Specific Strategies for the

Free Response Section

 

 

oKnow your time limits. Remember that your time on the

free‐response questions is limited. Plan your answer

carefully. Think about the major points that you want to make and the evidence you plan to include to support these statements.

 

 

oBefore you start writing your essay, be sure that you

understand the passage or poem (if there is one).

 

 

oPreparation works. Although the English teachers who

score the free‐response section will generally be

sympathetic if you revise your first reading or 

understanding of a passage as you write your answer, 

more preparation early on could save you the need to 

revise your thinking in the middle of your response.

 

 

oSubstance counts. You need to write enough to answer

the question fully and to make your ideas convincing by 

supporting them with specific details. Long answers are 

not necessarily the best answers, but answers that are 

very sketchy or filled with unsupported generalizations 

usually do not receive the highest scores. In the time 

allowed for each question, AP English students are 

usually able to write several substantial paragraphs and 

to develop their critical analysis at some length.

 

 

oTake care with revisions. Because of the time limitation in

the free‐response section, you will not be able to write a

rough draft and then recopy your answer. However, 

space is provided in the exam booklet and in the response 

booklet to make notes and/or to outline your answer. As 

you write your essay, you can cross out words and 

sentences and even insert a part or move it from one 

section to another.

 

 

oTry to save a little time for reviewing your essay so that

you can edit or revise it slightly. Make sure that any 

changes you make are clearly marked and legible and

 that any parts you want to delete are carefully crossed 

out.

 

 

oIs it natural for you to be very nervous about the AP

English Exam? Yes. It’s understandable to be anxious 

when you are about to do something on which others will 

judge your performance. For most people, knowledge is 

the great moderator of anxiety. The more you know in 

advance about a course or an exam, the less you will 

worry.

 

 

oKnowing about an exam means understanding what

kinds of questions you will be asked, how the exam will 

be graded, how much time you’ll have to respond, and so 

on. Knowing that you are prepared in terms of the exam’s 

content is probably the most calming knowledge of all. 

Consistent study, frequent review, and diligent practice 

throughout the course will powerfully support you for 

daily classroom learning and for taking tests.