Acs Citation Style Bibliography Ap Literature And Composition Poetry Essay Prompts Yogar /
27.02.2018
Are you taking the AP English Literature and Composition exam? If you’re taking the course or self-studying, you know the exam is going to be tough. Of course, you want to do your best and score a five on the exam. To do well on the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you’ll need to score high on the essays. For that, you’ll need to write a complete, efficient essay that argues an accurate interpretation of the work under examination in the Free Response Question section. The AP English Literature and Composition exam consists of two sections, the first being a 55-question multiple choice portion worth 45% of the total test grade. This section tests your ability to read drama, verse, or prose fiction excerpts and answer questions about them. The second section worth 55% of the total score requires essay responses to three questions, demonstrating your ability to analyze literary works: a poem analysis, a prose fiction passage analysis, and a concept, issue, or element analysis of a literary work. From your course or review practices, you should know how to construct a clear, organized essay that defends a focused claim about the work under analysis. Your should structure your essay with a brief introduction that includes the thesis statement, followed by body paragraphs that further the thesis statement with detailed, well-discussed support, and a short concluding paragraph that reiterates and reinforces the thesis statement without repeating it. Clear organization, specific support, and full explanations or discussions are three critical components of high-scoring essays.
General Tips to Bettering Your Odds at a Nine on the AP English Literature and Composition Exam. Your teacher may have already told you how to approach the poetry analysis, but for the poetry essay, it’s important to keep the following in mind coming into the exam: 1. Carefully read, review, and underline key to-do’s in the prompt. 2. Briefly outline where you’re going to hit each prompt item–in other words, pencil out a specific order. 3. Be sure you have a clear thesis that includes the terms mentioned in the instructions, literary devices, tone, and meaning. 4. Include the author’s name and title of the poem in your thesis statement. 5. Use quotes—lots of them—to exemplify the elements throughout the essay. 6. Fully explain or discuss how your element examples support your thesis. A deeper, fuller, and focused explanation of fewer elements is better than a shallow discussion of more elements (shotgun approach). 7. Avoid vague, general statements for a clear focus on the poem itself. 8. Use transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs. 9. Write in the present tense with generally good grammar. 10. Keep your introduction and conclusion short, and don’t repeat your thesis verbatim in your conclusion. The newly-released 2016 sample AP English Literature and Composition exam questions, sample responses, and grading rubrics provide a valuable opportunity to analyze how to achieve high scores on each of the three Section II FRQ responses. However, for purposes of this examination, the Poetry Analysis strategies will be the focus. The poem for analysis in last year’s exam was “The Juggler” by Richard Wilbur, a modern American poet. Exam takers were asked to analyze the following: how the speaker in the poem describes the juggler what the description shows about the speaker how the poet uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to convey meaning When you analyze the components of an influential essay, it’s helpful to compare all three sample answers provided by the CollegeBoard: the high scoring (A) essay, the mid-range scoring (B) essay, and the low scoring (C) essay. All three provide a teaching opportunity for achieving a nine on the poetry analysis essay.
Start with a Succinct Introduction that Includes Your Thesis Statement The first sample essay, the A essay, quickly and succinctly introduces the author, title, thesis, elements, and devices. The writer’s introduction sentences are efficient: they contain no waste and give the reader a sense of the cohesiveness of the argument, including the role of each of the analyzed components in proving the thesis. The specificity of the details in the introduction shows that the writer is in control, with phrases like “frequent alliteration,” “off-kilter rhyme”, and “diction evoking an almost spiritual level of power”. The writer leaves nothing to guesswork.
The mid-range B essay introduction also cites some specific details in the poem, like “visual imagery (of the juggler and his balls), figurative language (the personification of the balls interacting with the juggler), and tone (the playful mood of the first two stanza)”. However, the writer wastes space and precious time (five whole lines!) with a vague and banal recitation of the prompt. The midrange answer also doesn’t give the reader an understanding of an overarching thesis that he or she will use the elements and devices to support, merely a reference to the speaker’s “attitude”.
