2024

AP Computer Science A
®

Sample Student Responses

and Scoring Commentary

Inside:

Free-Response Question 2
Scoring Guidelines
Student Samples
Scoring Commentary

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Guidelines

Applying the Scoring Criteria

Apply the question scoring criteria first, which always takes precedence. Penalty points can only be
deducted in a part of the question that has earned credit via the question rubric. No part of a question (a, b,
c) may have a negative point total. A given penalty can be assessed only once for a question, even if it occurs
multiple times or in multiple parts of that question. A maximum of 3 penalty points may be assessed per
question.

1-Point Penalty
v) Array/collection access confusion ([] get)
w) Extraneous code that causes side-effect (e.g., printing to output, incorrect precondition check)
x) Local variables used but none declared
y) Destruction of persistent data (e.g., changing value referenced by parameter)
z) Void method or constructor that returns a value

No Penalty
• Extraneous code with no side-effect (e.g., valid precondition check, no-op)
• Spelling/case discrepancies where there is no ambiguity*
• Local variable not declared provided other variables are declared in some part
• private or public qualifier on a local variable
• Missing public qualifier on class or constructor header
• Keyword used as an identifier
• Common mathematical symbols used for operators (× • ÷ ≤ ≥ <> ≠)
• [] vs. () vs. <>
• = instead of == and vice versa
• length/size confusion for array, String, List, or ArrayList; with or without ( )
• Extraneous [] when referencing entire array
• [i,j] instead of [i][j]
• Extraneous size in array declaration, e.g., int[size] nums = new int[size];
• Missing ; where structure clearly conveys intent
• Missing { } where indentation clearly conveys intent
• Missing ( ) on parameter-less method or constructor invocations
• Missing ( ) around if or while conditions

*Spelling and case discrepancies for identifiers fall under the “No Penalty” category only if the correction
can be unambiguously inferred from context, for example, “ArayList” instead of “ArrayList”. As a
counterexample, note that if the code declares "int G=99, g=0;", then uses "while (G < 10)"
instead of "while (g < 10)", the context does not allow for the reader to assume the use of the
lower-case variable.

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Guidelines

Question 2: Class 9 points

Canonical solution

public class Scoreboard 9 points

{
private String team1Name, team2Name;
private int whoseTurn;
private int score1, score2;

public Scoreboard(String team1, String team2)

{
team1Name = team1;
team2Name = team2;
whoseTurn = 1;
score1 = 0;
score2 = 0;
}

public void recordPlay(int points)

{
if (points == 0)
{
if (whoseTurn == 1)
{
whoseTurn = 2;
}
else
{
whoseTurn = 1;
}
}
else
{
if (whoseTurn == 1)
{
score1 += points;
}
else
{
score2 += points;
}
}
}

public String getScore()

{
String result = score1 + "-" + score2 + "-";
if (whoseTurn == 1)
{
result += team1Name;
}
else
{
result += team2Name;
}
return result;
}
}

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Guidelines
Scoreboard

Scoring Criteria Decision Rules

1 Declares class header: Responses will not earn the point if they 1 point
class Scoreboard
• declare the class as something other
than public
2 Declares at least one private String Responses will not earn the point if they 1 point
instance variable and one private int • declare any instance variable static
instance variable
• declare a variable outside the class
3 Declares constructor header: Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
Scoreboard(String ___, they
String ___)
• declare instance variable(s) outside the
and constructor initializes both team name
class, or in the class within a method or
instance variables using parameters
constructor
Responses will not earn the point if they
• fail to declare or initialize instance
variables for both team names
• declare the constructor as something
other than public
4 Declares method headers: Responses will not earn the point if they 1 point
public void
• use incorrect method names
recordPlay(int ___)
public String getScore() • omit or declare incorrectly either
method header
• omit public in either method
header or declare either method as
something other than public
5 Recording method checks for parameter Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
value of zero they
• use a method name inconsistent with
the examples, as long as it is
recognizably equivalent
6 Recording method increases at least one Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
declared instance variable representing one they
team’s score • declare any instance variable
incorrectly, outside the class, or in the
class within a method or constructor
• use something other than the
parameter to update the instance
variable
• use a method name inconsistent with
the examples, as long as it is
recognizably equivalent

