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 igh Scoring !ssays use analogies, comple" sentence patterns, rhetorical questions, parallelism, figurative
language, etc.# They demonstrate critical thin$ing and avoid logical fallacies#
!ssay %eminders:
o &ou will be given '( minutes to read all three essay sections. owever, you will not be allowed to open and
write in the actual test boo$let until the end of the '( minute period. Annotate the text! The synthesis
essay will be first, and you will have '( minutes to read the sources. )egin writing the essay in the e"tra
space on the boo$let* copy it onto your test paper once the test begins. &ou will have a total of two hours to
write the essays. !ach essay carries the same weight, so do not spend an inappropriate amount of time on
any one essay. +rite the time that you must be finished for each ,-. minutes/.
o &our introduction and conclusion need not be more than 012 lines. 3a$e sure you have a clear thesis with
2 points at the end of your introduction#
o 4eep your quotes short. 5 direct quote of more than one or two lines of te"t is too much. &ou 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 ave an appropriate tone. 6o not use a conversational or informal tone, 7you most li$ely $now people li$e
this,8 7there is a lot of jun$ in the world,8 etc.
o Use the transitions# 3any reverted bac$ to first, ne"t, lastly or used none. &ou 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# 6on9t run na$ed on the
day of the e"am* the shell is your 5: !ssay underwear#
o &ou must write neatly and legibly. ;f your cursive is too small or ornate, print. ;f you tend to write small,
write larger so that you will have an appearance of more length.
o 5ll essays of < or higher have been at least 0 = pages long, and many are 2 or -.
o >or every essay, you must have a clear thesis that directly addresses the tas$ of the prompt and lists your
01- major ideas. &ou must use these 7big8 ideas for the topic sentence of each paragraph. The ideas need
to be listed from wea$est to strongest. &our paragraphs should follow the order of the ideas in the thesis.
%emember the triangle is the strongest shape* the strongest and most focused essays will most li$ely have
three points in the thesis. 3any people had a lengthy first body paragraph, but their 0
nd
and 2
rd
body
paragraphs were short and wea$.
o Use 5: 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, ju"taposition, antithesis, etc./ and sophisticated vocabulary ,demonstrates, illustrates,
e"hibits, mechanisms, strategies, devices, elements, utilizes, elaborates, emphasizes, fosters, etc./
o 6on9t be baffled by the comple"ity of the passage. &ou are smart and you $now how language wor$s.
o 5im for a ?####
o @oo$ at the released e"ams from Aollege )oard 5B6 the released, scored student essays from 0..C to the
present.
o &ou can ta$e a position on whatever position and synthesis prompts that they give you* remember you
successfully debated whether or not Dreos or Ahips 5hoy were a better coo$ie. &ou can do this#
o Ta$e the free, online practice tests if you have study time available before the test.
Key Elements
Synthesis Essay
;t will be first. &ou will $now it is the synthesis because it will be the longest and it includes sources.
Underline your specific tas$ in the prompt.
o 3any people wrote that Elobal +arming e"isted or did not e"ist* they failed to realize the prompt as$ed you
to ta$e a position on the $ey issues that corporate leaders should consider when ma$ing policies that may
affect global warming.
Use the '( minutes to peruse the sources and ma$e notes about how each source fits into the assigned topic. 6oes
it support itF ;t is against itF 6oes it offer an interesting insightF
&ou must ta$e a position. &ou cannot qualify on this prompt. !ven if it says 7qualify,8 essays are considered
stronger when they choose a side. &our reader should $now e"actly where you stand by the end of your essay.
The best essays addressed the counterargumentGcounter1position in the first body paragraph ,or introduction/ and
then built their position and support in the ne"t three paragraphs. They briefly mentioned the counterargument in
the conclusion or last body paragraph but the essay clearly demonstrated one position. &ou can simply start out
with a general statement about the topic. State the opposite by using Indeed. Aontrast with However, and thesis
statement. Indeed, television may provide benefits to children such as educational learning. However, television is
detrimental to todays youth because it causes harmful health effects, destructive social behaviors, and poor
academic performance.
6on9t simply summarize the sources. ave a position and develop your position by incorporating and analyzing the
sources. You must use and cite at least 3 sources.
6on9t be intimidated. &ou have an opinion. ;magine Dprah as$ed 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.
&our 2 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
Underline your $ey tas$ found in the prompt. )rainstorm ideas for the following: 6efend ,agree/, Ahallenge
,disagree/, and Hualify ,both can be true/.
Thin$ of 7)ig +orld8 e"amples found in our history and the world today. >or the position paper on conformity, many
students simply wrote about teenagers9 conformity with clothes or drugs. Thin$ of 7big8 and comple" issues that
require a critical mind such as the olocaust ,conformity rather than truth/, genocide and children abductions in
5frica ,newsGmedia more focused on )rittany Spears than 7truth8 of real world events/, the economy ,majority of
5mericans in debt because they would rather conform to loo$ of success than face truth of finances/, forefathers of
5merica ,pursue truth than conform to ideas of !ngland/, etc.
5ddress the counterargument in the first paragraph or introduction ,;ndeedGowever/. Use the ne"t 2 paragraphs to
build your position.
Analysis Essay
This essay will as$ you to analye the rhetorical strategies used
%emember rhetorical strategies include diction, synta", imagery, choice of detail, structure, tone, figurative
language ,simile, metaphor, personification/, rhetorical questions, parallelism, denotation and connotation,
allusions, ju"taposition, antithesis, repetition, charged words ,tyrant/, word sound ,euphonious1hearth, aroma 5B6
cacophonous1pus, barf/, etc.
>5T1: ,format, audience, topic, and purpose/ wor$ well with this prompt. ;n your introduction you must include the
author, the piece, and the purpose ,consider the audience and conte"t/ and your thesis stating your 2 big ideas for
the assigned tas$.
6on9t simply use one line from the te"t as an 7e"ample8 in each paragraph and don9t simply describe whereGwhat
the elements are. &ou should have multiple e"amples from the te"ts in your paragraph. Ela!orate on your
exam"les and say #hy the author used this device and ho# it im"acts the "iece. Bever say the author used a
device without giving an e"ample. 5t the same time, limit your quotes. &ou should not have a paper that simply
rewrites everything in the prompt.
Thin$ of the prompt as a Than$sgiving Tur$ey. Tear it apart and get as much meat as possible. Show the readers
that you understand how language wor$s#