The third sample lacks cohesiveness, a thesis statement, and organization. The sentences read like a shotgun spray of facts and descriptions that give no direction to the reader of the writer’s approach: how he or she will use the elements and details listed to prove a thesis. The short, choppy sentences don’t connect, and the upshot is something so commonplace as Wilbur describes a talented juggler, who is also a powerful teacher. That doesn’t respond to the prompt, which requires an argument about what the juggler’s description reveals about the speaker.
To sum up, make introductions brief and compact, using specific details from the poem and a clear direction that address the call of the prompt. Writing counts. Short, choppy, disconnected sentences make an incoherent, unclear paragraph. Don’t waste time on sentences that don’t do the work ahead for you. Cut to the chase; be specific.
Use Clear Examples to Support Your Argument Points The A answer first supports the thesis by pointing out that alliteration and rhyme scheme depict the mood and disconnection of both the speaker and the crowd. The writer does this by noting how alliteration appears when the juggler performs, but not before. The student also notes how the mood and connection to the crowd cohere when the juggler juggles, the balls defying gravity and uplifting the crowd with the balls. Then, the writer wraps up the first point about description, devices, and elements by concluding that the unusual rhyme scheme echoes the unusual feat of juggling and controlling the mood of the crowd.
With a clear focus on attaching devices to individually quoted phrases and poem details, the student leads the reader through the first pass at proving the attitude of the poem’s speaker while commenting on possible meanings the tone, attitude, and devices suggest. Again, the student uses clear, logical, and precise quotes and references to the poem without wasting time on unsupported statements. Specific illustrations anchor each point. For example, the student identifies the end rhyme as an unusual effect that mimics the unusual and gravity-defiant balls. Tying up the first paragraph, the student then goes on to thoroughly explain the connection between the cited rhyme scheme, the unique defiance of gravity, and the effect on the speaker. The organizational plan is as follows: point (assertion), illustration, and explanation. The mid-range sample also cites specific details of the poem, such as the “sky-blue” juggler, a color that suggests playfulness, but then only concludes that euphony shows the speaker’s attitude toward the juggler without making that connection clear with an explanation. The writer simply concludes without proving that assertion. Without further explanation or exemplification, the author demonstrates no knowledge of the term “euphony”.
Sample C also alludes to the “sky-blue” juggler but doesn’t explain the significance. In fact, the writer makes a string of details from the poem appear significant without actually revealing anything about the details the writer notes. They’re merely a string of details.
Discussion is Crucial to Connect Your Quotes and Examples to Your Argument Points Rather than merely noting quoted phrases and lines without explanation, the A response takes the time to thoroughly discuss the meaning of the quoted words, phrases, and sentences used to exemplify his or her assertions. For example, the second paragraph begins with an assertion that the speaker’s view of the world is evident through the diction used when describing the juggler and the juggler’s act. Immediately, the writer supplies proof by directing the reader to the first and last stanzas to find “lens,” “dusk”, and “daily dark”. The selection of these particular diction choices demonstrates the writer’s knowledge of the term “diction” and how to support a conclusion the student will make by the end of the sentence that the speaker’s attitude toward the world around him is “not the brightest”. The writer gives a follow-up sentence to further convince the reader of the previous point about the speaker’s dim view by adding, “All the words and phrases used just fall flat, filled with connotations of dullness…” Using the transition, “however”, the A response goes on to further explain that the juggler’s description contrasts with that of the speaker’s in its lightness, by again providing both specifically-quoted words and complete one or two full sentence follow-ups to the examples. In that way, the writer clarifies the connection between the examples and their use and meaning. Nothing is left unexplained–unlike the B response, which claims Wilbur uses personification, then gives a case of a quoted passage about the balls not being “lighthearted”. After mentioning the term, the B essay writer merely concludes that Wilbur used personification without making the connection between “lighthearted” and personification. The writer might have written one additional sentence to show that balls as inanimate objects don’t have the emotions to be cheery nor lighthearted, only humans do. Thus, Wilbur personifies the balls. Likewise short of support, the writer concludes that the “life” of the balls through personification adds to the mystery and wonder–without further identifying the wonder or whose wonder and how that wonder results from the life of the balls.
