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PSC SLE English Written Expression Practice 2026 – Free PSC SLE English Writing Questions

Free PSC SLE English written-expression practice: 70 original workplace grammar questions, including blank completion and error identification. The question text and choices stay in English; switch the interface for English or French explanations.

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  • 70 questions
  • 2 practice tests
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Question 1 of 35Score 0/0

Complete: The clerk decided ____ until the attachment arrived.

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All PSC SLE English Writing practice tests

2 sets of 35 questions. Each set is fixed, so you can repeat it until you score 100%.

Exam facts

Key facts: PSC Second Language Evaluation — English Written Expression

Choose an untimed 35-question set, a 30-question/45-minute blank-completion exercise or a 65-question/90-minute mixed practice. All questions and explained answers are free without an account. Original practice percentages are not calibrated to the official PSC scale.

What the test covers

Topics and question bank

Each original question is grouped by study topic. Pick a topic to practise that area.

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Sample PSC SLE English Writing questions

Tap a question to see the answer. The full interactive test is at the top of the page.
  1. 1Complete: The clerk decided ____ until the attachment arrived.
    • A. waiting
    • B. waited
    • C. waits
    • D. to wait

    Decide takes a to-infinitive in this construction. To wait expresses the chosen action.

  2. 2Which part of the room-booking message needs a correction?

    Fictional workplace note — original exercise. [1] The clerk [2] did not received [3] the booking request [4] before noon.

    • A. [1] The clerk
    • B. [2] did not received
    • C. [3] the booking request
    • D. [4] before noon.

    Correction: “did not receive”. After did not, use the base verb receive rather than the past form received.

  3. 3Complete: The forms, together with the cover letter, ____ on the top shelf.
    • A. is
    • B. am
    • C. are
    • D. be

    Together with adds a parenthetical modifier; it does not make forms singular. The main plural subject takes are.

  4. 4Find the faulty segment in the schedule-change notice.

    Fictional workplace note — original exercise. [1] The revised schedule [2] have been posted [3] near reception [4] for all visitors.

    • A. [1] The revised schedule
    • B. [2] have been posted
    • C. [3] near reception
    • D. [4] for all visitors.

    Correction: “has been posted”. The head schedule is singular, so the present-perfect auxiliary must be has.

  5. 5Complete: A delay in delivery could ____ the launch date.
    • A. affect
    • B. effect
    • C. effects
    • D. affects

    The base verb affect means influence and follows could. Effect as a verb means bring about, which does not express the stated influence on an existing date.

  6. 6Complete: Each of the new badges ____ a unique number.
    • A. have
    • B. has
    • C. are
    • D. were

    Each is the singular head of the subject. The intervening plural badges does not change the required has.

  7. 7Complete: The staff avoided ____ the same data twice.
    • A. enter
    • B. entered
    • C. entering
    • D. to enter

    Avoid is followed by an -ing complement. Entering names the action being avoided.

  8. 8Select the faulty wording in this announcement draft.

    Fictional workplace note — original exercise. [1] We look forward [2] to announce [3] the final dates [4] after approval.

    • A. [1] We look forward
    • B. [2] to announce
    • C. [3] the final dates
    • D. [4] after approval.

    Correction: “to announcing”. In look forward to, to is a preposition followed by the -ing form announcing.

  9. 9Complete: The analyst made us ____ the totals again.
    • A. to review
    • B. review
    • C. reviewing
    • D. reviewed

    Active make plus an object takes a bare infinitive: made us review. The object us does not add to before the following verb.

  10. 10Complete: Please file the records in accordance ____ the retention schedule.
    • A. with
    • B. to
    • C. at
    • D. from

    The fixed expression is in accordance with. The preposition with connects the action to the applicable schedule.

About the test

About the PSC Second Language Evaluation — English Written Expression

The English bank uses short workplace messages to connect grammar with a practical meaning. Its examples distinguish the head of a subject from a nearby modifier, a verb after did from a participle after has, object and subject pronouns, and similar-looking words such as affect and effect. Every sentence is independently written for practice.

An agreement question starts with the word that controls the ending. In a sentence with a long phrase between the subject and verb, locate the subject head before looking at the choices. The nearest noun can be plural while the head is singular, or the other way round. The explanation identifies that relationship rather than simply naming a letter.

A verb-form question can be decided by its construction even when all choices have a familiar root. An auxiliary, a modal or a verb followed by a complement constrains what comes next. Read the words on both sides of the blank and identify the complete verb group. Do not choose a form only because it sounds like a word you have seen before.

