The English-Language Arts section of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) assesses California content standards thru Grade 10 from Reading and Writing. There are 72 multiple-choice test questions (45 reading questions and 27 writing questions) and 1 writing task distributed across five English-Language Arts strands and 26 individual California content standards.

Reading Strands:
1. Word Analysis 7 questions from 2 standards
2. Reading Comprehension 18 questions from 6 standards
3. Literary Response and Analysis 20 questions from 10 standards

Writing Strands:
4. Writing Strategies 12 questions from 5 standards
5. Writing Conventions 15 questions from 3 standards

Writing Applications: 1 essay question