Advanced Placement
English Language and
Composition
Exam Hints and Information
 Given
in May
 3 is passing
 Two parts to the exam:
 Writing Portion
◦ 2 free response essays
◦ 1 synthesis essay
◦ 2hrs. 15 minutes to complete
 Multiple
Choice
◦ 50-60 questions
◦ 1 Hour
AP Language and
Composition Exam
General
 Rhetoric
◦Content—message/what?
 writing
◦Form—way it is
communicated/how?
 Rhetorical Devices
◦How form relates to content
 Analysis!!!!
◦How it is seen by the audience
 Appeals
General
 Style
 Terms
(Rhetorical)
 Vocabulary
 Reading
◦After 1600
◦No piece that has been
translated
◦Nonfiction
General
 Respond
to the prompt!
 Three
prompts in two hours, 15
minutes added for reading
information given—you must
keep track of your own time
Free Response Questions

1. One of the questions will be a Synthesis
Essay

This question will contain four to seven sources and
a prompt that relates to these sources
◦ in general, at least one of these sources will be
an image (e.g. photo, cartoon, graph, etc.).
◦ Students will be asked to write essays that
incorporate at least three to four of the sources
into argumentative.

Similar to a DBQ (Differences will be explained).
Synthesis Prompt
2. Rhetorical Analysis
 One
of the questions will be a
rhetorical analysis
◦ Rhetorical Strategies—style—
diction, syntax, and tone
◦ Stylistic Analysis—specific words
on the page—schemes and tropes
Free Response Questions
Free Response Questions
3. Wild Card
 May
be: Persuasive
◦ Argumentative (Build Your Own
Argument=BYOA)
◦ Proposition, idea, thought
◦ Supports, refutes, or modifies the argument
drawing on your own reading, experiences, or
observations
or
•
May be: compare and contrast
◦ Really another rhetorical analysis
Strategies for Free
Response and Synthesis
Questions
 Quote the passage!!!
 Does
not punish you for
what you don’t do, but
rewards you for what you
do well
 Answer
all three questions well!
 Your
essays are separated and
read by different people so they
cannot see that you did well on
one and not the others.
Free Response Strategies
 Mark
up the booklet page
 Introduction
one
 Make
and conclusion—have
a plan and proofread!!
 Qualify
tone, attitude, style (blunt,
angry, high diction…)
 Practice
grading on AP scale
Free Response Strategies
Objective Section
 About
 60
5
50-60 questions
minutes
possible answers given
◦ 1 correct, 1 distracter, 3 wrong
 CHANGE!
No longer a ¼ point
off for wrong answer
Objective Section
Really only 4 to 5 types of
questions!
1. Literal Questions-Rhetorical

◦
“In line 42 what literary
device is being used?”
(words/phrases)
2.
Inferential/Contextual QuestionsAuthor’s Meaning or Purpose

“In line 42 the term ‘democratic’
most clearly means…?” (whole
passage)
Objective Section
Objective Section
3. Purpose Question (global)
◦
“Intent, goal, purpose,
reason for using repetition
in 2nd paragraph?” (whole
passage)
Objective Section
4.
Mix and match the first
three type-Main idea,
Organization/structure,
Rhetorical Modes
5.
Using sources and
documentation—footnotes,
endnotes, bibliography info
 About
4-6 passages (maybe 10
questions per passage)
 guess
 No longer are you are penalized
for wrong answers and you can’t
get credit for what you don’t do!
 Our philosophy is ANSWER!
Strategies for Objective
Section
Strategies for Objective
Section
 In general, on past
exams a 50% correct
on the objective section
and two 5’s and one 6
can enable you to pass
the exam with a score
of 3.
 1/3
of the students do
not pass
 Objective 45%
 Essay 55%
 Objective Scoring
is
 No. Right + No.
Wrong = RAW
divide by No. of
Questions x year’s
multiplier
 Out
of 7 ?’s, I
got 4 correct, 2
incorrect, left 1
blank
 4= RAW
 Divide by 7
 Total is 64%
Here’s the Bottom Line!
AP English Language Scores
South vs. the World
Hinsdale South--2011
Grade
N
% At
5
16
16.33
4
40
40.82
3
27
27.55
2
14
14.29
1
1
1.02
Numbe
r
98
3 or
higher
83
Mean
3.56
84.7
Chart of the AP English Language Distribution
May 2011 (in percentages at each score)
45
40.82
40
35
30
27.5
25
30.1
27.55
20
20.0
15
10
Global
11.3
16.33
14.29
11.1
5
0
1.02
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
HSHS