← AP English
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AP English Language

How a speech, essay or article persuades, and how to write the three exam essays. Twelve steps from the rhetorical situation to a timed free-response capstone.

▶ Start at step 1
12 steps, in order
1
The AP Language Exam and Its Skills
The exam, the four skill pairs, the 6-point rubric.
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2
The Rhetorical Situation
Speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, exigence. Everything starts here.
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3
Four Rules for Quotes
Short, embedded, with speaker and context.
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4
Interpretive Sentences
The sentence after the quote that does the thinking.
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5
The Defensible Thesis and the Funnel Intro
Narrow to a claim that previews a line of reasoning.
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6
The Body Paragraph
Topic sentence, two evidence-and-interpretation pairs, a transition.
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7
Line of Reasoning and Commentary
Row B: the four levels, and commentary that explains how.
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8
Context in Intros and Conclusions
Frame the argument; end with its stakes.
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9
Question 2: Rhetorical Analysis
Choice → effect → the writer's argument.
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10
Question 1: Synthesis
Take a position using three or more sources.
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11
Question 3: Argument
A defensible position with your own evidence.
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12
Sophistication
Row C: complexity, broader context, a persuasive style.
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📖
Multiple choice: Reading (25)
Rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning, style.
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Multiple choice: Writing (25)
Strategic choices, evidence, transitions, word choice.
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Capstone
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Timed FRQ capstone
Write a synthesis, rhetorical analysis or argument essay and have it scored on the 6-point rubric.
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