Advanced Placement English Language and Composition

1. Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Exam Hints and Information

2. 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

3. 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

4. General • Style • Terms (Rhetorical) • Vocabulary

5. Reading • After 1600 • No piece that has been translated • Nonfiction General

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Mark up the booklet page • Introduction and conclusion—have one • Make a plan and proofread!! • Qualify tone, attitude, style (blunt, angry, high diction…) • Practice grading on AP scale Free Response Strategies

13. Objective Section • About 50-60 questions • 60 minutes • 5 possible answers given • 1 correct, 1 distracter, 3 wrong • CHANGE! No longer a ¼ point off for wrong answer

14. 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)

15. Inferential/Contextual Questions-Author’s Meaning or Purpose • “In line 42 the term ‘democratic’ most clearly means…?” (whole passage) Objective Section

16. Objective Section 3. Purpose Question (global) • “Intent, goal, purpose, reason for using repetition in 2nd paragraph?” (whole passage)

17. Objective Section • Mix and match the first three type-Main idea, Organization/structure, Rhetorical Modes • Using sources and documentation—footnotes, endnotes, bibliography info

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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!

21. Hinsdale South--2011 AP English Language ScoresSouth vs. the World

22. Chart of the AP English Language DistributionMay 2011 (in percentages at each score)