(40 minutes recommended per essay)
3 free response questions | 55% | Multiple-Choice
AP English Literature multiple-choice questions are grouped in sets. You will be given 5 passages or poems to read, with 8-13 multiple-choice questions to assess your reading comprehension. Each multiple-choice question has 5 answer choices (A through E). That’s a lot of reading then recalling, understanding, and interpreting. Use your time effectively and wisely!
Free Response
- Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents an interpretation and may establish a line of reasoning.
- Select and use evidence to develop and support your line of reasoning.
- Explain the relationship between the evidence and your thesis.
- Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.
How to Interpret AP English Literature Scores
AP scores are reported from 1 to 5. Colleges are generally looking for a 4 or 5 on the AP English Literature exam, but some may grant credit for a 3. (Here's a quick overview of AP credit policy .) Each test is curved so scores vary from year to year. Here’s how AP English Lit students scored on the May 2022 test:
| | |
5 | Extremely qualified | 16.9% |
4 | Well qualified | 27.3% |
3 | Qualified | 33.7% |
2 | Possibly qualified | 14.1% |
1 | No recommendation | 7.9% |
Source: College Board
How can I prepare?
AP classes are great, but for many students they’re not enough! For a thorough review of AP English Literature content and strategy, pick the AP prep option that works best for your goals and learning style.
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AP English Literature and Composition
Review the free-response questions from the 2024 ap exam, new for 2024-25: mcqs will have four answer choices.
Starting in the 2024-25 school year, AP English Literature and Composition multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will have four answer choices instead of five. This change will take effect with the 2025 exam. All resources have been updated to reflect this change.
Exam Overview
Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the AP English Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description (.pdf) (CED).
Encourage your students to visit the AP English Literature and Composition student page for exam information.
Wed, May 7, 2025
AP English Literature and Composition Exam
Exam format.
The AP English Literature and Composition Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day. There will also be a consistent range of difficulty in the reading passages across all versions of the exam from year to year. The free-response questions will be scored using analytic rubrics, rather than the previous holistic rubrics.
Section I: Multiple Choice
55 Questions | 1 Hour | 45% of Exam Score
- Includes 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.
- The multiple-choice section will always include at least 2 prose fiction passages (this may include drama) and at least 2 poetry passages.
Section II: Free Response
3 Questions | 2 Hours | 55% of Exam Score
- 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 selected by the student. In responding to Question 3, students should select a work of fiction that will be appropriate to the question. A general rule is to use a work that is similar in quality to those they have read in their AP class(es).
Scoring Rubrics
One-page ap english literature and composition scoring rubrics.
This is a simplified version of the longer scoring rubric document, with the decision rules and scoring notes taken out. This document features a student-friendly single-page rubric for each free-response question.
AP English Literature and Composition Rubrics with Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
This document features general scoring criteria that apply to each of the three free-response questions, regardless of specific question prompt.
Exam Questions and Scoring Information
Ap english literature and composition exam questions and scoring information.
View free-response questions and scoring information from past exams.
Score Reporting
Online score reports.
Access your score reports.
, . |
in the DropBox files. Many of these files are available in Word document form in the DropBox, so you can edit the originals easily. |
|
AP Lit Referenced Titles, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Lit Referenced Titles as (and ). AP Literature Open Prompts, 1970-2024, as , , and (Thanks to Claudia Felske). AP Literature Poetry Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Literature Poetry Prompts with Poems, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Poets Referenced, 1970-2024, as . AP Literature Prose Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Literature Prose Passages, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Prose Writers Referenced, 1970-2024, as . AP Prose Prompts Rewritten with Stable Wording, as (Thanks to Tia Miller). Overview of AP Literature Stable Pronots, as and as . Interesting re-grouping of AP Literature prompts by subjects (Thanks to Ann Elizabeth Richards). , , and . | All Three AP Language Free Response Prompts, 1970 to 2024, as . AP Language Prose Passages, 1982 to 2024, as (Thanks to Chris Godat). Overview of AP Language Stable Prompts, as and as . . ). |
|
. Each prompt is now a separate dated file with prompt, scoring guide (6-point and/or 9-point), sample student essays, comments -- whatever I have, attached. Released multiple-choice exams are in a separate folder. . | | You can still use the to locate which file holds the scored sample essays. | Long lost formats, four that were actually used for both Literature & Language. Personal favorites, like the Pairs Prompt. And a 1996 Country Prompt student essay on that the Chief Reader agreed was a 10 (and photo-copied for me). Yes, a 10.
