The AP Lang exam consists of three free response questions ✍️ , and you have 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete these three essays:

To dive deeper into each of these essays and how they should be written, check out Fiveable's

! They have helpful information specific for each essay, and in this post, we've included some general free response tips from fellow AP Lang students 📝

"Make sure your essays have a line of reasoning, which means that there’s a beginning, middle, and end. Make sure your paragraphs link. Always have evidence and cite it because you do not want to assume that you got information from your head when you didn’t." —Diane Fakinlede

This is a fantastic piece of general advice. At its core, a 

is a distinct "thread" that connects your evidence and analysis to create your argument. To establish a line of reasoning, you must ensure your claims, evidence, and analysis all flow together in a clear structure. 

Here's an example of a structure for line of reasoning, also known as Toulmin's model of argumentation. Image Courtesy of 

Toulmin's model for line of reasoning is most applicable to the argument and synthesis essays, in which you have a clearly qualified claim supported by your grounds, warrant, and backing followed by a concession and a rebuttal.

Line of reasoning, however, is also present in your rhetorical analysis essay. Fundamentally speaking, your analysis of the author's rhetorical choices is an argument, since you are proving that the author's use of literary devices builds their argument and achieves their purpose. Consequently, having an explicit line of reasoning is crucial, as organization is key to proving your analysis.

Learn even more about line of reasoning in 

You may be wondering, "How can I organize my line of reasoning?" The answer: an outline 📂

"Always do a rough outline. Even if it's only a few words, writing out and organizing your thoughts helps prevent the essay from being choppy, but still leaves room to add other things. Try to select evidence that is linked so that you can easily transition between topics/paragraphs using a single theme or two that are related—whatever is coherent." —Amrita Arora

Each person outlines differently, but there are some core elements that you should include for your outline:

To write an effective outline, you've got to have a clear structure in mind beforehand.

3. Have an explicit structure when writing your essays

An explicit structure can look several different ways! For instance, for rhetorical analysis, I personally always wrote my body paragraphs in this fashion:

Functionally speaking, your structure should be like a chain of links! Image Courtesy of 

Your argument's parts should rely on each other and flow together. Similarly, for the argument essay, I would always follow this structure:

While these structures worked well for me, they may not be as effective for you. To figure out what structure works for your writing, you need to complete practice free response questions! Fiveable assembled a

list of past AP Lang prompts dating back to 2008

Some teachers may tell you that "practice makes perfect," but the more correct motto is "Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect." Using ineffective strategies while in your practice will make that a habit, which could hurt you on exam day.

Make sure you always time yourself when writing. Image Courtesy of 

For instance, you don't want to practice essay writing without setting a timer ⏲️  How you practice should 

 (haha AP Lang puns 😆) how you'll perform on exam day.

When practicing at first, try different strategies to see what works best for you. Then, develop your own structure, outlining process, and writing style. Just make sure that you're always practicing like it's the real deal!

All in all, AP Lang free-response questions aren't too hard to tackle as long as you maintain good study habits. Through permanent practice supplemented by a clear structure in your outlines, you'll write effective essays that will blow your teacher and AP reader's socks off 🧦

AP English Language Free Response Help

Unit 2: Analyzing and Writing about Rhetoric

Week 6: Author’s Purpose and Audience Movement

Unit 7: Reasoning and Complex Argumentation

Week 18: Selecting and Embedding Evidence

Week 19: Confluence with the Rhetorical Analysis (FRQ 2)

Week 20: Confluence with the Argument (FRQ 3)

AP English Language Pacing Guide (Year-long)

Multiple-choice seems to be inescapable from any English-related test. Whether it's the ACT, SAT®, or AP® Lang, you'll have to take on the challenge of multiple reading passages 📖

Fortunately, Fiveable has your back with help on the AP Lang multiple-choice section. Let's take a look at what the multiple-choice section entails and then dive into the two types of questions.

Let's break down how the multiple choice section functions:

Reading questions will cover rhetorical analysis, style, and the function of specific devices; on the other hand, writing questions make you "think like a writer" and revise sentences that could be improved.  