Write a Brief Conclusion While it’s more important to provide a substantive, organized, and clear argument throughout the body paragraphs than it is to conclude, a conclusion provides a satisfying rounding out of the essay and last opportunity to hammer home the content of the preceding paragraphs. If you run out of time for a conclusion because of the thorough preceding paragraphs, that is not as fatal to your score as not concluding or not concluding as robustly as the A essay sample (See the B essay conclusion). The A response not only provides a quick but sturdy recap of all the points made throughout the body paragraphs (without repeating the thesis statement) but also reinforces those points by repeating them as the final parting remarks to the reader. The writer demonstrates not only the points made but the order of their appearance, which also showcases the overall structure of the essay.
Finally, a conclusion compositionally rounds out a gracious essay–polite because it considers the reader. You don’t want your reader to have to work hard to understand any part of your essay. By repeating recapped points, you help the reader pull the argument together and wrap up.
Write in Complete Sentences with Proper Punctuation and Compositional Skills Though pressed for time, it’s important to write an essay with clear, correctly punctuated sentences and properly spelled words. Strong compositional skills create a favorable impression to the reader, like using appropriate transitions or signals (however, therefore) to tie sentences and paragraphs together, making the relationships between sentences clear (“also”–adding information, “however”–contrasting an idea in the preceding sentence). Starting each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that previews the main idea or focus of the paragraph helps you the writer and the reader keep track of each part of your argument. Each section furthers your points on the way to convincing your reader of your argument. If one point is unclear, unfocused, or grammatically unintelligible, like a house of cards, the entire argument crumbles. Good compositional skills help you lay it all out orderly, clearly, and fully. For example, the A response begins the first body paragraph with “In the first and last stanzas, no alliteration beyond ‘daily dark’ appears, evoking a tone that could hardly be described as cheerful”. The sentence, with grammatically-correct commas inserted to section off the lead-in phrase, “In the first and last stanzas,” as well as the dependent clause at the sentence’s end, “evoking a tone that…,” gives a road map to the reader as to the paragraph’s design: alliteration, tone, darkness. Then the writer hits all three of those with a complete explanation. The next paragraph begins with a rather clunky, unwieldy sentence that nevertheless does the same as the first–keys the reader to the first point regarding the speaker’s view of the world and the devices and elements used to do so. It’s clear the writer tackles the speaker’s view, the juggler’s depiction, and diction choice–both as promised from the beginning in the thesis statement of the introductory paragraph and per the prompt. The writer uses the transition “In the first and last stanzas”, to tie the topic sentence to the examples he or she will use to prove the topic sentence; then the writer is off to do the same in the next paragraph. So by the time the conclusion takes the reader home, the writer has done all of the following: followed the prompt followed the propounded thesis statement in exact order promised provided a full discussion with examples included quotes proving each assertion used clear, grammatically correct sentences wrote paragraphs ordered by a thesis statement created topic sentences for each paragraph ensured each topic sentence furthered the ideas presented in the thesis statement
Have a Plan and Follow it It’s easier than it sounds. To get a 9 on the poetry analysis essay in the AP Literature and Composition exam, practice planning a response under strict time deadlines. Write as many practice essays as you can. Follow the same procedure each time. First, be sure to read the instructions carefully, highlighting the parts of the prompt you absolutely must cover. Then map out a scratch outline of the order you intend to cover each point in support of your argument. Try and include not only a clear thesis statement, written as a complete sentence but the topic sentences to each paragraph followed by the quotes and details you’ll use to support the topic sentences. Then follow your map faithfully. Be sure to give yourself enough time to give your essay a brief re-read to catch mechanical errors, missing words, or necessary insertions to clarify an incomplete or unclear thought. With time, an organized approach, and plenty of practice, earning a nine on the poetry analysis is manageable. Be sure to ask your teacher or consult other resources, like albert.io’s Poetic Analysis practice essays, if you’re unsure how to identify poetic devices and elements in poetry, or need more practice writing a poetry analysis.
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If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect from the test. Whether the 2018 test date of Wednesday, May 9 is near or far, I’m here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam. In this guide I’ll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test day tips. You’ll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!
AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections. First is an hour-long, 55-question multiple choice section, and then a two hour, three question free-response section. The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and also cogently communicate that analysis in essay form. Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.
Multiple Choice Section The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. You can expect to see 4-5 excerpts of prose and poetry. You will, in general, not be given an author, date, or title for these works, although occasionally the title of a poem is given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you. The date ranges of works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, although you may occasionally see a passage in translation. There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition test. I’ll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.