| It’s All Happening Online —Useful LinksAP Central & YouTube -- Finding your way around the Advanced Placement website can be tricky. Direct links listed below (with some of those acronyms defined). - AP Language Home Page -- Classroom Resources
- AP Language Exam -- CED (Course and Exam Description), 2021 FRQ (Free Response Questions), and Past Exam FRQs (from 1999).
- AP Literature Home Page -- Classroom Resources
- AP Literature Exam -- CED (Course and Exam Description), 2021 FRQ (Free Response Questions), and Past Exam FRQs (from 1999).
- AP Teacher Community (Skip Nicholson) -- Join the AP English community, a combined group for Language & Literature. New version of the old ListServ .
- AP Language YouTube Channel (Live Review) -- 11 videos
- AP Literature YouTube Channel (Live Review) -- 10 videos
AP English FaceBook Groups - A P Language and Composition Teachers (Kristy Seidel)
- A P Literature and Composition (Brian Sztabnik)
- A P Literature and Composition Teachers (Michael Yeakey & Heather Davide Carlotz)
Teacher Sites -- Where have all the teachers gone? On sabbatical, into administration, to commercial sites, to retirement. So sorry. - Gina Korteum’s Lit & More : Modest but masterful, Gina shares a wealth of free resources on her website and extensive affordable materials on Teachers Pay Teachers. Practical, adaptable jewels.
- Tim Freitas’ The Garden of English : Delightful, often surprising viewpoint. Sense of humor meets excellence. Love all the videos, handouts and posters.
- Susa n Barber’s and Brian Sztabnik’s Much Ado About Teachin g : The reincarnation of AP LIT Help. These gifted inspiring teachers have mastered the ability to explain everything AP clearly. Articles, videos, handouts are amazing.
- Beth Hall’s Coach Hall Writes offersmany free AP Language materials with links to Teachers Pay Teachers materials. Subscribe to her YouTube channel for excellent, focused videos.
- Brian Tolentino shares dozens of short videos on his YouTube Channel, Tolentino Teaching . SAT Vocabulary and Rhetorical Terms are especially helpful.
- Kristian Kuhn’s home page shares some excellent assignments. Teachers Teaching Writing , his YouTube channel has dozens of clever, useful videos for AP Literature.
- Susan Barber’s Teach with Class site offers Teacher Resources.
- Jerry Brown’ s website has buried treasure, well worth seeking.
- Don Pogebra’s Quixotic Pedagogue : Gorgeous website with generous materials. Retired.
- Ronnie Campagna’s DropBox is a wealth of materials. Please download; do not delete or move.
- Dawn Hogue’s Online English Resources provides a Teacher’s Toolbox and other online resources for AP and regular classes.
- M sEffie’s LifeSavers : Several ways to get there – Google “mseffie” [first hit], use the short domain router (mseffie.com). Mine. What can I say? Such a nerd!
Terminology - Brian Tolentino Teaching includes 35 term specific videos
- Dictionary of Literary Terms (Joel Littauer)
- Literary History
- Handbook of Rhetorical Devices (Robert Harris)
- Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms -- videos for more than 60 terms
- Poetic Terms (Robert Shubinsky)
Writing Help - Elements of Style
- Guide to Grammar and Writing
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab )
Literary Theory and Criticism - Literary Resources on the Net (Jack Lynch)
- Literary Theory and Criticism (Brigham Young University)
- Guide to Critical Theory (Dino Felluga)
- Introduction to Modern Literary Theory (Kristi Siegel)
Miscellaneous Resources -- $ Resource Requiring Payment - TeachIt is a United Kingdom site (for their teachers) whose worksheets approach texts in a different way than we do. Though designed for their “regular” classes, the emphasis is usually on the kind of analysis we do in Advanced Placement classes. PDF files are free to download if you register.
