ap lit poetry essay template

AP® English Literature

How to get a 9 on poetry analysis frq in ap® english literature.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

Are you taking the AP® English Literature and Composition exam? If you’re taking the course or self-studying, you know the exam is going to be tough. Of course, you want to do your best and score a five on the exam. To do well on the AP® English Literature and Composition exam, you’ll need to score high on the essays. For that, you’ll need to write a complete, efficient essay that argues an accurate interpretation of the work under examination in the Free Response Question section.

The AP® English Literature and Composition exam consists of two sections, the first being a 55-question multiple choice portion worth 45% of the total test grade. This section tests your ability to read drama, verse, or prose fiction excerpts and answer questions about them. The second section worth 55% of the total score requires essay responses to three questions, demonstrating your ability to analyze literary works: a poem analysis, a prose fiction passage analysis, and a concept, issue, or element analysis of a literary work.

From your course or review practices, you should know how to construct a clear, organized essay that defends a focused claim about the work under analysis. Your should structure your essay with a brief introduction that includes the thesis statement, followed by body paragraphs that further the thesis statement with detailed, well-discussed support, and a short concluding paragraph that reiterates and reinforces the thesis statement without repeating it. Clear organization, specific support, and full explanations or discussions are three critical components of high-scoring essays.

General Tips to Bettering Your Odds at a Nine on the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam.

Your teacher may have already told you how to approach the poetry analysis, but for the poetry essay, it’s important to keep the following in mind coming into the exam:

• Carefully read, review, and underline key to-do’s in the prompt.
• Briefly outline where you’re going to hit each prompt item–in other words, pencil out a specific order.
• Be sure you have a clear thesis that includes the terms mentioned in the instructions, literary devices, tone, and meaning.
• Include the author’s name and title of the poem in your thesis statement.
• Use quotes—lots of them—to exemplify the elements throughout the essay.
• Fully explain or discuss how your element examples support your thesis. A deeper, fuller, and focused explanation of fewer elements is better than a shallow discussion of more elements (shotgun approach).
• Avoid vague, general statements for a clear focus on the poem itself.
• Use transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs.
• Write in the present tense with generally good grammar.
• Keep your introduction and conclusion short, and don’t repeat your thesis verbatim in your conclusion.

The newly-released 2016 sample AP® English Literature and Composition exam questions, sample responses, and grading rubrics provide a valuable opportunity to analyze how to achieve high scores on each of the three Section II FRQ responses. However, for purposes of this examination, the Poetry Analysis strategies will be the focus. The poem for analysis in last year’s exam was “The Juggler” by Richard Wilbur, a modern American poet. Exam takers were asked to analyze the following:

• how the speaker in the poem describes the juggler
• what the description shows about the speaker
• how the poet uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to convey meaning

When you analyze the components of an influential essay, it’s helpful to compare all three sample answers provided by the CollegeBoard: the high scoring (A) essay, the mid-range scoring (B) essay, and the low scoring (C) essay. All three provide a teaching opportunity for achieving a nine on the poetry analysis essay.

Start with a Succinct Introduction that Includes Your Thesis Statement

The first sample essay, the A essay, quickly and succinctly introduces the author, title, thesis, elements, and devices. The writer’s introduction sentences are efficient: they contain no waste and give the reader a sense of the cohesiveness of the argument, including the role of each of the analyzed components in proving the thesis. The specificity of the details in the introduction shows that the writer is in control, with phrases like “frequent alliteration,” “off-kilter rhyme”, and “diction evoking an almost spiritual level of power”. The writer leaves nothing to guesswork.

The mid-range B essay introduction also cites some specific details in the poem, like “visual imagery (of the juggler and his balls), figurative language (the personification of the balls interacting with the juggler), and tone (the playful mood of the first two stanza)”. However, the writer wastes space and precious time (five whole lines!) with a vague and banal recitation of the prompt. The mid-range answer also doesn’t give the reader an understanding of an overarching thesis that he or she will use the elements and devices to support, merely a reference to the speaker’s “attitude”.

The third sample lacks cohesiveness, a thesis statement, and organization. The sentences read like a shotgun spray of facts and descriptions that give no direction to the reader of the writer’s approach: how he or she will use the elements and details listed to prove a thesis. The short, choppy sentences don’t connect, and the upshot is something so commonplace as Wilbur describes a talented juggler, who is also a powerful teacher. That doesn’t respond to the prompt, which requires an argument about what the juggler’s description reveals about the speaker.

To sum up, make introductions brief and compact, using specific details from the poem and a clear direction that address the call of the prompt. Writing counts. Short, choppy, disconnected sentences make an incoherent, unclear paragraph. Don’t waste time on sentences that don’t do the work ahead for you. Cut to the chase; be specific.

Use Clear Examples to Support Your Argument Points

The A answer first supports the thesis by pointing out that alliteration and rhyme scheme depict the mood and disconnection of both the speaker and the crowd. The writer does this by noting how alliteration appears when the juggler performs, but not before. The student also notes how the mood and connection to the crowd cohere when the juggler juggles, the balls defying gravity and uplifting the crowd with the balls. Then, the writer wraps up the first point about description, devices, and elements by concluding that the unusual rhyme scheme echoes the unusual feat of juggling and controlling the mood of the crowd.

With a clear focus on attaching devices to individually quoted phrases and poem details, the student leads the reader through the first pass at proving the attitude of the poem’s speaker while commenting on possible meanings the tone, attitude, and devices suggest. Again, the student uses clear, logical, and precise quotes and references to the poem without wasting time on unsupported statements. Specific illustrations anchor each point.

For example, the student identifies the end rhyme as an unusual effect that mimics the unusual and gravity-defiant balls. Tying up the first paragraph, the student then goes on to thoroughly explain the connection between the cited rhyme scheme, the unique defiance of gravity, and the effect on the speaker. The organizational plan is as follows: point (assertion), illustration, and explanation.

The mid-range sample also cites specific details of the poem, such as the “sky-blue” juggler, a color that suggests playfulness, but then only concludes that euphony shows the speaker’s attitude toward the juggler without making that connection clear with an explanation. The writer simply concludes without proving that assertion. Without further explanation or exemplification, the author demonstrates no knowledge of the term “euphony”.

Sample C also alludes to the “sky-blue” juggler but doesn’t explain the significance. In fact, the writer makes a string of details from the poem appear significant without actually revealing anything about the details the writer notes. They’re merely a string of details.

Discussion is Crucial to Connect Your Quotes and Examples to Your Argument Points

Rather than merely noting quoted phrases and lines without explanation, the A response takes the time to thoroughly discuss the meaning of the quoted words, phrases, and sentences used to exemplify his or her assertions. For example, the second paragraph begins with an assertion that the speaker’s view of the world is evident through the diction used when describing the juggler and the juggler’s act. Immediately, the writer supplies proof by directing the reader to the first and last stanzas to find “lens,” “dusk”, and “daily dark”.

The selection of these particular diction choices demonstrates the writer’s knowledge of the term “diction” and how to support a conclusion the student will make by the end of the sentence that the speaker’s attitude toward the world around him is “not the brightest”. The writer gives a follow-up sentence to further convince the reader of the previous point about the speaker’s dim view by adding, “All the words and phrases used just fall flat, filled with connotations of dullness…”

Using the transition, “however”, the A response goes on to further explain that the juggler’s description contrasts with that of the speaker’s in its lightness, by again providing both specifically-quoted words and complete one or two full sentence follow-ups to the examples. In that way, the writer clarifies the connection between the examples and their use and meaning. Nothing is left unexplained–unlike the B response, which claims Wilbur uses personification, then gives a case of a quoted passage about the balls not being “lighthearted”.

After mentioning the term, the B essay writer merely concludes that Wilbur used personification without making the connection between “lighthearted” and personification. The writer might have written one additional sentence to show that balls as inanimate objects don’t have the emotions to be cheery nor lighthearted, only humans do. Thus, Wilbur personifies the balls. Likewise short of support, the writer concludes that the “life” of the balls through personification adds to the mystery and wonder–without further identifying the wonder or whose wonder and how that wonder results from the life of the balls.

Write a Brief Conclusion

While it’s more important to provide a substantive, organized, and clear argument throughout the body paragraphs than it is to conclude, a conclusion provides a satisfying rounding out of the essay and last opportunity to hammer home the content of the preceding paragraphs. If you run out of time for a conclusion because of the thorough preceding paragraphs, that is not as fatal to your score as not concluding or not concluding as robustly as the A essay sample (See the B essay conclusion).

The A response not only provides a quick but sturdy recap of all the points made throughout the body paragraphs (without repeating the thesis statement) but also reinforces those points by repeating them as the final parting remarks to the reader. The writer demonstrates not only the points made but the order of their appearance, which also showcases the overall structure of the essay.

Finally, a conclusion compositionally rounds out a gracious essay–polite because it considers the reader. You don’t want your reader to have to work hard to understand any part of your essay. By repeating recapped points, you help the reader pull the argument together and wrap up.

Write in Complete Sentences with Proper Punctuation and Compositional Skills

Though pressed for time, it’s important to write an essay with clear, correctly punctuated sentences and properly spelled words. Strong compositional skills create a favorable impression to the reader, like using appropriate transitions or signals (however, therefore) to tie sentences and paragraphs together, making the relationships between sentences clear (“also”–adding information, “however”–contrasting an idea in the preceding sentence).

Starting each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that previews the main idea or focus of the paragraph helps you the writer and the reader keep track of each part of your argument. Each section furthers your points on the way to convincing your reader of your argument. If one point is unclear, unfocused, or grammatically unintelligible, like a house of cards, the entire argument crumbles. Good compositional skills help you lay it all out orderly, clearly, and fully.

For example, the A response begins the first body paragraph with “In the first and last stanzas, no alliteration beyond ‘daily dark’ appears, evoking a tone that could hardly be described as cheerful”. The sentence, with grammatically-correct commas inserted to section off the lead-in phrase, “In the first and last stanzas,” as well as the dependent clause at the sentence’s end, “evoking a tone that…,” gives a road map to the reader as to the paragraph’s design: alliteration, tone, darkness. Then the writer hits all three of those with a complete explanation.

The next paragraph begins with a rather clunky, unwieldy sentence that nevertheless does the same as the first–keys the reader to the first point regarding the speaker’s view of the world and the devices and elements used to do so. It’s clear the writer tackles the speaker’s view, the juggler’s depiction, and diction choice–both as promised from the beginning in the thesis statement of the introductory paragraph and per the prompt. The writer uses the transition “In the first and last stanzas”, to tie the topic sentence to the examples he or she will use to prove the topic sentence; then the writer is off to do the same in the next paragraph.

