AP Literature and Composition Essay Rubric
FRQ (Free Response Question) Scoring Conversion
See the official College Board AP English Literature and Composition Scoring Rubrics for more details and information
about scoring for each question type. This document serves to explain grading conversions for sample essays scored
using the older scoring guides and how these scores correlate with grades in the gradebook:
https://tinyurl.com/CBScoringRubric
Old
Scoring
Guide
2019-20
Scoring
Guide
GRADE
8/9
6
100
6/7
5
Row A (Thesis): (0 – 1 Points)
•
Example: In the poem “Terminus,’” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the
speaker has a complex perspective on the process of aging.
90
•
5
4
80
3/4
3
70
2
2
60
1
1
50
0
0
0
–
–
0 Points: restatement of prompt, summary of the issue with
no coherent claim, not defensible, off-topic (doesn’t respond to
the prompt)
1 Point: Responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis that
presents an interpretation and may establish a line of
reasoning.
Example: Throughout his poem “Terminus,” Emerson conveys
his perspective that one should embrace aging as a time to
settle down and relax through an extended metaphor and
figurative language. Emerson explores the idea that aging is a
calm time at the end of a chaotic life.
Row B (Evidence & Commentary): 0 – 4 Points:
•
•
0 Points: missing altogether
1 Point:
summary of plot / text, non-specific
references, vaguely relevant references, and little to no
commentary
•
2 Points: makes textual references (direct or indirect)
that are relevant to the thesis AND provides
commentary; however, it repeats, oversimplifies, or
misinterprets the cited information or evidence
•
3 Points: makes textual references (direct or indirect) that
are relevant to the thesis AND provides commentary
that explains the relationship between evidence
and the thesis; however, commentary is uneven,
limited, or incomplete
•
4 Points: Makes textual references (direct quotes or
paraphrases) that are relevant to the thesis AND provides
well-developed commentary that consistently and
explicitly explains the relationship between the
evidence and the thesis
0
Row C (Sophistication): 0 – 1 Points:
• Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or develops a
complex and nuanced literary argument by doing any of the
following: including complexities or tensions, situated in
broader context, accounts for alternative interpretations,
and/or vivid & persuasive writing style)