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Guidelines
7 Recording method switches active team Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
they
• perform the switch in a method other
than the recording method
• store the switched active team in a
local variable, as long as the switch
occurs in both active team cases
• use a method name inconsistent with
the examples, as long as it is
recognizably equivalent
• perform the switch when the
parameter is not zero
8 Recording method adds correct number of Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
points to the active team’s score (algorithm) they
• fail to switch active team correctly
• declare an instance variable that holds
a team’s score outside the class, or in
the class within a method or
constructor
• use a method name inconsistent with
the examples, as long as it is
recognizably equivalent
Responses will not earn the point if they
• switch teams when the parameter is
positive
• fail to declare an instance variable to
track the active team, initialize it
incorrectly, or never change its value
• add correct number of points for only
one team
• increase score by something other
than the parameter
• fail to declare instance variables to
hold both teams’ scores
9 Accessor method builds and returns Responses can still earn the point even if 1 point
specified string (algorithm) they
• fail to declare instance variables and
use variables from constructor or
methods within the class
• use a method name inconsistent with
the examples, as long as it is
recognizably equivalent
Responses will not earn the point if they
• omit the literal hyphens in the
constructed string
Total for question 2 9 points

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Guidelines
Alternate canonical:

public class Scoreboard

{
private String team1Name, team2Name;
private boolean isTeam1Active;
private int score1, score2;

public Scoreboard(String team1, String team2)

{
team1Name = team1;
team2Name = team2;
isTeam1Active = true;
score1 = 0;
score2 = 0;
}

public void recordPlay(int score)

{
if (score == 0)
{
isTeam1Active = !isTeam1Active;
}
else if (isTeam1Active)
{
score1 += score;
}
else
{
score2 += score;
}
}

public String getScore()

{
String result = score1 + "-" + score2 + "-";
if (isTeam1Active)
{
result += team1Name;
}
else
{
result += team2Name;
}
return result;
}
}

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Q2 Sample A 1 of 2
Q2 Sample A 2 of 2
Q2 Sample B 1 of 1
Q2 Sample C 1 of 1
AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Commentary

Question 2

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Overview

This question tested the student’s ability to:

• Write program code to define a new type by creating a class (Skill 3.B).
• Write program code to satisfy method specifications using expressions, conditional statements,
and iterative statements (Skill 3.C).

This question assessed the ability to design an entire class, with constructor, instance variables, and
methods that access and update them; to maintain and update the state of the object according to a
specified algorithm; and to build a specified string based on the state of the object.

Students were asked to design a class, Scoreboard, to hold and modify data for a game with two
teams. This class must contain instance variables to store the names of each team, the scores of each
team, and an indicator of which team is current. It also requires a constructor and two methods, each
matching a provided specification. In designing the Scoreboard class, students were expected to
understand and demonstrate how to construct appropriate headers for the class itself and for its
instance methods. Students were also expected to understand and correctly use instance variables,
including declaration of the variables, initialization of the variables, and use of the variables inside the
constructor and methods.

The prompt specifications and example code of the class required students to implement two methods.
The first method specified, recordPlay, is passed a single parameter representing points scored by
the active team. If the point count is positive, then the active team’s score variable is increased. If the
point count is zero, then the active team is switched to the other team. The method must determine
which team is the active team and increase the score for that team only and must successfully update
the indicator of the current team, correctly in either direction and only when zero points are scored.
The second method, getScore, constructs and returns a specified String that contains team
scores, string literals (hyphens), and the name of the active team (which may already be stored in a
variable or may be chosen in a conditional statement).

