2. Make a Plan Do not begin writing until you fully comprehend the prompt plus the poem or passage. Mere parroting of the prompt detracts credibility. START THE CLOCK. Show thought with each word. Write directly on the passage and make quick notes and outlines in the margins. A quick TIFF or TP-CASTT can work wonders. Students who fail to read closely frequently wind up paraphrasing rather than analyzing the passages.

3. The intro Begin quickly and directly. Although AP Readers are instructed to read the entire essay and not to be prejudiced by a weak introduction, a strong opening paragraph can be a real asset to a student's paper. Avoid beginning with ideas that do not relate directly to the prompt.

4. What not to do The following introduction for Q1 on the 2002 AP English Literature Exam shows us what not to do: "All people at some point in time have encountered a great deal of trouble in their lives. I know of so many people who have been embarrassed by parents that will wave at you from across a room. I have a friend who told me that her parents did this very same thing…" Such generalities (not to mention the use of first and second person) signal a writer's inability to respond in a thoughtful manner, suggesting that the rest of the paper also may be incoherent or rambling. The Reader might begin to suspect that the student is just trying to bluff his or her way through the question.

5. What to do One-sentence perfunctory introductions that simply repeat the wording of the prompt also work poorly, suggesting to the Reader that the student isn't particularly interested or doesn't care. Instead, write an introduction strong enough to earn a 3 all by itself. That means that you should answer the entire prompt -- answer the prompt, not simply repeat it -- in the introduction. Use the TAG+SOT+How method. If it asks for analysis of tone or characterization instead of “meaning of the work as a whole” change it to TAG+Statement of Characterization or Tone + How. This indicates to the Reader that the paper could be heading into the upper-half zone.

6. Things to include in your Intro: 1.TAG: Title, Author, Genre: In George Orwell’s novel 1984… William Shakespeare’s drama Hamlet… Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays”… 2.Possibly: Some background information, or brief summary of the work. 3.A Thesis statement.

7. Hints: If there are more than multiple literary devices listed in the prompt for you to consider in your discussion, choose 2-3 to focus on. You are NOT required to address all devices. Always, even if the prompt doesn’t directly ask you to do so, discuss the theme of the piece. The readers want to see you are able to make connections between the devices and the overall meaning of the work.

8. Use paragraphs and Topic Sentences Indent CLEARLY A paper without indentation or with unclear indentation often confuses a Reader. Paragraphs create the fundamental structure of the essay, and without them good ideas can get muddled. Topic sentences are a necessary tool both for organizing paragraphs and also for helping Readers navigate through the essay.

9. Use quotations and explain them To score at least a 3, use specific quotations to back up your assertions. You must then explain the quotes clearly and demonstrate how they are relevant to the prompt. No long quotes -- it looks like you are trying to fill up space rather than answer the prompt!

10. Create Variety Short, choppy sentences without variety indicate a student who has little background in grammar and style, perhaps someone who has read and written minimally. Connect ideas with transitional wording, mix simple sentences with complex and compound. Imagine children making the same tower or castle each time they played with blocks. They soon would become bored. Likewise, both writers and readers get bored when everything is formulaic, lacking some individual pizzazz.

11. Find the right word An arsenal of appropriate vocabulary and analytical wording reveals a brilliant mind at work, but writers should make certain that the words fit. Some students stick in big words just to sound scholarly. Ironically, some of their papers score only a 2 because they lack clarity and sometimes say nothing of relevance to the prompt. Use the active voice as much as possible as one remedy for repetition and other superfluous wording. Use the present tense when discussing literature. It is still ALIVE though the author may be long gone.

12. Easy errors to FIX! Spot the problems: Oscar’s satirical play “The Importance of Being Earnest” was able to convey different aspects about his society back in the day. I count 7 errors. How many do you see? 1. Oscar Wilde is his name 2 & 3. Title = The Importance of Being Earnest (italics + spelling) 4 & 5. “was able to convey” = past tense + passive voice 6. “different aspects” = vague, boring 7. “back in the day” = slang

13. The reader will be smiling and nodding along with this one… During the Victorian Era common values and morals became skewed as marriage turned into a business and once- admirable traits became detrimental to one’s image. In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde skewers these twisted aristocratic values to expose the superficiality of his time. By satirizing the idea of “mercenary marriages,” habitual dishonesty, and pretentious aristocratic attitudes, Wilde light-heartedly portrays the ignorance of his time with humor and wit. Adapted from the essays of Julie Huynh and Phat Pham

14. The essay section score Each essay is scored as 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1, plus 0, with 9 the highest possible score. Once your essay is given a number from 9 to 1, the next set of calculations is completed. Here, if there are 27 possible points divided into 55 percent of the total possible score, each point awarded is given a value of 3.055. the formula looks something like this: (pts. X 3.055) + (pts. X 3.055) + (pts. X 3.055) = essay essay 1 essay 2 essay 3 raw score

15. Composite score The total composite score for the AP Lit test is 150. Of this score, 55% is the essay section; that equals 82.5 points. The multiple-choice section is 45% of the composite score, which equals 67.5 points. Each of your three essays is graded on a 9- point scale; therefore, each point is worth 3.055. Divide the number of multiple-choice questions by 67.5, for instance, if there were 55 questions, each point of the raw score would be multiplied by 1.227. If you add together the raw score of each of the two sections, you will have a composite score.

16. Your AP grade report Just a reference: 150 – 100 points = 5 99 – 86 = 4 85 – 67 = 3 Grades 2 and 1 fall below this range. You do not want to be there.

17. AP SCORE QUALIFICATION 5 Extremely well qualified (equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college course.) 4 Well qualified (equivalent to grades of A- to B in college. ) 3 Qualified (equivalent to grades of B–, to C in college. Most will receive college credit.) 2 Possibly qualified (basically, not there yet. No college credit) 1 No recommendation