1. Results from the 2017 AP French Language and Culture Exam
Brian Kennelly
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
28 July

2. Overview 2017 AP French Language and Culture Exam Exam Information
Score Distributions
Comments on Free-Response Questions with Advice for Teachers
Overview

3. Exam Information

4. Multiple-Choice Interpretive Communication (Print Texts)
Interpretive Communication (Print and Audio Texts)
Interpretive Communication (Audio Texts)
Multiple-Choice
65 questions
50% of total score

5. Free-Response Interpersonal Writing (E-Mail Reply)
Presentational Writing (Persuasive Essay)
Interpersonal Speaking (Conversation)
Presentational Speaking (Cultural Comparison)
Free-Response
4 tasks
50% of total score

6. Score Distributions

7. Only scores of Standard Group are used to determine the score distributions (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
Comprised approximately 77.8% of test takers
Standard Group
Answered “No” to the following questions:
Do you hear or speak the target language regularly at home?
Have you lived for more than a month in a country where the target language is spoken?

8. Score Distributions Operational Exam
AP Score % % % % 1 5.6% 71.8% of test takers in Standard Group scored 3 or higher
Standard Group
77.8% of test takers
16,788 test takers

9. Score Distributions Operational Exam
AP Score
5 11:6% 11.5% 10.9%
% 25.9% 23.8%
% 36.0% 37.1%
% 21.3% 22.6%
1 5.8% 5.3% 5.6%
Standard Group
3-year data

10. Score Distributions Operational Exam
AP Score % % % % 1 5.0% 75.3% of test takers in Total Group scored 3 or higher
Total Group
100% of test takers
21,592 test takers

11. Score Distributions Operational Exam
AP Score
% 17.3% 16.8%
% 26.5% 25.0%
% 32.6% 33.5%
% 18.7% 19.7%
1 5.2% 4.9% 5.0%
Total Group
3-year data

12. Comments & Advice

13. This  task assessed writing in the interpersonal communicative mode by having students write a reply to an message. Students were allotted fifteen minutes to read the message and write the reply. The response received a single, holistic score based on how well it accomplished the assigned task. Students needed to be able, first, to comprehend the , and then to write a reply in a formal register. In the reply, students had to address the two questions in the message, as well as ask for more details about something mentioned in it.
Reply

14. The task required the student to respond to the geography teacher in charge of organizing an “international week” celebration at the student’s school. In the teacher’s introduction, she thanks the student for proposing an event centered around Francophone cultures, while also explaining its potential impact on both the school and the community at large. The teacher asks the student what types of performances or exhibits are planned and how the student plans to publicize the week-long celebration to as many people as possible.
Reply

15. Students neglected that they were to talk about Francophone culture, not just culture, broadly defined
Fairly long introductory paragraph with some abstract language confused some students
Overlooked that the had been sent by a woman (Yasmina Beglaoui)
Not all questions or responses by students pertained to something mentioned in the prompt
Use of exclamation marks
s consisting solely or principally of language lifted from the prompt and often revealing misunderstanding thereof
Reply
Common Errors or Omissions

16. Long and very formal closing not necessary (“Bien à vous” or “Bien cordialement,” for example, is fine)
Don’t merely recycle language from stimulus
Formal written interpersonal exchange ( ), not formal written presentation (essay)
No requisite quantity of advanced structures (grammar should serve purpose of message)
Integrate transitions
Paragraphs, legibility, and task completion matter
Role-play is key (don’t negate the premise of the task)
Be familiar with common first names in a variety of Francophone cultures
Reply
Advice

17. This  task assessed writing in the presentational mode by having students write a persuasive essay on a given topic while referencing three sources of information about the topic. Students were first allotted six minutes to read the essay topic and the two printed sources. They then listened to the one audio source. Thereafter, they had forty minutes to write the essay. The response received a single, holistic score based on how well it accomplished the assigned task. Students needed to be able, first, to comprehend the three sources and then to present their own viewpoint, defending it thoroughly, using information from all the sources as support. As they referred to the sources, students needed to identify them appropriately. Furthermore, the essay had to be organized into clear paragraphs.
Persuasive Essay

18. Students had to write a persuasive essay on whether it is necessary to move out from the home of one’s parents once one has reached adulthood. The first source was an article entitled, “They are 35 years of age and older and still live with their parents.” While the author believes the reasons for this phenomenon to be multiple, he posits that it is largely a consequence of parents who continue to allow their children to be too dependent on them beyond their teenage years. The second source was a chart showing the percentage of young adults (aged 20 to 24 years and 25 to 29 years) living with their parents, between 1981 and The third source was a radio interview broadcast of a journalist, a family therapist, and a psychiatrist in which each expert provided his point of view regarding so-called “boomerang” children, who—after leaving home—find themselves forced to return for various reasons.
Persuasive Essay

19. Did not recognize the need to persuade while answering the question
Inappropriate citation and integration of the three sources
Limited cultural competency in response (the claim that staying at home with one’s parents in Morocco is “strange,” for example)
Insufficient knowledge of the French language and of grammar to present ideas in a satisfactory manner
Persuasive Essay
Common Errors or Omissions

