SCORING AP ESSAYS
SCALE 1-9
AP essays are ANALYTICAL essays. The essays need to reflect the HOW rather than the WHAT.
Essays are scored on a scale of 1-9: 6-9 are “upper half” papers; 1-4 are “lower half” papers; 5 papers straddle the fence.
Each AP question has its own scoring guide. The following extraction of AP scoring guides may be as helpful as the detailed scoring guide.
8-9: GOT IT! Understood the passage; understood the question; answered/addressed the question in the essay. Analysis is accurate, thorough,
insightful, and well supported. Writing is good (organized, focused, and reflects a good command of language and structure)!! SUPERIOR
6-7: Also GOT IT! All of above is basically true… BUT analysis will be less accurate, less thorough, less insightful, and/or less well supported. Writing is still good but likely not as sophisticated as the 8-9 papers. COMPETENT
5: Some analysis; tends to be vague, general, often heavily dependent on form or
structure (sometimes formulaic writing). Writing is OK. Image: this student quite often opens the door but fails to step through the door. ADEQUATE
4: DID NOT GET IT! Often inaccurate reading; usually focuses on the what rather than the how: result—heavy dependence on paraphrase. Little to no analysis; even if the reading is accurate, if the student fails to answer the question—i.e., fails to
analyze--his maximum score will be 4. Most 4’s are fairly well written. INADEQUATE
in terms of response to the question
1-3: DID NOT GET IT AT ALL!!!! Weak reading of the passage or poem; failure to analyze; weak writing (organization, focus, command of language and structure). Even if the student read the passage fairly well, no poorly written essay can be scored above a 3. The 1-3 essays reflect varying degrees of POOR.
AN OBSERVATION:
Doing well on the AP English exams requires that the students be able to read with
perception and insight as well as to write persuasively and convincingly. Without careful reading of the passage, the student cannot write a good essay. anne.padilla@bgreen.kyschools.us

ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT AP ESSAY SCORING
GOOD: 7, 8, 9
Degrees of good: covers all bases
reflects insight
exhibits good command of language
The 8’s and 9’s reflect increasingly mature perception/insight and command of diction and syntax
BAD: 1, 2, 3
Degrees of bad: fails to answer the question often reflects a poor reading or understanding of the text
reflects a poor command of language
1’s are often unacceptably brief; 2’s and 3’s can be 2-3 pages long. (Sigh)
THE MIDDLE: 4, 5, 6: THE DIFFICULT PAPERS
6 answers all parts of the question, albeit somewhat sketchily
focuses on the HOW rather than the WHAT: analysis is clear
5 straddles the fence: SOME analysis; SOME support:
Question: Is there ENOUGH here—analysis and support—to answer the question ADEQUATELY?
(This student often opens the door but fails to step through.)
4 fails to answer ALL parts of the question
fails to read with sufficient understanding
fails to analyze: focuses on the WHAT rather than on the HOW
(it is important to look for IMPLICIT as well as explicit analysis) anne.padilla@bgreen.kyschools.us