While you likely won't be taking your Lang multiple choice tests in a park, you can try placing yourself there when taking on writing questions. Image Courtesy of 

For more information about the concepts covered in the multiple choice section in addition to the structure of questions, check out our 

There are different strategies for reading and writing questions though—let's start with reading!

One of the best tools that you have at your disposal is your pencil. In fact, using your writing utensil effectively is the first tip for reading questions.

1. Annotate all over your reading passages 📝

Many AP Lang teachers will agree that the best way to prepare yourself for any multiple choice question is by effectively annotating. It's likely that you'll have little time to re-read any passage with just 45 minutes; therefore, it's important your first read is your best read.

 to make notes and identify some key things:

This is a great example of annotations; even though it's an essay passage, you can apply the same strategies to reading passes on multiple choice. Image Courtesy of 

The purpose of annotation is to foreshadow possible questions you may have to answer later on. By making notes early on, you are proactively helping yourself to score higher on reading questions!

2. Understand the types of questions and how to answer them ❓

You may be wondering: what are the different types of reading questions?

The reading section of multiple-choice breaks down into these categories of questions:

Moreover, the multiple choice section typically covers nonfiction content of different disciplines including science and history. Here's some advice from one AP Lang student:

"Do the passages that you’re more confident first. You can get those points guaranteed, and you’ll be left with the passage you’re not as confident with for the end." —Muni Bondu

3. Practice questions on skills that you're weak on 🏋️

A great way to ace the multiple-choice section is to practice 

. What that means is that you are not just taking practice tests, grading them, and throwing away your test.

My recommendation is that you make a journal, Google Doc, or even a sheet of notebook paper to track the types of questions you're getting wrong. Here's advice from another great AP Lang student:

"Try doing one section every week or so and mark the ones you got wrong. Then, make sure you practice those skills." —Diane Fakinlede

The most important part of multiple-choice practice is understanding what the questions are actually asking. Here's the advice from a high-scoring AP Lang student:

"For multiple-choice, make sure that you UNDERSTAND why you’re getting them right or wrong." —Avery Nelson

. By keeping track of what you're getting right or wrong and aligning your practice to skills that you're weaker in, your multiple-choice raw score will improve significantly in the long run 📈

 for the 2021 exam; however, the concept of revising writing shouldn't be new for you! As you may already remember from previous revising & editing tests, you shouldn't spend time reading through the entire passage 📖

Just like this person skipping in the woods, you can skip reading through the entire passage on AP Lang writing multiple-choice questions! Image Courtesy of 

2. Use process of elimination when you're unsure

 Often times, you should pick the least wrong answer.  

Rather than trying to find the best answer, eliminate the wrong answers until you get to the best possible choice. Often times, you'll have two answer choices narrowed down. In that instance, directly compare them and pick the better choice!

This is the most important aspect of the AP Lang writing section! Many writing questions will likely ask which of the following four sentences would best serve a certain function.

 to see which answer choice does the best job!

Here are some great resources if you need to practice multiple choice:

AP Lang's multiple-choice section isn't too bad—you got this! Through effective practice, the process of elimination, and good test-taking practices, you will score high on the AP Lang MC section, helping you earn the coveted  5️⃣ on the AP Lang exam.

2021 AP English Language Multiple Choice Help (MCQ)

What's poppin! If you need a break from all the chaos from studying, you've come to the right place. Let's look at some fantastic memes created from people all over the internet about AP Lang.

🚨 Quick note: we credited the creators of all of the memes and Tweets in this article unless they asked not to be named. Go show them some love!

1. What is the true purpose of the device? 🤔

Finding the function or purpose of a device is highly emphasized across the multiple-choice section of the exam in addition to its importance in the rhetorical analysis essay.

If you need help with rhetorical analysis, Fiveable's 

 will help you out significantly. There are past replays from teachers and high-scoring students, trivia games testing your knowledge of devices, and even study guides that 

 you to scoring a 6/6 on your rhetorical analysis essay!