- Thought.Co Writing is the old About.com and offers a disorganized but intriguing mess of articles on language, literature, art, and more -- tips on grammar, sample paragraphs of every mode, suggestted topic lists, critical analyses, passages by well-known authors focusing on specific stylistic traits, and so on. The short introductions analyze each piece and help focus discussion.
- TED Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing -- Based upon the regular TED Talks and a library of original animated videos, TedEd provides a platform for teachers to share lessons based on the videos.
- CrackAP.com -- provides free access to 50+ practice multiple-choice exams on various passages, many of them from previous AP exams. A very awkward confusing site, but students get immediate assessment and explanations. Just IGNORE all the pop-ups & exterior clicks. AP Language Practices . AP Literature Practices .
- PrepScholar -- One-stop location for every AP Literature Practice Test available, free & official, including many older ones not available at AP Central. AP Language . AP Literature .
- $ Applied Practice -- Resource Guides for more than 100 titles. Each includes AP style multiple-choice and free response questions withy answers. With explanations of answers. Other stuff available, too.
- $ Prestwick House -- Reasonably priced packages include Activity Packs , Response Journals , Literature Teaching Units , AP Teaching Units , and Multiple Critical Perspectives , Response Journals , and Activity Packs . Samples available to download to check them out. (Free Crossword Puzzles and free Posters .)
Links to My Pages with Handouts & URLs for Specific Major Works“The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Macbeth by William Shakespeare | (uses College Board’s My Roads) | (Greek & Roman Mythology) (National Poetry Month) (an ekphrastic unit) | by Anthony Doerr (Film) -- yes, a fan page with YouTube links to all the great John Green short videos. | You may find other useful materials at Assignments , Handouts OR Yummy Bytes . If you download or print anything from this site, please consider making at least a $10.00 donation through PayPal. I can maintain and expand this website only with your help. - START HERE!
- AP Literature Class Policies
- AP Lit College Board Resource Page
- Ms. B's Very Partial List of Passages Appearing on AP Lit Exams, 1970-2022
- The Seven Core Skills of AP Lit
- Teacher Notes: How to Teach AP Multiple Choice
- AP Multiple-Choice Question Stems
- Stable Wording Prompts for the FRQ Questions
- Multiple Choice: The Compass
- How to Write MC Questions - WRITING EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
- The Command and Conquer Strategy
- Next Steps: Get Six Pieces of Evidence
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor
- Finding the MOWAW: Embrace the Weird
- All FRQ #1 Poetry Prompts 1970-2022 (With Poems)
- Skills 1 and 2: Character and Structure// Analyzing Cardinal Wolsey
- Skill 3: Figurative Language // Olive Senior, "Plants"
- Poetry 1 Quick Assessment: Write a Thesis Statement (Hardy and Collins)
- How to Teach Poetry II: Structure // Figurative Language // Imagery
- How to Teach Poetry III: Irony / Paradox / Conceit NOT DONE
- Writing the Poetry Analysis Essay (FRQ #1)
- MORE FRQ #1 Writing Practice, "The Landlady" // Understanding the AP Rubric, Continued
- Resource: How to Deal with a Difficult Poem
- Poetry: MC Focus on Shakespeare's Sonnet 60, "Like as the Waves..."
- Poetry: MC Focus on W.H. Auden, "Their Lonely Betters"
- Poetry: MC Focus on Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess"
- Student Assignment - Writing MC Questions for"Andrea del Sarto": Write Own AP Multiple-Choice Section
- Poetry Focus: Avoiding Cliché Themes in Billy Collins' "The History Teacher"
- Modernism: Poetry Speaks to Paintings
- Themes in Modernism: Alienation
- Poetry Focus: Secret Structure in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
- "The Author Uses Literary Techniques" Prufrock Essay
- Independent Reading for Poetry
- All AP FRQ #2 Prose Prompts, 1970-2022
- Character Analysis // Jackson, We Have Always Lived...
