ap test essay prompts

• AP English Language and Composition Exam Sample Essay Questions

April 9, 2024

After an hour of answering multiple-choice questions , you’ll have two hours to write three essays : 

• A synthesis essay in which you use sources to argue your point of view on a given issue. 
• An analytical essay that examines, interprets, and explains the meaning and structure of prose passage. 
• An argumentative essay that supports, refutes, or qualifies an opinion expressed in a statement or brief passage. 

Before you’re given the signal to begin writing your essays, you’ll have 15 minutes to read the questions and the sources for the synthesis essay. However, you don’t have to spend the whole time reading. During those 15 minutes you can plan your essay, underline noteworthy ideas, formulate a tentative thesis, or prepare a brief outline. You might even glance at the other essay questions. Essentially, the time is yours to fill as you wish but with one exception: you may not start writing your essay. That begins only after the proctor gives you the green light. 

Write the essays in any order. The choice is yours. The suggested writing time for each essay is 40 minutes.

Sample Essay Questions

The following sample essay questions have been taken from previous AP English Language and Composition exams.

2014 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• In recent years college graduates in great numbers have failed to find jobs for which their education has prepared them. As a result, many people, including high school students and their parents, question whether a college degree is worth the expense required to attain one. Others, however, argue that a college education is not meant solely to prepare students for a job or career. After reading six sources related to this issue, write an essay that discusses whether a college education is worth the cost. Synthesize information from at least three of the sources into your essay. 
• In 1780, Abigail Adams wrote a letter of advice to her son John Quincy Adams, then traveling in Europe with his father, John Adams, the future second president of the United States. Read the letter carefully. Then, write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical strategies that Mrs. Adams uses to advise the young man. 
• Research by experts in education reveals that the creativity of children from kindergarten through sixth grade has suffered in recent years. A decline in creativity is alarming, especially when present and future world problems related to climate, economics, war and peace, and much more will require increasingly creative solutions. One proposal to reverse the decline in creativity is to actively teach creative thinking in school. Opinion is divided on whether this approach is worthwhile. State your view on this issue by writing to your school board. Explain what you mean by creativity and argue for or against starting a course in creativity.

2015 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• Many schools, colleges, and universities have instituted honor codes meant to discourage such practices as cheating, stealing, and plagiarizing. Students violating established codes are subject to a variety of punishments. After reading six sources related to the issue of honor codes, compose an essay that supports your position on whether your school should establish, maintain, revise, or eliminate an honor code or honor system. Your argument should incorporate ideas, quotations, paraphrases, or summaries found in at least three of the six sources that accompany this question. 
• To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez wrote an article that discusses nonviolent resistance as a means to achieve certain social goals. After reading Chavez’s words, write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices he uses to develop his argument. 
• Friendly phrases such as “How’s it going?” and “Nice to meet you” are known as polite speech and are usually not taken literally. In an essay, develop your position on the value or function of polite speech in a culture or community with which you are familiar. To support your argument, use evidence drawn from your reading, experience, or observation.

2016 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• With the spread of globalization in recent decades, English has become the primary language for communicating in international finance, science, and politics. As the use of English has spread, foreign language learning in English-speaking countries has declined, making the use of only one language—English—the norm. Carefully read the six sources accompanying this question and then write an essay that takes a position on the claim that people who speak only English and no other language are at a disadvantage in today’s world. In your discussion, synthesize appropriate quotations, ideas, paraphrases, or summaries found in at least three of the sources. 
• In 2004, upon the death of former president Ronald Reagan, the ex–prime minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, who had worked closely with Reagan, delivered a eulogy to the American people honoring her former colleague and friend. Read the eulogy carefully, and then write an essay that analyzes the rhetoric Thatcher used to convey her thoughts and feelings. 
• Back in the nineteenth century, the Irish author Oscar Wilde noted that “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” In an essay, argue your position on Wilde’s claim that disobedience and rebellion promote progress. Support your views with evidence drawn from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

2017 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• The growth of the Internet has, among other things, changed what and how people read and in so doing has generated controversy about the need for and future of traditional public libraries. Some observers question the relevance of today’s libraries, while others see opportunities for libraries to grow and thrive in new ways. After reading six sources related to the future of libraries, write an essay that discusses your position on the future role, if any, of public libraries. As you develop your argument, be sure to incorporate, or synthesize, material from at least three of the sources that accompany this assignment. Whether you quote directly from a source or put its ideas into your own words, clearly identify each source you use either in the text of your essay or in a footnote. 
• At the beginning of a speech to the Women’s National Press Club in 1960, the American journalist and politician Clare Booth Luce expressed her objections to a tendency of the press corps to give readers sensationalist stories rather than maintain journalistic integrity by writing serious, consequential news stories. After carefully reading her opening remarks, write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical strategies Luce used to prepare the audience for the disapproval that was central to the remainder of her speech. 
• In Empire of Illusion, the author Chris Hedges, referring to the world of politics and the consumer culture, argues that “the most essential skill . . . is artifice.” That is, as Hedges explains, successful politicians “no longer need to be competent, sincere, or honest. They need only to appear to have these qualities.” In other words, deception succeeds. After reading a short passage that develops Hedges’s views, write an essay stating your opinion on the issue. Use appropriate, specific evidence to develop and illustrate your position.

2018 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• The power of a government to confiscate people’s private property for public use is known as eminent domain. Although eminent domain is centuries old, it remains a contentious issue throughout the world. Read the six sources on the following pages. Then, using at least three of the sources, write a coherent essay that supports, opposes, or qualifies the principle that the govern- mental right of eminent domain is useful and productive. When quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing material, be sure to identify each source in parentheses either with its letter (A, B, C, etc.) or with a description. 
• In 1997, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivered the commencement address at Mount Holyoke College, a women’s college in Massachusetts. After reading a given excerpt from the speech, write a well-developed essay that identifies and analyzes the rhetorical choices Albright made to help convey her message to the audience. 
• In her book Gift from the Sea, the author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906– 2001) reflects on how people make choices: “We tend not to choose the unknown which might be a shock or a disappointment or simply a little difficult to cope with. And yet it is the unknown with all its disappointments and surprises that is the most enriching.” After carefully considering Lindbergh’s position on choosing the unknown, write an essay that develops your own view on the value of exploring the unknown. Support your position with appropriate and specific evidence.

2019 AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions

• Our society’s increasing demand for energy has drawn attention of governments and consumers to large-scale wind power and away from traditional materials, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Yet, the creation of large commercial wind farms has created controversy for a variety of reasons. Carefully read the following six sources, including the introduction to each one, and then write an essay that develops your position on the most important factors that an individual or agency should take into account when determining whether to establish a wind farm. As you develop your position, synthesize material from at least three of the sources. 
• In 1930 Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi led a nonviolent march in India protesting Britain’s colonial monopoly on the taxation of salt. The Salt March, as it was called, triggered a civil disobedience movement that won India independence from Britain in 1947. Just prior to the march Gandhi had written to Viceroy Lord Irwin, who represented the British crown in India. The passage that follows is the conclusion of that letter. Read it carefully and then write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Gandhi made to present his case to Lord Irwin.
• The term “overrated” is commonly used to diminish concepts, geographic places, roles, books, movies, etc., that the speaker thinks fail to live up to their reputation. Choose something that in your judgment is overrated and then write a well-developed essay explaining your views. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observation to support your argument.

AP Biology Resources

• About the AP Biology Exam
• Top AP Biology Exam Strategies
• Top 5 Study Topics and Tips for the AP Biology Exam
• AP Biology Short Free-Response Questions
• AP Biology Long Free-Response Questions

AP Psychology Resources

• What’s Tested on the AP Psychology Exam?
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AP English Language and Composition Resources

• What’s Tested on the AP English Language and Composition Exam?
• Top 5 Tips for the AP English Language and Composition Exam
• Top Reading Techniques for the AP English Language and Composition Exam
• How to Answer the AP English Language and Composition Essay Questions 
• AP English Language and Composition Exam Multiple-Choice Questions

AP Human Geography Resources

• What’s Tested On the AP Human Geography Exam?
• AP Human Geography FAQs
• AP Human Geography Question Types and Strategies
• Top 5 Study Tips for the AP Human Geography Exam

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How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the ap language argument essay, tips for writing the ap language argument essay, ap english language argument essay examples, how will ap scores impact my college chances.

In 2023, over 550,148 students across the U.S. took the AP English Language and Composition Exam, and 65.2% scored higher than a 3. The AP English Language Exam tests your ability to analyze a piece of writing, synthesize information, write a rhetorical essay, and create a cohesive argument. In this post, we’ll be discussing the best way to approach the argumentative essay section of the test, and we’ll give you tips and tricks so you can write a great essay.

The AP English Language Exam as of 2023 is structured as follows:

Section 1: 45 multiple choice questions to be completed in an hour. This portion counts for 45% of your score. This section requires students to analyze a piece of literature. The questions ask about its content and/or what could be edited within the passage.

Section 2: Three free response questions to be completed in the remaining two hours and 15 minutes. This section counts for 55% of your score. These essay questions include the synthesis essay, the rhetorical essay, and the argumentative essay.

• Synthesis essay: Read 6-7 sources and create an argument using at least three of the sources.
• Rhetorical analysis essay: Describe how a piece of writing evokes meaning and symbolism.
• Argumentative essay: Pick a side of a debate and create an argument based on evidence. In this essay, you should develop a logical argument in support of or against the given statement and provide ample evidence that supports your conclusion. Typically, a five paragraph format is great for this type of writing. This essay is scored holistically from 1 to 9 points.

Do you want more information on the structure of the full exam? Take a look at our in-depth overview of the AP Language and Composition Exam .

Although the AP Language Argument may seem daunting at first, once you understand how the essay should be structured, it will be a lot easier to create cohesive arguments.

