AP Scoring Guide

A couple of weeks ago, I had students in both my AP and 10th grade classes write essays based on one of last year's AP Lit Exam essay prompts. This week, I'm asking them to use the official AP scoring guide to score them.

I have to admit some heebies and jeebies over doing stuff like this. It feels like I'm spending class time teaching kids to game the test system rather than investing that time into teaching them how to approach a text honestly and incisively. However, because the AP scoring guide looks for legitimate intellectualism, we can use it (in a carefully qualified way) to look for legitimate intellectualism in our own work and in the work of others.

So without further ado, the guide:

The score reflects the quality of the essay as a whole — its content, style, and mechanics. Students are rewarded for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by 1 point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3.

9–8 These essays identify an “illuminating” episode or moment in a novel or play and persuasively analyze how the moment functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Using apt and specific textual support, these essays effectively identify an episode or moment and explore its meaning. Although these essays may not be error-free, they exhibit the student’s ability to discuss a literary work with insight and understanding, while demonstrating clarity, precision, coherence, and — in the case of an essay scored a 9 — particular persuasiveness and/or stylistic flair.


7–6 These essays identify an “illuminating” episode or moment in a novel or play and offer a reasonable analysis of how such a moment functions as a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. These essays offer insight and understanding, but the analysis is less thorough, less perceptive, and/or less specific in supporting detail than that of the 9–8 essays. References to the text may not be as apt or as persuasive. Essays scored a 7 present better developed analysis and more consistent command of elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6.


5 These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading, but they tend to be superficial in analysis. They may rely upon plot summary that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit. Although these responses attempt to discuss an episode or moment in a novel or play and how it functions as a window that opens onto the meaning of the work, they may demonstrate a simplistic understanding. They demonstrate adequate control of language, but they may be marred by surface errors. These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as 7–6 essays.


4–3 These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate understanding of the work. They may fail to identify an “illuminating” moment or they may fail adequately to explore its meaning. They may rely on plot summary alone; their assertions may be unsupported or irrelevant. The writing may demonstrate a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, an accumulation of errors, or an argument that is unclear, inconsistent, or repetitive. Essays scored a 3 may contain significant misreading and/or demonstrate inept writing.


2–1 Although these essays make some attempt to respond to the prompt, they compound the weaknesses of the responses in the 4–3 range. Often, they are unacceptably brief or incoherent in presenting their ideas. They are poorly written and contain distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. Remarks may be presented with little clarity, organization, or supporting evidence. Essays scored a 1 contain little coherent discussion of the text.

0 These essays do no more than make a reference to the task.

— These essays are either left blank or are completely off topic.