Sample: 2A
Score: 7

Point 1 was earned because the class header is correct. To earn this point, the header must contain
class Scoreboard and may optionally contain the public visibility specifier. Point 2 was earned
because the response declares at least one private String instance variable (tOneName and
tTwoName) and at least one private int instance variable (tOne and tTwo). Note that the
instance data is initialized at declaration, which is valid. This point would not be earned if the
declaration of any instance variable contained the keyword static. Point 3 was not earned because
the constructor has a void return type. The focus of this point is a correct constructor header and
initialization of the team names, tOneName and tTwoName, using the parameters. This point can
still be earned if the instance variables are improperly declared inside the constructor, in another
method, or outside of the class. Point 4 was earned because both the recordPlay and getScore
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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

method headers are correct. The focus of this point is syntactically correct method headers for both
methods. Point 5 was earned because the recording method, recordPlay, checks for a parameter
value of zero (in this case, score == 0). Point 6 was earned because the recording method increases
both tOne and tTwo, although increasing only one of the two instance variables would have been
enough to earn this point. Point 7 was earned because the recording method switches the active team
using a boolean instance variable, whosActive. Note that the use of == instead of = (or vice
versa) is one of the minor errors for which no penalty is assessed on this exam. (See the “No Penalty”
section of the Scoring Guidelines for a complete list.) The focus of this point is the logic of switching
the active team back and forth between the two teams, with at most one switch per method call. Point 8
was earned because the recording method adds the correct number of points to the active team’s score
(either tOne or tTwo) and because the variable to track the active team, whosActive, was
properly initialized during declaration and is switched when the parameter is zero. The focus of this
point is a correct algorithm. The algorithm updates the active team’s score when the parameter is
greater than zero and switches the active team when the parameter is zero. This point can still be
earned even if the response loses point 7 by failing to switch the active team correctly, as long as the
response does not switch teams on a positive parameter. Point 9 was not earned because the response
prints the specified string to output rather than returning it, which is an algorithm error. The focus of
this point is to build and return the specified string, including both string literal hyphens. Note that
penalty point (w) from the “1-Point Penalty” list in the Scoring Guidelines is not applied.

Sample: 2B
Score: 4

Point 1 was earned because the class header is correct. The access for the class header is public
and the response specifies a class name of Scoreboard. Point 2 was earned because at least one
private String instance variable (team1 and team2) and at least one private int instance
variable (n and n1) was declared. Point 3 was not earned because the constructor header has a
void return type. The constructor header has the correct access, public, and the correct name,
Scoreboard. Point 4 was not earned because although the recordPlay method header is correct,
the getScore method has an incorrect void return type. Point 5 was earned because the recording
method, recordPlay, checks for a parameter value of zero. Note that even though the score update
is incorrect in the if statement, the response still earns this point. Point 6 was earned because the
recording method increases at least one instance variable representing one team’s score, even though
the update is incorrect because the response did not check for the active team. Point 7 was not earned
because there is no active team designation and no team switch occurred. Point 8 was not earned
because the response fails to declare an instance variable to track the active team, fails to update the
active team, and updates only one team’s score. Point 9 was not earned because the response prints
the string to output instead of returning the string. The string is also built improperly since there is
a missing second hyphen and the string contains the team with the highest score rather than the
active team.

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AP® Computer Science A 2024 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

Sample: 2C
Score: 2

Point 1 was not earned because the class header contains parentheses. The access for the class header
is public and the response specifies a class name of Scoreboard. Point 2 was not earned
because the response fails to declare any int instance variables to hold scores. Point 3 was earned
because the constructor header is correct with public access and the name Scoreboard. The
response then correctly initializes both team name instance variables, team and team2, using the
parameters. Point 4 was not earned because the recordPlay method has an incorrect return type.
Point 5 was earned because the recording method checks whether the parameter x has a value of
zero. Note that the use of = instead of == (and vice versa) is one of the minor errors for which no
penalty is assessed on this exam. (See the “No Penalty” section of the Scoring Guidelines for a
complete list.) Point 6 was not earned because the recording method attempts to concatenate the
parameter x with a local String variable, team, instead of adding the parameter to an integer
variable containing a score. The variable being changed, team, represents a team name, not a team
score. Point 7 was not earned because, when the recording method sets team1 to false, a
subsequent if statement switches it back to true. Point 8 was not earned because the response
fails to declare instance variables to hold both teams’ scores and therefore does not add points to the
scores correctly. Point 9 was not earned because, while the response returns a String, it is not in the
specified format and the accessor method does not test for the active team.

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