Below are some tips to help you as you write the essay.

1. Organize your essay before writing

Instead of jumping right into your essay, plan out what you will say beforehand. It’s easiest to make a list of your arguments and write out what facts or evidence you will use to support each argument. In your outline, you can determine the best order for your arguments, especially if they build on each other or are chronological. Having a well-organized essay is crucial for success.

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

When you write the essay, it’s best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the arguments of the other side has. This can make the essay a bit more nuanced and show that you did consider both sides before determining which one was better. Often, acknowledging another viewpoint then refuting it can make your essay stronger.

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

The AP readers will be looking for examples and evidence to support your argument. This doesn’t mean that you need to memorize a bunch of random facts before the exam. This just means that you should be able to provide concrete examples in support of your argument.

For example, if the essay topic is about whether the role of the media in society has been detrimental or not, and you argue that it has been, you may talk about the phenomenon of “fake news” during the 2016 presidential election.

AP readers are not looking for perfect examples, but they are looking to see if you can provide enough evidence to back your claim and make it easily understood.

4. Create a strong thesis statement

The thesis statement will set up your entire essay, so it’s important that it is focused and specific, and that it allows for the reader to understand your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis statement is the very last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In this sentence, list out the key points you will be making in the essay in the same order that you will be writing them. Each new point you mention in your thesis should start a paragraph in your essay.

Below is a prompt and sample student essay from the May 2019 exam . We’ll look at what the student did well in their writing and where they could improve.

Prompt: “The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that “[b]eing queen is overrated.”

Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

Sample Student Essay #1:

[1] Competition is “overrated.” The notion of motivation between peers has evolved into a source of unnecessary stress and even lack of morals. Whether it be in an academic environment or in the industry, this new idea of competition is harmful to those competing and those around them.

[2] Back in elementary school, competition was rather friendly. It could have been who could do the most pushups or who could get the most imaginary points in a classroom for a prize. If you couldn’t do the most pushups or win that smelly sticker, you would go home and improve yourself – there would be no strong feelings towards anyone, you would just focus on making yourself a better version of yourself. Then as high school rolled around, suddenly applying for college doesn’t seem so far away –GPA seems to be that one stat that defines you – extracurriculars seem to shape you – test scores seem to categorize you. Sleepless nights, studying for the next day’s exam, seem to become more and more frequent. Floating duck syndrome seems to surround you (FDS is where a competitive student pretends to not work hard but is furiously studying beneath the surface just like how a duck furiously kicks to stay afloat). All of your competitors appear to hope you fail – but in the end what do you and your competitor’s gain? Getting one extra point on the test? Does that self-satisfaction compensate for the tremendous amounts of acquired stress? This new type of “competition” is overrated – it serves nothing except a never-ending source of anxiety and seeks to weaken friendships and solidarity as a whole in the school setting.

[3] A similar idea of “competition” can be applied to business. On the most fundamental level, competition serves to be a beneficial regulator of prices and business models for both the business themselves and consumers. However, as businesses grew increasingly greedy and desperate, companies resorted to immoral tactics that only hurt their reputations and consumers as a whole. Whether it be McDonald’s coupons that force you to buy more food or tech companies like Apple intentionally slowing down your iPhone after 3 years to force you to upgrade to the newest device, consumers suffer and in turn speak down upon these companies. Similar to the evolved form of competition in school, this overrated form causes pain for all parties and has since diverged from the encouraging nature that the principle of competition was “founded” on.

The AP score for this essay was a 4/6, meaning that it captured the main purpose of the essay but there were still substantial parts missing. In this essay, the writer did a good job organizing the sections and making sure that their writing was in order according to the thesis statement. The essay first discusses how competition is harmful in elementary school and then discusses this topic in the context of business. This follows the chronological order of somebody’s life and flows nicely.

The arguments in this essay are problematic, as they do not provide enough examples of how exactly competition is overrated. The essay discusses the context in which competition is overrated but does not go far enough in explaining how this connects to the prompt.

In the first example, school stress is used to explain how competition manifests. This is a good starting point, but it does not talk about why competition is overrated; it simply mentions that competition can be unhealthy. The last sentence of that paragraph is the main point of the argument and should be expanded to discuss how the anxiety of school is overrated later on in life. 

In the second example, the writer discusses how competition can lead to harmful business practices, but again, this doesn’t reflect the reason this would be overrated. Is competition really overrated because Apple and McDonald’s force you to buy new products? This example could’ve been taken one step farther. Instead of explaining why business structures—such as monopolies—harm competition, the author should discuss how those particular structures are overrated.

Additionally, the examples the writer used lack detail. A stronger essay would’ve provided more in-depth examples. This essay seemed to mention examples only in passing without using them to defend the argument.

It should also be noted that the structure of the essay is incomplete. The introduction only has a thesis statement and no additional context. Also, there is no conclusion paragraph that sums up the essay. These missing components result in a 4/6.

Now let’s go through the prompt for a sample essay from the May 2022 exam . The prompt is as follows:

Colin Powell, a four-star general and former United States Secretary of State, wrote in his 1995 autobiography: “[W]e do not have the luxury of collecting information indefinitely. At some point, before we can have every possible fact in hand, we have to decide. The key is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Powell’s claim about making decisions is valid. 

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position. 
• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning. 
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning. 
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Sample Student Essay #2:

Colin Powell, who was a four star general and a former United States Secretary of State. He wrote an autobiography and had made a claim about making decisions. In my personal opinion, Powell’s claim is true to full extent and shows an extremely valuable piece of advice that we do not consider when we make decisions.

Powell stated, “before we can have every possible fact in hand we have to decide…. but to make it a timely decision” (1995). With this statement Powell is telling the audience of his autobiography that it does not necessarily matter how many facts you have, and how many things you know. Being able to have access to everything possible takes a great amount of time and we don’t always have all of the time in the world. A decision has to be made with what you know, waiting for something else to come in while trying to make a decision whether that other fact is good or bad you already have a good amount of things that you know. Everyone’s time is valuable, including yours. At the end of the day the decision will have to be made and that is why it should be made in a “timely” manner.

This response was graded for a score of 2/6. Let’s break down the score to smaller points that signify where the student fell short.

The thesis in this essay is clearly outlined at the end of the first paragraph. The student states their agreement with Powell’s claim and frames the rest of their essay around this stance. The success in scoring here lies in the clear communication of the thesis and the direction the argument will take. It’s important to make the thesis statement concise, specific, and arguable, which the student has successfully done.

While the student did attempt to provide evidence to support their thesis, it’s clear that their explanation lacks specific detail and substance. They referenced Powell’s statement, but did not delve into how this statement has proven true in specific instances, and did not provide examples that could bring the argument to life.

Commentary is an essential part of this section’s score. It means explaining the significance of the evidence and connecting it back to the thesis. Unfortunately, the student’s commentary here is too vague and does not effectively elaborate on how the evidence supports their argument.

To improve, the student could use more concrete examples to demonstrate their point and discuss how each piece of evidence supports their thesis. For instance, they could discuss specific moments in Powell’s career where making a timely decision was more valuable than waiting for all possible facts. This would help illustrate the argument in a more engaging, understandable way.

A high score in the “sophistication” category of the grading rubric is given for demonstrating a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, context, etc.), making effective rhetorical choices, or establishing a line of reasoning. Here, the student’s response lacks complexity and sophistication. They’ve simply agreed with Powell’s claim and made a few general statements without providing a deeper analysis or effectively considering the rhetorical situation.

To increase sophistication, the student could explore possible counterarguments or complexities within Powell’s claim. They could discuss potential drawbacks of making decisions without all possible facts, or examine situations where timely decisions might not yield the best results. By acknowledging and refuting these potential counterarguments, they could add more depth to their analysis and showcase their understanding of the complexities involved in decision-making.

The student could also analyze why Powell, given his background and experiences, might have come to such a conclusion, thus providing more context and showing an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

Remember, sophistication in argumentation isn’t about using fancy words or complicated sentences. It’s about showing that you understand the complexity of the issue at hand and that you’re able to make thoughtful, nuanced arguments. Sophistication shows that you can think critically about the topic and make connections that aren’t immediately obvious.

Now that you’ve looked at an example essay and some tips for the argumentative essay, you know how to better prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

While your AP scores don’t usually impact your admissions chances , colleges do care a lot about your course rigor. So, taking as many APs as you can will certainly boost your chances! AP scores can be a way for high-performing students to set themselves apart, particularly when applying to prestigious universities. Through the process of self-reporting scores , you can show your hard work and intelligence to admissions counselors.

That said, the main benefit of scoring high on AP exams comes once you land at your dream school, as high scores can allow you to “test out” of entry-level requirements, often called GE requirements or distribution requirements. This will save you time and money.

To understand how your course rigor stacks up, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine . This resource takes your course rigor, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, to determine your chances of getting into over 1600 colleges across the country!

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2024 AP English Literature Exam Guide

15 min read • august 18, 2023

Your Guide to the 2024 AP English Literature Exam

We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP English Literature exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2024 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day.  Unlock Cram Mode  for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions.

Format of the 2024 AP English Literature Exam

Going into test day, this is the exam format to expect:

Multiple Choice | 1 Hour | 45% of Exam Score

55 questions

5 sets of questions with 8–13 questions per set.

Each set is preceded by a passage of prose fiction, drama, or poetry of varying difficulty.

will always include at least 2 prose fiction passages (this may include drama) and at least 2 poetry passages.

Free Response | 2 hours | 55% of your score

3 questions

• A literary analysis of a given poem
• A literary analysis of a given passage of prose fiction (this may include drama)

An analysis that examines a specific concept, issue, or element in a work of literary merit selected by the student

FRQ Scoring Rubric for the 2024 AP Lit Exam

View an example set of questions and the corresponding  scoring guidelines  from the College Board to get an idea of what they look for in your responses!

