TASC English Studio case studies
TASC English Studio · Put your knowledge to work in context.
TASC English Studio is an independent study platform for learners preparing to demonstrate English proficiency across reading, writing, language conventions, speaking and listening, and research with sources. It is designed for students finishing secondary-level English, adult learners returning to study, and candidates who need a structured way to build academic literacy before further training or employment. The TASC English Studio case studies are 5 cases and about 2,638 words.
1The Scholarship Essay Word Limit
A student drafts a personal statement for a scholarship application. The instructions say: "In 500 words or fewer, describe a challenge you overcame and what you learned." The student's draft is 612 words.
511 words, about 3 min2Two Sources That Disagree on a Statistic
A student writes a research paragraph about teen sleep and screens. Source A is a 2019 school-district survey of 420 students reporting that 62% of respondents get fewer than seven hours of sleep on school nights.
561 words, about 3 min3The Group Discussion That Stalls
A four-person discussion group has 12 minutes to agree on one recommendation for reducing cafeteria waste and to prepare a two-minute summary. At minute 4, one member has spoken for most of the time, proposing a composting program in detail.
525 words, about 3 min4Comma Splices in a Lab Report
A student submits a lab report containing these sentences: (1) "The solution turned blue, this indicated a reaction." (2) "We measured the pH three times, the readings were 6.8, 6.9, and 6.8." (3) "The sample was heated, however it did not change color." (4) "Because the readings were consistent, we averaged them." The teacher marks (1)-(3) as comma splices but a classmate argues that (3) is fine because "however" is a conjunction. The student wants a rule they can apply without memorizing a list.
523 words, about 3 min5Choosing a Source for a Claim About Reading
A student argues in an essay that "silent reading comprehension improves when students choose their own texts." They have four candidate sources: (A) a blog post by a teacher describing success with free-choice reading in one class; (B) a peer-reviewed study of 300 middle schoolers comparing assigned and self-selected texts on a standardized comprehension test; (C) a publisher's report promoting its free-choice reading program; (D) a news article summarizing study B but adding that the effect was "dramatic." The student wants to cite all four for strength and has not read B's results section, which reportedly found a small positive effect that was not statistically significant. Rank the sources for this specific claim and justify the ranking.
518 words, about 3 min