So by the time the conclusion takes the reader home, the writer has done all of the following:

• followed the prompt
• followed the propounded thesis statement in exact order promised
• provided a full discussion with examples
• included quotes proving each assertion
• used clear, grammatically correct sentences
• wrote paragraphs ordered by a thesis statement
• created topic sentences for each paragraph
• ensured each topic sentence furthered the ideas presented in the thesis statement

Have a Plan and Follow it

It’s easier than it sounds. To get a 9 on the poetry analysis essay in the AP® Literature and Composition exam, practice planning a response under strict time deadlines. Write as many practice essays as you can. Follow the same procedure each time.

First, be sure to read the instructions carefully, highlighting the parts of the prompt you absolutely must cover. Then map out a scratch outline of the order you intend to cover each point in support of your argument. Try and include not only a clear thesis statement, written as a complete sentence but the topic sentences to each paragraph followed by the quotes and details you’ll use to support the topic sentences. Then follow your map faithfully.

Be sure to give yourself enough time to give your essay a brief re-read to catch mechanical errors, missing words, or necessary insertions to clarify an incomplete or unclear thought. With time, an organized approach, and plenty of practice, earning a nine on the poetry analysis is manageable. Be sure to ask your teacher or consult other resources, like albert.io’s Poetic Analysis practice essays, if you’re unsure how to identify poetic devices and elements in poetry, or need more practice writing a poetry analysis.

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How To Write The Ap Lit Poetry Essay

Getting an excellent score on the AP Lit Poetry Essay can feel overwhelming. With this guide, you will be able to master the basics of writing a top-scoring poetry essay on the AP Lit exam. This article will outline the best way to approach the essay portion of the AP Lit poetry test, and provide a few tips that can help you ace the exam.

Before you begin writing your AP Lit poem essay, it is important to familiarize yourself with the AP Lit essay structure. The standard format for an AP Lit poem essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In your introduction, you will introduce the poem, provide relevant background information about the author and poem, and give your overall interpretation of the poem. Next, in your three body paragraphs, you will discuss the poem in further detail. These paragraphs should address specific passages from the poem and explain their meaning. Lastly, in your conclusion, you will restate your original interpretation of the poem and express what you learned from the work.

Once you are familiar with the general structure of an AP Lit poem essay, you can begin crafting your essay. When writing your essay, it is important to use advanced grammatical structures and powerful language. This will help make your essay stand out in the eyes of the reader. Additionally, try to incorporate emotion into the essay to engage your reader. Note that it is important to avoid the use of passive voice. Instead, switch to active voice wherever possible when crafting your essay.

Interpreting Poetry

One of the most important aspects of writing a successful AP Lit poem essay is interpreting the poem in an intelligent and accurate manner. To do this, it is helpful to have an understanding of poetic techniques such as meter, rhyme scheme, form, figurative language, diction, imagery, and symbols. By familiarizing yourself with these literary techniques, you will be able to better analyze the poet’s intent and meaning.

To gain a thorough understanding of a poem, you should also consider the poem’s context. What was the author’s purpose in writing the poem? How does the poem fit within the larger context of the poet’s body of work? Answering these questions can help you to gain more insight into the poet’s intentions and the poem.

It is also important to remember that interpretations of poetry can differ from reader to reader. This is why it is important to be open-minded, allow yourself to entertain various perspectives, and let the poem lead you to the best interpretation.

Writing Structure and Style

As mentioned earlier, it is important to use advanced grammatical structures and powerful language to give your essay an edge. Additionally, avoid the use of sequencers such as ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, ‘finally’, etc. Instead, when crafting your paragraphs and sentences, focus on creating a smooth flow and structure to your essay. This will make the essay more compelling and engaging to readers.

It is also helpful to include strong verbs in your essay. This will make your essay sound more dynamic and engaging. Additionally, be mindful of how the length of your paragraphs and sentences affects the overall structure of your essay. Aim to combine shorter and longer sentences and paragraphs to create variety throughout the text.

Gathering Evidence

In a successful poem essay, it is important to back up your interpretations with evidence. Make sure that you are citing the text whenever you state a fact or make an argument about the poem. Additionally, it is a good idea to find references for information about the poet, poem, and historical context. These references will add credibility to your essay and help make it more thorough.

When citing evidence, it is important to adhere to the guidelines of the AP Lit exam. This means avoiding the use of first-person language as much as possible and making sure to cite sources accurately. Additionally, try to avoid summarizing or paraphrasing the text. Instead, focus on providing insight into the poem and make sure that your citations are relevant to the points that you are making.

Writing a successful AP Lit poem essay can feel overwhelming, but by familiarizing yourself with the structure of the exam, understanding how to interpret poetry, utilizing compelling grammar and language, and finding reliable sources, you can craft an essay which will score high marks on the exam. Keep in mind that the essay should showcase your capacity for interpreting poetry and engaging your reader. With a little practice and guidance, you will be able to write a top-scoring AP Lit poem essay that will help you ace the exam.

Minnie Walters

Minnie Walters is a passionate writer and lover of poetry. She has a deep knowledge and appreciation for the work of famous poets such as William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and many more. She hopes you will also fall in love with poetry!

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Much Ado About Teaching

Ap lit poetry essay review.

Whenever I prepare my students for the AP Literature exam, I don’t really want it to feel like test prep. I want to take the stress out of it all. I want the experience to build confidence. I want the process, starting around February, to have no stakes or very low stakes; it should be practice, not fear mongering. And I want there to be plenty opportunities for improvement.

So what does that look like?

Well, with essay writing we start small — on the sentence-level — at the beginning of the year, working to achieve mastery over thesis statements, evidence, and commentary. Multiple-choice practice is always completed in class, on paper and while scores are recorded, they never go in the grade book. When my students write full-length essays, they have the opportunity to rewrite as long as they conference with me because I learned long ago that a 15 minute conference with a student is far better than anything I could write in the margins.

But this week I was scratching my head trying to figure out how I could make rubric review NOT feel like test prep. My AP Lit classes were reviewing the Q1 essay, which is the poetry prompt. In my experience, rubrics can suck all the life out of a lesson. Students feel like the speaker in the Walt Whitman’s “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer.”

When I heard the learn’d astronomer, When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

The lesson I devised ended up being one of the more memorable ones of the quarter.

Day 1: Rubric Rhymes — I hand out copies of the Q1 rubric and toss highlighters to each student. They have to highlight the key descriptors for each category and point value on the rubric. Once that is done, students have to use their highlights and develop a poem in rhyming couplets that identifies what must be accomplished in order to score a six on this essay.

The poem had to be at least 10 lines long.

I will say, they loved this assignment and it I think its effect will endure.

Here are some samples:

You wants to make a good poetry essay creation? 

That thesis best be full of top notch interpretation 

Don’t just restate or rephrase information 

But rather provide a good explanation 

How many literary elements should you choose?  

Multiple is what you should use

And sprinkle on some good seasoning 

The one that tastes like strong reasoning

The last criterion to make you do well on your examination 

I s make sure the essay demonstrates that advanced type of sophistication

I be writing a thesis 

Just like I be eating reese’s, in pieces 

If you don’t want evidence that’s horrific 

Then you gotta be spec ific 

I could ask Stabz for assistance  

Or I could remember one word: consistence -y  

Unlike my ex,  

You gotta be complex 

If you tryna get to the graduation  

Then you gotta understand sophistication

Student III

You aint got time to waste

But that doesn’t mean that your essay should be written in haste

40 minutes to read and write

And develop ideas with sophistication and insight

First, make sure your thesis isn’t a bore

To develop a sophisticated interpretation really is a chore .

Answer the prompt, be clear and concise ,

Throw in poetic elements and a d evice

That central idea must be developed

Once stated, evidenced and commentary need to envelop

By not just saying what is true, but how and why

With brilliance so bright it would make an AP Reader cry .

S ummarize and your grade will surely suffe r

Articulate the complexity is much tougher

But do it over and over again

Establishing a line of reason, the n

P olish your thoughts like gems

Make those sentences sweet like M&M s

And never forget to discuss what is complex

All these boxes you must chec k

And a six on this essay will be yours

And you will have the wisdom of a thousand Dumbledors .

Day T wo: Performances/The whole-class essay — Class started with an opportunity for students to read their rap/poem in front of the class for extra credit. Some of the performances were epic.

Then I passed out a previous AP prompt and students had seven minutes to complete my four-step pre-writing organizer . Once those seven minutes were up, the fastest typer in class (we had a contest earlier in the year) came to the class computer and we worked together to develop a whole-class essay. This allowed students to think aloud together, wordsmith key phrases, and discuss their insights in a collaborative and non-threatening environment.

Throughout the process, we kept going back to the rubric to check if we were meeting the requirements.

Here are the intros from each class:

Period 1 — In Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poem “The Mystery”, the speaker discusses navigating through life by himself. Throughout the poem, the speaker exists in a figurative darkness in which he experiences loneliness and questions the benevolence of a higher power; in this frustrated search for meaning and understanding, he illustrates through personification and imagery that whether or not there is a higher power. His conclusion is that he cannot wallow in his dependency and that he must be self reliant.

Period 6 — In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “The Mystery,” the speaker reflects on life. In a state of existential dread, he feels a sense of purposelessness and seeks navigation from a higher being. Paradoxically, in being given no direction, the speaker achieves solace in the inevitability of death and accepts the power of the present. 

Period 8 — In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “The Mystery”, the speaker is in a lonely place of uncertainty. While reflecting on the inevitability of death and appealing to a higher power, the speaker gains an awareness, not only of his own solitude, but also his powerlessness in the face of destiny. Through the use of personification, juxtaposition, and imagery, an epiphany is achieved in which he accepts the absurdity of life, thus gaining his autonomy.

Day 3: Essay test day — At this point students know the rubric, they did a practice essay the day before as a class, and now they are ready to do it all on their own.

In the comments section below, please share how you prepare students for the poetry essay on the AP exam.

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He was a 2018 finalist for NY Teacher of the Year, a former College Board advisor for AP Lit, and an award-winning basketball coach.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, expert's guide to the ap literature exam.

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect on the test. Whether the 2023 test date of Wednesday, May 3, is near or far, I'm here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam.

In this guide, I'll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test-day tips. You'll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!

AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types

The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections in this order:

• An hour-long, 55-question multiple-choice section
• A two-hour, three-question free-response section

The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and cogently communicate that analysis in essay form.

Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the AP Literature exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. It counts for 45% of your overall exam grade .

You can expect to see five excerpts of prose and poetry. You will always get at least two prose passages (fiction or drama) and two poetry passages. In general, you will not be given the author, date, or title for these works, though occasionally the title of a poem will be given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you.

The date ranges of these works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, but you might occasionally see a passage in translation.

There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. I'll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.

"Pretty flowers carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.

The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam

Without further delay, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP Lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the AP Course and Exam Description .

#1: Reading Comprehension

These questions test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level . They don't require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what's going on.

You can identify this question type from words and phrases such as "according to," "mentioned," "asserting," and so on. You'll succeed on these questions as long as you carefully read the text . Note that you might have to go back and reread parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying.

#2: Inference

These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator's opinion, an author's intention, etc.—based on what is said in the passage . It will be something that isn't stated directly or concretely but that you can assume based on what's clearly written in the passage. You can identify these questions from words such as "infer" and "imply."

The key to these questions is to not get tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage .

In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions: you need to know not just what a passage says, but also what it means.

#3: Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language

These are questions for which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase . You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device, such as a simile or metaphor ) or include a figurative phrase in the question itself.

The meaning of figurative phrases can normally be determined by that phrase's context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to?

Example 1: Identifying

Example 2: Interpreting

#4: Literary Technique

These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do , from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem, and to what effect?

You can identify these questions by words/phrases such as "serves chiefly to," "effect," "evoke," and "in order to." A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself: so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure?

#5: Character Analysis

These questions ask you to describe something about a character . You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters' attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters .

This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question , since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than they do for poetry ones.

#6: Overall Passage Questions

Some questions ask you to identify or describe something about the passage or poem as a whole : its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases such as "in the passage" and "as a whole."

To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird's-eye view . What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details?

#7: Structure

Some AP Lit questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage: a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc . Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing.

Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts —structural, tonal, in genre, and so on—will be of key importance for these questions.

#8: Grammar/Nuts & Bolts

Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question , such as what word an adjective is modifying. I'd also include in this category super-specific questions such as those that ask about the meter of a poem (e.g., iambic pentameter).

These questions are less about literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language .

That covers the eight question types on the multiple-choice section. Now, let's take a look at the free-response section of the AP Literature exam.

Keep track of the nuts and bolts of grammar.

Section II: Free Response

The AP Literature Free Response section is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions , so you'll have about 40 minutes per essay. That's not a lot of time considering this section of the test counts for 55% of your overall exam grade !

Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time however you want. Just be sure to leave enough time for each essay! Skipping an essay, or running out of time so you have to rush through one, can really impact your final test score.

The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt. The final essay is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you , the student.

Essays 1 & 2: Literary Passage Analysis

For the first two essays, you'll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development . One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e., the plot context of an excerpt from a novel).

Below are some sample questions from the 2022 Free Response Questions .

Essay 3: Thematic Analysis

For the third and final essay, you'll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select . You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any "work of literary merit."

So while you do have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about , the key words here are "literary merit." That means no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the old 2014 AP Lit Course Description .

(I know, I know—lots of genre fiction works do have literary merit and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. Indeed, you might find academic designations of "literary merit" elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP Lit test! Save it for a really, really good college admissions essay instead .)

Here's a sample question from 2022:

As you can see, the list of works provided spans many time periods and countries : there are ancient Greek plays ( Antigone ), modern literary works (such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ), Shakespeare plays ( The Tempest ), 19th-century English plays ( The Importance of Being Earnest ), etc. So you have a lot to work with!

Also note that you can choose a work of "comparable literary merit." That means you can select a work not on this list as long as it's as difficult and meaningful as the example titles you've been given. So for example, Jane Eyre or East of Eden would be great choices, but Twilight or The Hunger Games would not.

Our advice? If you're not sure what a work of "comparable literary merit" is, stick to the titles on the provided list .

You might even see something by this guy.

How Is the AP Literature Test Graded?

The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your total exam score; the three essays, or free-response section, comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5 . You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

So, how do you calculate your raw scores?

Multiple-Choice Scoring

For the multiple-choice section, you receive 1 point for each question you answer correctly . There's no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after you're able to eliminate any answer you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the right one.

Free-Response Scoring

Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward; however, essay scoring is a little more complicated.

Each of your essays will receive a score from 0 to 6 based on the College Board rubric , which also includes question-specific rubrics. All the rubrics are very similar, with only minor differences between them.

Each essay rubric has three elements you'll be graded on:

• Thesis (0-1 points)
• Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
• Sophistication (0-1 points)

We'll be looking at the current rubric for the AP Lit exam , which was released in September 2019, and what every score means for each of the three elements above:

To get a high-scoring essay in the 5-6 point range, you'll need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, but you’ll also need to stay focused, organized, and clear. And all in just 40 minutes per essay!

If getting a high score on this section sounds like a tall order, that's because it is.

Practice makes perfect!

Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam

There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.

Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot and read well . You'll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills .

I suggest checking out this list of notable authors in the 2014 AP Lit Course Description (pages 10-11).

In addition to reading broadly, you'll want to become especially familiar with the details of four to five books with different themes so you'll be prepared to write a strong student-choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these books inside and out.

See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.

Read (and Interpret) Poetry

One thing students might not do very much on their own time but that will help a lot with AP Lit exam prep is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language.

We know that poetry can be intimidating. That's why we've put together a bunch of guides to help you crack the poetry code (so to speak). You can learn more about poetic devices —like imagery and i ambic pentameter —in our comprehensive guide. Then you can see those analytical skills in action in our expert analysis of " Do not go gentle into that good night " by Dylan Thomas.

When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, you can then move on to close reading (see below).

Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills

Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won't hurt you. Close reading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why. You'll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions.

Here are some helpful close reading resources for prose :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's guide to close reading
• Harvard College Writing Center's close reading guide
• Purdue OWL's article on steering clear of close reading "pitfalls"

And here are some for poetry :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison's poetry-reading guide
• This guide to reading poetry at Poets.org (complete with two poetry close readings)
• Our own expert analyses of famous poems, such as " Ozymandias ", and the 10 famous sonnets you should know

Learn Literary and Poetic Devices

You'll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any test questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you'll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on them.

Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions :

• The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know
• The 20 Poetic Devices You Must Know
• The 9 Literary Elements You'll Find In Every Story
• What Is Imagery?
• Understanding Assonance
• What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry?
• Simile vs Metaphor: The 1 Big Difference
• 10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

Practice Writing Essays

The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it's critical that you practice your timed essay-writing skills . You of course should use the College Board's released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well supported with textual evidence.

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and overall experience . You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description , the College Board website , and our guide to AP English Lit practice test resources .

Be aware that the released exams don't have complete slates of free-response questions, so you might need to supplement these with released free-response questions .

Since there are three complete released exams, you can take one toward the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one toward the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.

Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP Lit prep.

AP Literature: 6 Critical Test-Day Tips

Before we wrap up, here are my six top tips for AP Lit test day:

• #1: On the multiple-choice section, it's to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you'll raise your chances of guessing the correct one.
• #2: Don't rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or when writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage!
• #3: Interact with the text : circle, mark, underline, make notes—whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage.
• #4: This was mentioned above, but it's critical that you know four to five books well for the student-choice essay . You'll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout.
• #5: Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. An outline will take you a few minutes, but it will help your writing process go much faster.
• #6: Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to write. This way you'll be able to get through it while thinking about the other two essays.

And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.

AP Literature Exam: Key Takeaways

The AP Literature exam is a three-hour test that includes an hour-long multiple-choice section based on five prose and poetry passages and with 55 questions, and a two-hour free-response section with three essays : one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by you, the student.

The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score , and the free-response section is worth 55% . The three essays are each scored on a rubric of 0-6, and raw scores are converted to a final scaled score from 1 to 5.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam:

• Read books and be particularly familiar with four to five works for the student-choice essays
• Read poetry
• Work on your close reading and analysis skills
• Learn common literary devices
• Practice writing essays
• Take practice tests!

On test day, be sure to really look closely at all the passages and really interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on both multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. You should also outline your essays before you write them.

With all this in mind, you're well on your way to AP Lit success!

What's Next?

If you're taking other AP exams this year, you might be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam , to the Ultimate AP Chemistry Study Guide , to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide , we have tons of articles on AP courses and exams for you !

Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests . We've also got comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology , AP Biology , AP Chemistry , and AP US History .

Deciding which APs to take? Take a look through the complete list of AP courses and tests , read our analysis of which AP classes are the hardest and easiest , and learn how many AP classes you should take .

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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2024 AP English Literature Exam Guide

15 min read • august 18, 2023

Your Guide to the 2024 AP English Literature Exam

We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP English Literature exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2024 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day.  Unlock Cram Mode  for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions. FYI, something cool is coming your way Fall 2023! 👀

Format of the 2024 AP English Literature Exam

Going into test day, this is the exam format to expect:

Multiple Choice | 1 Hour | 45% of Exam Score

55 questions

5 sets of questions with 8–13 questions per set.

Each set is preceded by a passage of prose fiction, drama, or poetry of varying difficulty.

will always include at least 2 prose fiction passages (this may include drama) and at least 2 poetry passages.

Free Response | 2 hours | 55% of your score

3 questions

• A literary analysis of a given poem
• A literary analysis of a given passage of prose fiction (this may include drama)

An analysis that examines a specific concept, issue, or element in a work of literary merit selected by the student

FRQ Scoring Rubric for the 2024 AP Lit Exam

View an example set of questions and the corresponding  scoring guidelines  from the College Board to get an idea of what they look for in your responses!

Check out our study plan below to find resources and tools to prepare for your AP English Literature exam.

When is the 2024 AP exam and How Do I Take It?

How should i prepare for the exam.

First, download the AP English Literature Cheatsheet PDF - a single sheet that covers everything you need to know at a high level. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses!

Review every unit and question type, and focus on the areas that need the most improvement and practice. We’ve put together this plan to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam

Practice essays are your best friends! The more essays you write, the more automatic the process will come, and the easier the AP exam will be!

Try some of the past exam essays here

We've put together the study plan found below to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam. Pay special attention to the units that you need the most improvement in.

Study, practice, and review for test day with other students during our live cram sessions via  Cram Mode . Cram live streams will teach, review, and practice important topics from AP courses, college admission tests, and college admission topics. These streams are hosted by experienced students who know what you need to succeed.