- Skill 2: Setting // Shirley Jackson / Charles Dickens
- Skill 3: Plot // Julio Cortazar
- Writing Literary Analysis
- How to Teach Short Fiction II: Ellis / Dickens / Jackson
- How to Teach the Prose Analysis Essay (FRQ #2)
- FRQ #2 Writing Assignment: How Not to Lean on Quotes (Dombey and Son)
- FRQ #2 Writing Assignment: Using Key Words Throughout
- Independent Reading for FRQ #2
- What is Horror? Unit Prereading Questions and Texts
- Lecture: Horror vs. Gothic
- Gothic Literature Homepage Link
- Chac-Mool (Excerpt)
- Symbolism: The Tropes of Horror and Gothic // The Haunted House
- Symbolism: The Tropes of Horror and Gothic // The Other
- Setting Focus: Shirley Jackson, Hill House
- Horror and Gothic: Critical Lenses
- Focus Story: Poe, "The Masque of the Red Death"
- Podcast: John Langan, "Technicolor" (To accompany Poe)
- Frankenstein Unit Overview
- Frankenstein Prereading Questions
- Central Question: What is "Human"?
- Mary Shelley Background
- What Was the Northwest Passage?
- Reading Schedule
- Frankenstein Discussion Questions
- Frankenstein Motifs and Writing Assignment
- Assessment for Frankenstein
- Step One: Jane Eyre Prereading Questions
- NOOOT DOOOONE Step Two: Give Charlotte Bronte's Background
- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT DOOOONEStep Three: Basic and In-Depth Discussion Questions
- All FRQ #3 Open-Ended Prompts, 1970-2022
- How to Teach the Literary Argumentation Essay (FRQ #3)
- Mr. Banto's One-Page Review Sheet for FRQ 3
- How to Teach Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
- How to Teach A Doll's House
- Focus: Analyzing Humor in The Importance of Being Earnest
- Writing: Find the Theme Line
- Playing With Shakespeare's Words
- How to Teach Hamlet
- How to Teach King Lear
- Lear in Film // Discussion Questions and Scenes
- How to Teach Macbeth
- How to Teach The Merchant of Venice
- Independent Reading Round 1: Great Voices
- Independent Reading Round 2: Gothic and Horror
- Independent Reading Round 3: Corruption and Concealment
- The Common App Essay
- Basic Thesis Templates
- Writing: The Thesis Template
- Writing: Using Thesis to Write Claims
- Writing: Using Claims to Write the Paragraph
- Writing: Incorporating Quotes
- Writing: Strongly Linked Sentences
- Writing: How to Write a Decent Paper for Lit Class
- Proofread Your Work
- How to Teach Self- and Peer-Editing
- How to Write Better Papers: The Link Method
- Student Activity: Fix "Shaving" Essay Problems
- NOT DONEWriting: Moving Beyond the Poetry Template
- Main Game Page
- Greeks and Romans
- Old and New Testament
- Quotable Quotes & "Blank"-ian
- Save the Date
- Post-AP: Designing a New Canon
- Basic Literary Theory NOT DONE
| 2021. In Ai's poem "The Man with the Saxophone," published in 1985, the speaker encounters a man playing a saxophone. Read the poem carefully. Then in a well-written essay, analyze how Ai uses literary elements and techniques to convey the complexity of the speaker's encounter with the saxophone player at that particular time and place. | | 2021. The following excerpt is from Tim Winton's novel , published in 2008. In this passage, the main character, Bruce Pike, recalls an incident at a nearby river. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Winton uses literary elements and technique to represent the complex response of the narrator to the incident at the riverbank. | | 2021. In many works of fiction, houses take on symbolic importance. Such houses may be literal houses or unconventional ones (e.g., hotels, hospitals, monasteries, or boats). Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a literal or unconventional house serves as a significant symbol. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how this house contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole. Do not merely sumarize the plot. | |
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Download and print the official practice questions for the AP English Literature and Composition exam in 2022. Analyze and interpret two passages from different genres and authors, and write a coherent and well-reasoned essay.
Find free-response questions and scoring information from past AP English Literature and Composition exams. Download PDFs of questions, guidelines, commentaries, and statistics for each year from 2008 to 2024.
All FRQ #3 Open-Ended Prompts, 1970-2022. Thanks to the hard work of Sandra Effinger, all the open-ended prompts from 1970-2022 have been assembled on one page. Please see this link. This is incredibly useful as a way of building general questions about independent reading. For example, a teacher might use this resource to build independent in ...
