2008: FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
Questions 1. All Questions
Scoring
- Scoring Guidelines
- Student Performance Q&A
- Scoring Statistics
Samples and Commentary
- Sample Responses Q1
Sample Responses Q2
Sample Responses Q3
Grade Distributions 6. Grade Distributions
1. “All Questions” will take you to the actual questions for that specific year and the texts on which
they were based. Often there are two different tests for a given year, which means you have twice as
many samples from which to learn. The second test will be labeled Form B.
2. “Scoring Guidelines” is a document that the AP readers were given prior to scoring each essay. It is
their rubric.
3. “Student Performance Q&A” is a document geared toward AP teachers, but you will find it
illuminating as well. The document is a summary of what the intent of each question was, what they
were hoping students would do with each question, the average scores, the main problems they
witnessed in student essays, and tips for teachers to help students to do better in the future.
4. “Scoring Statistics” shows how most students scored on the essays; it gives you the mean score.
Most students typically score in the middle range on their essays.
5. For each question (Q1, 2, and 3) you will get three student essays. There is always a top-rated essay,
a middle one, and a lower-rated essay. Look for what makes the top essay different from the middle
or lower essay. You will also find a summary of readers’ commentaries here. This information can
be enlightening, as what they have to say often reinforces what you are learning about writing good
essays. Do read and take to heart what they say in the commentary.
6. Sometimes the College Board will publish “Grade Distributions,” but not always. This report shows
you how many students scored 5’s, 4’s, and so on. It does not tell you specifically about how
students scored on any particular essay, but only for the exam in general. This is the least meaningful
bit of information here, and regarding your goal to improve your essays, is not all that helpful.
In your analysis, you will want to specifically look for the following:
1) What did the prompt ask students to do?
2) How effective was the particular student’s introduction?
3) How did the writer follow the method of stating a claim, supporting it with evidence from the text,
and explaining what he or she meant (CSE)?
