1. AP English Language Exam

2. Exam Components Mutliple Choice Essays 45% of Total Score 1 Hour
4-5 Non Fiction Passages
50-55 questions
55% of Total Score
15 Minutes to Read Materials
2 Hours to Write (pace yourself!)
3 Essays (won’t be labeled or in order!)
- Synthesis
- Rhetorical Analysis
- Argument
2 Booklets (texts & answer paper)

3. Synthesis Essay Question
Use all 15 minutes of the reading period to read ONLY
- Even if you’re allowed to write, DON’T
- Focus entirely on the Synthesis Question first
It’s like a research paper…where you’re given the sources
You have to SYNTHESIZE (blend) the information
Given 4 – 8 sources (at least one will be visual)
- picture, graph, cartoon, etc.
Instructions will tell you how many sources to use (3-4)

4. Rhetorical Analysis Essay Question
Given 1 text – Need to analyze the the writer’s motives
Time to be critical. Go ahead, psychoanalyze the writer!
Two big questions:
1. What statement is the author presenting?
2. How are they presenting it?
- (What rhetorical devices are they using?)
- In literature we call these literary elements

5. Argument Essay Question
Given a quote or excerpt or recent event
Asked to write an essay stating your opinion on the given information
Your evidence is R.O.E. (read, observed, experienced)
Must know things outside your little world
- Culturally literate
Read various news sources consistently ALL year
Not good enough to just rely on novels you’ve read in class
Remember, AP is an invitation to an adult conversation
- This essay question is the invitation

6. Multiple Choice Skills based test (do you know language terms?)
Figure out the time you need for each passage
Difficulty is in the passages, not the questions
- You know main idea, but can you find it in a dense text

7. Scoring Essay Scoring Guide Total Exam Scores 9 = “enhanced” 8
8 = effective
7 = “enhanced” 6
6 = adequate
5 = uneven, superficial
4 = inadequate
3 = lesser 4
2 = little success
1 = lesser 2
5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation
*Note: Each college decides individually the score they will accept for credit. Typically, a score of 3 or higher is accepted.