Introduction to Advanced Placement Language and Composition

How is the AP Language Exam Organized? The exam has two parts and is scheduled to last 3 ¼ hours. The first section is a set of multiple- choice questions based on a series of prose passages (usually 4). A student will have 1 hour to complete this part of the test. The second section of the exam is a 2-hour essay writing segment consisting of three different essays. Students are given 15 minutes to read the essay materials prior to writing.

How is the exam scored? The multiple-choice section counts for 45% of the total score, and the essay section counts for 55%. The raw score of the multiple- choice section and the raw scoring of the essay section are converted into the AP grade of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1. Check with individual colleges to see what scores, if any, are accepted.

What are the 3 essays? One is a rhetorical analysis. Generally, students are presented with a prose passage that can be drawn from various genres and time periods. Although the specific tasks asked of the students vary from year to year, they almost always involve analysis of language, primarily rhetorical strategies and devices. Rhetorical strategies are the strategies a writer uses to persuade his audience. Devices are the linguistic choices a writer makes for various specific effects.

The Rhetorical Analysis Essay The College Board wants to determine a student’s facility with reading, understanding, and analyzing challenging texts. They also want to assess how well s/he manipulates language to communicate the written analysis of a specific topic to a mature audience. AP is looking for connections between analysis and the passage. How does an author use language and what is the effect?

Argumentative Essay While the first essay asks students to assess the argument of another, the second requires students to write their own. A student has to make a claim and then provide evidence to prove it. Also the student is required to address and counter the other side.

Synthesis Essay In a synthesis essay the student synthesizes at least three sources. Some come from magazines and others from newspapers. Some are cartoons or graphs or visuals. A synthesis essay is really a miniature informational research paper. The student must take the different ideas from the sources and put the ideas together into a new, cohesive essay that informs the reader about a central subject. This essay will test a student’s organizational skills, his/her understanding of other material, and ability to balance more than one source in an essay--all skills that are necessary to writing a successful research paper.

How are the essays scored? The grading is done with a rubric, which is a scoring guide for the essay. Graders are trained to reward a student for things s/he does well. They are aware of the time constraints of 40 minutes per essay. The top score on the rubric is a 9. This is an impressive essay. Next is an 8, 7, and 6. These are top scores. A 5 means that you understand the prompt but the essay is limited or uneven. The scores of 4, 3, 2, and 1 are inadequate responses. For a student to score well, he or she must analyze, interpret, argue cogently, and demonstrate stylistic maturity.

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