper.
Walk into test day ready.
Start with the pretest this week, and have every standard covered by spring.
IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) is the state assessment of the Illinois State Board of Education. Have Fun Teaching, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Illinois State Board of Education. Not an official test.