"Tiny books carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.
The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam Without further ado, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the “AP Course and Exam Description.” Reading Comprehension These are questions that test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level. They don’t require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what is actually going on. You can identify these from words and phrases like “according to,” “asserting,” “mentioned,” and so on. Basically, words that point to a fairly concrete register of meaning. You can succeed on these questions by careful reading of the text. You may have to go back and re-read parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying. Example:
Inference These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator’s opinion, an author’s intention, and so forth—based on what is said in the passage. It will be something that isn’t stated directly or concretely, but that you can assume based on what is stated clearly in the passage. You can identify these questions from words like “infer,” and “imply.” The key to these questions is to not be tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage. In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions—you need to know not just what a passage says, but what it means. Example:
Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language These are questions in which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase. You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device like simile or metaphor) or will include a figurative language phrase in the question itself. The meaning of figurative language phrases can normally be determined by the phrase’s context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to? Example 1: Identifying
Example 2: Interpreting
Literary Technique These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do: from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem and to what effect? You can identify these questions by words like “serves chiefly to,” “effect,” “evoke,” and “in order to.” A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself, so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure? Example:
Character Analysis These questions will ask you to describe something about a character. You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters’ attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters. This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than poetry ones. Example:
Overall Passage Questions Some questions will ask you to identify or describe something about the passage/poem as a whole: its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases like “in the passage,” and “as a whole.” To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird’s-eye view. What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details? Example:
Structure Some questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage—a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc. Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing. Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts—structural, tonal, in genre, etc—will be of key importance for these questions. Example:
Grammar/Nuts & Bolts Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question, such as what word an adjective is modifying. I would also include in this category very specific questions like the meter of a poem (i.e. iambic pentameter). These questions are less about the literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language. Example:
That covers the 8 question types!
Keep track of these.
The AP Literature Free-Response Section Section II of the exam is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions—so you'll have roughly 40 minutes per essay. Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time how you want (but be sure to leave enough time for each essay). The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt—and the final is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you, the student. Essays One and Two - Literary Passage Analysis For the first two essays, you’ll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development. One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e. the plot context of an excerpt from a novel). Sample Questions (from 2011 Free Response Questions) Poetry:
Prose:
Essay Three - Thematic Analysis For the third and final essay, you’ll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select. You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any “work of literary merit.” So you DO have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about, but the key word here is “literary merit.” So no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the Course and Exam Description. (I know, I know— lots of ‘genre’ fiction works DO have literary merit, and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. You may well find academic designations of “literary merit” elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP lit test.) Here’s a sample question (from 2011):
As you can see, the list of works provided spans many different time periods and countries: there are ancient Greek plays (Antigone), modern literary works (like Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin or Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible), Shakespeare plays (The Merchant of Venice), 19th-century Russian lit (Crime and Punishment), and so on.
You might even see something by this guy.
How Is the AP Literature Test Graded? The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your exam score. The three essays comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18%. As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5. You don’t have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means—but the AP English Literature test does have one of the lowest 5 rates of all APs, with only 7.4% of students receiving 5s in 2016. But how do you get raw scores at all?
Multiple-Choice Scoring For the multiple-choice section, you receive a point for each question you answer correctly. There is no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after eliminating any answer that you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the correct one.
Free-Response Scoring Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward. However, essay scoring is a little more complicated. Each of your essays will receive a score from 0-9 based on the College Board rubric. You can actually find question-specific rubrics for all of the released free-response questions for AP English lit (see “scoring guidelines”). While all of the rubrics are broadly similar, there are some minor differences between each of them. I’ll go over the rubrics now— both what they say and what they mean for you. Poetry Passage Analysis Rubric Score What the College Board Says
9-8
What it Means
These essays persuasively address the assigned task. These essays
Your argument is convincing and it addresses all
offer a range of interpretations; they provide a convincing reading and
elements of the prompt. You interpret the
analysis of the poem. They demonstrate consistent and effective
language of the poem in a variety of ways (i.e.
control over the elements of composition appropriate to the analysis of
your analysis of the poem is thorough). Your
poetry. Their textual references are apt and specific. Though they may
essay is particularly well-written and well-
not be error-free, these essays are perceptive in their analysis and
organized. You appropriately reference specific
demonstrate writing that is clear and sophisticated, and in the case of a moments in the poem to support your argument. 9 essay, especially persuasive.