Fiveable can also assist you with multiple choice. We have over twenty resources in 

, including past practice live streams and slide decks to assist you with strategies to succeed!

This has happened to many of us (including me!) before: you're staring at a passage and have no idea what to cite as devices in our rhetorical analysis. The backbone of rhetorical analysis is talking about 

 an author uses a specific strategy and 

 that device helps them achieve their purpose.

Since the 2020 AP exam was centered on the rhetorical analysis essay and the 6-point rubric, we have 

 of resources for you to use and practice to help you succeed. For instance, I did a live review of 

 if you need help with determining what devices/strategies you should include in your essay.

3. The author of a passage responds to College Board

This one doesn't even need explaining, and it is probably the craziest thing I've seen about AP Lang in a while. 

, AP Lang rhetorical analysis prompts are decades-old, but this year was an exception in more ways than one.

The author responded that, since he wrote it, he'd know if he had any rhetorical devices and insisted there were none. This shows that often times, authors are not even aware that they make rhetorical choices, and it's up to students to try to find what strategies the author uses to make their argument more persuasive.

If you're taking the test in-person (so every year besides 2020), you'll hear from the proctor that 

 prior to the release of free-response questions online could lead to your score's cancellation. In fact, College Board has actively monitored social media in the past and have asked students to delete their memes, since western U.S. students could 

 see content after eastern U.S. students finish the test.

AP Lang is ripe for memes since you can reference odd multiple choice questions or essay prompts (the wind turbines from 2019 were hilarious)!

So many AP Lang teachers insist that you 

 your essays throughout the year since you can't type on exam day. You'll get to use the hand cramps at some point, but noticeably whenever you're double-checking your essay, you'll probably see your handwriting progressively worse.

Sidenote: Any left-handed people reading this? 👀 I hope y'all can all relate with the 

 and how literally everything in this world is designed for right-handed people (binders, scissors, string instruments, doorknobs, you name it!).

Besides the students' names that you probably don't recognize, this is very accurate in depicting what AP teachers 

 from their students. For instance, "the author uses good diction" is universally regarded as a little bit silly, given that words = diction, and therefore, 

. (Instead, you should use a more descriptive adjective like suspenseful).

The loud background noise and music on top of the random references to Lang make this a fantastic meme - I rate it 10/10.

Last but not least, every Lang student's worst nightmare: amnesia. There have been so many times where I get to an essay prompt, and I'm just sitting there like 😐 🙃 . Basically, I'm just gonna start writing and hope that by the end, this makes sense.

 for every essay and multiple choice: rhetorical analysis, argument, synthesis, and composition passages! Don't worry, though - you'll feel prepared by the time May rolls around, and all the hard work you've done will pay off.

Sadly 😢 this is when the memes come to an end, but thanks for stopping by! Hopefully, you got some comedic relief before returning to the hefty work of writing more essays and answering more passages. You're gonna do great on the exam in May, and 

Perfect Memes for AP English Language

What's poppin? 🎈 📌  You're probably here because you felt like you needed resources for AP Lang. Don't worry—we got your back!

Personally, I didn't use any prep books for this course; however, my AP Lang teacher required us to do writing exercises in a book that I'll include later on!

Unlike History or STEM courses, AP Lang does 

 follow a stringent unit by unit structure. In fact, the 

 (CED) is extremely flexible for teachers to fit their courses.

The textbooks that I recommend are just books that can build up your skills that will help you score well on the exam!

This title of the book is probably what your teacher will tell you at the beginning of the year! Image Courtesy of 

Many AP Lang teachers use this book. Depending on whether you want to practice or not, there is a version with readings and one without 🤔

In this textbook, you'll learn about the development of rhetoric throughout history and the application of rhetoric today. As the title says, you'll figure out that 

 is an argument, and you'll gain the skills to build an effective one after reading through 📕

With its clever use of two of the four words in AP Lang's full title, the Language of Composition is extremely informative about the course. Image Courtesy of 

From the table of contents alone, this book's content is extremely comprehensive, encompassing the entire CED. The 

 not only covers the basic skills for AP Lang but also the application of those skills in multiple sectors.