Pre-Work: Set Up Your Study Environment

Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.

🖥 Create a study space.

Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space. 

📚 Organize your study materials.

Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!

📅 Plan designated times for studying.

The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.

🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.

How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!

🤝 Get support from your peers.  

There are thousands of students all over the world who are preparing for their AP exams just like you! Join  Rooms  🤝 to chat, ask questions, and meet other students who are also studying for the spring exams. You can even build study groups and review material together! 

AP English Literature 2024 Study Plan

🌱 unit 1: intro to short fiction, big takeaways:.

Unit 1 is the first prose analysis unit, focusing on short fiction.  It helps to establish your prose analysis vocabulary, focusing on identifying and describing basic literary elements such as plot, narrator, and setting. This unit also gives the foundations for writing analyses of text, beginning with paragraph structuring and claim defense.

Definitely do this:

📚 Read these study guides:

Unit 1 Overview: Introduction to Short Fiction

1.1 Interpreting the role of character in fiction

1.2 Identifying and interpreting setting

1.3 Identifying how a story’s structure affects interpretation

1.4 Understanding and interpreting a narrator’s perspective

1.5 Reading texts literally and figuratively

1.6 The basics of literary analysis

🎥 Watch these videos:

Prose Prompt Deconstruction : An overview of the Prose Analysis prompt and strategies for preparing to respond

What Lit Is : An overview of the course and exam and their expectations

📰 Check out this articles:

12 Classic Short Stories : Short stories of literary merit to stretch your analysis muscles

✍️ Practice

Best Quizlet Decks for AP English Literature : Practice with these quizlets to strengthen your AP Lit vocabulary!

🎭 Unit 2: Intro to Poetry

Unit 2 is the first poetry analysis unit, focusing on everyone's favorite figurative language devices -- metaphor and simile .  Because poems often have a specific form, this unit also begins analysis of form/structure and also looks at contrasts in a text (which create the complexity that the exam expects you to analyze).  All of these poetic elements, though, are being analyzed for their function in the poem -- this unit helps you practice looking for why authors make the choices that they do.  

This unit continues the work of Unit 1 in developing paragraphs that establish a claim and provide evidence to support that claim.  It’s more important that you can write a stable, defensible, claim-based paragraph at this point than it is that you can write an entire essay (that might not be as strong).

Unit 2 Overview: Introduction to Poetry

2.1 Identifying characters in poetry

2.2 Understanding & interpreting meaning in poetic structure

2.3 Analyzing word choice to find meaning

2.4 Identifying techniques in poetry to analyze literary works

Literary Device Review : An overview of some literary devices that you may have forgotten, or an introduction to some new ones that you want in your analysis vocabulary.

Defending a Claim : Before practicing your paragraphs, watch this stream for guidance in building a claim from the passage in response to a prompt.

How to Read a Poem : A stream dedicated to developing poetry reading skills, including a useful acronym (SIFT) for prioritizing important elements of a poem.

Annotating for Understanding: This stream guides you through the annotation process, making sure that you are annotating purposefully, and developing your own library of symbols.

📰 Check out these articles:

Poetry Overview : Our Fiveable guide to the poetry analysis question -- what to expect and what you need to do to respond effectively.

If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

Theme Statements and Thesis Statements : This stream teaches you how to determine and state a theme, and how to establish a claim to defend for poem analysis.

💎 Play Figurative Language Trivia ! It’s not the names that are important, but it’s fun to know them, anyway!

🎭 Unit 3: Intro to Longer fiction or Drama

Here we go with the novels!  Because the exam’s literary argument essay (also affectionately known as Q3 in the Lit circles) asks students to analyze a novel-length text, it’s important to get practice on analyzing novels or plays (did someone say, Shakespeare?). This unit boils down to paying closer attention to character and plot, with a sprinkling of setting analysis.  Because novels are longer than short stories, not only can authors spread out the creation of literary elements and go deeper, but you can see more about how it’s done.  

In terms of composition, this unit starts discussing the development of a thesis statement!  So now we can establish a thesis, and then support it with a paragraph (or two).  This means we’re also starting to create a line of reasoning that is introduced in the thesis statement, and supported in the body of your essay.

Unit 3 Overview: Introduction to Longer Fiction and Drama

3.1 Interpreting character description and perspective

3.2 Character evolution throughout a narrative

3.3 Conflict and plot development

3.4 Interpreting symbolism

3.5 Identifying evidence and supporting literary arguments

Theme Statements and Thesis Statements: This stream distinguishes between these two important statements in a Q3 response, and further discusses thesis statements in general.

Annotating for Analysis, part 2: This stream is more about annotating an exam prompt, and then preparing to respond to it.

Characters and Relationships : All about characterization, with terms and tips for understanding the creation of characters and why they matter.

Fiveable study guide to the Literary Argument prompt

💎 Check out John Green’s YouTube channel Crash Course for help analyzing some English teacher novel favorites.  These don’t substitute for reading, but they help when you’re done.

📖 Read this Ultimate AP Literature Reading List from Albert.io to see what you’ve read, or what you might want to read. You might even find them free online, or you can support your local library.

⚔️ Unit 4: Character, Conflict, & Storytelling in Short Fiction

Because of the way that the AP Lit units are structured, we spiral skills and text types, so this is phase 2 of short fiction analysis.  While the first short fiction unit was focused on identifying and describing elements, now you’re being asked to explain the function (that why again) and describe relationships.  

This unit also asks you to start analyzing how those relationships and elements are created by authors.  That means you are reading more closely for diction and syntax and paying more attention to how a speaker/narrator’s perspective is shown to you.

We’re still working on defensible thesis statements and building commentary to make clear connections between our claim and the evidence.  This is what builds the line of reasoning and earns a 4 in evidence and commentary on the Lit rubric.

Unit 4 Overview: Character, Conflict, and Storytelling

4.1 Protagonists, antagonists, character relationships, and conflict

4.2 Character interactions with setting and its significance

4.3 Archetypes in literature

4.4 Types of narration like stream of consciousness

4.5 Narrative distance, tone, and perspective

Prose Analysis Prompt Deconstruction and Strategies : Before you read the text, make sure that you know the task before you, and you’re ready to read with that in mind.

Q2 Thesis and Introduction :  There are some exam-taking tips in here, from a college freshman who conquered the exam.  She also discusses forming a thesis and an introduction that works. Quickly.

Q2 Evidence and Commentary : Practicing creating commentary to respond to the prompt efficiently.  This stream uses practice prompts to show the process of reading a text with the prompt in mind to select evidence while reading.

Short Fiction Overview : Revisit this guide!  Read the section on “How to Read a Short Story.  Like, Really Read It.”

💎 Check out this stream on creating a "boot camp" that was originally meant for teachers, but gives guidelines and suggestions on how to dive into short fiction.

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Prompt Answers & Feedback – Fahrenheit 451 (Diction): The focus of this practice prompt is diction – analyzing it AND using it yourself, with a little syntax thrown in! Try it yourself and compare it with student responses and feedback. 

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Prompt Samples & Feedback – The Street : Practicing prose analysis is a great way to prep for the AP exam! Respond to this practice prompt and review practice writing samples and their corresponding feedback.

AP Lit Prose Analysis Practice Essays & Feedback – The Rainbow : Writing essays is a great way to practice prose analysis and prep for the AP exam! Review student responses for an essay prompt and corresponding feedback 

🌈 Unit 5: Structure & Figurative Language in Poetry

We’re going back to poems! This unit asks you to “identify and explain the function” of various poetic elements and devices.  All at the same time. Those literary devices you learned in Poetry I might come in handy here, but the analysis is more about why the author made those choices about repetition, reference, comparison, etc.

In order to select the most significant, “relevant, and sufficient” evidence to support your line of reasoning from your thesis , you have to know the function of the personification or metaphor or imagery.  Ask yourself, “Why would the author write ____ instead of ____?” This helps you analyze the connotations of the choice, and therefore the function in the text.

By now, we’re writing a thesis plus paragraphs.  This is also an opportunity to work on the organization of your essays (hint: organizing by the device is neither efficient nor sophisticated; try to find a shift or two in the poem and use them to develop your paragraph chunks.

Unit 5 Overview: Structure and Figurative Language

5.1 Traits of closed and open structures in poetry

5.2 Use of techniques like imagery and hyperbole

5.3 Types of comparisons in poetry including personification and allusion

5.4 Identifying and interpreting extended metaphors

How Form Creates Meaning: Learn about poetry-specific choices authors make, and what elements of form look like in practice.  Also, explore a couple of common forms and why they might be used.

Open Poetry Study :  An opportunity to practice some of the skills from “How to Read a Poem ”. 

Q1 Evidence and Commentary : Follow the process of reading a poem and selecting evidence in real-time.  You can have an essay before it’s through.

The complexity of Poetry: This is an opportunity to look specifically at how poets create tensions and complexity in their work.  Since this complexity is always a point of analysis on the exam, you can study how it works, and how to write about it

💎 Browse through the Poetry Foundations resources for students , including annotations, poem guides, podcasts, and poet studies.

🛠️ Unit 6: Literary Techniques in Longer Works

Because novels are longer stories, we can look at more elements at a time.  That’s what this unit wants from you -- examining speaker perspective and reliability, the formation and function of literary or contextual symbolism, characterization, character relationships and contrasts, the function of plot events, etc.  All at the same time.  

What you need to know: The bottom line of reading for Q3 is the meaning of the work as a whole or theme .  And you might not fully understand what that is until the novel or play is finished, but you can start to build ideas around what BIG IDEA the author is addressing.  Your job is to keep track of how characters, plot, and setting contribute to the discussion of this big idea (like greed or isolation or jealousy or love or anger or insanity).

Unit 6 Overview: Literary Techniques in Longer Works

6.1 Interpreting foil characters

6.2 Understanding and interpreting character complexity

6.3 Understanding nonlinear narrative structures like flashbacks and foreshadowing

6.4 The effect of narrative tone and bias on reading

6.5 Characters as symbols, metaphors, and archetypes

6.6 Developing literary arguments within a broader context of works

Finding Theme Through Characterization : A discussion of the function of characterization as it applies to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Resources

Multiple Choice Intro : an introduction to the AP Literature multiple choice -- an overview of the weights, number and types of questions you will encounter, with some tips for practice and preparation.