A 9 essay is particularly persuasive.
These essays reasonably address the assigned task. They are less thorough or less precise in the way they address the task, and their
You address all elements of the prompt, but your
analysis is less convincing. These essays demonstrate an ability to
analysis is not as complete or convincing as a 9-8
express ideas clearly, making references to the text, although they do
7-6
essay. You do make specific references to the
not exhibit the same level of effective writing as the 9-8 papers. Essays
poem and your writing is clear and effective, but
scored a 7 present better-developed analysis and more consistent
not necessarily masterful.
command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6.
You answer the prompt in a way that is not
These essays respond plausibly to the assigned task, but they tend to
implausible or unreasonable, but your analysis of
be superficial in their analysis. They often rely on paraphrase, which
the poem is surface-level. You may paraphrase
may contain some analysis, implicit or explicit. Their analysis may be
the poem instead of making specific references to
vague, formulaic, or minimally supported by references to the text.
5
its language. You may not adequately support
There may be minor misinterpretations of the poem. These essays
your analysis of the poem, or you may
demonstrate some control of language, but they may be marred by
misinterpret it slightly. Your essay is not a total
surface errors. These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or
mess, but not necessarily particularly well-
developed as 7-6 essays.
organized or argued.
These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis of the poem.
4-3
The analysis may be partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant, or ignore part
You do not adequately address the prompt. Your
of the assigned task. Evidence from the poem may be slight or
analysis of the poem is incomplete or incorrect, or
misconstrued, or the essays may rely on paraphrase only. The essays
you do not reference any specific language of the
often demonstrate a lack of control over the conventions of
poem. Your essay is undeveloped, unclear, or
composition: inadequate development of ideas, accumulation of errors, poorly organized. A 3 essay either significantly or a focus that is unclear, inconsistent, or repetitive. Essays scored a 3 misinterprets the poem or is particularly poorly may contain significant misreading, demonstrate inept writing, or do
written.
both. These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4–3
Only minimal attempt is made to respond to the
range. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the
prompt. Essay is disorganized or not supported
prompt, the student’s assertions are presented with little clarity, 2-1
by evidence from the poem. May contain
organization, or support from the poem. These essays may contain
numerous grammar and mechanics errors. May
serious errors in grammar and mechanics. They may offer a complete
completely misinterpret the poem or be too short.
misreading or be unacceptably brief. Essays scored a 1 contain little
A 1 essay barely mentions the poem.
coherent discussion of the poem. These essays give a response that is completely off topic or 0
No real attempt is made to respond to the
inadequate; there may be some mark or a drawing or a brief reference
prompt.
to the task. -
These essays are entirely blank
You didn’t write anything!
Prose Passage Analysis Rubric Score What the College Board Says
9-8
What it Means
These essays persuasively address the assigned task. These essays
Your argument is convincing and addresses all
make a strong case for the student’s interpretation. They may
parts of the prompt. You discuss a number of
consider a variety of literary devices, and they engage the text
literary devices in your analysis and use specific
through apt and specific references. Although these essays may not
and appropriate excerpts from the text as
be error-free, their perceptive analysis is apparent in writing that is
evidence in your argument. Your writing is clear,
clear and effectively organized. Essays scored a 9 reveal more
focused, and well-organized. A 9 essay has a
sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do
particularly well-developed interpretation of the
essays scored an 8.
text and is better-written than an 8.
These essays reasonably address the task at hand. The writers provide a sustained, competent reading of the passage, with attention to a variety of literary devices. Although these essays may not be error-free and are less perceptive or less convincing than 9–8 essays,
7-6
they present ideas with clarity and control and refer to the text for support. Essays scored a 7 present better developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6.
You address all elements of the prompt. Your interpretation is coherent and you reference multiple literary devices in your analysis. You do reference specific moments in the text for support. Your essay is adequately organized and focused. However, your argument may be less convincing or insightful (i.e. more obvious) than a 9-8 essay.