Check out our study plan below to find resources and tools to prepare for your AP English Literature exam.

When is the 2024 AP exam and How Do I Take It?

How should i prepare for the exam.

First, download the AP English Literature Cheatsheet PDF - a single sheet that covers everything you need to know at a high level. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses!

Review every unit and question type, and focus on the areas that need the most improvement and practice. We’ve put together this plan to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam

Practice essays are your best friends! The more essays you write, the more automatic the process will come, and the easier the AP exam will be!

Try some of the past exam essays here

We've put together the study plan found below to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam. Pay special attention to the units that you need the most improvement in.

Study, practice, and review for test day with other students during our live cram sessions via  Cram Mode . Cram live streams will teach, review, and practice important topics from AP courses, college admission tests, and college admission topics. These streams are hosted by experienced students who know what you need to succeed.

Pre-Work: Set Up Your Study Environment

Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.

🖥 Create a study space.

Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space. 

📚 Organize your study materials.

Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!

📅 Plan designated times for studying.

The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.

🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.

How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!

AP English Literature 2024 Study Plan

🌱 unit 1: intro to short fiction, big takeaways:.

Unit 1 is the first prose analysis unit, focusing on short fiction.  It helps to establish your prose analysis vocabulary, focusing on identifying and describing basic literary elements such as plot, narrator, and setting. This unit also gives the foundations for writing analyses of text, beginning with paragraph structuring and claim defense.

Definitely do this:

📚 Read these study guides:

Unit 1 Overview: Introduction to Short Fiction

1.1 Interpreting the role of character in fiction

1.2 Identifying and interpreting setting

1.3 Identifying how a story’s structure affects interpretation

1.4 Understanding and interpreting a narrator’s perspective

1.5 Reading texts literally and figuratively

1.6 The basics of literary analysis

🎥 Watch these videos:

Prose Prompt Deconstruction : An overview of the Prose Analysis prompt and strategies for preparing to respond

What Lit Is : An overview of the course and exam and their expectations

📰 Check out this articles:

12 Classic Short Stories : Short stories of literary merit to stretch your analysis muscles

✍️ Practice

Best Quizlet Decks for AP English Literature : Practice with these quizlets to strengthen your AP Lit vocabulary!

🎭 Unit 2: Intro to Poetry

Unit 2 is the first poetry analysis unit, focusing on everyone's favorite figurative language devices -- metaphor and simile .  Because poems often have a specific form, this unit also begins analysis of form/structure and also looks at contrasts in a text (which create the complexity that the exam expects you to analyze).  All of these poetic elements, though, are being analyzed for their function in the poem -- this unit helps you practice looking for why authors make the choices that they do.  

This unit continues the work of Unit 1 in developing paragraphs that establish a claim and provide evidence to support that claim.  It’s more important that you can write a stable, defensible, claim-based paragraph at this point than it is that you can write an entire essay (that might not be as strong).

Unit 2 Overview: Introduction to Poetry

2.1 Identifying characters in poetry

2.2 Understanding & interpreting meaning in poetic structure

2.3 Analyzing word choice to find meaning

2.4 Identifying techniques in poetry to analyze literary works

Literary Device Review : An overview of some literary devices that you may have forgotten, or an introduction to some new ones that you want in your analysis vocabulary.

Defending a Claim : Before practicing your paragraphs, watch this stream for guidance in building a claim from the passage in response to a prompt.

How to Read a Poem : A stream dedicated to developing poetry reading skills, including a useful acronym (SIFT) for prioritizing important elements of a poem.

Annotating for Understanding: This stream guides you through the annotation process, making sure that you are annotating purposefully, and developing your own library of symbols.

📰 Check out these articles:

Poetry Overview : Our Fiveable guide to the poetry analysis question -- what to expect and what you need to do to respond effectively.

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

Theme Statements and Thesis Statements : This stream teaches you how to determine and state a theme, and how to establish a claim to defend for poem analysis.

💎 Play Figurative Language Trivia ! It’s not the names that are important, but it’s fun to know them, anyway!

🎭 Unit 3: Intro to Longer fiction or Drama

Here we go with the novels!  Because the exam’s literary argument essay (also affectionately known as Q3 in the Lit circles) asks students to analyze a novel-length text, it’s important to get practice on analyzing novels or plays (did someone say, Shakespeare?). This unit boils down to paying closer attention to character and plot, with a sprinkling of setting analysis.  Because novels are longer than short stories, not only can authors spread out the creation of literary elements and go deeper, but you can see more about how it’s done.  

In terms of composition, this unit starts discussing the development of a thesis statement!  So now we can establish a thesis, and then support it with a paragraph (or two).  This means we’re also starting to create a line of reasoning that is introduced in the thesis statement, and supported in the body of your essay.

Unit 3 Overview: Introduction to Longer Fiction and Drama

3.1 Interpreting character description and perspective

3.2 Character evolution throughout a narrative

3.3 Conflict and plot development

3.4 Interpreting symbolism

3.5 Identifying evidence and supporting literary arguments

Theme Statements and Thesis Statements: This stream distinguishes between these two important statements in a Q3 response, and further discusses thesis statements in general.

Annotating for Analysis, part 2: This stream is more about annotating an exam prompt, and then preparing to respond to it.

Characters and Relationships : All about characterization, with terms and tips for understanding the creation of characters and why they matter.

Fiveable study guide to the Literary Argument prompt

💎 Check out John Green’s YouTube channel Crash Course for help analyzing some English teacher novel favorites.  These don’t substitute for reading, but they help when you’re done.

📖 Read this Ultimate AP Literature Reading List from Albert.io to see what you’ve read, or what you might want to read. You might even find them free online, or you can support your local library.

⚔️ Unit 4: Character, Conflict, & Storytelling in Short Fiction

Because of the way that the AP Lit units are structured, we spiral skills and text types, so this is phase 2 of short fiction analysis.  While the first short fiction unit was focused on identifying and describing elements, now you’re being asked to explain the function (that why again) and describe relationships.  

This unit also asks you to start analyzing how those relationships and elements are created by authors.  That means you are reading more closely for diction and syntax and paying more attention to how a speaker/narrator’s perspective is shown to you.

We’re still working on defensible thesis statements and building commentary to make clear connections between our claim and the evidence.  This is what builds the line of reasoning and earns a 4 in evidence and commentary on the Lit rubric.

Unit 4 Overview: Character, Conflict, and Storytelling

4.1 Protagonists, antagonists, character relationships, and conflict

4.2 Character interactions with setting and its significance

4.3 Archetypes in literature

4.4 Types of narration like stream of consciousness

4.5 Narrative distance, tone, and perspective

Prose Analysis Prompt Deconstruction and Strategies : Before you read the text, make sure that you know the task before you, and you’re ready to read with that in mind.

Q2 Thesis and Introduction :  There are some exam-taking tips in here, from a college freshman who conquered the exam.  She also discusses forming a thesis and an introduction that works. Quickly.

Q2 Evidence and Commentary : Practicing creating commentary to respond to the prompt efficiently.  This stream uses practice prompts to show the process of reading a text with the prompt in mind to select evidence while reading.

Short Fiction Overview : Revisit this guide!  Read the section on “How to Read a Short Story.  Like, Really Read It.”

💎 Check out this stream on creating a "boot camp" that was originally meant for teachers, but gives guidelines and suggestions on how to dive into short fiction.

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Prompt Answers & Feedback – Fahrenheit 451 (Diction): The focus of this practice prompt is diction – analyzing it AND using it yourself, with a little syntax thrown in! Try it yourself and compare it with student responses and feedback. 

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Prompt Samples & Feedback – The Street : Practicing prose analysis is a great way to prep for the AP exam! Respond to this practice prompt and review practice writing samples and their corresponding feedback.

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Essays & Feedback – The Rainbow : Writing essays is a great way to practice prose analysis and prep for the AP exam! Review student responses for an essay prompt and corresponding feedback 

🌈 Unit 5: Structure & Figurative Language in Poetry

We’re going back to poems! This unit asks you to “identify and explain the function” of various poetic elements and devices.  All at the same time. Those literary devices you learned in Poetry I might come in handy here, but the analysis is more about why the author made those choices about repetition, reference, comparison, etc.

In order to select the most significant, “relevant, and sufficient” evidence to support your line of reasoning from your thesis , you have to know the function of the personification or metaphor or imagery.  Ask yourself, “Why would the author write ____ instead of ____?” This helps you analyze the connotations of the choice, and therefore the function in the text.

By now, we’re writing a thesis plus paragraphs.  This is also an opportunity to work on the organization of your essays (hint: organizing by the device is neither efficient nor sophisticated; try to find a shift or two in the poem and use them to develop your paragraph chunks.

Unit 5 Overview: Structure and Figurative Language

5.1 Traits of closed and open structures in poetry

5.2 Use of techniques like imagery and hyperbole

5.3 Types of comparisons in poetry including personification and allusion

5.4 Identifying and interpreting extended metaphors

How Form Creates Meaning: Learn about poetry-specific choices authors make, and what elements of form look like in practice.  Also, explore a couple of common forms and why they might be used.

Open Poetry Study :  An opportunity to practice some of the skills from “How to Read a Poem ”. 

Q1 Evidence and Commentary : Follow the process of reading a poem and selecting evidence in real-time.  You can have an essay before it’s through.

The complexity of Poetry: This is an opportunity to look specifically at how poets create tensions and complexity in their work.  Since this complexity is always a point of analysis on the exam, you can study how it works, and how to write about it

💎 Browse through the Poetry Foundations resources for students , including annotations, poem guides, podcasts, and poet studies.

