AP CSP: Questions About the Exam

FAQ

What does the AP Computer Science Principles Exam consist of?

The AP CSP Exam has two parts: the Create performance task and an end-of-course multiple-choice exam given in May. Both measure student understanding of the course learning objectives and skills. For more information about the Create performance task and the end-of course multiple-choice exam, visit the AP CSP Exam page.

What is a performance task?

The AP Computer Science Principles Create performance task is part of the AP Exam. Students will be provided at least 12 hours in class to complete the performance task. The Create performance task focuses specifically on the creation of a computer program, accompanied by a video and written response. Find out more on the AP CSP Exam page.

When will the end-of-course AP Computer Science Principles Exam be administered?

The exam is given each year in May. Teachers can check the AP Exam Schedule for the most current exam dates.

My student submitted the Create performance task but didn’t take the end-of-course exam. Will they receive a score?

Students who submit the Create performance task, but do not take the end-of-course exam will have their exam score cancelled. They will not receive a refund.

Students who do not submit their program code may still be eligible to earn all of the rows of the scoring guideline as the full program code is used as reference material for the readers. If a reader is unable to make a judgment on the student’s response without the program code, this can negatively impact their score.
Students who do not submit their video component will be ineligible to earn row 1 of the scoring guidelines.
Students who do not submit their written responses will be ineligible to earn any of the rows on the scoring guideline and will earn a 0 on the Create performance task portion of the exam.

How can students take the AP Exam and submit work for the Create performance task if they’re not enrolled in the course?

If your school supports independent study or homeschooled students who want to take an end-of-course AP CSP Exam without participating in an AP CSP class at the school, the AP coordinator needs to: create an exam only class section in AP Registration and Ordering, and provide the appropriate join code to students so they can enroll. (See the AP Coordinator’s Manual). This step needs to be done before exams can be ordered.

How can I prepare students for the exam?

Teachers need to review the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (.pdf/5.7 MB) carefully to understand the course framework as well as the exam design. It is important to provide opportunities throughout the year for students to practice the learning objectives and skills within the course framework. Teachers can access videos for each course topic as well as formative and summative assessment items in AP Classroom.

A series of 1–3 videos have been developed by expert AP CSP teachers for each of the course topics. Use these videos to preview a topic before it is taught or as homework to reinforce your lesson.

The formative topic questions provide feedback to students on areas where they need to focus and are designed to meet students where they are in the material. Topic questions are best used for spot-checking student understanding while teaching the topics identified in the course framework. They can be used in class or as homework based on teacher preference. The questions can reveal misunderstandings and help teachers target content and skills to emphasize in lessons; they can also help students understand why an answer is correct or incorrect. Because the topic questions are formative, the results of these assessments cannot be used to evaluate teacher effectiveness or assign letter grades to students, and any such misuses are grounds for losing school authorization to offer AP courses. Use performance data to determine when to assign topic videos for remediation.

To prepare students for the Create performance task, teachers must ensure that students have sufficient learning experiences and practice on the concepts tested in the tasks prior to administering them. Scaffolded Create performance task prompts are located in the question bank within AP Classroom and can be paired with programming projects to provide students with incremental practice responding to the written response prompts. Scoring guidelines, sample student responses to the performance task, and commentary on how these responses were scored, are available on the AP CSP Exam page.

Online resources like curriculum samples, programming tools, and online courses can supplement AP CSP instruction. These resources have not been reviewed or endorsed by College Board. Teachers can visit the AP CSP Classroom Resources page and join the AP CSP Teacher Community to access resources.

What are the topic videos and how should they be used?

A series of 1 to 3 videos have been developed by expert AP CSP teachers for each of the course topics. Use these videos to preview a topic before it is taught or as homework to reinforce your lesson. These videos used as remediation once misunderstandings are identified based on the performance data from topic questions.

What are formative topic questions and how should they be used?

Formative topic questions provide feedback to students on the areas where they need to focus and are designed to meet students where they are in the material. Topic questions are best used for spot-checking student understandings while teaching the topics identified in the course framework. They can be used in class or as homework based on teacher preference. The questions can reveal misunderstandings and help teachers target content and skills to emphasize in lessons and help students understand why an answer is correct or incorrect.

The topic questions also contain scaffolded Create performance task prompts. These can be paired with existing programming projects to provide students with incremental practice responding to the written response prompts.

Use performance data provided from topic questions to determine which topic videos might be most beneficial for students to watch for remediation.

Am I allowed to give grades to students for completing the formative topic questions in AP Classroom?

Because the topic questions are formative, the results of these assessments cannot be used to assign a corresponding letter grade to students. Students can be assigned a completion grade.

Are students allowed to choose programming topics for the performance task they submit to the College Board that their teachers have discussed in class or used in practice performance tasks?

We advise students not to submit a performance task that was covered in class, as it will be difficult to incorporate completely original ideas and responses to prompts. If students do choose to submit topics covered in class, teachers will need to review the performance task and report plagiarism to the College Board, if found.

