Important Updates
AP Daily and AP Classroom
Short, searchable AP Daily videos can be assigned alongside topic questions to help you cover all course content, skills, and task models, and check student understanding. Unlock progress checks so students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills unit by unit and use My Reports to highlight progress and additional areas for support.
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 (CED).
Encourage your students to visit the AP English Literature and Composition student page for exam information.
Exam Date
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- WED, MAY 4, 2022, 8 AM LOCAL
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
- Students write essays that respond to 3 free-response prompts from the following categories:
- 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
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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.
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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.