🛠️ Unit 6: Literary Techniques in Longer Works

Because novels are longer stories, we can look at more elements at a time.  That’s what this unit wants from you -- examining speaker perspective and reliability, the formation and function of literary or contextual symbolism, characterization, character relationships and contrasts, the function of plot events, etc.  All at the same time.  

What you need to know: The bottom line of reading for Q3 is the meaning of the work as a whole or theme .  And you might not fully understand what that is until the novel or play is finished, but you can start to build ideas around what BIG IDEA the author is addressing.  Your job is to keep track of how characters, plot, and setting contribute to the discussion of this big idea (like greed or isolation or jealousy or love or anger or insanity).

Unit 6 Overview: Literary Techniques in Longer Works

6.1 Interpreting foil characters

6.2 Understanding and interpreting character complexity

6.3 Understanding nonlinear narrative structures like flashbacks and foreshadowing

6.4 The effect of narrative tone and bias on reading

6.5 Characters as symbols, metaphors, and archetypes

6.6 Developing literary arguments within a broader context of works

Finding Theme Through Characterization : A discussion of the function of characterization as it applies to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Resources

Multiple Choice Intro : an introduction to the AP Literature multiple choice -- an overview of the weights, number and types of questions you will encounter, with some tips for practice and preparation.

Prose MC Strategies and Practice: covers all aspects of the Multiple Choice section of the AP Lit Exam, including tips on-time efficiency, annotation, and picking the best answer choice. This is followed by 2 sets of practice passages and questions and explanations for each of the provided answer choices.

English Literature Multiple Choice Study Guide

AP English Literature Multiple Choice Help (MCQ)

AP English Lit MCQ Practice Tests

🏛️ Unit 7: Societal & Historical Context in Short Fiction

The last three units of AP Lit ask you to dig even deeper into what you're reading to analyze it. In Unit 7, you'll focus on how characters fit into the societal and historical context of the work they're in, and how those features can become important facets of stories. Importantly, you'll be asked to analyze how complexity develops over the course of the story.

Unit 7 Overview: Societal and Historical Context

7.1 Sudden and more gradual change in characters

7.2 Epiphany as a driver of plot

7.3 Relationships between characters and groups

7.4 Character interactions with changing and contrasting settings

7.5 The significance of the pacing of a narrative

7.6 Setting as a symbol

7.7 Interpreting texts in their historical and societal contexts

🤾 Unit 8: Advanced Techniques in Poetry

Unit 8 will introduce you to more complicated techniques in poetry that are harder to spot and analyze. You will be asked to identify and analyze devices like punctuation and structural patterns, juxtaposition, paradox, irony, symbols, conceits, and allusions. Although these are a little harder to correctly identify in poetry, if you can master them, they can earn you major points on the exam. Additionally, you'll learn about how to correctly cite and attribute information when writing literary analysis!

Unit 8 Overview

8.1 Looking at punctuation and structural patterns

8.2 Interpreting juxtaposition, paradox, and irony

8.3 How ambiguity can allow for various interpretations

8.4 Identifying symbols, conceits, and allusions

8.5 Learning proper attribution and citation in literary analysis

🚣🏿 Unit 9: Nuanced Analysis in Longer Works

The final unit of AP Lit will task you with creating even more nuanced analyses of longer works and drama. To do this, we'll look at how characters change over the course of the plot and react to the resolution of the narrative, how suspense, resolution, and plot development contribute the meaning of a work, and how inconsistencies and differing perspectives create nuance in longer works.

Unit 9 Overview: Nuanced Analysis

9.1 Looking at a character's response to the resolution of a narrative

9.2 Suspense, resolution, and plot development

9.3 Narrative inconsistencies and contrasting perspectives

Exam Skills 

Breaking Down an Exam Prompt: A discussion of how to break down an AP Literature exam prompt into smaller questions. We end with some do's, don'ts, and common pitfalls for students writing AP Literature essays.

Commentary and Sophistication FAQs: Review the criteria for earning maximum evidence/commentary points and the one sophistication point from the rubric. Next, read scored examples and see what they earned in those two categories.

AP English Literature Free Response Questions (FRQ) – Past Prompts : A sortable list of all the AP English Literature free-response questions.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, ap lang and comp prompts: what to expect.

Hey everyone, I'm considering taking AP Lang and Comp next year. I've heard that the essay prompts can be quite challenging. What kinds of prompts should I expect, and how can I best prepare for them? Any advice from those who've taken the course before would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance!

AP Lang and Comp (AP English Language and Composition) focuses primarily on rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and synthesis. The essay prompts are designed to test your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Here's a brief overview of the different types of prompts you may expect:

1. Rhetorical Analysis - You'll be given a nonfiction passage to analyze, and it's essential to identify the author's purpose and strategies they used in order to effectively communicate their message.

2. Argumentation - You'll be provided with a statement (often a quote) or an issue, and you'll need to develop a clear, concise, and well-supported argument either agreeing or disagreeing with it. Be sure to employ sound reasoning, evidence, and effective rhetorical strategies to make a persuasive case.

3. Synthesis - You'll be given multiple sources (usually 6-7) on a specific topic, and you'll need to synthesize the information to craft an original, well-reasoned argument. You'll be judged on how effectively you utilize the sources and how well you integrate them into your essay, while maintaining your own voice.

To prepare for these types of prompts, you can practice the following:

1. Read widely and critically - Start building your skills by reading a variety of texts, from newspapers and opinion articles to speeches and essays. Analyze the author's message, strategies, and rhetorical devices.

2. Write routinely - Practice your writing skills by creating arguments, analyzing texts, and synthesizing information from multiple sources. You could respond to practice prompts, in-class assignments, or even analyze passages from your readings.

3. Expand your vocabulary - Enhance your analytical and argumentative skills by learning and incorporating precise, effective words. This will help you create more sophisticated analyses and arguments.

4. Peer review - Collaborate with your classmates or writing groups to review each other's essays. This helps you identify your mistakes and improve your writing skills. Constructive criticism from others is invaluable.

5. AP test resources - Visit the College Board website for sample essay prompts and exam resources. There are numerous AP Lang resources online as well, including blogs, forums, and study guides that can help you build your skills.

Remember, practice makes perfect, so the more effort you put into honing your critical reading and writing abilities, the better prepared you'll be for AP Lang and Comp essay prompts. Good luck!