Prose MC Strategies and Practice: covers all aspects of the Multiple Choice section of the AP Lit Exam, including tips on-time efficiency, annotation, and picking the best answer choice. This is followed by 2 sets of practice passages and questions and explanations for each of the provided answer choices.

English Literature Multiple Choice Study Guide

AP English Literature Multiple Choice Help (MCQ)

AP English Lit MCQ Practice Tests

🏛️ Unit 7: Societal & Historical Context in Short Fiction

The last three units of AP Lit ask you to dig even deeper into what you're reading to analyze it. In Unit 7, you'll focus on how characters fit into the societal and historical context of the work they're in, and how those features can become important facets of stories. Importantly, you'll be asked to analyze how complexity develops over the course of the story.

Unit 7 Overview: Societal and Historical Context

7.1 Sudden and more gradual change in characters

7.2 Epiphany as a driver of plot

7.3 Relationships between characters and groups

7.4 Character interactions with changing and contrasting settings

7.5 The significance of the pacing of a narrative

7.6 Setting as a symbol

7.7 Interpreting texts in their historical and societal contexts

🤾 Unit 8: Advanced Techniques in Poetry

Unit 8 will introduce you to more complicated techniques in poetry that are harder to spot and analyze. You will be asked to identify and analyze devices like punctuation and structural patterns, juxtaposition, paradox, irony, symbols, conceits, and allusions. Although these are a little harder to correctly identify in poetry, if you can master them, they can earn you major points on the exam. Additionally, you'll learn about how to correctly cite and attribute information when writing literary analysis!

Unit 8 Overview

8.1 Looking at punctuation and structural patterns

8.2 Interpreting juxtaposition, paradox, and irony

8.3 How ambiguity can allow for various interpretations

8.4 Identifying symbols, conceits, and allusions

8.5 Learning proper attribution and citation in literary analysis

🚣🏿 Unit 9: Nuanced Analysis in Longer Works

The final unit of AP Lit will task you with creating even more nuanced analyses of longer works and drama. To do this, we'll look at how characters change over the course of the plot and react to the resolution of the narrative, how suspense, resolution, and plot development contribute the meaning of a work, and how inconsistencies and differing perspectives create nuance in longer works.

Unit 9 Overview: Nuanced Analysis

9.1 Looking at a character's response to the resolution of a narrative

9.2 Suspense, resolution, and plot development

9.3 Narrative inconsistencies and contrasting perspectives

Exam Skills 

Breaking Down an Exam Prompt: A discussion of how to break down an AP Literature exam prompt into smaller questions. We end with some do's, don'ts, and common pitfalls for students writing AP Literature essays.

Commentary and Sophistication FAQs: Review the criteria for earning maximum evidence/commentary points and the one sophistication point from the rubric. Next, read scored examples and see what they earned in those two categories.

AP English Literature Free Response Questions (FRQ) – Past Prompts : A sortable list of all the AP English Literature free-response questions.

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—AP Poetry Analysis—

We choose our AP Poetry Analysis prompts not just to prepare students for the essay on the AP Literature exam, but also to introduce the major themes of the novel or play through a complementary text that addresses the subject matter through a different lens.  Similar to the thought-provoking quotation that we use as the basis of our Journal Discussions, we want to give students another perspective on the issues they will encounter in the novel or play they are about to read.

Oftentimes, the choice of poem is relatively obvious by allusions made in the title or text of the novel or play.  For instance, when reading Chinua Achebe's  Things Fall Apart , it makes sense to analyze William Butler Yeats' "The Second Coming," the poem from which the title of the novel is taken.  Similarly, when reading Kate Chopin's  The Awakening , it is helpful to analyze Charles Swinburne's "A Cameo" since Gouvernail murmurs the first two lines of the poem during Edna's farewell dinner on Esplanade Street. There is a reason that authors and playwrights allude to other literary works, and our job as readers is to determine the thematic connection between the two. 

When there is not an obvious allusion made in the title or text, we have the opportunity to select a poem that relates thematically to the novel or play and is consistent with the AP Literary Analysis prompt already chosen.  For instance, when we teach Sandra Cisneros'  The House on Mango Street , we want students to focus on how Esperanza's feelings towards her neighborhood change over the course of the novel.  To achieve this purpose we chose the 2010 AP Literary Argument prompt for our final essay:

"You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you."

- Sonsyrea Tate

Sonsyrea Tate's statement suggests that "home" may be conceived as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind.  It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on the individual.

Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant.  Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of "home" to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence.  Explain how the character's idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work.

While there are many poems that focus on the concept of "home," we selected Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" to compare and contrast with Cisneros' work.  When analyzing any piece of literature, we focus on the four pillars of style analysis:  diction, imagery, language, and syntax.  We go into depth on all four pillars in the Style Analysis Tutorial , so for this section we will focus on what is unique about analyzing poetry in comparison to prose.

When we present a poem to the class, we structure it like an AP Poetry Analysis prompt that students will find on the AP Literature exam so they get more comfortable with the format:

When we first introduce poetry to students, we note that paragraphs and sentences in prose have been replaced with stanzas and lines in poetry.  We emphasize, however, that most poetry is still written in complete thoughts and contains end punctuation.  Our advice to students is to read poetry as if it were prose, pausing and stopping when the punctuation dictates.  We always read poems out loud in class twice — the first time by the teacher to model how it should sound and then a second time by a student reader.  For poems with multiple long stanzas, we might have different students read different stanzas aloud.  

Since every word in poetry is important, we first define any words that students might not know —like "indifferently" or "austere" in Hayden's poem, for example .  We want students to consider the significance of the diction, imagery, and language in a poem —which, again, we discuss in detail in the Style Analysis Tutorial —but in this tutorial we are going to focus on how the specific syntax of poetry, which we call poetic devices, differs from prose and how poets use these poetic devices to establish tone and reveal theme. 

We break poetic devices into three categories based on the repetition of sounds.  The first category identifies the repetition of specific letter-sounds, which takes the form of alliteration, consonance, and assonance.  The second category concentrates on the repetition of syllables, which involves a poem's rhyme, rhythm, and meter.  The third category focuses on the repetition of words or phrases, which we call parallel structure:

I.  Alliteration/Consonance/Assonance

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words whereas consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within words.  Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.   Poets use repeated sounds not just because they are pleasing to the ear , but also to emphasize certain words  and create connections between words.

Let's look at the opening stanza of Hayden's poem:

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze.  No one ever thanked him.

When introducing poetic devices, we first ask students to find as many repetitions of consonant and vowel sounds as possible within an opening stanza.  For Hayden's poem, students usually notice the repetition of the hard "k" sound that comes at the beginning of words like " cl othes," " c old," and " cr acked"; in the middle of words like "cra ck ed," "a ch ed," "wee k day," "ba nk ed," and "tha nk ed"; and at the end of words like "bluebla ck ."

When we ask students to describe the tone, or feeling, associated with that particular sound, students often say it is harsh and abrupt.  The next question is why Hayden would want to repeat that particular sound in his opening stanza, and how that sound might reflect the feelings that the speaker has internalized when remembering his father and his childhood home.  

Despite the coldness of the relationship he had with his father, it is clear that the speaker's feelings have changed now that he is older.  The adult speaker seems to recognize and appreciate the fact that his father "got up early" during the week, most likely to go to a blue-collar job that produced "cracked hands that ached."  Not only does Hayden alliterate the " w eekday w eather" to emphasize the harsh conditions that his father endured during the week to provide for his family, but he also alliterates the " bl ue bl ack cold" when the speaker's father "made /  b anked fires bl aze" to show how the father also provided comfort for his family in the early morning darkness before any of them had gotten out of bed.

When Hayden stops the opening thought with a caesura in the middle of the fifth line, he uses the period to interrupt the flow of the line to set us up for the devastating final words of the stanza:  "No one ever thanked him."  When reading those words, we sense the guilt and regret the speaker has for failing to appreciate his father when he was a child.

Hayden's use of assonance is also interesting to analyze in the first stanza, specifically with the juxtaposition of long and short "a" sounds.  The long "a" sounds connect the hands that " a ched / from l a bor in the weekd a y weather m a de / banked fires bl a ze."  Those same hands that "ached" from long hours of manual labor outside the home were the same hands that "made" the fires inside the home —on "Sund a ys too"— to provide comfort and warmth for his family.

One could argue that the length of those drawn out "a" sounds  reflects the long thankless days that the father spent providing for his family with no apparent acknowledgment or appreciation of his sacrifice.  Is there bitterness inside the father?  Perhaps those harsh "k" sounds combined with the short "a" sounds in "bluebl a ck," "cr a cked," "b a nked," and "th a nked" reflect not just the speaker's fear of his father as a child, but also the resentment that the speaker imagines the father must have had towards his ungrateful family.

We emphasize with students that any literary interpretation—but especially with an analysis of the subtleties of syntax or poetic devices—is subject to debate.  The role of a literary critic is not necessarily to be "correct," but to make interesting observations based on evidence from the text to make the reader think differently or more deeply about the work.  Some interpretations are more convincing than others based on the evidence to support the claims, and others are more compelling based on the insight and depth of the analysis. 

Our advice to students is to think deeply about the literary work and make as interesting an argument as possible based on the evidence from the text.  An essay does not necessarily have to convince the reader that a certain interpretation is "right," but it should always aspire to be thought-provoking and make the reader think about the work in a new way.

II.  Rhyme/Rhythm/Meter

When we introduce the concept of rhyme, we differentiate between "end rhymes" and "internal rhymes."  When end rhymes create a consistent pattern, we call that a "rhyme scheme" and use letters, such as ABAB,  to represent the repeating pattern.  For Hayden's poem, however, there are no end rhymes, which means there is no rhyme scheme.  The first question that students should ask is why Hayden would choose to write his poem in free verse rather than with a set rhyme scheme.

Just because there are no end rhymes does not mean, however, that there are no internal rhymes.  In the first stanza, we see "blue black " and " cracked " on successive lines and " banked " and " thanked " in the same line.  These internal rhymes are not only aesthetically pleasing to the ear, but they also link those words thematically.  It is up to the reader to make a connection as to why the poet would want to pair those two words.

In the first pairing, the "blue black cold" represents the harsh conditions that the father has to face everyday — "Sundays too"—to provide and care for his family.  His perpetual sacrifice is represented by the " cracked hands that ached," but it seems that the "aching" of his hands does not just reflect a physical hardship; instead, it seems to also imply an internal suffering, one that the speaker is unable to recognize as a child but acknowledges and takes some responsibility for as an adult.  Similarly, the " banked fires" that the father made "blaze" every morning go unacknowledged by his family; despite the fact that he should have been " thanked " for the sacrifices he made, no one ever did.

