USCIS English Writing Test: Practice Sentences and How It's Scored

At your naturalization interview, most applicants take a short English writing test. A USCIS officer reads a sentence out loud, and you write it down. You get up to three sentences, and you need one written so the officer can understand it. This post explains how that test is scored, using the official rules in the USCIS Policy Manual, and gives you practice sentences built from the official word list.

Practice it now: our free English writing practice reads each sentence aloud, and you type what you hear. It checks every word and tells you if the sentence would likely pass. The test-day round gives you 3 tries, like the real test.

How the writing test works

From USCIS The Naturalization Interview and Test and the Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2:

• You must write one out of three sentences correctly to show you can write in English.
• The officer dictates (reads aloud) each sentence from a standardized writing test form.
• As soon as you write one sentence in a way the officer understands, the writing test stops. If your first sentence passes, you are done.
• The words come from the official Writing Test Vocabulary List (PDF). USCIS says its content “focuses on civics and history topics.”
• The reading test works the same way: you read one out of three sentences aloud. Its words come from a separate Reading Test Vocabulary List.

USCIS publishes the vocabulary lists, but not the actual test sentences. All the sentences below were written by CitizenExams using only words from the official writing list. They are practice, not the real test.

How the writing test is scored

The Policy Manual’s main rule is that you pass if you can convey the meaning of one of the three sentences to the officer. You do not fail because of spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors, unless they get in the way of the meaning and the officer can’t understand the sentence.

Your sentence can still pass with:

• Some grammar, spelling or capitalization errors
• Short words left out, if the meaning is still clear
• Numbers written as words or as digits (“fifty” or “50”)

Your sentence fails if you write:

• A different sentence or different words
• An abbreviation for a dictated word (for example “Pres.” for “President”), unless the officer has approved it
• Nothing, or only one or two separate words
• A sentence that can’t be read

You also fail if the errors are so bad that the officer can’t understand the sentence.

What this looks like: 5 examples

The officer says: “Lincoln was President during the Civil War.” Here is how the Policy Manual rules apply to different answers. These are our illustrations, not official USCIS examples; on test day, the officer decides.

Our /english/ checker uses the same idea. A perfect sentence shows “Correct!” Small spelling slips or a missing short word show “This would likely pass.” A missing or different main word, or an abbreviation, shows “Not yet.”

The official writing vocabulary

The Writing Vocabulary for the Naturalization Test has about 75 entries in 8 groups:

• People: Adams, Lincoln, Washington
• Civics: American Indians, capital, citizens, Civil War, Congress, Father of Our Country, flag, free, freedom of speech, President, right, Senators, state/states, White House
• Places: Alaska, California, Canada, Delaware, Mexico, New York City, United States, Washington, Washington, D.C.
• Months: February, May, June, July, September, October, November
• Holidays: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving
• Verbs: can, come, elect, have/has, is/was/be, lives/lived, meets, pay, vote, want
• Other (function): and, during, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we
• Other (content): blue, dollar bill, fifty/50, first, largest, most, north, one, one hundred/100, people, red, second, south, taxes, white

Spelling these words is most of the work. The names, places, months and holidays are the words people most often get wrong, so practice those first. You can hear every word on our word list page.

40 practice sentences (official words only)

Ask a friend to read these to you, or use /english/ to hear them. Write each one on paper, then check it.

People and history

1. Washington was the first President.
2. Adams was the second President.
3. Washington is the Father of Our Country.
4. Lincoln was President during the Civil War.
5. American Indians lived here first.
6. Delaware was the first state.
7. New York City was the first capital.
8. Adams was the first President in the White House.

Government and voting

9. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States.
10. The President lives in the White House.
11. Congress meets in Washington, D.C.
12. Citizens can vote.
13. Citizens elect Congress.
14. We elect the President in November.
15. People vote for the President.
16. We have one hundred Senators.
17. Citizens have the right to vote.
18. We pay taxes.

Freedom and rights

19. People want to be free.
20. People come here to be free.
21. Citizens have freedom of speech.
22. People come to the United States to be free.
23. We have freedom of speech.

Places and numbers

24. The United States has fifty states.
25. Alaska is the largest state.
26. California has the most people.
27. Canada is north of the United States.
28. Mexico is south of the United States.
29. The flag is red, white, and blue.
30. Washington is on the dollar bill.
31. The White House is in Washington, D.C.
32. Congress has 100 Senators.

Holidays and months

33. Presidents’ Day is in February.
34. Memorial Day is in May.
35. Flag Day is in June.
36. Independence Day is in July.
37. Labor Day is in September.
38. Columbus Day is in October.
39. Thanksgiving is in November.
40. We vote for the President in November.

There are more than 100 writing sentences and 100 reading sentences on /english/. Your progress is saved on your device, so you can come back tomorrow and continue.

How to practice (10 minutes a day)

1. Listen first, then write. On the real test you hear the sentence, so practice from sound, not by copying. Use /english/ at “Slow” speed first, then “Normal”.
2. Write by hand too. Typing practice is quick, but on test day you write the sentence yourself, so write a few sentences by hand each day.
3. Don’t abbreviate. Write “Washington, D.C.” and “United States” in full. Don’t write “US” or “Wash.”
4. Learn the capital letters. Names, places, months and holidays start with a capital letter. A capitalization mistake alone usually won’t fail you, but clean writing makes it easy for the officer.
5. Numbers: “fifty” and “50” are both fine.
6. Do a test-day round every few days: 3 random sentences, stop at the first one that passes.

If you don’t pass the writing test

You get two chances. If you fail any part of the English or civics test at your first interview, USCIS schedules a second interview 60 to 90 days later, and you are retested only on the part you failed. The Policy Manual’s own example is an applicant who passed speaking, reading and civics but failed writing, and gets only the writing test at the re-exam. The officer must use a different test form the second time. See Failed the Civics or English Test? How the USCIS Re-Test Works.

Who doesn’t take the English test

Under the Policy Manual, you are exempt from the English requirement (you still take civics, and can use an interpreter) if, when you file:

• you are 50 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years, or
• you are 55 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 15 years.

A medical disability exception (Form N-648) can also apply. See USCIS Exceptions and Accommodations and civics test age exemptions.

Keep going

• English reading and writing practice: tap-to-hear reading, typed dictation, and a test-day round of 3
• English Test for Naturalization: Speaking, Reading, and Writing Tips
• Naturalization Interview Day: What to Expect
• Mock Civics Interview: 20 Questions
• Free scored civics practice test

Sources: USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2: English and Civics Testing; USCIS The Naturalization Interview and Test; USCIS Writing Vocabulary for the Naturalization Test and Reading Vocabulary for the Naturalization Test (PDF), linked from Prepare for the Naturalization Interview and Test. Checked October 18, 2026. Photo: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF34-051574-D.

CitizenExams is an independent study site and is not affiliated with USCIS. This post summarizes public USCIS materials for study. It is not legal advice.