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in the DropBox files. Many of these files are available in Word document form in the DropBox, so you can edit the originals easily.
AP Lit Referenced Titles, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Lit Referenced Titles as (and ). AP Literature Open Prompts, 1970-2024, as , , and (Thanks to Claudia Felske). AP Literature Poetry Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Literature Poetry Prompts with Poems, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Poets Referenced, 1970-2024, as . AP Literature Prose Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Literature Prose Passages, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Prose Writers Referenced, 1970-2024, as . AP Prose Prompts Rewritten with Stable Wording, as (Thanks to Tia Miller). Overview of AP Literature Stable Pronots, as and as . Interesting re-grouping of AP Literature prompts by subjects (Thanks to Ann Elizabeth Richards). , , and .	All Three AP Language Free Response Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Language Prose Passages, 1982 to 2024, as (Thanks to Chris Godat). Overview of AP Language Stable Prompts, as and as . . ).
. Each prompt is now a separate dated file with prompt, scoring guide (6-point and/or 9-point), sample student essays, comments -- whatever I have, attached. Released multiple-choice exams are in a separate folder. . You can still use the to locate which file holds the scored sample essays. Long lost formats, four that were actually used for both Literature & Language. Personal favorites, like the Pairs Prompt. And a 1996 Country Prompt student essay on that the Chief Reader agreed was a 10 (and photo-copied for me). Yes, a 10. It’s All Happening Online —Useful Links AP Central & YouTube -- Finding your way around the Advanced Placement website can be tricky. Direct links listed below (with some of those acronyms defined). AP Language Home Page -- Classroom Resources AP Language Exam -- CED (Course and Exam Description), 2021 FRQ (Free Response Questions), and Past Exam FRQs (from 1999). AP Literature Home Page -- Classroom Resources AP Literature Exam -- CED (Course and Exam Description), 2021 FRQ (Free Response Questions), and Past Exam FRQs (from 1999). AP Teacher Community (Skip Nicholson) -- Join the AP English community, a combined group for Language & Literature. New version of the old ListServ . AP Language YouTube Channel (Live Review) -- 11 videos AP Literature YouTube Channel (Live Review) -- 10 videos AP English FaceBook Groups A P Language and Composition Teachers (Kristy Seidel) A P Literature and Composition (Brian Sztabnik) A P Literature and Composition Teachers (Michael Yeakey & Heather Davide Carlotz) Teacher Sites -- Where have all the teachers gone? On sabbatical, into administration, to commercial sites, to retirement. So sorry. Tim Freitas’ The Garden of English : Delightful, often surprising viewpoint. Sense of humor meets excellence. Love all the videos, handouts and posters. Susa n Barber’s and Brian Sztabnik’s Much Ado About Teachin g : The reincarnation of AP LIT Help. These gifted inspiring teachers have mastered the ability to explain everything AP clearly. Articles, videos, handouts are amazing. Beth Hall’s Coach Hall Writes offersmany free AP Language materials with links to Teachers Pay Teachers materials. Subscribe to her YouTube channel for excellent, focused videos. Brian Tolentino shares dozens of short videos on his YouTube Channel, Tolentino Teaching . SAT Vocabulary and Rhetorical Terms are especially helpful. Kristian Kuhn’s home page shares some excellent assignments. Teachers Teaching Writing , his YouTube channel has dozens of clever, useful videos for AP Literature. Susan Barber’s Teach with Class site offers Teacher Resources. Jerry Brown’ s website has buried treasure, well worth seeking. Don Pogebra’s Quixotic Pedagogue : Gorgeous website with generous materials. Retired. Ronnie Campagna’s DropBox is a wealth of materials. Please download; do not delete or move. Dawn Hogue’s Online English Resources provides a Teacher’s Toolbox and other online resources for AP and regular classes. M sEffie’s LifeSavers : Several ways to get there – Google “mseffie” [first hit], use the short domain router (mseffie.com). Mine. What can I say? Such a nerd! Terminology Brian Tolentino Teaching includes 35 term specific videos Dictionary of Literary Terms (Joel Littauer) Literary History Handbook of Rhetorical Devices (Robert Harris) Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms -- videos for more than 60 terms Poetic Terms (Robert Shubinsky) Writing Help Elements of Style Guide to Grammar and Writing Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab ) Literary Theory and Criticism Literary Resources on the Net (Jack Lynch) Literary Theory and Criticism (Brigham Young University) Guide to Critical Theory (Dino Felluga) Introduction to Modern Literary Theory (Kristi Siegel) Miscellaneous Resources -- $ Resource Requiring Payment TeachIt is a United Kingdom site (for their teachers) whose worksheets approach texts in a different way than we do. Though designed for their “regular” classes, the emphasis is usually on the kind of analysis we do in Advanced Placement classes. PDF files are free to download if you register.  Thought.Co Writing is the old About.com and offers a disorganized but intriguing mess of articles on language, literature, art, and more -- tips on grammar, sample paragraphs of every mode, suggestted topic lists, critical analyses, passages by well-known authors focusing on specific stylistic traits, and so on. The short introductions analyze each piece and help focus discussion. TED Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing -- Based upon the regular TED Talks and a library of original animated videos, TedEd provides a platform for teachers to share lessons based on the videos. CrackAP.com -- provides free access to 50+ practice multiple-choice exams on various passages, many of them from previous AP exams. A very awkward confusing site, but students get immediate assessment and explanations. Just IGNORE all the pop-ups & exterior clicks. AP Language Practices . AP Literature Practices . PrepScholar -- One-stop location for every AP Literature Practice Test available, free & official, including many older ones not available at AP Central. AP Language . AP Literature . $ Applied Practice -- Resource Guides for more than 100 titles. Each includes AP style multiple-choice and free response questions withy answers. With explanations of answers. Other stuff available, too. $ Prestwick House -- Reasonably priced packages include Activity Packs , Response Journals , Literature Teaching Units , AP Teaching Units , and Multiple Critical Perspectives , Response Journals , and Activity Packs . Samples available to download to check them out. (Free Crossword Puzzles and free Posters .) Links to My Pages with Handouts & URLs for Specific Major Works “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Macbeth by William Shakespeare (uses College Board’s My Roads) (Greek & Roman Mythology) (National Poetry Month) (an ekphrastic unit) by Anthony Doerr (Film) -- yes, a fan page with YouTube links to all the great John Green short videos. You may find other useful materials at Assignments , Handouts OR Yummy Bytes . If you download or print anything from this site, please consider making at least a $10.00 donation through PayPal. I can maintain and expand this website only with your help. How to Write an AP English Essay? How to Write AP English Essay: Prompts, Tips, Examples Exam Format How to write ap english essay prompts: know the challenge in face, ap english language essay prompts & grading rubric, ap english essay examples of 1st part questions, practice ap english exam essay example, ap english language and composition exam essay prompts. The Advanced Placement essay exam is one of the best ways to check the English proficiency of the particular student. If you master some of the expert AP English essay prompts, you will succeed in your task. Having some powerful AP English essay examples may help you to write a winning personal statement – these challenges have a lot in common. Is there a need to hire an essay expert to enter the college of your dream? To increase the chances of being accepted to the target institution, contact professional essay writers online who can compose the entire essay for cheap! At our service your can hire someone to do my homework and admission writing 24/7.  One of the most important AP English language essay prompts is the definition of this special task: A challenging college course made of 2 separate courses to train reading, comprehension, writing, and creativity: Language and Composition English Literature and Composition Rhetoric and literature analysis are two components the student need to succeed in a further essay writing career. A synthesis essay is at the heart of the course’s exam. This essay is a written discussion that draws on a single/multiple sources (s) such as scholarly articles, essays, textbooks, magazines, newspapers, documentaries, websites, etc. The exam essay prompts are different for both courses. An essay prompt refers to the specific topical article a student has to analyze and synthesize in order to come up with analytical pieces as one whole. It is important to remember the essay structure and essay grading rubric to succeed. A student can either develop a high-scoring essay, a mid-range essay, or a complete failure essay (low-scoring piece). This article focuses on the winning exam scenario. The rubric will look this way in case you are interested in hitting the highest score (8-9 points): Effectively stated point of view Relevant exam essay content Complete understanding of the offered AP English essay prompts Well-developed position towards the topic discussed in the given prompt(s) Instead of driving the sources, the essay focuses on the claim The main essay idea sounds persuasive & meaningful Only specific evidence for every mentioned idea is present “So what?” question is the clue to an essay A coherent and concise essay content Does not have any grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting mistakes Keep in touch with the process with the help of special learning mobile phone apps. Download some helpful writing apps to get ready! The 1st group of examples includes those associated with the Language & Composition part. Be ready to work on 3 essays. A couple of pieces should evaluate the offered literary text. A student will need to read the attached poem, narration, mini story, or essay by a famous American author to succeed. One more assignment requires responding to a given prompt the writer had to observe before the exam. A student will face: Up to 20 questions on the contemporary literature Up to 20 questions on Romantic/ Victorian literature No more than 10 questions related to XVII-century Elizabethan epoch in art If the teachers make it possible, try to add a bit of fun to your responses. Discover some of the great ways to save a day thanks to humor. Expert Advice: “I work in the admissions team that grades the AP English exam essays several years, and I can say there is no need to focus on the contemporary literature. The college boards do not consider most of the XX century authors. A student may cover just the most popular and top-rated pieces from the Middle English period – those authors are not regular guests in AP exams.” Lola Brendon, an AP English course teacher and expert online writer at JustDoMyHomework It is time to move to the Literature part of the examination, and have a look at other AP English exam essay examples of prompts. To get ready, experts recommend taking the time-tested steps: Find numerous poems and pieces of prose to train the reading & comprehension skills. Try to read and analyze them in mind ASAP. Mind that it is important to select the literary pieces from many various epochs as required by the exam’s instructions. Train a lot by reading a prompt a few minutes before moving to the offered piece and before getting to write. Annotate it. Many students benefit from searching for the particular keywords & key phrases – they are helpful during the writing process. Annotate the passage by keeping in mind the chosen keys and major themes. You will find a useful blog we prepared for all students in our database. It will tell you how to memorize a paragraph . Read it as it is so important for the whole studying process. It is important to practice different AP English language exams and composition essay prompts before joining the examination to stand the test. One of the good examples is a famous poem by Robert Frost : Nature's first green is gold Her hardest hue to hold Her early leaf's a flower But only so an hour Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief So dawn goes down to day Nothing gold can stay. After reading & analyzing this piece, think about the answers to multiple-choice questions. A rhyme in the given literary piece is present to : Allow easier reading Taking part in a literary convention Expanding a simile Developing imagery Eden in the line number 6 stands for: The mourning Religious aspect of the author Woman with the same name Judeo-Christian approach Under ‘Nothing gold…,” what do you understand? Wealth is transient People are evil by their nature Gold tarnishes without special efforts Things that are good will remain this way Pick a sentence, which reflects the essence of the mood in the offered text? The underlying mood is exciting & fun The mood is outraged/emotional The mood is romantic & calm The mood is melancholic/depressive The prompt may be given as the one, which requires a broad response. Some students believe such instructions are more complicated. Think about how the structure of a particular literary piece adds up to the essence of the topic. Pretend the offered structure is villanelle and try to come up with the original explanation of its reflection of the work. Cover such aspects as repetitiveness. Do not forget to include the poem’s line numbers that prove your point. Need some exam cheating tips? We are here to help you! That is everything an average student needs to know about AP English exam essay prompts. To succeed, we recommend getting extra essay help. No parent