20. Persuasive Essay Double-check errors and don’t misquote sources
Write legibly
Integrate information from all three sources (don’t just summarize)
In addition to task completion, accuracy and variety in grammar, syntax, and usage is important
Be familiar with vocabulary from each of course’s themes
The process of writing matters (prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing)
Content and structure of response matters more than length thereof
Don’t merely restate stereotypes or opinions in source materials; articulate own opinion while integrating source materials (for support or to be refuted)
Persuasive Essay
Advice

21. This  task assessed speaking in the interpersonal communicative mode by having students respond as part of a simulated oral conversation. Students were first allotted one minute to read a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each of its turns. As the conversation proceeded, students were given twenty seconds to speak at each of its five turns. The five student responses received a single holistic score based on how well the task had been accomplished. Students had to address each turn in the conversation appropriately, according to the outline and the simulated interlocutor’s utterances.
Conversation

22. In this task, the student has a conversation with Jérôme, a classmate, about a camping trip that is being planned. Jérôme asks the student for ideas and suggestions. The student needed to respond to the following five audio prompts:
Jérôme greets the student and explains that he is going on a weekend camping trip with friends. Since it is their first camping trip, and since the student regularly goes camping, Jérôme asks the student whether the student would like to join him and his friends and whether the student would be interested in helping plan the trip. The student needs to respond affirmatively and enthusiastically.
Jérôme reacts positively then asks the student where the group might go, given that the weather is predicted to be nice. The student needs to respond and give details.
Jérôme reacts positively and asks the student what the group might bring for meals, given that the trip will last two days. The student needs to give specific recommendations.
Jérôme reacts positively then asks the student for ideas of (a) thing(s) the group might do doing the day, while on the camping trip. The student needs to respond with elaboration.
Jérôme responds enthusiastically then asks the student what time and day the group might leave on the trip. The student needs to respond and end the conversation.
Conversation

23. Misunderstanding of “genre d’endroit” (in second turn), “prévoir” (in third turn) and “repas” (also in third turn)
Anglicisms (“hiking,” “fishing,” “hot dogs”)
Did not follow outline of conversation
Difficulty ending conversation
Inconsistent use of informal register (use of both “tu” and “vous,” for example)
Conversation
Common Errors or Omissions

24. Participate as fully as possible in conversation (elaborate for twenty seconds in each turn)
Use transitions effectively (“quant à mes amis,” “cependant,” for example)
Avoid rote answers (“bonne idée,” “je suis excité/e,” for instance)
Practice writing interpersonal questions (flipped classroom), then incorporate them in simulated conversations with partners
Don’t get flustered if a question is misunderstood or answered poorly; recover quickly so as to anticipate, understand, and respond well to next prompt/s
Read instructions and outline carefully; listen to prompts carefully; respond following outline
Conversation
Advice

25. This  task assessed speaking in the presentational communicative mode by having students make a comparative oral presentation on a cultural topic. Students were allotted four minutes to read the topic and prepare their presentation and then two minutes to deliver their presentation. The response received a single holistic score based on how well the student had accomplished the assigned task. In the presentation, the student needed to compare the student’s own community to an area of the French-speaking world, demonstrating understanding of cultural features of the French- speaking world. The presentation also had to be clearly organized.
Cultural Comparison

26. The student had to respond to the following question: How has access to medical care (hospitals, insurance, medications, etc.) affected the life of the people in your community? The student had to compare his/her observations of his/her own community to that of a Francophone country or region. The student could make reference to what s/he had studied, observed, and/or experienced as support for his/her claims.
Cultural Comparison

27. Comparison of student’s own community to that of non-Francophone community
Did not address question of access in prompt (“Comment est-ce que l’accès aux soins médicaux a affecté la vie des gens de votre communauté?”)
Unbalanced responses (unequal treatment given to communities discussed)
Lists instead of cultural comparison
If living in Francophone community/culture, did not compare it with another Francophone community/culture
Did not identify community clearly (“ici” or “chez moi” is insufficient)
Geographical inaccuracies (Haiti is not in Africa, for example)
Stereotypes and superficial information regarding Francophone community discussed (everybody is poor, or there is little medical care available, for instance)
Disorganization
Cultural Comparison
Common Errors or Omissions

28. Collaborate with colleagues teaching economics, geography, history, and forensics, for example, to help students address gaps in content and hone rhetorical skills
Be explicit (not implicit) in presentations: clearly state what two communities are being compared (and which one is that of student)
Present various Francophone cultures in as much depth as possible, using current authentic materials (so as to avoid stereotypes and clichés)
Make good use of four minutes for planning and organizing presentation
Use topics from past World Languages and Cultures’ exams for practice
Effective strategies for comparing cultures: methods for introducing transitional phrases and structures needed to compare and contrast; means for providing vocabulary to present one’s opinion
Avoid lists
Discuss own community and Francophone community: explicitly articulate both similarities and especially differences between them
Cultural Comparison
Advice

29. Become an AP Reader/Rater
College Faculty AP Readers from colleges and universities must be active faculty members and have taught at least one semester of a comparable AP course — as described in the AP Course Description — within the past three years. High School Teachers Must currently teach the AP course in a classroom and have at least three years of experience doing so. Two exceptions apply: Teachers of a new AP course who demonstrate appropriate expertise or online AP course teachers who also have experience teaching the course in a classroom for at least three years.
Become an AP Reader/Rater

31. Thank You. Brian Kennelly bkennell@calpoly.edu