In the second stanza, Hayden also uses internal rhymes effectively:

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he'd call,

and slowly I would rise and dress,

fearing the chronic angers of that house,

The first line connects " wake " with the first syllable in " break ing," showing how the father regularly gets up in the early morning to make the house warm for his family by "breaking" the cold.  The tone of the stanza, however, is not one of familial love and warmth.  The present participles at the end of the first line connect with the present participle in the fourth line to create a series of internal rhymes by repeating the "-ing" syllable on "splinter ing ," break ing ," and "fear ing ."  Despite the speaker's understanding at an intellectual level that the father's efforts are "splintering" and "breaking" the cold, they are sublimated by his simultaneously "fearing the chronic angers of that house."  Instead of feeling gratitude for his father's efforts, the speaker only has dread and fear, fully aware that his father's temper is always in threat of "splintering" and "breaking" the peace and tranquility of the house.

When determining rhythm, we have to look at the punctuation and the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (i.e. meter) in a line or stanza.  In looking at the punctuation in the second stanza, the first thing we notice is the proliferation of commas.  The comma at the end of the first line creates an asyndeton that takes the place of an "and" that could have easily separated the two present participles in a smoother, more rhythmic way.  Instead, Hayden uses the comma to create a jarring transition between the two participles that abruptly concludes with the period at the end of the line.

One could argue that the punctuation aptly reflects the harsh, abrupt tone that we saw in the consonance of the repeated "k" sounds in the first stanza, which continues in the second stanza with " c old," "brea k ing," " c all," and " chr oni c ."  The commas at the end of each successive line in the second stanza slows the pace and makes us consider each line carefully.  The commas never complete the thought, however, so we carry the tension from one line to the next —and even into the next stanza—understanding implicitly that the "chronic angers of that house" remain unresolved and simmering beneath the surface, which breaks any sense of harmony in the house or rhythm in the poem.

The disruptive punctuation is complemented by the absence of a set meter.   To determine meter, we have to recognize which syllables are stressed and which are not.  The easiest way to do that is to look at the multi-syllable words first to determine where the natural accents lie.  For instance, the word "splintering" in the first line of the second stanza has three syllables, but only one contains the natural accent, which is the first; the final two syllables are unstressed.  Likewise, in "breaking" the first syllable is stressed and the second is not.   In fact, all of the multi-syllable words in the second stanza have the first syllable stressed:

After we find the natural accents, we then look at the single-syllable words, where there is ample room for interpretation.  In general, primary words — like nouns and verbs — are usually stressed whereas secondary words — like articles and prepositions — are not.   This is a guideline but not a rule, however.  When words are stressed, they are emphasized; sometimes it makes sense, based on the context of the line, to stress an adjective, for instance, rather than the noun.  Similarly, stressed and unstressed syllables usually alternate in poetry to create a natural rhythm, but poets will intentionally disrupt the rhythm to call attention to specific words. 

Here is a possible scan of the second stanza in Hayden's poem:

The first line starts off with a series of three rhythmic iambs (two-syllable combinations of unaccented syllables followed by accented syllables) before the pattern is broken with the words "splintering, breaking" at the end of the line.  By analyzing the meter, we can assume that soon after waking—even on Sundays with a fire warming the house—the speaker still feels a sense of tension and unease.  What is interesting is Hayden's decision to end the line with a weak, unaccented syllable, which one could argue conveys a sense of weary resignation, as if the speaker can never escape the constant "splintering, breaking" tension that permeates the house.  

The first syllable of the second line, "When," could certainly be accented, but leaving it unaccented allows that feeling of helplessness to carry over from the previous line and build into another series of rhythmic iambs that runs through the next two lines until it is disrupted once again by a present participle, this time "Fearing," which starts the fourth line and connects to the "splintering, breaking" of the first line.  This rhythmic pattern—and its disruption—repeats itself as if to imply that any sense of harmony within the house cannot remain for long. 

The preposition "of" in the final line of the stanza could also be unstressed, but choosing to accent the preposition creates another series of four straight iambs that is broken once again by a present participle, this time the "Speaking" at the beginning of the final stanza.  What is interesting is that the father is responsible for the "splintering, breaking" of the rhythm in the second stanza, but it is the speaker who is responsible for breaking the rhythm in the final stanza by "Speaking indifferently" to his father, which seems to imply that they both share responsibility for the psychic tension and "chronic angers of that house."  

III.  Parallel Structure

Parallel structure is the repetition of words or phrases within the lines of a poem.  We have already seen how Hayden uses parallel structure in repeating the use of present participles to break the rhythm of the lines in the second stanza and at the beginning of the third.  We also see a key repetition in the penultimate line that, one could argue, unlocks the thematic meaning of the entire poem:

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love's austere and lonely offices?

By repeating "'What did I know, what did I know" the speaker acknowledges his own ignorance as a child of the love and sacrifice that his father demonstrated through his daily actions.  The repetition also implies a sense of guilt and regret that he was unable to understand or appreciate his father when he was younger.  What is obvious is that the speaker has matured over the years —perhaps now having children of his own—and sees his father in a new, more compassionate light.  

To help students identify poetic devices and become more comfortable with the analytical process, we provide five study guide questions on the back of the AP prompt that students should try to answer on their own.  When students return to class, we answer any questions they may have and share our different interpretations of the poem as a whole class.

After we have explicated the poem and answered questions from the study guide, students prepare to write their AP Poetry Analysis essay.  Similar to the other AP essays, we encourage students to use  Hegel's Dialectic to organize their thoughts and outline their arguments:

The AP Poetry Analysis prompt for Hayden's poem asks students to consider how the speaker has "re-assessed" the "strained" relationship he had with his father in childhood.  One possible way to organize the argument would be to have the thesis, or initial claim (i.e. first body paragraph), focus on the "strained" relationship in the speaker's childhood.  The antithesis, or counter-claim (i.e. second body paragraph), could then focus on the speaker's re-assessment of that relationship once he becomes an adult.  The synthesis (i.e. third body paragraph) would focus on what the speaker has learned from the experience, which would also reflect Hayden's overall theme (i.e. "the meaning of the work as a whole").

If this were the first assignment of the year, we would provide a model for what a quality AP Poetry Analysis essay using Hegel's Dialectic might look like: 

When using Hegel's Dialectic for an AP Poetry Analysis essay, it is sometimes helpful to think of the thesis/antithesis/synthesis model in terms of tone and theme instead.  Students should look for competing, yet complementary, tones in the poem, which would then be the focus of their first two body paragraphs.  Students would then resolve the tension between those competing tones by revealing overall theme in the concluding third body paragraph.

Once students have completed the Journal Discussion and written the AP Poetry Analysis essay, they are now ready to begin the novel or play with a solid introduction to the major themes of the work.  Moreover, they will be able to compare and contrast how the author or playwright addresses the Essential Questions with the poet and and the author/speaker of the quotation.  Ultimately, students will have to answer those Essential Questions for themselves, but they now have three different guides to help them along the way.

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How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay with Examples

March 30, 2024

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples – The College Board’s Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Course is one of the most enriching experiences that high school students can have. It exposes you to literature that most people don’t encounter until college , and it helps you develop analytical and critical thinking skills that will enhance the quality of your life, both inside and outside of school. The AP Lit Exam reflects the rigor of the course. The exam uses consistent question types, weighting, and scoring parameters each year . This means that, as you prepare for the exam, you can look at previous questions, responses, score criteria, and scorer commentary to help you practice until your essays are perfect.

What is the AP Lit Free Response testing? 

In AP Literature, you read books, short stories, and poetry, and you learn how to commit the complex act of literary analysis . But what does that mean? Well, “to analyze” literally means breaking a larger idea into smaller and smaller pieces until the pieces are small enough that they can help us to understand the larger idea. When we’re performing literary analysis, we’re breaking down a piece of literature into smaller and smaller pieces until we can use those pieces to better understand the piece of literature itself.

So, for example, let’s say you’re presented with a passage from a short story to analyze. The AP Lit Exam will ask you to write an essay with an essay with a clear, defensible thesis statement that makes an argument about the story, based on some literary elements in the short story. After reading the passage, you might talk about how foreshadowing, allusion, and dialogue work together to demonstrate something essential in the text. Then, you’ll use examples of each of those three literary elements (that you pull directly from the passage) to build your argument. You’ll finish the essay with a conclusion that uses clear reasoning to tell your reader why your argument makes sense.

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples (Continued)

But what’s the point of all of this? Why do they ask you to write these essays?

Well, the essay is, once again, testing your ability to conduct literary analysis. However, the thing that you’re also doing behind that literary analysis is a complex process of both inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning takes a series of points of evidence and draws a larger conclusion. Deductive reasoning departs from the point of a broader premise and draws a singular conclusion. In an analytical essay like this one, you’re using small pieces of evidence to draw a larger conclusion (your thesis statement) and then you’re taking your thesis statement as a larger premise from which you derive your ultimate conclusion.

So, the exam scorers are looking at your ability to craft a strong thesis statement (a singular sentence that makes an argument), use evidence and reasoning to support that argument, and then to write the essay well. This is something they call “sophistication,” but they’re looking for well-organized thoughts carried through clear, complete sentences.

This entire process is something you can and will use throughout your life. Law, engineering, medicine—whatever pursuit, you name it—utilizes these forms of reasoning to run experiments, build cases, and persuade audiences. The process of this kind of clear, analytical thinking can be honed, developed, and made easier through repetition.

Practice Makes Perfect

Because the AP Literature Exam maintains continuity across the years, you can pull old exam copies, read the passages, and write responses. A good AP Lit teacher is going to have you do this time and time again in class until you have the formula down. But, it’s also something you can do on your own, if you’re interested in further developing your skills.

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples 

Let’s take a look at some examples of questions, answers and scorer responses that will help you to get a better idea of how to craft your own AP Literature exam essays.

In the exam in 2023, students were asked to read a poem by Alice Cary titled “Autumn,” which was published in 1874. In it, the speaker contemplates the start of autumn. Then, students are asked to craft a well-written essay which uses literary techniques to convey the speaker’s complex response to the changing seasons.

The following is an essay that received a perfect 6 on the exam. There are grammar and usage errors throughout the essay, which is important to note: even though the writer makes some mistakes, the structure and form of their argument was strong enough to merit a 6. This is what your scorers will be looking for when they read your essay.

