Note: The following information and resources are for AP Research teachers at participating AP Capstone™ schools. In order to offer AP Research, schools must apply through the AP Program to participate in AP Capstone™, and they must first offer AP Seminar. In addition, teachers attend mandatory training. For more information, visit the AP Capstone section of Advances in AP.
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- MON, APR 30, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET
AP Research Academic Paper Submission Deadline
Assessment Overview
In AP Research, students are assessed on the academic paper and presentation and oral defense of research. The academic paper is 4,000 to 5,000 words, and the presentation and defense take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Assessment Format
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AP Research Through-Course Performance Task — 100% of AP Research Score |
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Component |
Scoring Method |
Weight |
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Academic Paper (4,000 to 5,000 words) |
College Board scored |
75% |
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Presentation and Oral Defense (15 to 20 minutes total for both the presentation and the three or four questions from a panel of three evaluators that follows). |
Teacher scored |
25% |
Revised Rubric for 2017-18
Download the revised Academic Paper rubric (.pdf/98.4KB).
Unchanged Rubrics for 2017-18
The Presentation and Oral Defense rubric has not changed for 2017-18.
Assessment Questions and Scoring Information
Looking for sample Academic Papers? You can find them in the tables below. Also check out:
The AP Research Course and Exam Description (.pdf/1010KB), which has everything you need to know about the course and performance task. Note: the Course and Exam Description does not reflect the 2017-18 changes to the teacher scoring model.
Be sure to review the Chief Reader Report. In this invaluable resource, the Chief Reader of the AP Exam compiles feedback from members of the reading leadership to describe how students performed on the Academic Paper, summarize typical student errors, and address specific concepts and content with which students have struggled the most that year.
| Questions | Scoring | Samples and Commentary | Score Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|
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Academic Paper Presentation |
Scoring Guidelines - Academic Paper Scoring Guidelines - Presentation Note: The Scoring Guidelines in this table were used for scoring the 2017 assessment. The revised Academic Paper rubric for the 2017-18 school year is available below in the Assessment Resources section. |
High scoring samples Medium scoring samples Low scoring samples |
| Questions | Scoring | Samples and Commentary | Score Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|
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Academic Paper Presentation |
High scoring samples Sample C (topic: History/Humanities) Sample G (topic: Social Science) Sample I (topic: Arts/Humanities) Medium scoring samples Sample E (topic: History/Humanities) Sample B (topic: Arts/Humanities) Sample A (topic: Social Science) Low scoring samples Sample J (topic: History/Humanities) |
Assessment Resources
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AP Research Course and Exam Description—Fall 2017
This is the core document for this course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the exam and AP Program in general.
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Academic Paper Rubric
Revised rubric for the AP Research Academic Paper, effective fall 2017.
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Presentation and Oral Defense Rubric
Unchanged rubric for the Presentation and Oral Defense component of AP Research.
AP Digital Portfolio
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AP Digital Portfolio
The AP Digital Portfolio page provides instructions on how to navigate the web-based application, how to create classrooms, and how to confirm students' submission of performance tasks. -
AP Digital Portfolio—Teacher User Guide for AP Capstone
Detailed instructions on creating classes, managing teams, scoring student work, and more.
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AP Digital Portfolio—Student User Guide for AP Capstone