About the Advanced Placement Program
®
(AP
®
)
The Advanced Placement Program
®
has enabled millions of students to take college-level courses and earn college credit, advanced
placement, or both, while still in high school. AP Exams are given each year in May. Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam
are typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into advanced courses in college. Every aspect of AP course and exam
development is the result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They work together to develop AP courses and exams, set
scoring standards, and score the exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.
AP
®
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AP English Program
The AP Program offers two courses in English studies, each
designed to provide high school students the opportunity to engage
with a typical introductory-level college English curriculum.
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on
the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and
argumentative writing and the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts.
The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on
reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction,
poetry, drama) from various periods.
There is no prescribed sequence of study, and a school may offer
one or both courses.
AP English Language and Composition Course Overview
The AP English Language and Composition course aligns to
an introductory college-level rhetoric and writing curriculum,
which requires students to develop evidence-based analytic and
argumentative essays that proceed through several stages or drafts.
Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their
arguments. Throughout the course, students develop a personal
style by making appropriate grammatical choices. Additionally,
students read and analyze the rhetorical elements and their effects
in non-fiction texts, including graphic images as forms of text, from
many disciplines and historical periods.
PREREQUISITE
There are no prerequisite courses for AP English Language
and Composition.
Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level
texts and apply the conventions of Standard Written English in
their writing.
AP English Language and Composition Course Content
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed
to help students become skilled readers and writers through
engagement with the following course requirements:
• Composing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects
• Writing that proceeds through several stages or drafts, with
revision aided by teacher and peers
• Writing informally (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping,
collaborative writing), which helps students become aware of
themselves as writers and the techniques employed by other
writers
• Writing expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions
based on readings representing a variety of prose styles
and genres
• Reading nonfiction (e.g., essays, journalism, science
writing, autobiographies, criticism) selected to give students
opportunities to identify and explain an author’s use of
rhetorical strategies and techniques
1
• Analyzing graphics and visual images both in relation to
written texts and as alternative forms of text themselves
• Developing research skills and the ability to evaluate, use, and
cite primary and secondary sources
• Conducting research and writing argument papers in which
students present an argument of their own that includes the
analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources
• Citing sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g.,
Modern Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style)
• Revising their work to develop
o A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and
effectively;
o A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate
use of subordination and coordination;
o Logical organization, enhanced by techniques such as
repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
o A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative
detail; and
o An effective use of rhetoric, including tone, voice, diction,
and sentence structure.
1. The College Board does not mandate any particular authors or reading list, but representative authors are cited in the AP English Course Description.