Example Essay 

Romantic and hyperbolic imagery is used to illustrate the speaker’s unenthusiastic opinion of the coming of autumn, which conveys Cary’s idea that change is difficult to accept but necessary for growth.

Romantic imagery is utilized to demonstrate the speaker’s warm regard for the season of summer and emphasize her regretfulness for autumn’s coming, conveying the uncomfortable change away from idyllic familiarity. Summer, is portrayed in the image of a woman who “from her golden collar slips/and strays through stubble fields/and moans aloud.” Associated with sensuality and wealth, the speaker implies the interconnection between a season and bounty, comfort, and pleasure. Yet, this romantic view is dismantled by autumn, causing Summer to “slip” and “stray through stubble fields.” Thus, the coming of real change dethrones a constructed, romantic personification of summer,  conveying the speaker’s reluctance for her ideal season to be dethroned by something much less decorated and adored.

Summer, “she lies on pillows of the yellow leaves,/ And tries the old tunes for over an hour”, is contrasted with bright imagery of fallen leaves/ The juxtaposition between Summer’s character and the setting provides insight into the positivity of change—the yellow leaves—by its contrast with the failures of attempting to sustain old habits or practices, “old tunes”. “She lies on pillows” creates a sympathetic, passive image of summer in reaction to the coming of Autumn, contrasting her failures to sustain “old tunes.” According to this, it is understood that the speaker recognizes the foolishness of attempting to prevent what is to come, but her wishfulness to counter the natural progression of time.

Hyperbolic imagery displays the discrepancies between unrealistic, exaggerated perceptions of change and the reality of progress, continuing the perpetuation of Cary’s idea that change must be embraced rather than rejected. “Shorter and shorter now the twilight clips/The days, as though the sunset gates they crowd”, syntax and diction are used to literally separate different aspects of the progression of time. In an ironic parallel to the literal language, the action of twilight’s “clip” and the subject, “the days,” are cut off from each other into two different lines, emphasizing a sense of jarring and discomfort. Sunset, and Twilight are named, made into distinct entities from the day, dramatizing the shortening of night-time into fall. The dramatic, sudden implications for the change bring to mind the switch between summer and winter, rather than a transitional season like fall—emphasizing the Speaker’s perspective rather than a factual narration of the experience.

She says “the proud meadow-pink hangs down her head/Against the earth’s chilly bosom, witched with frost”. Implying pride and defeat, and the word “witched,” the speaker brings a sense of conflict, morality, and even good versus evil into the transition between seasons. Rather than a smooth, welcome change, the speaker is practically against the coming of fall. The hyperbole present in the poem serves to illustrate the Speaker’s perspective and ideas on the coming of fall, which are characterized by reluctance and hostility to change from comfort.

The topic of this poem, Fall–a season characterized by change and the deconstruction of the spring and summer landscape—is juxtaposed with the final line which evokes the season of Spring. From this, it is clear that the speaker appreciates beautiful and blossoming change. However, they resent that which destroys familiar paradigms and norms. Fall, seen as the death of summer, is characterized as a regression, though the turning of seasons is a product of the literal passage of time. Utilizing romantic imagery and hyperbole to shape the Speaker’s perspective, Cary emphasizes the need to embrace change though it is difficult, because growth is not possible without hardship or discomfort.

Scoring Criteria: Why did this essay do so well? 

When it comes to scoring well, there are some rather formulaic things that the judges are searching for. You might think that it’s important to “stand out” or “be creative” in your writing. However, aside from concerns about “sophistication,” which essentially means you know how to organize thoughts into sentences and you can use language that isn’t entirely elementary, you should really focus on sticking to a form. This will show the scorers that you know how to follow that inductive/deductive reasoning process that we mentioned earlier, and it will help to present your ideas in the most clear, coherent way possible to someone who is reading and scoring hundreds of essays.

So, how did this essay succeed? And how can you do the same thing?

First: The Thesis 

On the exam, you can either get one point or zero points for your thesis statement. The scorers said, “The essay responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis located in the introductory paragraph,” which you can read as the first sentence in the essay. This is important to note: you don’t need a flowery hook to seduce your reader; you can just start this brief essay with some strong, simple, declarative sentences—or go right into your thesis.

What makes a good thesis? A good thesis statement does the following things:

• Makes a claim that will be supported by evidence
• Is specific and precise in its use of language
• Argues for an original thought that goes beyond a simple restating of the facts

If you’re sitting here scratching your head wondering how you come up with a thesis statement off the top of your head, let me give you one piece of advice: don’t.

The AP Lit scoring criteria gives you only one point for the thesis for a reason: they’re just looking for the presence of a defensible claim that can be proven by evidence in the rest of the essay.

Second: Write your essay from the inside out 

While the thesis is given one point, the form and content of the essay can receive anywhere from zero to four points. This is where you should place the bulk of your focus.

My best advice goes like this:

• Choose your evidence first
• Develop your commentary about the evidence
• Then draft your thesis statement based on the evidence that you find and the commentary you can create.

It will seem a little counterintuitive: like you’re writing your essay from the inside out. But this is a fundamental skill that will help you in college and beyond. Don’t come up with an argument out of thin air and then try to find evidence to support your claim. Look for the evidence that exists and then ask yourself what it all means. This will also keep you from feeling stuck or blocked at the beginning of the essay. If you prepare for the exam by reviewing the literary devices that you learned in the course and practice locating them in a text, you can quickly and efficiently read a literary passage and choose two or three literary devices that you can analyze.

Third: Use scratch paper to quickly outline your evidence and commentary 

Once you’ve located two or three literary devices at work in the given passage, use scratch paper to draw up a quick outline. Give each literary device a major bullet point. Then, briefly point to the quotes/evidence you’ll use in the essay. Finally, start to think about what the literary device and evidence are doing together. Try to answer the question: what meaning does this bring to the passage?

A sample outline for one paragraph of the above essay might look like this:

Romantic imagery

Portrayal of summer

• Woman who “from her golden collar… moans aloud”
• Summer as bounty

Contrast with Autumn

• Autumn dismantles Summer
• “Stray through stubble fields”
• Autumn is change; it has the power to dethrone the romance of Summer/make summer a bit meaningless

Recognition of change in a positive light

• Summer “lies on pillows / yellow leaves / tries old tunes”
• Bright imagery/fallen leaves
• Attempt to maintain old practices fails: “old tunes”
• But! There is sympathy: “lies on pillows”

Speaker recognizes: she can’t prevent what is to come; wishes to embrace natural passage of time

By the time the writer gets to the end of the outline for their paragraph, they can easily start to draw conclusions about the paragraph based on the evidence they have pulled out. You can see how that thinking might develop over the course of the outline.

Then, the speaker would take the conclusions they’ve drawn and write a “mini claim” that will start each paragraph. The final bullet point of this outline isn’t the same as the mini claim that comes at the top of the second paragraph of the essay, however, it is the conclusion of the paragraph. You would do well to use the concluding thoughts from your outline as the mini claim to start your body paragraph. This will make your paragraphs clear, concise, and help you to construct a coherent argument.

Repeat this process for the other one or two literary devices that you’ve chosen to analyze, and then: take a step back.

Fourth: Draft your thesis 

Once you quickly sketch out your outline, take a moment to “stand back” and see what you’ve drafted. You’ll be able to see that, among your two or three literary devices, you can draw some commonality. You might be able to say, as the writer did here, that romantic and hyperbolic imagery “illustrate the speaker’s unenthusiastic opinion of the coming of autumn,” ultimately illuminating the poet’s idea “that change is difficult to accept but necessary for growth.”

This is an original argument built on the evidence accumulated by the student. It directly answers the prompt by discussing literary techniques that “convey the speaker’s complex response to the changing seasons.” Remember to go back to the prompt and see what direction they want you to head with your thesis, and craft an argument that directly speaks to that prompt.

Then, move ahead to finish your body paragraphs and conclusion.

Fifth: Give each literary device its own body paragraph 

In this essay, the writer examines the use of two literary devices that are supported by multiple pieces of evidence. The first is “romantic imagery” and the second is “hyperbolic imagery.” The writer dedicates one paragraph to each idea. You should do this, too.

This is why it’s important to choose just two or three literary devices. You really don’t have time to dig into more. Plus, more ideas will simply cloud the essay and confuse your reader.

Using your outline, start each body paragraph with a “mini claim” that makes an argument about what it is you’ll be saying in your paragraph. Lay out your pieces of evidence, then provide commentary for why your evidence proves your point about that literary device.

Move onto the next literary device, rinse, and repeat.

Sixth: Commentary and Conclusion 

Finally, you’ll want to end this brief essay with a concluding paragraph that restates your thesis, briefly touches on your most important points from each body paragraph, and includes a development of the argument that you laid out in the essay.

In this particular example essay, the writer concludes by saying, “Utilizing romantic imagery and hyperbole to shape the Speaker’s perspective, Cary emphasizes the need to embrace change though it is difficult, because growth is not possible without hardship or discomfort.” This is a direct restatement of the thesis. At this point, you’ll have reached the end of your essay. Great work!

Seventh: Sophistication 

A final note on scoring criteria: there is one point awarded to what the scoring criteria calls “sophistication.” This is evidenced by the sophistication of thought and providing a nuanced literary analysis, which we’ve already covered in the steps above.

There are some things to avoid, however:

• Sweeping generalizations, such as, “From the beginning of human history, people have always searched for love,” or “Everyone goes through periods of darkness in their lives, much like the writer of this poem.”
• Only hinting at possible interpretations instead of developing your argument
• Oversimplifying your interpretation
• Or, by contrast, using overly flowery or complex language that does not meet your level of preparation or the context of the essay.

Remember to develop your argument with nuance and complexity and to write in a style that is academic but appropriate for the task at hand.

If you want more practice or to check out other exams from the past, go to the College Board’s website .

Brittany Borghi

After earning a BA in Journalism and an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa, Brittany spent five years as a full-time lecturer in the Rhetoric Department at the University of Iowa. Additionally, she’s held previous roles as a researcher, full-time daily journalist, and book editor. Brittany’s work has been featured in The Iowa Review, The Hopkins Review, and the Pittsburgh City Paper, among others, and she was also a 2021 Pushcart Prize nominee.

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How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay + Example

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What’s Covered

What is the ap lit prose essay, how will ap scores affect my college chances.

