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AP World Language and Culture Revisions

Learn about AP world language and culture revisions effective for the 2026-27 school year.

AP world language and culture courses and exams were revised to include the same skills, assess students with similar exam designs, and focus cultural tasks on authentic sources. Additionally, all AP world language and culture exams have transitioned to digital to modernize and improve students’ test-taking experience.

The courses and exams that were revised include French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Spanish Language and Culture, Chinese Language and Culture, and Japanese Language and Culture.

The revisions will be effective for the 2026-27 school year.

What’s Changed?

Course Revisions

Course frameworks for 6 AP world language and culture courses are aligned across skills and learning objectives.
A course project requires students to use source materials in the target language to prepare for authentic speaking tasks on exam day.

Course Project

In 2026-27, the course project is drawn from the theme of Unit 3: Art and Creativity and focuses on music as a lens for exploring cultural products, practices, and perspectives across the target language world.
A Course Project Packet will be released annually in January of the exam administration year.
Students will use source materials in the target language to prepare for authentic speaking tasks on exam day.
Prior to the exam, students will submit a Personalized Project Reference (PPR)—an outline of their presentation—by April 30 through the AP Digital Portfolio.
On exam day, students will present their project by responding to speaking free-response questions in Bluebook. They’ll be given a printed version of their PPR to reference.
A project manual will be included in the appendix of the course and exam descriptions (CEDs) to help teachers understand the required project components and facilitate students’ preparation for and completion of the course project.

Exam Revisions

All 6 AP world language and culture exams will move to the Bluebook digital testing application. Paper exams will be discontinued.
Note: Wired headsets with microphones will be required. CD players, handheld digital recorders, and the Digital Audio Capture (DAC) app will no longer be used.
Exam items will be reorganized, streamlined, and standardized to ensure a smooth digital exam-taking experience and maintain the core tasks and objectives.
Current speaking free-response questions (FRQs) will be replaced with authentic speaking tasks aligned to college-level courses that students will prepare for in advance and complete on exam day.
The FRQ scoring guidelines will be updated.

What to Expect

Spring 2026

Revised CEDs that include project manuals are now available on this page under Resources.

Summer 2026

New practice exam for each course, including a sample course project
Professional learning opportunities to prepare teachers, including AP Summer Institutes and the AP Annual Conference

Fall 2026–Spring 2027

AP Classroom resources updated throughout the school year
Professional learning opportunities to help teachers plan and teach their course
Course Project Packet released in January 2027

FAQ

Which AP world language and culture courses were revised for 2026-27?

The courses and exams that were revised include Chinese Language and Culture, French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, and Spanish Language and Culture.

What changes will I need to make in my class to accommodate the world language and culture course project?

Teachers need to allocate class time for students to explore source materials and prepare for their exam-day presentation tasks. The project manual in the CED appendix provides a suggested plan to guide teachers through the process.

Is the course project a required part of the AP Exam for world language and culture courses?

Yes. The course project prepares students for the speaking tasks they will complete on exam day.

Do students submit the world language and culture course project before exam day?

Before the exam, students only need to submit their Personalized Project Reference (PPR), which is an outline for their presentation. The PPR must be submitted by April 30 each year. Instructions for completing and submitting the PPR will be shared when the course project is released. On exam day, students present their project by answering the speaking free-response questions.

What is the project theme for 2026-27?

The course project will be drawn from the theme of Unit 3: Art and Creativity and will focus on music as a lens for exploring cultural products, practices, and perspectives across the target language world. The Course Project Packet will be released in January 2027.

Will the project theme be the same for all AP world language and culture courses?

Yes. The annual project theme will be shared across all AP world language and culture courses, allowing for consistency while still enabling students to explore topics through the lens of their specific language and culture.

How will I be informed of the project theme in future years?

The project theme will be published on AP Central during the summer so teachers can plan instruction accordingly. The Course Project Packet will be released in the AP Digital Portfolio annually in January of the exam administration year.

How should fall-semester-only or exam only students complete the world language and culture course project if they aren’t enrolled in a course in the spring?

Fall-semester-only and exam only students will still have access to AP Classroom and AP Digital Portfolio, which they should use to practice and complete all required components of the course project in preparation for the exam. These tools provide the materials, guidance, and practice opportunities students need, even if they are not enrolled in a spring course. All students, including those with strong language proficiency, are encouraged to take the full AP course when possible, as ongoing instruction and practice help students build the skills needed for success on the exam.

How do I score students’ world language and culture course projects?

Teachers aren't responsible for scoring students’ projects. Students will deliver their project presentation and answer questions simultaneously on exam day via audio capture in Bluebook. AP readers will assess and score students' exam-day responses.

What is the AI policy for the world language and culture course project?

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, the AP world language and culture course project must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory.

Students can use generative AI tools as aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry and to search for target language sources or places where sources may be found. Students should engage with AI tools in the target language and read sources in the target language. Students are responsible for developing their own presentation in a way that demonstrates their language abilities and cultural understanding.

Will the exams for world language and culture courses be fully digital?

Yes. Starting in May 2027, the exams will be administered digitally in the Bluebook testing application. Paper exams will be discontinued.

What equipment will my students need on exam day?

Students can use Mac or Windows devices, iPads, or school-managed Chromebooks. They will also need wired headsets with microphones to hear audio prompts and stimuli, and for the recording portion of the exam.

How will the recording process work for students on exam day?

Students will hear audio prompts and record their responses directly in Bluebook, the same application they will use for the multiple-choice and free-response sections of the exam. CD players, handheld digital recorders, and the Digital Audio Capture (DAC) app will no longer be used.

Will there be new practice exams and AP Classroom resources for the revised world language and culture courses?

Yes. One new practice exam, including a sample course project, is now available in AP Classroom. We’ll update other AP Classroom resources throughout the 2026-27 school year.

What professional learning opportunities will be available to help teachers prepare for the revised world language and culture courses?

Teachers preparing to teach the revised course can attend an AP Summer Institute in summer 2026 and participate in other professional learning opportunities throughout the 2026-27 school year. Visit the AP Professional Learning Event Calendar to find upcoming sessions.

Will the textbooks teachers currently use for AP world language and culture courses work with the revised course?

Yes. Textbooks published in the last 10 years will adequately address the revised course material.

We provided publishers with updated information about the course and exam for any textbook updates they would like to make.

Will teachers need to resubmit the AP Course Audit world language and culture courses?

Yes. All new and returning AP world language and culture teachers must complete the 2026-27 AP Course Audit, which opened on March 1, 2026. To maintain access to AP Classroom for the 2026-27 school year, returning teachers must resubmit by January 31, 2027. We’ll update AP Classroom resources throughout the 2026-27 school year.

Will colleges and universities still have the same credit policies?

We expect these revisions will preserve current credit and placement policies and create opportunities to broaden them.

Resources

Download

AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for this course. Unit guides lay out suggested thematic content and skills as well as recommend sequencing. The included project manual provides suggested pacing and activities to guide students through the project component of the course. Note: Audio icons in this CED are temporarily inactive; audio is available in AP Classroom and will be restored once this PDF issue is resolved.