One of the strongest aspects of this book is the various examples and media that are linked to each core concept. For instance, you'll be able to apply ethos, logos, and pathos to historical texts, colorful posters, and recent editorials!

Whether you're learning through the e-book or the hardcopy, using this book will propel you towards the coveted 5️⃣

With witty language that won't drive you to sleep, this book will help you out with improving your writing. Image Courtesy of 

 is not written to the AP Lang curriculum; rather, it discusses techniques to understand rhetoric in multiple mediums.

This book focuses quite a bit on the modern-day. You'll learn how to better perceive and comprehend nonfiction. The book begins with the principles of nonfiction reading and dives into specific reading strategies for multiple genres. In How to Read Nonfiction, you'll also learn about argument analysis, critical thinking when encountering texts, and becoming a better citizen through better reading.

Thankfully you won't have to listen to a professor lecture about composition; instead, you'll get their advice in a nice book! Image Courtesy of 

The book is very recent — it came out in May 2020! It's available on Kindle, audiobook, and hardcover.

This very old book will help you out in the long run! Image Courtesy of 

I'll be frank with you: the publication date of 1969 is probably going to instantly make you think I'm crazy for recommending this. However, 

 was probably the single book that made my writing more advanced and more precise ✍️

This book (obviously) does not align with the Fall 2020 AP Lang curriculum; however, it teaches you how to develop a strong thesis, structure an essay, and using active rather than passive voice! One of the great parts of the book is that it specifically tells you common mistakes that you might make in your writing and how to fix them 🔨

It's available in hardcover, paperback, and even textbook binding 📕

With different ways to make their logo look ~ different ~ each year, Princeton Review's Lang book can be worth it to some. Image Courtesy of 

This book is known for the "best value for the money," and it includes a bunch of content that could very well help you earn a 5️⃣ on exam day. In the book, you'll get some strategies that can help you succeed on the exam, in addition to a review of the three essays.

Moreover, there are three full practice tests in the book with two online. There are also pacing drills for multiple-choice and sample scored essays to guide you throughout the studying process 🏛️

The 2020 and 2021 exams are pretty much the same in format, so feel free to buy whichever book you prefer.

Yep, the website that does summaries does books too! Image Courtesy of 

You might think of CliffsNotes as the company that helps you before reading quizzes, but they make prep books too! CliffsNotes' AP Lang book provides a diagnostic test, four full practice exams, and strategies for both the multiple-choice and free-response sections.

A great aspect of this prep book is that it uses real practice prompts from previous AP exams. It also claims to only give you the information you need to ace the exam.

For some, after using CliffsNotes' AP Lang review book, you'll feel the relief that these people are feeling on this cliff on test day. Image Courtesy of 

You might be familiar with CliffsNotes easily readable summaries for books; similarly, this prepbook offers a relatable and familiar writing style for you!

With plenty of practice tests and some review tips, 5 Steps to a 5 could help you with succeeding on the Lang exam. Image Courtesy of 

5 Steps to a 5 for AP Lang is truly a review book. You'll learn tips and strategies for the multiple-choice section and each of the three essays 🖋️

It offers lots of practice essays and questions and helps you out with creating a study plan before the May exam. There are three full practice exams in the book and three others online. This would be a good supplement to the prep you've done in your AP Lang class.

Ultimately, there are lots of options for textbooks and prepbooks for AP Lang. Make sure you carefully take everything in this guide into consideration before you purchase anything. Also, 

's AP Lang hub can help you throughout the year with building up your skills.

You're going to do fantastic! Hopefully, this post helped you out as you embark on your journey to a 5️⃣ on the exam.

Best AP English Language Textbooks and Prep Books

AP English Language is often the first AP English course that students will take, and many are unaware of what it entails. While it may seem incredibly intimidating at first, AP Lang will actually develop skills that you can use in several AP courses. Let's get into how you can score a five on the exam!