AP Literature and Composition (AP Lit), not to be confused with AP English Language and Composition (AP Lang), teaches students how to develop the ability to critically read and analyze literary texts. These texts include poetry, prose, and drama. Analysis is an essential component of this course and critical for the educational development of all students when it comes to college preparation. In this course, you can expect to see an added difficulty of texts and concepts, similar to the material one would see in a college literature course.

While not as popular as AP Lang, over 380,136 students took the class in 2019. However, the course is significantly more challenging, with only 49.7% of students receiving a score of three or higher on the exam. A staggeringly low 6.2% of students received a five on the exam. 

The AP Lit exam is similar to the AP Lang exam in format, but covers different subject areas. The first section is multiple-choice questions based on five short passages. There are 55 questions to be answered in 1 hour. The passages will include at least two prose fiction passages and two poetry passages and will account for 45% of your total score. All possible answer choices can be found within the text, so you don’t need to come into the exam with prior knowledge of the passages to understand the work. 

The second section contains three free-response essays to be finished in under two hours. This section accounts for 55% of the final score and includes three essay questions: the poetry analysis essay, the prose analysis essay, and the thematic analysis essay. Typically, a five-paragraph format will suffice for this type of writing. These essays are scored holistically from one to six points.

Today we will take a look at the AP Lit prose essay and discuss tips and tricks to master this section of the exam. We will also provide an example of a well-written essay for review.  

The AP Lit prose essay is the second of the three essays included in the free-response section of the AP Lit exam, lasting around 40 minutes in total. A prose passage of approximately 500 to 700 words and a prompt will be given to guide your analytical essay. Worth about 18% of your total grade, the essay will be graded out of six points depending on the quality of your thesis (0-1 points), evidence and commentary (0-4 points), and sophistication (0-1 points). 

While this exam seems extremely overwhelming, considering there are a total of three free-response essays to complete, with proper time management and practiced skills, this essay is manageable and straightforward. In order to enhance the time management aspect of the test to the best of your ability, it is essential to understand the following six key concepts.

1. Have a Clear Understanding of the Prompt and the Passage

Since the prose essay is testing your ability to analyze literature and construct an evidence-based argument, the most important thing you can do is make sure you understand the passage. That being said, you only have about 40 minutes for the whole essay so you can’t spend too much time reading the passage. Allot yourself 5-7 minutes to read the prompt and the passage and then another 3-5 minutes to plan your response.

As you read through the prompt and text, highlight, circle, and markup anything that stands out to you. Specifically, try to find lines in the passage that could bolster your argument since you will need to include in-text citations from the passage in your essay. Even if you don’t know exactly what your argument might be, it’s still helpful to have a variety of quotes to use depending on what direction you take your essay, so take note of whatever strikes you as important. Taking the time to annotate as you read will save you a lot of time later on because you won’t need to reread the passage to find examples when you are in the middle of writing. 

Once you have a good grasp on the passage and a solid array of quotes to choose from, you should develop a rough outline of your essay. The prompt will provide 4-5 bullets that remind you of what to include in your essay, so you can use these to structure your outline. Start with a thesis, come up with 2-3 concrete claims to support your thesis, back up each claim with 1-2 pieces of evidence from the text, and write a brief explanation of how the evidence supports the claim.

2. Start with a Brief Introduction that Includes a Clear Thesis Statement

Having a strong thesis can help you stay focused and avoid tangents while writing. By deciding the relevant information you want to hit upon in your essay up front, you can prevent wasting precious time later on. Clear theses are also important for the reader because they direct their focus to your essential arguments. 

In other words, it’s important to make the introduction brief and compact so your thesis statement shines through. The introduction should include details from the passage, like the author and title, but don’t waste too much time with extraneous details. Get to the heart of your essay as quick as possible. 

3. Use Clear Examples to Support Your Argument 

One of the requirements AP Lit readers are looking for is your use of evidence. In order to satisfy this aspect of the rubric, you should make sure each body paragraph has at least 1-2 pieces of evidence, directly from the text, that relate to the claim that paragraph is making. Since the prose essay tests your ability to recognize and analyze literary elements and techniques, it’s often better to include smaller quotes. For example, when writing about the author’s use of imagery or diction you might pick out specific words and quote each word separately rather than quoting a large block of text. Smaller quotes clarify exactly what stood out to you so your reader can better understand what are you saying.

Including smaller quotes also allows you to include more evidence in your essay. Be careful though—having more quotes is not necessarily better! You will showcase your strength as a writer not by the number of quotes you manage to jam into a paragraph, but by the relevance of the quotes to your argument and explanation you provide.  If the details don’t connect, they are merely just strings of details.

4. Discussion is Crucial to Connect Your Evidence to Your Argument 

As the previous tip explained, citing phrases and words from the passage won’t get you anywhere if you don’t provide an explanation as to how your examples support the claim you are making. After each new piece of evidence is introduced, you should have a sentence or two that explains the significance of this quote to the piece as a whole.

This part of the paragraph is the “So what?” You’ve already stated the point you are trying to get across in the topic sentence and shared the examples from the text, so now show the reader why or how this quote demonstrates an effective use of a literary technique by the author. Sometimes students can get bogged down by the discussion and lose sight of the point they are trying to make. If this happens to you while writing, take a step back and ask yourself “Why did I include this quote? What does it contribute to the piece as a whole?” Write down your answer and you will be good to go. 

5. Write a Brief Conclusion

While the critical part of the essay is to provide a substantive, organized, and clear argument throughout the body paragraphs, a conclusion provides a satisfying ending to the essay and the last opportunity to drive home your argument. If you run out of time for a conclusion because of extra time spent in the preceding paragraphs, do not worry, as that is not fatal to your score. 

Without repeating your thesis statement word for word, find a way to return to the thesis statement by summing up your main points. This recap reinforces the arguments stated in the previous paragraphs, while all of the preceding paragraphs successfully proved the thesis statement.

6. Don’t Forget About Your Grammar

Though you will undoubtedly be pressed for time, it’s still important your essay is well-written with correct punctuating and spelling. Many students are able to write a strong thesis and include good evidence and commentary, but the final point on the rubric is for sophistication. This criteria is more holistic than the former ones which means you should have elevated thoughts and writing—no grammatical errors. While a lack of grammatical mistakes alone won’t earn you the sophistication point, it will leave the reader with a more favorable impression of you. 

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Here are Nine Must-have Tips and Tricks to Get a Good Score on the Prose Essay:

• Carefully read, review, and underline key instruction s in the prompt.
• Briefly outlin e what you want to cover in your essay.
• Be sure to have a clear thesis that includes the terms mentioned in the instructions, literary devices, tone, and meaning.
• Include the author’s name and title  in your introduction. Refer to characters by name.
• Quality over quantity when it comes to picking quotes! Better to have a smaller number of more detailed quotes than a large amount of vague ones.
• Fully explain how each piece of evidence supports your thesis .  
• Focus on the literary techniques in the passage and avoid summarizing the plot. 
• Use transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs.
• Keep your introduction and conclusion short, and don’t repeat your thesis verbatim in your conclusion.

Here is an example essay from 2020 that received a perfect 6:

[1] In this passage from a 1912 novel, the narrator wistfully details his childhood crush on a girl violinist. Through a motif of the allure of musical instruments, and abundant sensory details that summon a vivid image of the event of their meeting, the reader can infer that the narrator was utterly enraptured by his obsession in the moment, and upon later reflection cannot help but feel a combination of amusement and a resummoning of the moment’s passion. 

[2] The overwhelming abundance of hyper-specific sensory details reveals to the reader that meeting his crush must have been an intensely powerful experience to create such a vivid memory. The narrator can picture the “half-dim church”, can hear the “clear wail” of the girl’s violin, can see “her eyes almost closing”, can smell a “faint but distinct fragrance.” Clearly, this moment of discovery was very impactful on the boy, because even later he can remember the experience in minute detail. However, these details may also not be entirely faithful to the original experience; they all possess a somewhat mysterious quality that shows how the narrator may be employing hyperbole to accentuate the girl’s allure. The church is “half-dim”, the eyes “almost closing” – all the details are held within an ethereal state of halfway, which also serves to emphasize that this is all told through memory. The first paragraph also introduces the central conciet of music. The narrator was drawn to the “tones she called forth” from her violin and wanted desperately to play her “accompaniment.” This serves the double role of sensory imagery (with the added effect of music being a powerful aural image) and metaphor, as the accompaniment stands in for the narrator’s true desire to be coupled with his newfound crush. The musical juxtaposition between the “heaving tremor of the organ” and the “clear wail” of her violin serves to further accentuate how the narrator percieved the girl as above all other things, as high as an angel. Clearly, the memory of his meeting his crush is a powerful one that left an indelible impact on the narrator. 

[3] Upon reflecting on this memory and the period of obsession that followed, the narrator cannot help but feel amused at the lengths to which his younger self would go; this is communicated to the reader with some playful irony and bemused yet earnest tone. The narrator claims to have made his “first and last attempts at poetry” in devotion to his crush, and jokes that he did not know to be “ashamed” at the quality of his poetry. This playful tone pokes fun at his childhood self for being an inexperienced poet, yet also acknowledges the very real passion that the poetry stemmed from. The narrator goes on to mention his “successful” endeavor to conceal his crush from his friends and the girl; this holds an ironic tone because the narrator immediately admits that his attempts to hide it were ill-fated and all parties were very aware of his feelings. The narrator also recalls his younger self jumping to hyperbolic extremes when imagining what he would do if betrayed by his love, calling her a “heartless jade” to ironically play along with the memory. Despite all this irony, the narrator does also truly comprehend the depths of his past self’s infatuation and finds it moving. The narrator begins the second paragraph with a sentence that moves urgently, emphasizing the myriad ways the boy was obsessed. He also remarks, somewhat wistfully, that the experience of having this crush “moved [him] to a degree which now [he] can hardly think of as possible.” Clearly, upon reflection the narrator feels a combination of amusement at the silliness of his former self and wistful respect for the emotion that the crush stirred within him. 

[4] In this passage, the narrator has a multifaceted emotional response while remembering an experience that was very impactful on him. The meaning of the work is that when we look back on our memories (especially those of intense passion), added perspective can modify or augment how those experiences make us feel

More essay examples, score sheets, and commentaries can be found at College Board .

While AP Scores help to boost your weighted GPA, or give you the option to get college credit, AP Scores don’t have a strong effect on your admissions chances . However, colleges can still see your self-reported scores, so you might not want to automatically send scores to colleges if they are lower than a 3. That being said, admissions officers care far more about your grade in an AP class than your score on the exam.

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