These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading of
5
the passage but tend to be superficial or thin. While containing some
You address the prompt, but your argument may
analysis of the passage, implicit or explicit, the way the assigned task
be surface-level. You rely too much on summary
is addressed may be slight, and support from the passage may tend
or paraphrase of the text in your argument instead
toward summary or paraphrase. While these essays demonstrate
of using specific moments in the text. Your essay
adequate control of language, they may be marred by surface errors.
does have some elements of organization and
These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as
focus but has some distracting errors.
7–6 essays.
4-3
These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis of the
You do not adequately address the prompt,
passage. The analysis may be partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant; the
whether because your argument is partly
writers may ignore part of the assigned task. These essays may be
unrelated to the task at hand or simply ignores
characterized by an unfocused or repetitive presentation of ideas, an
elements of the prompt. Your essay is poorly
absence of textual support, or an accumulation of errors. Essays
focused and/or repetitive and has little textual
scored a 3 may contain significant misreading, demonstrate inept
support. A 3 essay significantly misinterprets the
writing, or do both.
passage and/or is very poorly written.
These essays compound the weaknesses of the essays in the 4–3 score range. They may feature persistent misreading of the passage or be unacceptably brief. They may contain pervasive errors that 2-1
interfere with understanding. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the prompt, the student’s ideas are presented with little clarity, organization, or support from the passage. Essays scored a 1 contain little coherent discussion of the passage.
Essay does not adequately address the assigned task. It may be very short or repeatedly misinterpret the passage. May be poorly written enough that it is hard to understand. These essays may be unfocused, unclear, or disorganized.
These essays give a response that is completely off topic or 0
inadequate; there may be some mark or a drawing or a brief reference No real attempt is made to respond to the prompt. to the task.
-
These essays are entirely blank
You didn’t write anything!
Student Choice Rubric Score What the College Board Says
What it Means Your essay convincingly addresses the task in
9-8
These essays offer a well-focused and persuasive analysis of the
a way that is clear and focused. You reference
assigned theme and how it relates to the work as a whole. Using apt and
many specific moments in the text in support
specific textual support, these essays address all parts of the prompt.
of your argument. You build a strong case—
Although these essays may not be error-free, they make a strong case for with lots of evidence—in support of your their interpretation and discuss the literary work with significant insight
interpretation of the text. Your argument
and understanding. Essays scored a 9 reveal more sophisticated analysis shows a deep understanding of the text. A 9 and more effective control of language than do essays scored 8.
essay has more complex analysis and is better-written than an 8.
These essays offer a reasonable analysis of the work of the assigned theme and how it relates to the work as a whole. These essays address all parts of the prompt. While these essays show insight and 7-6
understanding, their analysis is less thorough, less perceptive, and/or less specific in supporting detail than that of the 9–8 essays. Essays scored a 7 present better developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6.
5
Your essay addresses the task adequately. Your interpretation of the text is apt and shows that you generally understood it, although your analysis may be more conventional or include less specific textual evidence than a 9-8 essay.
These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading, but
Your essay addresses the prompt, but your
they tend to be superficial or thinly developed in analysis. They often rely
argument may be very basic and/or rely too
upon plot summary that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit.
much on plot summary instead of true analysis
Although these essays display an attempt to address the prompt, they
of the text. Your essay may reveal that you do
may demonstrate a rather simplistic understanding and support from the
not thoroughly understand the text. Your
text may be too general. While these essays demonstrate adequate
essay may have some grammar/linguistic
control of language, they may be marred by surface errors. These essays errors. Your essay is not especially wellare not as well conceived, organized, or developed as 7–6 essays. These lower-half essays fail to adequately address the assigned task. The analysis may be partial, unsupported, or irrelevant, and the essays may reflect an incomplete or oversimplified understanding of how a given theme functions in the text, or they may rely on plot summary alone. 4-3
These essays may be characterized by an unfocused or repetitive presentation of ideas, an absence of textual support, or an accumulation of errors; they may lack control over the elements of college-level composition. Essays scored a 3 may contain significant misreading and/or demonstrate inept writing.
organized or focused.