For a pronoun, identify its job in the sentence. Is it a subject, an object, an owner or a link to a place? A required preposition can also determine the relative construction. The workplace-usage topic extends this reasoning to short expressions, deadlines and similar-looking words whose meanings differ. Compare meaning and syntax together.

Error identification reverses the task. The original note has four numbered segments and one segment needing correction. Read the complete sentence, choose the faulty segment and then study the replacement in the explanation. A segment may look unusual by itself because it is only part of a sentence; check how it joins the neighbouring words before declaring it wrong.

Use a short mixed set to discover which skill needs attention, then practise that topic and retry the missed items. The two short sets partition this bank without repeating an item between them. A later attempt on the same set reuses its questions. Progress can be saved in this browser when storage is available; it is not a federal language profile.

The longer practice uses the published supervised question count and duration, but it is a fixed independent exercise rather than an adaptive PSC assessment. All of its original items count. The shorter unsupervised-length exercise selects only blank-completion items and withholds explanations until submission. Its study target is a local revision setting, not an official threshold.

For official preparation, follow the PSC links to the current format instructions, public self-assessment booklets and answer keys. Official public self-assessment results are themselves unofficial and those booklets differ from the assessment. Our grammar feedback does not assign A, B, C or E, establish eligibility for a bilingual position or tell a hiring organization that you have met its language requirement.

Study plan

How to prepare

  1. 1Before filling a blank, read the whole sentence and decide what type of word is missing. A noun phrase may need a pronoun, an auxiliary may need a participle, and a preposition may require a different construction. Predict the relationship before looking for a familiar option.
  2. 2For agreement, point to the subject head or the noun being modified and establish its number. Temporarily set aside the intervening words, make the agreement, then read the complete sentence again to confirm the meaning. The last noun before a verb is not automatically its subject.
  3. 3For an error-identification item, check every numbered segment in the context of the complete note. Select the segment with the error, not the corrected wording you expect to see. After answering, compare the supplied replacement and explain why the original form fails.
  4. 4When reviewing a mistake, name the rule and the misleading choice. Record whether the difficulty was agreement, a verb complement, a pronoun’s function, a preposition or a word’s meaning. Correctly guessed answers deserve the same explanation review before you move to the next topic.
  5. 5Use the untimed sets for immediate feedback. Use the 30-question exercise to practise the unsupervised blank-completion format under a 45-minute limit, or the 65-question exercise for the longer mixed format. The countdown begins at your start action and its deadline continues across a reload when browser storage works.
  6. 6Read your official invitation before preparing for the session. The supervised test, the unsupervised test and the public self-assessment have different formats. Choose the relevant official instructions and follow their rules during the actual assessment; our free study exercises do not replace those instructions.

FAQ

PSC SLE English Writing test questions people ask

Is Written Expression an essay-writing exercise?

The PSC formats linked here use multiple-choice questions about grammar, vocabulary and written expression. Our practice uses blank completion and error identification rather than asking for an essay. This is separate from a CELPIP writing-feedback tool.

PSC — supervised written expression ↗

Will the English questions change when I switch the site language?

No. The sentence, question, numbered segments and answer choices remain in English. Instructions and explanations follow the interface language. Use the other writing family to change the language being practised.

Are all 70 questions and explanations free?

Yes. Topic drills, two short sets, timed practice, error review and the printable sheet are free without an account. These are original fictional workplace exercises, not official, recalled or leaked PSC items.

Why are there 65-question and 30-question practice options?

The PSC supervised format has 65 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, with 55 scored and 10 unidentified pilot questions. The unsupervised format has 30 blank-completion questions in 45 minutes. Check your invitation and the matching official instructions.

PSC — supervised format ↗

Can my practice score prove level B, C or an exemption?

No. All of our practice items count and the bank is not calibrated to the official scale. A local revision target is not a PSC pass mark. The result does not establish a language profile, employment eligibility or an exemption.

Where are official writing sample PDFs and answer keys?

The PSC public self-assessment page links to English and French writing booklets and separate keys. Those self-assessments have unofficial results and differ from the assessment. We link to the official documents rather than reproduce their questions.

PSC — public self-assessment resources ↗

Can I book an official test here?

No. The responsible federal organization arranges the assessment under PSC procedures. Candidates cannot purchase an official test from this site. Our free practice does not issue a certificate or an official result.

PSC — invitation to an unsupervised test ↗

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