Before beginning your preparation, you need to understand the format of the AP Lang exam, which looks like this:

Your hand is going to get really tired after the Lang exam! Image Courtesy of 

For multiple-choice, you have about half rhetorical analysis and half composition questions to answer. Rhetorical analysis questions include questions about the function of devices, passage structure, and other literary analysis topics. On the other hand, composition questions are similar to SAT writing questions where you have to "think like a writer" and fix errors in writing ⚠️

You'll go through a bunch of pens in Lang, whether it's annotating on multiple-choice or writing your free-response essays. Image Courtesy of 

The three essays cover three completely different areas of writing. You'll have roughly 40 minutes to write each essay.

2. Take detailed notes in class and ask questions

One of the great aspects of AP Lang is that there is very little memorization required for the exam. Therefore, you need to absorb the information that your teacher gives you in class. Many AP Lang teachers have years of experience, some as AP graders, so make sure to listen and take good notes 👩‍🏫 
Also, asking questions can be applied to many classes, especially for AP Lang. See your teacher before or after class to ask specific questions❓about your essays or for advice on multiple-choice — it'll help you in the long run.

3. Read books beyond the scope of your class syllabus.

Many high school English classes teach a stringent five-paragraph essay structure or require reading literature that is often inapplicable to AP Lang. However, a great way to improve your analysis skills is to read books that may not be in your class syllabus.

Some of your teacher's classrooms may look like this. Image Courtesy of 

 are two fantastic books that you can learn how to analyze rhetorical devices. You can apply evidence from books like 

 in your argument and synthesis essays. This 

 from Knox County Schools is a good start if you're bored and want to pick up a good book to read 📚

Something that remains important for both the multiple-choice section and the rhetorical analysis essay is your literary vocabulary. While the AP Lang exam has moved away from questions that ask "what is a synecdoche," you still need to be able to apply certain literary devices across the exam. 
Fiveable's 

 is a fantastic start for your studying. Feel free to use paper flashcards or Quizlet to help you memorize some of these terms. In fact, Fiveable put together a great 

list of Quizlet decks based on AP Lang's units

Annotation is incredibly underrated! While reading through multiple-choice passages or looking at prompts for the first time, make sure you're actually internalizing the information on that page. There are two steps to annotation, and for the first step, you have a few options:

You can create your own system as to what each means so that certain things would pop out from the text.

Here's an example of a student's annotations—note the notes made throughout the passage. Image Courtesy of 

The second step, however, is often overlooked by students: jotting down notes. Putting ink near phrases won't help you memorize it, but you should paraphrase or write commentary, which will help you comprehend that information later on ✍️
On multiple-choice passages, you should annotate any information that could prove relevant for rhetorical analysis questions later on. For the three essays, annotating the prompt and making notes about important context or the prompt's task is crucial for your success.

6. Practice using both official and unofficial AP Lang resources

There are a lot of great resources that will help you succeed on the AP Lang exam.

—the website you're reading this blog post on! The Fiveable AP Lang content hub includes study guides about each of the free-response prompts and multiple-choice sections in addition to live reviews, stream replays, and relevant trivia games!

 (which includes sample multiple-choice and free-response prompts) in addition to Fiveable's 

. You'll have plenty of resources to practice for the AP Lang exam 🏁


Finally, if you want to do some unofficial practice, 

 offers some practice multiple-choice questions and free-response prompts to make you feel more confident before exam day.


While taking advantage of resources is fantastic, it's more important that you develop habits that'll aid you on test day. For instance, practicing to finish writing your essays 5 minutes before the time ends allows you to look over your essay. You'll figure out a common structure or phrases to make your essay writing more productive and efficient ⏲️

7. Get feedback from former and current AP Lang students.

While AP Lang teachers can be extremely helpful with feedback, obtaining advice and feedback from your peers is beneficial 💯

You can seek advice from former AP Lang students about their experiences in the class and on the exam. They may have different perspectives and strategies that you can try out when you're practicing, resulting in new ways to score higher on the exam!