or classmate will be able to prepare you better than a professional online essay writing service full of certified writers. Order a custom essay from the native-speaking English team now! 4.0 GPA… A study goal of many students. It seems so unachievable and fantastic. In fact, we’re all human beings with the equal opportunities. Students just need to set their priorities and focus on what is really important to improve their grades. Another crucial thing is to practice a lot. Probably... Memory is a valuable tool people use to accumulate knowledge and use it afterward. Memorizing essay unlike a classification essay, is not as difficult as it may seem at first. The main thing is to find a suitable method of memorization and to organize the work in the right way. Want to memorize an e... Many students use all kinds of tricks to cheat in exams. Of course, some people think that it's a wrong deal for student's education. Still, it helps them achieve excellent academic results simply with no stress. There are different techniques and methods that are common today. Those school and coll... AP Calculus AP Chemistry AP U.S. History AP World History Free AP Practice Questions AP Exam Prep AP U.S. Government and Politics: Argument Essay Question 4 of the AP U.S. Government and Politics free response section will always be the Argument Essay. These questions begin with a brief paragraph about a given topic, such as the balance between federal and state powers. The prompt will then give specific instructions about how you must format your essay, including a list of several required foundational documents that are relevant to the topic at hand. You will need to discuss one of the listed documents as well as another piece of specific evidence from your own knowledge. Argument Essay Strategies While the scoring for the first three free-response questions is more straightforward—you earn points (or not) based on fully addressing each part of the prompt—the scoring for the Argument Essay is a little more complex. The following rubric outlines what the AP readers are generally looking for when they grade your Argument Essay; note the various categories and the ways you can earn points. Sample Question Formulate a defensible thesis that establishes a chain of reasoning. Federalist 10 U.S. Constitution Take your other piece of evidence from a different foundational document from the list above OR from your own study. Logically explain why your evidence supports your thesis. Present and reply to an alternative viewpoint using refutation, concession, or rebuttal. Step 1: Analyze the Prompt Step 2: plan your response. You’ll want to create a brief outline before you start writing, just like you would for any other full-length essay. As you saw from the rubric, AP readers are interested in your thesis development, your use of evidence, and your treatment of an alternative view. Everything you write should be toward one or more of those ends. You will need to state a thesis that specifically addresses the prompt and makes a claim. Avoid rewording the prompt or being too general. A good question to ask yourself is, “Am I actually taking a position on this issue that someone else might argue against?” Also, while the Argument Essay necessitates a longer, more detailed response than the other free-response question types, it does not require a formal introduction; in fact, writing a lengthy introduction can take up valuable time and frustrate the AP reader who is scoring your essay. Assert your thesis as soon as possible, and then move into the rest of your response. It is important to note that the Argument Essay’s topic and prompt wording will always intentionally allow for multiple positions. Therefore, you should be strategic and choose the position that you can best back up with evidence. You may even advocate for a different position than the one you personally agree with! To that end, no matter how strongly you feel about a topic, always present your evidence and claims in a balanced manner. Throughout your essay, even and especially when responding to an alternative viewpoint, avoid wording that makes it seem like your argument is simply your personal opinion (e.g., “I think” or “I believe,” or any language that is overly emotional). With all of this in mind, a high-scoring writer might write the following outline: Thesis: Trustee is the best model (ideals of Constitution) Madison’s fear: large country + big gov’t = factions (many groups disagree) Trustee can mediate, come to concl, act in best interests Needed trustee model to make change Civil rights and women’s rights movements The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 Response to alternative view: Anti-Feds would fear large repub (Brutus), but pol system in place would keep trustee honest Step 3: Action! Write Response & Step 4: Proofread Sample high-scoring response. The trustee model of legislative representation is the best reflection of the founders’ intentions in setting up American democracy because it offers the best hope for what the Preamble to the Constitution calls “a more perfect union,” one that will bring together war- ring factions and increase harmony. As James Madison pointed out in Federalist 10, it is inevitable that a republic will contain many groups which vehemently disagree. The bigger a country grows, the more frequent and violent factional clashes are likely to become. Madison was looking ahead to the U.S. that would burst the bounds of the original colonies and create more factionalism. This vision of an expanding, clashing nation makes the trustee model very appealing. A trustee Congressperson is one who will listen to all sides, make an independent judgment, but then go on to explain it so that opponents may be persuaded to change their minds, thus bringing resolution to conflicts. A trustee is a representative willing to do the principled thing even if the public thinks otherwise. Many issues in our history have seemed so polarized that they were beyond resolution and could not wait for popular consensus. This was the case with civil rights issues and legislation in the 1960s. Technically, African Americans had the right to vote since the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. However, this right was violently suppressed through intimidation tactics and a variety of restrictive measures such as poll taxes and literacy tests. It was not until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that substantial voting protections were extended to all black people. The Voting Rights Act outlawed literacy tests and other tactics; under this act, federal officials were sent to the South to ensure that African Americans were allowed to vote free from fear and intimidation, and the election practices of local governments were held under greater scrutiny. Civil rights movement leaders had challenged discriminatory practices for decades, but due to intense polarization in society, there was no public consensus on how to address racism in voting practices or even agreement as to whether to address it at all. Legislators had to go against the opinions of the majority in order to act in a way that advanced American ideals for all citizens, and the public eventually caught up. Similarly, legislators pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which was supported by people within social movements but not by the general populace. Additionally, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 touched on the goals of not just the civil rights movement but also the women’s rights movement; for example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibited sex discrimination in public accommodations. Members of these movements had been working for years to get society at large to expand rights and protections to all people. However, if legislators had waited to act until a majority of their constituency approved of these civil rights bills, the bills may never have passed. In this way, the trustee model can be used to uphold the rights of the minority despite majority resistance. The trustee idea would have been opposed by Brutus and other Anti-Federalists. Brutus 1 warns that a large republic would necessarily be disconnected from its people. Following this logic, a concern with the trustee model would be that the representative would deviate too far from the will of the people and become despotic. But it is important to note that the people have the ultimate voice if they disagree with the trustee’s judgments: the power of the ballot. The legislator’s desire to stay in power is a strong check on him or her, acting as an incentive to listen to constituents. All in all, the trustee is in the best position to reduce the intense factionalism Madison feared. Even before the advance of mass media, the trustee had many means to learn of the people’s different views and to explain why the legislator was voting a certain way, or advancing this or that philosophy. This give and take of ideas surely helped to get the republic through its rocky early decades, and also helped the country to recover from the volatile growing pains and changes in the mid-twentieth century by finding ways to bring people together and advance equal rights for all. Sample Response Explanation and Scoring Thesis (0–1 pt): The writer sets up a clear X because Y sentence to introduce the thesis, which could be paraphrased as, The trustee model brings about harmony. Everything that follows is connected to the founders’ ideal of harmony. The writer would therefore earn 1 point for Thesis. Support (0–3 pts): There is more than enough evidence to gain the full 3 points for Support, as the writer explains Madison’s argument in Federalist 10 and elaborates upon relevant historical examples of disharmony that those acting as trustees helped to fix through assertive actions. In addition, the references to the Constitution and Brutus 1 (while unnecessary for earning full credit in Support) show a strong command of course material. Reasoning (0–1 pt): The writer earns the 1 point for Reasoning by clearly explaining how a trustee offers the best hope for Madison’s vision. Specifically, the writer asserts in paragraphs 3 and 4 how trustees could not wait for public opinion in order to act. Reply to Alternative Viewpoint (0–1 pt): There is a whole paragraph at the end dedicated to rebutting the Anti-Federalists’ objections. In this way, the writer makes it clear that this requirement has been met and earns the final 1 point. Question-Specific Rubric: 6 points (1 + 3 + 1 + 1) Learn more about the other free response questions on the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. Concept Application   •   Quantitative Analysis   •   SCOTUS Comparison You might also like Call 1-800-KAP-TEST or email [email protected] Prep for an Exam MCAT Test Prep LSAT Test Prep GRE Test Prep GMAT Test Prep SAT Test Prep ACT Test Prep DAT Test Prep NCLEX Test Prep USMLE Test Prep Courses by Location NCLEX Locations GRE Locations SAT Locations LSAT Locations MCAT Locations GMAT Locations Useful Links Kaplan Test Prep Contact Us Partner Solutions Work for Kaplan Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy CA Privacy Policy Trademark Directory AP English Literature and Composition Review the free-response questions from the 2024 ap exam., new for 2024-25: mcqs will have four answer choices. Starting with the 2025 exam, AP English Literature and Composition multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will have four answer choices instead of five. Most AP courses have already implemented this change, which research indicates could improve students’ exam-day experience. This summer we’ll release updated resources reflecting the change.  Exam Overview Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the  AP English Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description (.pdf)  (CED). Encourage your students to visit the  AP English Literature and Composition student page  for exam information. Wed, May 8, 2024 AP English Literature and Composition Exam Exam format. The AP English Literature and Composition Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day. There will also be a consistent range of difficulty in the reading passages across all versions of the exam from year to year. The free-response questions will be scored using analytic rubrics, rather than the previous holistic rubrics. Section I: Multiple Choice 55 Questions | 1 Hour | 45% of Exam Score Includes 5 sets of questions with 8–13 questions per set. Each set is preceded by a passage of prose fiction, drama, or poetry of varying difficulty. The multiple-choice section will always include at least 2 prose fiction passages (this may include drama) and at least 2 poetry passages. Section II: Free Response 3 Questions | 2 Hours | 55% of Exam Score A literary analysis of a given poem A literary analysis of a given passage of prose fiction (this may include drama) An analysis that examines a specific concept, issue, or element in a work selected by the student. In responding to Question 3, students should select a work of fiction that will be appropriate to the question. A general rule is to use a work that is similar in quality to those they have read in their AP class(es). Scoring Rubrics One-page ap english literature and composition scoring rubrics. This is a simplified version of the longer scoring rubric document, with the decision rules and scoring notes taken out. This document features a student-friendly single-page rubric for each free-response question. AP English Literature and Composition Rubrics with Decision Rules and Scoring Notes This document features general scoring criteria that apply to each of the three free-response questions, regardless of specific question prompt. Exam Questions and Scoring Information Ap english literature and composition exam questions and scoring information. View free-response questions and scoring information from this year's exam and past exams. Score Reporting Online score reports. Access your score reports. Essays That Worked The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community. It’s a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins. Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants . Hear from the class of 2027. These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. We hope these essays inspire you as you prepare to compose your own personal statements. The most important thing to remember is to be original as you share your own story, thoughts, and ideas with us. Ordering the Disorderly Ellie’s essay skillfully uses the topic of entropy as an extended metaphor. Through it, we see reflections about who they are and who they aspire to be. Pack Light, But Be Prepared In Pablo’s essay, the act of packing for a pilgrimage becomes a metaphor for the way humans accumulate experiences in their life’s journey and what we can learn from them. As we join Pablo through the diverse phases of their life, we gain insights into their character and values. Tikkun Olam Julieta illustrates how the concept of Tikkun Olam, “a desire to help repair the world,” has shaped their passions and drives them to pursue experiences at Hopkins. Kashvi’s essay encapsulates a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and the invaluable teachings of Rock, their 10-year-old dog. Through the lens of their companionship, Kashvi walked us through valuable lessons on responsibility, friendship, patience, and unconditional love. Classical Reflections in Herstory Maddie’s essay details their intellectual journey using their love of Greek classics. They incorporate details that reveal the roots of their academic interests: storytelling, literary devices, and translation. As their essay progresses, so do Maddie’s intellectual curiosities. My Spotify Playlist Alyssa’s essay reflects on special memories through the creative lens of Spotify playlists. They use three examples to highlight their experiences with their tennis team, finding a virtual community during the pandemic, and co-founding a nonprofit to help younger students learn about STEM. More essays that worked We share essays from previously admitted students—along with feedback from our admissions committee—so you can understand what made them effective and how to start crafting your own. Application Workshops Our interactive workshops—on topics like the college search process and essay preparation—will help you build your strongest application when you’re ready to apply. REGISTER FOR AN APPLICATION WORKSHOP Application tips in your inbox Join our mailing list to receive insights from our admissions committee, event invites, and other resources for your college journey. Quick Links: Majors, Minors & Programs Application Deadlines & Requirements College Planning Guide Most scores from the June 1st SAT are now available. View your scores. What's on the SAT Here's what's on each section of the SAT and how it's structured. Choose Your Test Sat / act prep online guides and tips, sat essay prompts: the complete list. SAT Writing , SAT Essay On every SAT Essay, you'll have to read an argument meant to persuade a broad audience and discuss how well the author argues his or her point. The passage you'll have to read will change from test to test, but you'll always need to analyze the author's argument and write a coherent and organized essay explaining this analysis. In this article, we've compiled a list of the 14 real SAT essay prompts that the College Board has released (either in The Official SAT Study Guide or separately online) for the new SAT. This is the most comprehensive set of new SAT essay prompts online today. At the end of this article, we'll also guide you through how to get the most out of these prompts and link to our expert resources on acing the SAT essay. I'll discuss how the SAT essay prompts are valuable not just because they give you a chance to write a practice essay, but because of what they reveal about the essay task itself. UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});. In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing. While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement. What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know. SAT essay prompts always keep to the same basic format. Not only is the prompt format consistent from test to test, but what you're actually asked to do (discuss how an author builds an argument) also remains the same across different test administrations. The College Board's predictability with SAT essay helps students focus on preparing for the actual analytical task, rather than having to think up stuff on their feet. Every time, before the passage, you'll see the following: evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. And after the passage, you'll see this: "Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his] audience that [whatever the author is trying to argue for]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author]'s claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his/their] audience." Now that you know the format, let's look at the SAT essay prompts list. 14 Official SAT Essay Prompts The College Board has released a limited number of prompts to help students prep for the essay. We've gathered them for you here, all in one place. We'll be sure to update this article as more prompts are released for practice and/or as more tests are released. SPOILER ALERT : Since these are the only essay prompts that have been released so far, you may want to be cautious about spoiling them for yourself, particularly if you are planning on taking practice tests under real conditions . This is why I've organized the prompts by the 10 that are in the practice tests (so you can avoid them if need be), the ones that are available online as sample prompts, and the ones that are in the text of the Official SAT Study Guide (Redesigned SAT), all online for free. Practice Test Prompts These 10 prompts are taken from the practice tests that the College Board has released. Practice Test 1 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry." Practice Test 2 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust." Practice Test 3 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology." Practice Test 4 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved." Practice Test 5 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning." Practice Test 6 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece." Practice Test 7 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open" Practice Test 8 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA." Practice Test 9 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks." Practice Test 10 : "Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours." Special note: The prompt for Practice Test 4 also appears on the College Board's site with real sample essays written in response. If you've written a practice essay for practice test 4 and want to see what essays of different score levels look like for that particular prompt, you can go there and look at eight real student essays. Free Online Practice This prompt comes from the College Board website . "Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society." This prompt comes from Khan Academy , where it is listed as an alternate essay prompt to go along with Practice Test 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Leo W. Gerard builds an argument to persuade his audience that American colleges and universities should be affordable for all students." The Official SAT Study Guide 2020 The Official SAT Study Guide (editions published in 2015 and later available online for free) contains all 10 of the previously mentioned practice tests at the end of the book. In the section about the new SAT essay , however, there are two additional sample essay prompts (accompanied by articles to analyze). Sample Prompt 1: "Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States." Sample Prompt 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Adam B. Summers builds an argument to persuade his audience that plastic shopping bags should not be banned." How Do You Get the Most Out of These Prompts? Now that you have all the prompts released by the College Board, it's important to know the best way to use them. Make sure you have a good balance between quality and quantity, and don't burn through all 14 of the real prompts in a row— take the time to learn from your experiences writing the practice essays. Step By Step Guide on How to Practice Using the Article #1: Understand how the SAT essay is graded . #2: Follow along as we write a high-scoring SAT essay, step by step . #3: Plan a set of features you'll look for in the SAT essay readings and practice writing about them fluidly. This doesn't just mean identifying a technique, like asking a rhetorical question, but explaining why it is persuasive and what effect it has on the reader in the context of a particular topic. We have more information on this step in our article about 6 SAT persuasive devices you can use . #4: Choose a prompt at random from above, or choose a topic that you think is going to be hard for you to detach from (because you'll want to write about the topic, rather than the argument) set timer to 50 minutes and write the essay. No extra time allowed! #5: Grade the essay, using the official essay rubric to give yourself a score out of 8 in the reading, analysis, and writing sections. #6: Repeat steps 4 and 5. Choose the prompts you think will be the hardest for you so that you can so that you're prepared for the worst when the test day comes #7: If you run out of official prompts to practice with, use the official prompts as models to find examples of other articles you could write about . Start by looking for op-ed articles in online news publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, LA Times , and so on. For instance, the passage about the plastic bag ban in California (Official SAT Study Guide sample essay prompt 2, above) has a counterpoint here —you could try analyzing and writing about that article as well. Any additional articles you use for practice on the SAT essay must match the following criteria: ideally 650-750 words , although it'll be difficult to find an op-ed piece that's naturally that short. Try to aim for nothing longer than 2000 words, though, or the scope of the article is likely to be wider than anything you'll encounter on the SAT. always argumentative/persuasive . The author (or authors) is trying to get readers to agree with a claim or idea being put forward. always intended for a wide audience . All the information you need to deconstruct the persuasiveness of the argument is in the passage. This means that articles with a lot of technical jargon that's not explained in the article are not realistic passage to practice with. What's Next? We've written a ton of helpful resources on the SAT essay. I f you're just getting started, we recommend beginning with our top SAT essay tips for a quick overview of the essay task and what you need to know. A little more familiar with the SAT essay but still not quite sure how to write one? Follow along with our step-by-step guide to writing the SAT essay . Looking to earn a high score? Learn what it takes to get the highest score possible on the SAT essay here . Plus, if you want a reference linking you to all of our great articles on the SAT essay, be sure to check out our ultimate SAT essay guide . Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school. Ask a Question Below Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply! Improve With Our Famous Guides For All Students The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section: Score 800 on SAT Math Score 800 on SAT Reading Score 800 on SAT Writing Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section: Score 600 on SAT Math Score 600 on SAT Reading Score 600 on SAT Writing Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? 15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section: 36 on ACT English 36 on ACT Math 36 on ACT Reading 36 on ACT Science Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section: 24 on ACT English 24 on ACT Math 24 on ACT Reading 24 on ACT Science What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ACT Vocabulary You Must Know ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA How to Write an Amazing College Essay What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide Should you retake your SAT or ACT? When should you take the SAT or ACT? Stay Informed Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Looking for Graduate School Test Prep? Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: GRE Online Prep Blog GMAT Online Prep Blog TOEFL Online Prep Blog Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!” About AP Scores AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Many U.S. colleges grant credit and/or advanced placement (that means they let you skip the equivalent course once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above. Keep in Mind Your total score is calculated from your section scores.. For most AP Exams, your score is a weighted combination of your scores on the 2 sections, multiple-choice and free-response. Some AP courses have assessments that include other scored components. AP Exams are scored on a 5-point scale. The final score for each AP Exam is reported on a 5-point scale that offers a recommendation about how qualified you are to receive college credit and placement—but each college makes its own decisions about what scores it will grant credit or placement for. AP score setting is based on research. The AP Program conducts studies in all AP subjects to correlate the performance of AP students with that of college students in comparable college courses. These studies help set the “cut points” that determine how AP students’ composite scores are translated into an AP score of 1–5. Browse Topic How are ap exams scored. After the AP Exams are administered, schools return all paper AP Exam materials to the AP Program. Then, for most AP courses: The multiple-choice section is scored by computer. Each answer sheet is scanned and the total number of correct responses equals the multiple-choice score. The free-response section (essays and open-ended questions) and through-course performance tasks are scored at the annual AP Reading held during the first two weeks in June. Specially appointed college professors and experienced AP teachers score this section of the exam. The total scores from the free-response section and the multiple-choice section are combined to form a composite score. These composite scores are then translated into the 5-point scale using statistical processes designed to ensure that, for example, a 3 this year reflects the same level of achievement as a 3 last year. The assessments for AP Seminar, AP Research, AP Computer Science Principles, the three AP Art and Design courses, and AP African American Studies are different. See each  course page for details. Who receives my scores? You, the college, university, or scholarship program you designated using your free score send , and educators in your school and district, including your AP teachers, will automatically receive your scores once they’re released. You can also submit an online order to send your scores to additional colleges and universities for a fee. Your parents don’t have access to your scores, unless you’ve given them your College Board account login information.  