AP Language & Composition

1. AP Language & Composition Essay Preparation

2. The Essay Exam • You will have 2 hours to write three essays. • You will have 15 minutes at the beginning of the test to read and annotate the synthesis prompt. • You should be spending approximately 40 minutes per essay.

3. General Suggestions • Read well--mark up the prompt and the passage • PLAN before you begin with a quick mini-outline • Write neatly • Your THESIS should answer the question specifically (it should NOT just repeat the prompt)

4. General Suggestions (Cont.) • Refer to the piece correctly. Use their term— “passage” or “selection” or “excerpt” • ENJOY IT! The more engaged you are, the better your writing will be. And, the more engaged your grader will be! • Have a “business causal style”—be an intelligent thinker with an interesting vocabulary and varied syntax. Put your mark on the essay.

5. Essay Structure: Introductions • Take the time to develop your introduction because first impressions count!

6. SAMPLE: Synthesis Essay 2008 B I am a product of at least five different education systems. Frequently individuals ask me if these experiences have harmed my academic development, and I respond saying “definitely not.” As Pirofski stated “multicultural” aspects of education are “valuable learning tools” for developing children. Therefore, a non-standardized approach to education is the most beneficial. I am therefore against the statement that specific texts should be read by all high school English students on the grounds that standardization excludes, mainstreams, and limits high schooler’s possibilities in a changing world.

7. Essay Structure: Thesis • Be clear, original, and focused • Use academic (and accurate) diction • Answer WHY, HOW, and SO WHAT? All thesis statements should have some relation to the human experience. • Think topic + opinion + so what?

8. Essay Structure: BODY PARAGRAPHS • ANALYZE don’t summarize • Use the writer’s name(s)—explain HOW the writer gets his idea across • Use evidence—SHORT quotations from the passage(s)/excerpt(s) • Use paragraphs—minimum of two • Aim for 2-3 full handwritten pages per essay if possible

9. Body Paragraph Sample Sanders’ disagreement with Rushdie in principle could have been marked by a condescending and imposingtone—however through his choice of phrases, Sanders’ tone is informal, yet respectful of Rushdie’s point of view. He connects himself with the reader and Rushdie by using words such as “I,” “our,” and “we” (Sanders). He places himself on our level as well as Rushdie’s; he is conversational and informal. Yet he is still respectful towards Rushdie and admits that even though he disagrees completely with him, Rushdie articulated his views “as eloquently as anyone” (Sanders). He is respectful of the man whose ideas he is refuting—there is not even a hint of ad hominem argument in this essay, for Sanders never attacks Rushdie himself. This tonedevelops his point as one that is accessible and easy to understand for all people, as one that we all should hold as a fundamental belief of society.

10. Essay Structure--CONCLUSION • Have one! • Restate your thesis in a way that shows how the argument progressed. • Consider how the argument relates to the world. • NO new IDEAS!

11. CONCLUSION

12. Sample: CONCLUSION Many views held by people today can be unpopular but good or popular but bad. If Boorstin wishes to clearly establish one type of thinking as disagreement and another as dissention, he cannot rely on such generalizations and assumptions as those used in this excerpt. Dissension is simply a more radical kind of disagreement and radicals are what can be the foundation of new ideas and the spark needed to change an entire political system.

13. Advice from the Chief Grader • Read prompts as texts • Ensure you fully understand what is being asked • For Rhetorical Analysis: • Decipher meaning FIRST, then look for techniques • More is not always better • Use purposeful details, not filler • For Argument: • Don’t refer to books you’ve read because you think you should • If you can’t fully explain the relevance, don’t use it!

14. Look at examples in groups What is good? What can you emulate? What “rules” should you follow?