All in all, getting the 5️⃣ on AP Lang is not as difficult as it may appear. You'll find that paying attention in your classes, committing to practice, and asking for help will heavily contribute to your high score in May!

How to Get a 5 in AP English Language 

AP Lang, often students' first AP English course, is one of the most taken AP courses. The course and exam teach argumentation, rhetoric, and analysis of texts.

Personally, I thought AP Lang was a fantastic course. It not only helped me learn how to write more effectively, but it also developed my skills of analysis that aided me in other courses, like US History and Government. Many people at my school ask me whether it's incredibly difficult or worth it—let's take a look 🔍

We'll start with the numbers (yes, atypical for an English class):

While 2018 and 2019 saw a 57.4% and 55.1% pass rate respectively, 2020 had a 62% pass rate, likely because the test was just writing a rhetorical analysis essay. This does, however, demonstrate that the exam is not 

 difficult, especially given the lack of memorization needed for the course. Yet, the workload in the course more than makes up for that! 👷

It really does depend teacher to teacher on your workload, but generally speaking, AP Lang requires substantial reading and writing assignments both in and out of the classroom. Making sure that you're balancing your time effectively between AP Lang and other courses is crucial for your success and mental health ⚖️

You might get stressed out while taking Lang—don't worry, you'll get through it! Image from 

You'll need to be a motivated student to take this course! Some AP Lang teachers require lengthy chapter readings, while others may make you write research papers to help you learn how to build an argument. Let's take a look at what some AP Lang students have to say about their experience in the course.

One former AP Lang student brings up a great point about studying in this course:

"Lang is difficult, like every AP course out there, but it is different than the AP histories, languages, and social sciences. You can’t necessarily 'study' for Lang. You just have to practice a lot and let your teacher grade your practice essays. I, personally, got one B in the class because I’m not an English person per se, and the APEXs are the hardest in the class. Lang requires you to write eloquent essays in a short amount of time, so I will say it has a 7/10 scale on difficulty." —Diane Fakinlede

Similarly, another Lang student concurs about how it varies from student to student:

"It really depends on the person and their skillset. In my opinion, if you have a strong understanding of essay writing and are ready to work for your grade, then you can do it." —Lipi Buch

While Lang's "difficulty" may often vary based on your teacher's rigor, the exam itself and its (practically existent) requirement of practice make it a pretty difficult course. So is AP Lang worth taking?

The short answer: absolutely! Even Trevor Packer, the Vice President of Advanced Placement, said 

 that the skills and knowledge tested on the AP Lang exam have "a very strong relationship to overall college success."

This is because AP Lang quite literally gives you the skillset to succeed in so many careers—you'll learn how to critically analyze issues, create and respond to arguments, and incorporate evidence in your rhetoric (the foundation of research) 🗣️

AP Lang not only helps you with other standardized tests and courses (like the SAT rhetorical analysis essay), but it also assists you professionally in the future. You'll have a leg up on peers who have never incorporated evidence in their analysis when writing research papers, and you'll be able to create a convincing argument to persuade people to take your position!

You'll be a lot more convincing in your real-life discussions after learning how to build an argument in Lang! Image from 

Moreover, getting a high enough score on the Lang exam can get you out of some general education courses. Some schools require a writing and argumentation course that you can skip as a result of your AP Lang credit. At other schools, you can receive elective credit for AP Lang.

This course can also help you determine if you're interested in majoring in a field like communications, or even English. AP Lang often includes passages from political speeches—consequently, you could even pursue political communication in higher education.

Don't just hear it from me though—other students unanimously agree that AP Lang is worth it!

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Join Our Community

AP English Language Exam Prep 2020-21📖

Trending

Study Resources

Free Reviews 2020﻿

Multiple Choice Questions﻿

Free Response #1: Synthesis ﻿

Free Response #2: Rhetorical Analysis﻿

Free Response #3: Argument﻿

Cram Review 2019﻿

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Creators

Stephanie Kirk﻿

Jenni MacLean﻿

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Caytie Tedder﻿

Aly Williams﻿

Samantha Himegarner﻿

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