If your school, district, or state partners with other educational organizations, your scores and/or personally identifying information may be shared with those specific educational organizations. To find out whether your scores will be shared with any of these organizations, ask your school.  If you’re a resident of the state of Kentucky, your AP Exam scores will automatically be sent to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). If you don’t want your scores sent to KHEAA, send us a request. Your request must be received by June 15 of the year you took the exam. Write to: AP Program, Educational Testing Service, 1425 Lower Ferry Road, 29Q, Ewing, NJ 08618. Be sure to include your full name, mailing address, date of birth, gender, eight-digit AP ID, and your six-digit high school code number.  Score reports include both this year’s and past AP Exam scores, along with certain demographic information about you and other information you provide during testing. Colleges, universities, and scholarship programs that you send your scores to may use your information to contact you about admissions and educational, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. We also share with your school and district the names of the organizations you choose to send your AP Exam scores to.      Do colleges look at AP Exam scores when deciding whether to admit an applicant? Check the admissions websites of the colleges that interest you to see if sending your official scores will help support your application. In general, colleges want to see that you’re taking the most rigorous coursework available to you. By enrolling in AP courses, you demonstrate that you’re interested in challenging yourself and learning at a college level. If I don't get a good score on an AP Exam, will it hurt my chances for college admission? When making admission decisions, colleges consider many more factors than just exam scores, including the strength of your coursework and your GPA in rigorous courses. By enrolling in AP courses, you demonstrate that you are interested in challenging yourself and learning at a college level. Taking AP Exams shows colleges you’re willing to work hard and complete college-level work, regardless of your score. What’s the average score for AP Exams? The mean score for the 2023 AP Exams was 2.96. More than 60% of all exams taken earned a score of 3 or higher. To learn more about individual exams, visit AP Score Distributions. How do I save a copy of my AP score report? A downloadable version of your score report is available in AP Scores for Students in PDF format. This is an unofficial copy of your score report intended for your own records. To send an official score report to a college, university, or scholarship program, you’ll need to sign in to AP Scores for Students and order one. Related Topics 379 IMAGES Common App Essays Prompts 2023-2024 Expert's Guide to the AP Literature Exam "Life of Pi" editable, AP Style Passage Test,Essay Prompts,Sample Essay AP Test Review: Sample Essay Excerpts AP Seminar Ap literature prompts essay VIDEO Stop Falling Behind: Master AI Prompting in Under 60 Seconds! #chatgpt #AI #generativeai Argumentative Writing How to NAIL the UCLA Essay Prompts (pt. 1) Responding to Prompts ONE Part l: Supply Type of Test: Essay (Restricted and Non-restricted) How to NAIL the UC Essay Prompts (pt. 3) COMMENTS AP English Literature and Composition Exam Questions Download free-response questions from this year's exam and past exams along with scoring guidelines, sample responses from exam takers, and scoring distributions. If you are using assistive technology and need help accessing these PDFs in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at ssd@info ... Every AP English Language and Composition Practice Exam The AP Language and Composition exam has two sections: a multiple-choice section with 45 questions, and a free-response section with three essay questions—one synthesis prompt, one analysis prompt, and one argument prompt. But not all AP Lang practice tests are like the real exam, and they aren't all of equal quality. AP Lit Open Questions, 1970-2024 MsEffie's List of Open-ended Questions. for Advanced Placement® English Literature Exams, 1. 970-2024*. Do not merely summarize the plot. Avoid plot summary. 2024, Set 1. Many works of literature feature a character who may be reluctant to make a decision, unable to make a decision, or is resistant to doing so. PDF AP English Literature and Composition 2021 Free-Response Questions Question 1. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) In Ai's poem "The Man with the Saxophone," published in 1985, the speaker encounters a man playing a saxophone. Read the poem carefully. AP English Sample Essay AP English Language and Composition Exam Sample Essay Questions. April 9, 2024. After an hour of answering multiple-choice questions, you'll have two hours to write three essays : A synthesis essay in which you use sources to argue your point of view on a given issue. An analytical essay that examines, interprets, and explains the meaning and ... All FRQ #3 Open-Ended Prompts, 1970-2022 All FRQ #3 Open-Ended Prompts, 1970-2022. Thanks to the hard work of Sandra Effinger, all the open-ended prompts from 1970-2022 have been assembled on one page. Please see this link. This is incredibly useful as a way of building general questions about independent reading. For example, a teacher might use this resource to build independent in ... AP English Language and Composition Exam New for 2024-25: MCQs Will Have Four Answer Choices. Starting with the 2025 exam, AP English Language and Composition multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will have four answer choices instead of five. Most AP courses have already implemented this change, which research indicates could improve students' exam-day experience. Expert Guide to the AP Language and Composition Exam The AP English Language and Composition Multiple-Choice. The multiple-choice section tests you on two main areas. The first is how well you can read and understand nonfiction passages for their use of rhetorical devices and tools. The second is how well you can "think like a writer" and make revisions to texts in composition questions. How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples 2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side. When you write the essay, it's best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the ... Every AP Literature Practice Test Available: Free and Official The 2019 AP English Literature Course and Exam Description has practice multiple-choice questions and free-response questions.They don't add up to a complete test--there are only 19 multiple-choice questions instead of 55-but there are three free response questions (enough for a full test). Even though there aren't many multiple-choice ... PDF AP English Literature 2016 Free-Response Questions Question 1. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) Read carefully the following poem by Richard Wilbur, first published in 1949. Then, write an essay in which you analyze how the speaker describes the juggler and what that description reveals about the speaker. PDF AP English Literature and Composition 2015 Free-Response Questions Question 1. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) In the following poem by Caribbean writer Derek Walcott, the speaker recalls a childhood experience of visiting an elderly woman storyteller. Read the poem carefully. PDF AP® English Literature and Composition 2014 Free-Response Questions Question 2. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) The following passage is from the novel The Known World by Edward P. Jones. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze how the author reveals the character of Moses. In your analysis, you may wish to consider ... AP Lit Exam Guide Format of the 2024 AP English Literature Exam. Going into test day, this is the exam format to expect: Multiple Choice | 1 Hour | 45% of Exam Score. 55 questions. 5 sets of questions with 8-13 questions per set. Each set is preceded by a passage of prose fiction, drama, or poetry of varying difficulty. AP Lang and Comp Prompts: What to Expect? AP Lang and Comp (AP English Language and Composition) focuses primarily on rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and synthesis. The essay prompts are designed to test your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Here's a brief overview of the different types of prompts you may expect: 1. Rhetorical Analysis - You'll be given a nonfiction ... PDF AP Language Argument Prompts (some adaptions) Asher AP ELAC Past AP Language ARGUMENT Prompts (some adaptations) 2012 Consider the distinct perspective expressed in the following statements: "If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible." (William Phelps ) Advanced Placement English AP Language and LiteratureTests Reorganized: Each prompt is now a separate dated file with prompt, scoring guide (6-point and/or 9-point), sample student essays, comments -- whatever I have, attached. Released multiple-choice exams are in a separate folder. Q3 Sample Essay List organized by Title, Year, and Score (Thanks to Brian Sztabnik), as PDF.. AP Language FRQs AP English Essay Prompts: Their Types, Tips, and Examples A synthesis essay is at the heart of the course's exam. This essay is a written discussion that draws on a single/multiple sources (s) such as scholarly articles, essays, textbooks, magazines, newspapers, documentaries, websites, etc. AP English Language Essay Prompts & Grading Rubric. The exam essay prompts are different for both courses. AP U.S. History Long Essay Example The second part of Section II of the AP exam contains three long essay questions—you must respond to one. The AP U.S. History long essay question assesses your ability to apply knowledge of history in a complex, analytical manner. In other words, you are expected to treat history and historical questions as a historian would. SAT® and AP® English Language essay prompts Click below to view a list of official SAT® Essay prompts. Then, click the title of each prompt to view the page or download a PDF of the text. 💡Some prompts below include links to an external resource. To include this link as your essay prompt when creating a writing assignment in NoRedInk, be sure to copy and paste the website's full ... AP U.S. Government and Politics: Argument Essay The Argument Essay differs substantially from the other free-response questions on the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam, but you can and should still follow the Kaplan Method (AP-AP). It is recommended that you take 40 minutes to plan and write your Argument Essay (as opposed to 20 minutes each for the other free-response questions), so ... AP English Literature and Composition Exam 3 Questions | 2 Hours | 55% of Exam Score. Students write essays that respond to 3 free-response prompts from the following categories: A literary analysis of a given poem; A literary analysis of a given passage of prose fiction (this may include drama) An analysis that examines a specific concept, issue, or element in a work selected by the ... 19 College Essay Topics and Prompts 19 college essay topics. Each school sets different requirements around the college essay, so it's important to review the expectations around every application you intend to submit. Some give you creative freedom, while others expect you to respond to a pre-developed prompt. Either way, a strong college essay conveys to the admissions team who ... Essays That Worked In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins. ... Our interactive workshops—on topics like the college search process and essay preparation—will help you build your strongest application ... SAT Practice and Preparation From free practice tests to a checklist of what to bring on test day, College Board provides everything you need to prepare for the digital SAT. Most June 1st SAT scores will be posted throughout the day. Students will receive an email when their scores are available in their online score report. Home From free test prep to a checklist of what to bring on test day, College Board provides everything you need to prepare. Get Ready for Test Day Educators: Learn about the SAT Suite. The SAT Suite of Assessments is an integrated system of tests including the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9. My AP Login Sign in to access your AP or Pre-AP resources and tools including AP Classroom. What's on the SAT What to Bring and Do on Test Day; SAT Scores; SAT Testing Staff; SAT Test Center Search; Check for Test Center Closings; Help Center: Students; Help Center: Professionals and Educators; Test Security and Fairness; SAT Terms & Conditions SAT Essay Prompts: The Complete List This prompt comes from Khan Academy, where it is listed as an alternate essay prompt to go along with Practice Test 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Leo W. Gerard builds an argument to persuade his audience that American colleges and universities should be affordable for all students." The Official SAT Study Guide 2020 About AP Scores The free-response section (essays and open-ended questions) and through-course performance tasks are scored at the annual AP Reading held during the first two weeks in June. Specially appointed college professors and experienced AP teachers score this section of the exam. essay homework paper phd project resume review speech study thesis