For the Create performance task, students must be able to claim that the program code and the written response they are submitting is their own. Students should only include code segments in their written responses that were originally developed by them or in collaboration with their collaborative peer. Students can use code segments that are not originally developed by them as part of their overall program provided they have included appropriate attributions for these code segments.

Can students complete the Create performance task collaboratively?

When students are ready to complete the Create performance task for AP scoring purposes, they can collaborate on the development of their program code only. The written responses and video creation must be completed independently.

The AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (.pdf/2.05 MB) provides teachers with strategies students can use to collaborate during the class and while completing the Create performance task.

How many students can collaborate on the Create performance task program development?

Collaboration happens when two or more students are actively engaged in the development of a program. Some examples of acceptable ways to collaborate are as follows. This is not an exhaustive list.

2 students who are writing the entire program together, perhaps using pair programming.
2 or more students who have divided a larger, more complex program into different separate parts, each writing their own part and then assembling the pieces into the finished program.
student(s) giving feedback on an independently or collaboratively written program.
student(s) providing debugging assistance to another student or collaborative group of students.

Students need to be actively engaged in the creation of the program code that they will submit for scoring and use when completing their independent written responses. Students should cite any program code they were not actively engaged in creating and should not use these code segments in their written responses.

If students are combining independently written program code with another student, they should cite that the program code is written by a collaborative peer. To protect the anonymity of the collaborative peer, students simply state that the portion of program code was written by their collaborative peer, rather than putting the names of themselves or their collaborative peer in the program code.

Who can a student collaborate with on the Create performance task?

Students are permitted to collaborate with another current AP CSP student(s) on the creation of the program for their Create performance task.

Can students go over the word count limit provided in the Create performance task?

Students should craft their written responses to remain within the word count limit, per the task directions in the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (.pdf/2.05 MB). The total recommended word count for the written response is 750 words. To allow some flexibility, typed responses to all prompts must not exceed 850 words. Once responses reach the word capacity, students will not be able to add more text to any of the boxes. A word count is displayed for each text entry box, and an overall word count is displayed at the top and bottom of the page. For more information, please refer to the AP Digital Portfolio: Teacher User Guide and share the AP Digital Portfolio: Student User Guide with your students.

Does the forever loop count as iteration?

Students who use the forever loop in a meaningful way in their procedure will receive credit for iteration.

For written response 3D of the Create performance task, do students need to have two calls to their procedure in their program?

Students are asked to describe two calls to their procedure in written response 3D of the Create performance task. The calls students describe do not need to appear in the program code. They can be examples of potential procedure calls and descriptions of how the program would handle each situation. For more information, please refer to the Create performance task's scoring guidelines on the exam page.

Why do the task directions state that the procedure must have an algorithm that includes sequencing, selection, and iteration, but the scoring guidelines allow students to earn row 5 even if their algorithm is not in a procedure?

Written response 3C is assessed using two rubric rows: rows 4 and 5. In row 4, students are being assessed on whether they have a procedure with a parameter and can describe what the procedure does and how it contributed to the overall function of the program. In row 5, students are being assessed on whether they can write a complex algorithm that incorporates sequencing, selection, and iteration, as well as whether they can explain how the algorithm works. We consider three scenarios for the program code and how students would earn points. The written response for 3C contains:

a procedure with parameter(s) that has an algorithm that includes sequencing, selection, and iteration. In this case, the response is eligible to earn points for both rows 4 and 5 depending on what is written.
a procedure with a parameter, but the algorithm does not have sequencing, selection, and iteration. In this case, the response is eligible to earn row 4 depending on what is written, but not row 5.
an algorithm that contains sequencing, selection, and iteration. In this case, the response will not earn row 4, but is eligible to earn row 5 depending on what is written.

Essentially, this means that a student who doesn’t understand how to write a procedure, but can write a complex algorithm, can still earn one of the two points, rather than automatically being ineligible for both of points for written response 3C.

Can students work on the Create performance task outside of the classroom?

Students are able to work on the Create performance task outside of a classroom provided they have been given the required class time as indicated in the performance task directions.

Can teachers review student submissions before they are sent to College Board for scoring?

Teachers can review student submissions for the following purposes only:

Teachers can review the work students submit to ensure the files are correct or not corrupted (i.e., students upload correct files for the Create performance task). Teachers can return incorrect or corrupted files to the students.
Once students’ work has been submitted to College Board as final through the AP Digital Portfolio, teachers can provide feedback to students if they are being considered as part of a class grade. Note that classroom grades may differ from a student’s AP score.

Please note: Teachers who find that students have plagiarized by not acknowledging third-party sources should follow the guidelines for flagging the students’ work as plagiarized. Evidence of the plagiarism should also be provided.

How can I get samples of the Create performance task?

Samples of the performance tasks with student responses and commentary are available on the AP CSP Exam page.

