Hello everyone! I'll be taking the AP Lang exam soon. Does anyone have insight on what the AP Lang exam rubric looks like? I'm struggling to find concrete details. Thanks in advance.
The AP Lang exam uses a six-point analytic rubric for each of the free-response questions. Here's a general breakdown:
- The first point is for a thesis: The response should have a defensible claim or thesis that directly responds to the prompt.
- The next four points are for evidence and commentary: The response should provide evidence from the provided texts that support the argument, and it should use commentary to explain how the evidence supports the thesis.
- The final point is for sophistication of thought: The response should demonstrate complex understanding of the rhetorical situation, or a nuanced view of the issue presented in the prompt.
For the synthesis essay, you're expected to integrate at least three sources from the documents provided, and for the rhetorical analysis essay, you'll have to analyze how an author uses rhetoric to make their argument. The argument essay is a little different in that you won't have any source material to work with, but you're still expected to provide concrete evidence to support your claim.
It's critical to remember that the AP Lang exam is less about what your opinion is and more about how well you can construct and communicate an argument. Be sure to clearly state your thesis, back it up with evidence, and tie everything together with strong analysis.
It's also a good idea to review sample student responses and scoring commentaries from the College Board to understand how the rubric is applied.
Do note that this is a general guideline and I would encourage you to refer to the official College Board website for the most updated and detailed scoring guidelines.
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