FRQ Writing
Free Response Questions (FRQ) are one of the skills that students in AP Biology must learn and
master. The first PowerPoint gives a number of ideas and tips about teaching FRQ writing and
also gives some practical considerations to make the written response more "friendly" for the
Reader to grade.
The second PowerPoint is a question set that can be used early in the year for practice. This is a
1996 AP Biology exam question on designing an experiment using plants. Yes, Botany is not part
of the "knowledge" in the course, but designing an experiment is part of the "understanding" we
expect of students.
The next file is the grading rubric for this FRQ.
The last file is a sample student response for the FRQ. The locations where points were awarded
are shown as numerical superscripts with a key for each number at the end of the example.
Note - current grading rubrics would not give as much Reader discretion in the 10th point as was
done in 1996.
The last file is a PowerPoint that gives some tips on "Design an Experiment" question.