AP® English Literature

When it’s time to take the AP® English Literature and Composition exam, will you be ready? If you’re aiming high, you’ll want to know the best route to a five on the AP® exam. You know the exam is going to be tough, so how do prepare for success? To do well on the AP® English Literature and Composition exam, you’ll need to score high on the essays. For that, you’ll need to write a competent, efficient essay that argues an accurate interpretation of the work under examination in the Free Response Question section.

The 2017 AP® English Literature Free Response Questions focus on varying themes and are each structured differently. For an overview of the three prompt types that you may encounter, read The Ultimate Guide to 2016 AP® English Literature FRQs. Here we discuss the third FRQ prompt which allows you to choose a particular work of literature as the focus of your essay.

The 2017 AP® English Literature Free Response Questions focus on varying themes and are each structured differently. For an overview of the three prompt types that you may encounter, read The Ultimate Guide to 2016 AP® English Literature FRQs. Here we discuss the third FRQ prompt which allows you to choose a particular work of literature as the focus of your essay.

If you were out on a hike and someone coming down stopped to tell you that the path to the right was flooded, would you make sure to avoid that path? If you walked on and another hiker said a mountain lion was spotted up ahead, would you find another way?

We understand the apprehension you may feel thinking about the AP® English Literature FRQ portion. We’ve all been through it. Students experienced the same fear in 2015, but we have proof that they made it out the other side.

As we approach AP® exam time, you’ll want to explore how to best prepare yourself for the AP® English Literature free-response section of the exam. Free-response makes up 55% of your test score. In this section, you will write three essays regarding prompts from poetry, a selected passage, and a work of literary fiction you select.

While all AP® courses are challenging, how to study for the AP® English Literature and Composition exam is especially hard to determine. Unlike other AP® courses, the study of English literature can be a much more personal journey. You also may not have the opportunity to read all of the texts that may be included in the examination materials.

Last spring, Jodi G. from Saugus High School sent us an insightful list of AP® English Literature tips her graduating class of 2014 students compiled for her future students. We thought we’d share this wonderful resource. Thanks Jodi for sending this over!