AP Language Exam Reminders
Successful writers do the following:
o Use
a wide range vocabulary appropriately and effectively
o Use
a variety of sentence structures
o Use
a logical organization enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence
such as judicious repetition, strong transitions, and appropriate emphasis
o Use
a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail
o Use
an effective rhetoric and a controlling tone.
They establish and maintain a voice.
They achieve appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure.
o High
Scoring Essays use analogies,
complex sentence patterns, rhetorical questions, parallelism, figurative
language, etc.! They demonstrate
critical thinking and avoid logical fallacies!
Essay Reminders:
o You
will be given 15 minutes to read all three essay sections. However, you will
not be allowed to open and write in the actual test booklet until the end of
the 15 minute period. Annotate the text! The synthesis essay will be first, and
you will have 15 minutes to read the sources. Begin writing the essay in the
extra space on the booklet; copy it onto your test paper once the test begins.
You will have a total of two hours to write the essays. Each essay carries the same weight, so do not
spend an inappropriate amount of time on any one essay. Write the time that you
must be finished for each (40 minutes).
o Your
introduction and conclusion need not be more than 2-3 lines. Make sure you have a clear thesis with 3
points at the end of your introduction!
o Keep
your quotes short. A direct quote of
more than one or two lines of text is too much. You need not always write out
the actual quotations; use ellipses to get to the heart of your analysis. The
synthesis essay will require you to incorporate sources.
o Have
an appropriate tone. Do not use a
conversational or informal tone, “you most likely know people like this,”
“there is a lot of junk in the world,” etc.
o Use
the transitions! Many reverted back to first, next, lastly or used none. You may hate initially, furthermore, ultimately, in conclusion/ in summation, for
example, for instance, additionally, however, indeed, similarly, likewise, in
contrast, but they improve your writing dramatically! Don’t run naked on
the day of the exam; the shell is your AP Essay underwear!
o You
must write neatly and legibly. If your cursive is too small or ornate,
print. If you tend to write small, write
larger so that you will have an appearance of more length.
o All
essays of 6 or higher have been at least 2 ½ pages long, and many are 3 or 4.
o For
every essay, you must have a clear thesis that directly addresses the task of
the prompt and lists your 2-4 major ideas.
You must use these “big” ideas for the topic sentence of each paragraph.
The ideas need to be listed from weakest to strongest. Your paragraphs should follow the order of
the ideas in the thesis. Remember the
triangle is the strongest shape; the strongest and most focused essays will
most likely have three points in the thesis. Many people had a lengthy first
body paragraph, but their 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs
were short and weak.
o Use
AP diction (syntax for sentence
structure, diction for word choice, parallelism for similar grammatical
structure, repetition, counterargument, rebuttal, imagery for language appealing to five senses, tone for the
attitude of the piece, juxtaposition, antithesis, etc.) and sophisticated
vocabulary (demonstrates, illustrates, exhibits, mechanisms, strategies,
devices, elements, utilizes, elaborates, emphasizes, fosters, etc.)
o Don’t
be baffled by the complexity of the passage. You are smart and you know how
language works.
o Aim
for a 9!!!!
o Look
at the released exams from College Board AND the released, scored student
essays from 2007 to the present.
o You
can take a position on whatever position and synthesis prompts that they give
you; remember you successfully debated whether or not Oreos or Chips Ahoy were
a better cookie. You can do this!
o Take
the free, online practice tests if you have study time available before the
test.
Key Elements
Synthesis Essay
Ø It will be first. You will know
it is the synthesis because it will be the longest and it includes sources.
Ø Underline your specific task in
the prompt.
o Many people wrote that Global
Warming existed or did not exist; they failed to realize the prompt asked you
to take a position on the key issues that corporate leaders should consider
when making policies that may affect global warming.
Ø Use the 15 minutes to peruse
the sources and make notes about how each source fits into the assigned topic.
Does it support it? It is against it? Does it offer an interesting insight?
Ø You must take a position. You cannot qualify on this prompt. Even if it says “qualify,” essays are
considered stronger when they choose a side. Your reader should know exactly
where you stand by the end of your essay.
Ø The best essays addressed the
counterargument/counter-position in the first body paragraph (or introduction)
and then built their position and support in the next three paragraphs. They briefly mentioned the counterargument in
the conclusion or last body paragraph but the essay clearly demonstrated one
position. You can simply start out with
a general statement about the topic. State the opposite by using Indeed.
Contrast with However, and
thesis statement. Indeed, television may
provide benefits to children such as educational learning. However, television is detrimental to today’s
youth because it causes harmful health effects, destructive social behaviors,
and poor academic performance.
Ø Don’t simply summarize the
sources. Have a position and develop
your position by incorporating and analyzing the sources. You must use and cite at least 3 sources.
Ø Don’t be intimidated. You have
an opinion. Imagine Oprah asked you for your position on the topic or someone
offered you a million dollars for your position; you would find something to
say in this circumstance.
Ø Your 3 body paragraphs do not
need to each be about one source but instead should discuss an idea from your
thesis incorporating the different sources.
Argumentative/Position Essay
Ø Underline your key task found
in the prompt. Brainstorm ideas for the following: Defend (agree), Challenge
(disagree), and Qualify (both can be true).
Ø Think of “Big World” examples
found in our history and the world today.
For the position paper on conformity, many students simply wrote about
teenagers’ conformity with clothes or drugs.
Think of “big” and complex issues that require a critical mind such as
the Holocaust (conformity rather than truth), genocide and children abductions
in Africa (news/media more focused on Brittany Spears than “truth” of real
world events), the economy (majority of Americans in debt because they would
rather conform to look of success than face truth of finances), forefathers of
America (pursue truth than conform to ideas of England), etc.
Ø Address the counterargument in
the first paragraph or introduction (Indeed/However). Use the next 3 paragraphs to build your
position.
Analysis Essay
Ø This essay will ask you to analyze the rhetorical strategies used
Ø Remember rhetorical strategies
include diction, syntax, imagery, choice of detail, structure, tone, figurative
language (simile, metaphor, personification), rhetorical questions,
parallelism, denotation and connotation, allusions, juxtaposition, antithesis,
repetition, charged words (tyrant), word sound (euphonious-hearth, aroma AND
cacophonous-pus, barf), etc.
Ø FAT-P (format, audience, topic,
and purpose) work well with this prompt. In your introduction you must include
the author, the piece, and the purpose (consider the audience and context) and
your thesis stating your 3 big ideas for the assigned task.
Ø Don’t simply use one line from
the text as an “example” in each paragraph and don’t simply describe where/what
the elements are. You should have
multiple examples from the texts in your paragraph. Elaborate on your examples and say why the author used this device and
how it impacts the piece. Never say the author used a device without giving
an example. At the same time, limit your quotes. You should not have a paper that simply
rewrites everything in the prompt.
Ø Think of the prompt as a
Thanksgiving Turkey. Tear it apart and get as much meat as possible. Show the readers that you understand how
language works!