This web page provides a sample student response and scoring commentary for a free-response question on Richard Blanco's poem "Shaving" from the 2022 AP English Literature and Composition exam. It also includes the scoring criteria and guidelines for the question.
Learn how to analyze the poem "Shaving" by Richard Blanco, which was one of the 2022 AP Lit free response questions. Find out how to break down the prompt, identify the speaker's associations, and use literary elements and techniques to develop your essay.
College Board has released the prompts for the 2022 AP English Literature Exams. We'll be breaking down those free-response questions in this video.For a mor...
The AP English Literature and Composition Exam is 3 hours long and broken up into two sections. Section I (One hour) 45 percent of total score 55 multiple-choice questions based on 2 or 3 poems and 2 or 3 passages of fiction. Section II (Two hours) 55 percent of total score 3 essays. Essay 1: An analysis of a poem.
Learn about the course and exam units, components, dates, and resources for AP English Literature and Composition. Find out how to access AP Classroom, free-response questions, scoring information, and credit policies.
This web page provides the scoring criteria and commentary for the free-response question 2 of the 2022 AP English Literature and Composition exam. It includes a sample passage from Linda Hogan's novel People of the Whale and a student response that analyzes the community's characterization.
Learn what to expect on the AP Literature and Composition exam, a three-hour test that covers prose and poetry analysis and essay writing. Find out the types of multiple-choice and free-response questions, how they are graded, and how to prepare for the test.
All AP FRQ #2 Prose Prompts, 1970-2022. Thanks to the hard work ofSandra Effinger, all the open-ended prompts from 1970-2022 have been assembled on one page. If you are a student frantically searching for the prose passages these prompts go to, you'll probably have to do a little digging based on the information given to you in the prompts. For ...
The 2022 AP English Literature exam will consist of two sections: multiple-choice and free-response. The multiple-choice section is worth 45 percent of the exam score, and the free-response section is worth 55 percent. You will have 1 hour to answer 55 multiple-choice questions and 2 hours to answer 3 free-response questions.
Find out where to get every official College Board AP English Literature and Composition practice exam, free unofficial tests, and paid practice test resources. Learn how to use different practice exams to hone your skills for the AP Lit exam.
Learn how to read, interpret, and analyze literature in this AP course. Find out the course content, skills, exam date, and resources for AP English Literature and Composition.
Find out which books to study for the AP® English Literature exam with this comprehensive guide. Learn about the top 10 most frequently tested titles, the Lost Generation, WWI to present, Shakespeare, classics, and more.
Learn how to prepare for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam, which covers a wide range of literary works and skills. Find out the exam dates, fees, structure, and topics for 2022.
This web page provides the scoring criteria and commentary for the free-response question 3 of the 2022 AP English Literature and Composition exam. It does not contain any information about the query "in the first, third, and final paragraphs, the repeated references to lila's unborn child".
In this AP Daily: Live Review session, we will discuss the structure of the multiple-choice section of the exam and how to approach questions and answer choi...
Learn about the topics, skills, structure, scoring, and preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition exam. Find out the authors, poets, and texts you should know and how to write effective literary analyses and arguments.
Learn about the exam format, date, and scoring guidelines for AP English Literature and Composition. Find resources, articles, and past questions to prepare for the 2025 exam.
The Game. Post-AP: Designing a New Canon. Basic Literary Theory NOT DONE. All FRQ #1 Poetry Prompts, 1970-2022 (With Poems) . All of the Individual Prompts. Thanks to the hard work of Sandra Effinger, all the open-ended prompts from 1970-2022 have been assembled on one page. Please see this link. Photo used under Creative Commons from cattan2011.
Find online and DropBox materials for AP Language and Literature tests from 1970 to 2023, including prompts, essays, rubrics, and more. Also access useful links, videos, and teacher sites for AP English.
Overview. Stable wording prompts are the basic framework for the FRQ (free-response) questions that the College Board develops from year to year, which is why a prompt from 2004 sounds pretty similar to one from 2022. Looking at the stable wording prompts allows us to focus on the skills that the AP is looking for in a consistent way.