How many weighted raw points a 65 costs on the English Language Arts Regents
In August 2026, a 65 on the English Language Arts Regents cost 28 of 56 weighted raw points — 50%. Over 33 administrations, 2014–2026: barely moved — 0 points between the opening sittings and the latest.
- 65 in August 2026
- 28/56
- 50% of the paper
- Hardest sitting
- 57.1%
- August 2018
- Most forgiving
- 50%
- August 2014
- Shift, first three to last three
- 0 pts
- essentially flat
The movement
English Language Arts has held its line
The English Language Arts line is close to flat. The first three sittings on record charged 51.8% of the paper for a 65, the last three 51.8% — a gap of 0 points of the exam over 33 sittings. Peak: August 2018, 32/56 (57.1%). Trough: August 2014, 28/56 (50%) — 7.1 points apart. Identical raw marks in those two years would have produced two different verdicts. Both extremes are old; recent sittings cluster on the 55.4% median.
The paper has been worth 56 weighted raw points at every sitting, 2014 through 2026, so the raw column below compares directly across the whole record.
Sat in January, June, August: 10 in January, 12 in June, 11 in August. In August 2026 the 65 line sat at 28 and the 85 line at 44: 16 marks apart, 28.6 points of the paper — the stretch an Advanced Regents average is won on. Sharpest single move: August 2014 to January 2015, 3.6 points in one step, against the student. 0 of the last 6 sat above the 55.4% median — every recent sitting came in under it.
The only Regents scored on a weighted raw score
Every other exam on this site counts raw marks. English Language Arts converts from a weighted raw score out of 56, in which the essay components carry more than their apparent length, and that is the single most misread thing about this chart. A student who reads the 28-out-of-56 figure as "half the questions" is reading it wrong: half of a weighted total is not half of a paper. The weighting is also why strong writers can land mid-table — the multiple-choice section is small enough that it cannot rescue a weak essay, and large enough that it cannot be ignored. The 56-mark total has never changed across the whole record, which makes ELA the easiest exam here to compare across a decade.
The weighting has a second consequence that families rarely anticipate. Because the essay components carry so much of the total, the gap between a student's classroom English grade and their Regents result can be wide in either direction. A student who writes well but slowly loses marks that no amount of reading ability recovers, and a student who is a mediocre essayist but a fast, accurate reader can clear the 65 line comfortably. Neither outcome is a mystery once the weighting is on the table; both are a surprise if the family is reading the chart as a count of questions.
ELA is also the exam on this site most affected by the change in what a Regents result is for. Passing a Regents exam stops being a New York graduation requirement from the 2027-28 school year, and students who entered ninth grade in 2024-25 or earlier are the last cohort required to pass. For a family whose child falls after that line, the 65 on this page is no longer the number that matters — the grade on the transcript is, and that is read against the 85 line, not this one.
English Language Arts Regents — what a 65 and an 85 cost, as a share of the paper
One point per published administration, June 2014 to August 2026, as a share of that sitting's 56-point total. Cancelled administrations break the line rather than being joined across.
The same record in weighted raw points
The paper has been worth 56 weighted raw points throughout, so this line and the one above tell the same story.
Every sitting
The 33 English Language Arts administrations on record
One row per published chart, newest first, with the NYSED file behind each one. Every published sitting carries a 65 line, so none has been dropped. June 2020, August 2020, January 2021, August 2021, January 2022 are absent because no exam was held.
| Administration | Raw total | Weighted Raw Score for 65 | Share of paper | Change | For an 85 | NYSED file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 56 | 28 | 50% | −1.8 pts | 44 (78.6%) | chart |
| June 2026 | 56 | 29 | 51.8% | −1.8 pts | 45 (80.4%) | chart |
| January 2026 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | −1.8 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| August 2025 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | +1.8 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| June 2025 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| January 2025 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | −1.8 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| August 2024 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| June 2024 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| January 2024 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| August 2023 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| June 2023 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | −1.8 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| January 2023 | 56 | 32 | 57.1% | +1.8 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| August 2022 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| June 2022 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| June 2021 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| January 2020 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| August 2019 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| June 2019 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | −1.8 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| January 2019 | 56 | 32 | 57.1% | 0 pts | 42 (75%) | chart |
| August 2018hardest | 56 | 32 | 57.1% | +1.8 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| June 2018 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| January 2018 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| August 2017 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | 0 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| June 2017 | 56 | 31 | 55.4% | +1.8 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| January 2017 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | 0 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| August 2016 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | +1.8 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| June 2016 | 56 | 29 | 51.8% | 0 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| January 2016 | 56 | 29 | 51.8% | 0 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| August 2015 | 56 | 29 | 51.8% | −1.8 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| June 2015 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | 0 pts | 40 (71.4%) | chart |
| January 2015 | 56 | 30 | 53.6% | +3.6 pts | 41 (73.2%) | chart |
| August 2014most forgiving | 56 | 28 | 50% | −1.8 pts | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
| June 2014 | 56 | 29 | 51.8% | — | 43 (76.8%) | chart |
Want the conversion table itself — every raw score against its scale score for English Language Arts? That is a different question and it has its own page: the English Language Arts score calculator converts a raw score you already have. This page answers the one you ask before the exam.
What to do with it
Setting a English Language Arts target for the year ahead
English Language Arts sits 3th of 9 by how much of the paper a 65 costs. The line barely moves, so one target holds year to year: about 30 of 56, the recent average of 51.8%. That is a diploma floor, not a goal: 44 marks bought an 85 in August 2026 (78.6%), and that is the line a transcript is read on.
It is a band, not a forecast: across 33 sittings the 65 line on English Language Arts has never left 50–57.1% of the paper, and aiming at the top of that band survives a hard year instead of being surprised by one.
English Language Arts against the other exams
50% places English Language Arts 3 of 9. Its immediate neighbours on that scale:
Where these figures come from
Derived from the 33 official English Language Arts conversion charts published by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of State Assessment, one spreadsheet per administration. Conversion charts published by NYSED. Figures reproduced as published; consult the linked NYSED file for the authoritative version. Nothing is interpolated or projected. Last verified September 7, 2026.
Take the next step
A band on a chart is not a study plan
Tell us where your child stands on English Language Arts today and which sitting they are aiming at. We start with a diagnostic, so the work is built on the distance that actually has to be covered.