Your essay does not address the prompt. Your analysis shows that you either do not understand how to address the prompt, cannot build support for your interpretation, or do not understand the text. Your essay may be poorly organized, poorly written and/or repetitive. A 3 essay significantly misinterprets the chosen work and/or is very poorly written.
Although these essays make some attempt to respond to the prompt, they
2-1
compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4–3 score range. Often,
Your essay does not address the prompt. It
they are unacceptably brief or incoherent in presenting their ideas. They
may be too short or make little sense. These
may be poorly written on several counts and contain distracting errors in
essays may be unfocused, poorly organized,
grammar and mechanics. Remarks may be presented with little clarity,
completely unsupported, and/or riddled with
organization, or supporting evidence. Essays scored a 1 contain little
grammatical errors
coherent discussion of the text.
0
-
These essays give a response that is completely off topic or inadequate;
No real attempt is made to respond to the
there may be some mark or a drawing or a brief reference to the task.
prompt.
These essays are entirely blank
You didn’t write anything!
As you can see, the rubric for the poetry essay is focused more on poetic devices, and the rubric for the prose essay is focused more on literary devices and techniques. Both of those essays are very specifically focused on the analysis of the poem/prose excerpt. By contrast, the student choice essay is focused on how your analysis fits into the work as a whole. To get a high-scoring essay in the 9-8 range, you need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, your essay needs to be focused, organized, clear, and well-written. And all in 40 minutes per essay! If getting a high score sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is. The mean scores on each of the essays last year was around a 4 out of 9. That means, most essays were scored lower than a 5. So even getting a 7 on these essays is an accomplishment.
If you write it down, it must be true!
Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.
Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once One of the most important things you can do to prepare yourself for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot, and read well. You’ll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills. You might check out the College Board’s list of “notable authors” on pages 10-11 of the “Course and Exam Description.” In addition to reading broadly, you’ll want to become especially familiar with the details of 4-5 books with different themes so that you’ll be sure to be prepared to write a strong student choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these 4-5 books inside and out. See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.
Read (and Interpret) Poetry One thing students may not do very much on their own time, but that will help a lot with exam prep, is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language. When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, move on to close-reading (see below).
Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won’t hurt you. Closereading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why they are using them. You’ll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions. Here are some helpful close-reading resources for prose: And here are some for poetry:
Learn Literary and Poetic Devices You’ll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you’ll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn’t hurt to brush up on them. Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions:
Practice Writing Essays The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it’s critical that you practice your timed essaywriting skills. You of course should use the College Board’s released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well-supported with textual evidence.
Take Practice Tests Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and experience. You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description, there are released College Board exams here, and we have a complete article on AP English Lit practice test resources. Be aware that the released exams don’t have complete slates of free-response questions, so you may need to supplement with released free-response questions (see link in above section). Since there are two complete released exams, you can take one towards the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one towards the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.
Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP lit prep.
AP Literature Test Day Tips Here are my top 6 tips for taking the exam: 1. On the multiple-choice section, it’s to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all of the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you’ll up your chances of guessing the correct one. 2. Don’t rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or for writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage! 3. Interact with the text—circle, mark, underline, make notes, whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage. 4. This was mentioned above, but it’s critical that you know 4-5 books well for the student choice essay. You’ll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout. 5. Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. 6. Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to answer. This way you’ll be able to get through it while thinking about the other essays.
And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.
Key Takeaways The AP Literature exam is a three-hour exam: It includes one 55-question, hour-long multiple-choice section based on four-five prose and poetry passages, and a two hour free-response section with three essays—one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by the student. The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score and the free-response section is worth 55%. Essays are scored on a rubric from 0-9. Raw scores are converted to a score from 1-5. Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam: 1. Read books, and be particularly familiar with 4-5 works for the student choice essays 2. Read poetry 3. Work on your close-reading and analysis skills 4. Learn literary devices 5. Practice writing essays 6. Take practice tests! On test day, be sure to really look closely at all of the passages and closely interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. Be sure also to outline your essays before you write them! With all this mind, you’re well on your way to AP Lit success!
What's Next? If you're taking other AP exams this year, you may be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam, to the Best 2016 Review Guide for AP Chemistry, to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide, we have articles on tons of AP courses and exams. Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests. We also have comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP US History. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:
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