AP Spanish Language and Culture

In this exam, students complete the multiple-choice and written free-response sections on paper and record their spoken free response on a device supplied by the testing school.  

Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the AP Spanish Language and Culture Course and Exam Description (.pdf) (CED) and the CED’s companion audio files.

Encourage your students to visit the AP Spanish Language and Culture student page for exam information.

The AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.

Section IA: Multiple Choice
30 Questions | 40 Minutes| 23% of Score

• Interpretive Communication: Print Texts. This section consists of a variety of authentic print materials (e.g., journalistic and literary texts, announcements, advertisements, letters, charts, maps, and tables). Students will be asked to:
  • Identify the main ideas and supporting details
  • Determine the meaning of vocabulary words in context
  • Identify the author’s point of view or the target audience
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural or interdisciplinary information contained in the text

Section IB: Multiple Choice with Audio
35 Questions | 55 Minutes | 27% of Score

• This section consists of a variety of authentic audio materials, including interviews, podcasts, public service announcements, conversations, and brief presentations. It is divided into 2 subsections:
  • Interpretive Communication: Print and Audio Texts (combined). 2 sets of audio sources paired with print materials on the same topic with questions (article and audio report, chart and conversation).
  • Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts. 3 sets of audio sources with questions (interview, instructions, presentation).
• Students will respond to questions about main ideas and supporting details. Some questions will require students to demonstrate their understanding of cultural or interdisciplinary information.
• Students will have time to read a preview of each selection and skim the questions before listening to the audio. All audio texts will be played twice.

Section IIA: Free Response Written
2 Questions | 1 Hour 10 Minutes | 25% of Score

• Interpersonal Writing: Read and reply to an email message (15 minutes).
• Presentational Writing: Write an argumentative essay based on 3 sources, including an article, a table, graph, chart, or infographic, and a related audio source (played twice), that present different viewpoints on a topic (~55 minutes total: 15 minutes to review materials plus 40 minutes to write). Students will have access to the print sources and any notes they may take on the audio during the entire 40-minute writing period.

Section IIB: Free Response Spoken
2 Questions | 18 Minutes | 25% of Score

• Interpersonal Speaking: Participate in 5 exchanges in a simulated conversation (20 seconds for each response). For this conversation, students will be provided with a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each exchange. 
• Presentational Speaking: Deliver a 2-minute presentation in response to a prompt in which students compare a cultural feature of a Spanish-speaking community with which they are familiar to their own community or another community.