My student did not submit the Create performance task. Will they receive a score?

Students who take the end-of- course exam will receive a score even if they do not submit the Create performance task.

How much time do students need to complete the Create performance task?

Teachers are required to provide students a minimum of 12 hours of class time for the Create performance task; however, students can work on their performance task beyond the 12 hours either in class or at home. Sufficient time should be provided to students to learn the concepts tested in the performance task and to practice these skills prior to completing and submitting their work on the AP Digital Portfolio for AP scoring purposes.

My school is on a hybrid schedule that includes both synchronous and asynchronous class time. Does only synchronous class time count toward the 12 class hours for the Create Performance Task?

In a hybrid teaching situation, both asynchronous and synchronous class time can count toward the required 12 class hours for the Create Performance Task. Teachers should ensure that all students have access to the necessary technology to complete their performance task requirements if using asynchronous time.

Our class is on a first semester block schedule. Will the process for uploading the Create performance task be available before the first semester concludes?

Yes. Students can begin uploading their work in the AP Digital Portfolio as soon as the AP Digital Portfolio is available. Students must submit their Create Performance Task as final by May 2, 11:59 p.m. EDT. Information about submitting can be found on the About the AP Digital Portfolio page.

Teachers should set interim deadlines to review student performance tasks prior to May 2.

Note: It’s likely there will be a higher volume of simultaneous submissions as the 11:59 p.m. EDT deadline approaches, which means it may take longer for student submissions to upload in the AP Digital Portfolio. Strongly advise your students to build extra time to prepare the upload and submit so they don’t risk missing the deadline. Students should not wait until the last minute to upload their performance task as final in the AP Digital Portfolio.

What can a teacher do if a student is absent during the designated class time provided to complete the performance task?

Teachers can accommodate the student to complete the task in the classroom or school environment, ensuring that they have access to tools and resources they need. Some teachers may be able to allow the student to continue working independently during class time, or before and/or after class. Teachers can check their school policy for additional information on providing students with makeup time to complete assignment.

What is the College Board’s policy around resubmitting performance tasks?

According to College Board policy, resubmission of performance tasks across any of the AP Exams isn't allowed.

We understand that in rare circumstances an accommodation may need to be made. This would hold true for the Create performance task only in extreme circumstances (for example, if the student suffered a tragedy in early April after doing the work all year and wants to defer taking the exam until the following year). In that case, the resubmitted Create performance task will be scored with the current year’s rubric.

What is the difference between describing the purpose of the program and describing the functionality? Aren’t the purpose and function the same thing?

The purpose of a program is to solve a problem or to pursue an interest through creative expression. In essence, why the programmer decided to create this program. For example, “the purpose of this program is to encourage others to recycle."

The function of a program is how it behaves during execution and is often described by how a user interacts with it. In essence, what the program does. For example, “the program accomplishes its purpose by allowing users to enter in the type of material a product is made out of and providing information about where this material can be recycled. The user earns points for each piece of recycled material they recycle."

What is the policy on plagiarism?

The use of media (e.g., video, images, sound), data, information, evidence, or program code created by someone else in the creation of a program and/or a program code segment(s), without appropriate acknowledgment (i.e., through citation, through attribution, and/or by reference), is considered plagiarism. A student who commits plagiarism will receive a score of 0 on the performance task.

To the best of their ability, teachers will ensure that students understand how to ethically use and acknowledge the ideas and work of others, as well as the consequences of plagiarism. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.

During the final submission process in the AP Digital Portfolio, students will be asked to attest that they have followed the performance task guidelines and have not plagiarized their submission.

What must students attest to?

Students will be prompted to attest to the following before they submit their Create performance task as final on the AP Digital Portfolio:

That the work submitted is their own original work, and that they have read and understood the AP CSP policy on plagiarism.
That they have read the AP Computer Science Principles Student Handouts (.pdf/1.06 MB) document. Teachers must share this document with students.
That they did not collaborate on the individual written responses or the individual video of the performance task.

Student will receive a zero on their performance tasks if they do not comply with these policies.

What programming language is recommended for students to use to complete the Create performance task?

Students can develop any program they choose (e.g., an app, a game, art design, etc.) with their choice of programming language to meet all the criteria in the Create performance task. A list of suggested programming languages is provided in the Instructional Approaches section of the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (.pdf/2.05 MB). Though this is not a comprehensive list, it is a point of reference to determine what will work best for a student.

Note: While teacher may choose to do some programming instruction using HTML, it should be noted that HTML is not an acceptable programming language to use when completing the Create performance task.

What should teachers do if they notice a student has neglected to cite their sources?

Teachers who find that students have plagiarized by not acknowledging the third-party sources should follow the guidelines for flagging the students’ work as plagiarized. Evidence of the plagiarism should also be provided.

Have more questions?

Go to the course page and exam information page. You’ll find specifics about the exam format and more.