Important Updates
Support for Students and Schools Impacted by Coronavirus
In response to school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re providing free, live AP online classes and review lessons. We’ll also offer at-home testing for 2020 AP Exams. Note that any related adjustments to 2020 AP Exams, such as length or content covered, may not be reflected on all AP Central pages. Visit Taking the Exams for the latest exam information.
Updates to CED, Rubrics, and Scoring Guidelines
The AP English Language and Composition CED has been updated, along with the rubrics and CED sample question scoring guidelines. Please refer to the errata sheet for details about the specific updates that were made.
A simplified rubric document (without decision rules and scoring notes) is also now available, featuring a single-page rubric for each question.
New AP Resources
AP Classroom is now available. Designed with AP educators, it helps you provide students daily practice and personalized feedback throughout the year. Sign in to access AP unit guides with aligned resources, topic questions, personal progress checks, the progress dashboard, and your question bank.
Course Overview
AP English Language and Composition is an introductory college-level composition course. Students cultivate their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments through reading, analyzing, and writing texts as they explore topics like rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style.
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AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description—Fall 2019
This is the core document for this course and is new for the 2019-20 school year. New unit guides clearly lay out the course content and skills and recommend sequencing and pacing for them throughout the year. The CED also more clearly outlines how material will be assessed on the exam, provides instructional strategies, and gives information on the AP Program in general. The CED was updated in September 2019; please see the errata sheet for details. -
AP English Language and Composition CED Errata Sheet
This document details the updates made to the course and exam description (CED) in September 2019. It includes printable copies of the updated pages, which can be used as replacement sheets in your CED binder.
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AP English Language and Composition Course at a Glance
Excerpted from the AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description, the Course at a Glance document outlines the topics and skills covered in the AP English Language and Composition course, along with suggestions for sequencing.
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AP English Language and Composition CED Scoring Guidelines
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One-Page AP English Language 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.
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AP English Language and Composition Rubrics with Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
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Sources for CED Free-Response Question 1 (Synthesis)
Sources for free response question 1 (synthesis) from the sample exam in the course and exam description (CED).
Course Content
The course skills are organized within nine units that scaffold student development of the analysis and composition skills required for college credit. For each unit, the teacher selects a theme or topic and then chooses texts, typically short nonfiction pieces, that enable students to practice and develop the reading and writing skills for that unit. This course framework provides a description of what students should know and be able to do to qualify for college credit or placement. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.
Course Skills
The updated AP English Language and Composition framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like writers.
Skill Categories |
Description |
Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section) |
| 1. Rhetorical Situation: Reading | Explain how writers’ choices reflect the components of the rhetorical situation. | 11%–14% |
| 2. Rhetorical Situation: Writing | Make strategic choices in a text to address a rhetorical situation. | 11%–14% |
| 3. Claims and Evidence: Reading | Identify and describe the claims and evidence of an argument. | 13%–16% |
| 4. Claims and Evidence: Writing | Analyze and select evidence to develop and refine a claim. | 11%–14% |
| 5. Reasoning and Organization: Reading | Describe the reasoning, organization, and development of an argument. | 13%–16% |
| 6. Reasoning and Organization: Writing | Use organization and commentary to illuminate the line of reasoning in an argument. | 11%–14% |
| 7. Style: Reading | Explain how writers’ stylistic choices contribute to the purpose of an argument. | 11–14% |
| 8. Style: Writing | Select words and use elements of composition to advance an argument. | 11–14% |
AP and Higher Education
Higher education professionals play a key role developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education site features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.
This chart shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the AP Credit Policy Search.
Meet the Development Committee for AP English Language and Composition.