AP Language and Composition Exam Information

Scores 5: Extremely well qualified 4: Well qualified 3: Qualified 2: Possibly qualified 1: Not recommended for AP credit

College Course Replacement A high score on the exam demonstrates proficiency in English at least on a par with students who have successfully completed an introductory college level course in composition or rhetoric. Many colleges and universities will waive the freshman English requirement for high-scoring students. Each school's policy is different, so make sure you check with the admissions office (it should be on the website) of schools you are interested in attending.

Outline of the Exam Total time: Three hours and 15 minutes Section 1: One hour multiple choice questions about several non-fiction prose passages 45 percent of total score Section 2: Two hours and 15 minutes Three essays Essay 1: an argument for or against an idea presented in a short passage incorporating provided published sources Essay 2: an analysis of a prose passage Essay 3: an essay commenting on the validity of an opinion expressed in a statement or short passage 55 percent of total score

Multiple-choice Questions Focus: rhetoric (catch-all term loosely referring to techniques and strategies used by an author in composing a particular passage) Examples: Organization of a passage or why the author structured a passage in a particular way Function of paragraphs: how their placement and organization contribute to the development of the passage as a whole Sentence structure in a passage (sentences of different lengths, structure, and type relate to tone and meaning) Word order, tone, diction, transitions, repetition, parallelism, allusion, alliteration, antithesis, apostrophe, and figurative language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, paradox, and irony) At least one passage will indicate footnotes or a bibliography, and some of the questions will ask you about the meaning, purpose, or effect of the citations

Examples Continued Identify the relationship of a sentence in the first paragraph to the passage as a whole. Select the rhetorical strategy or device used in a particular section of the passage. Identify the function of a sentence within a paragraph, or a paragraph within the whole. Choose the best title or main topic of a passage. Discern shifts in theme, tone, style, sentence structure, diction, syntax, effect, or rhetorical purpose between two sections of the passage. Determine how unity (or point of view, emphasis, contrast, or other feature) is achieved in all or in part of the passage. Name the author's implied or stated purpose, or the purpose of particular images, diction, organization, sentence structure, or other stylistic choice. Recognize the overall genre of the passage.

More Multiple Choice Passages are written between the 17th and 21st centuries with an occasional passage from Ancient Greece or Rome There is an attempt to balance time period and individual style. Passages are all nonfiction and are composed by essayists, historians, journalists, diarists, autobiographers, political writers, philosophers, and critics.

Helpful Hints for Multiple Choice Assuming you do well on your essays, you need to answer most of the multiple choice correctly in order to get a 5, 75% for a 4, and 50-60% for a 3. Each correct answer is worth one point. Wrong answers AND BLANKS will be deducted from your score. In short, DON'T LEAVE BLANKS. Answer all questions, EVEN IF IT MEANS GUESSING. Questions normally follow the progress of the passage, but not always.

Essay Questions Synthesis essay: use sources to argue your point of view on a given issue Analytical essay: examines, interprets, and explains the meaning and structure of prose passage. Persuasive or argumentative essay: supports, refutes, or qualifies an opinion expressed in a statement or brief passage.

Essay Time Allotment 15 minutes: read the questions and sources, plan your essays, underline noteworthy ideas, formulate a tentative thesis, prepare a brief outline. You may not begin writing your essay until your proctor releases you to do so at the end of the 15 minutes. Suggested writing time for each essay is 40 minutes.

Essay Grading Exam readers are given guidelines for grading your essays and rubrics for assigning a score. Each essay is scored on a scale of 0 (low) to 9 (high) and is read by two different readers. If the scores assigned by the two readers differ by more than one grade, a third reader evaluates the essay. Criteria for evaluating the synthesis and analytical essays are identical except readers evaluate how effectively you cite sources to support your position for the synthesis essay. Scores on the border are raised to the higher number. See score handout