The AP® Spanish Language Course targets interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication through writing, reading, speaking, and understanding. Strategies that emphasize vocabulary, language structure, communication, and culture in both contemporary and historical contexts are taught almost exclusively in Spanish. Instruction is often interactive, using Spanish books, music, and patterns of social interactions within a culture to familiarize students with the language.

This AP® Spanish study guide will briefly outline the format of the AP® Spanish Language Exam, putting particular emphasis on the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response section. It will provide insights into why the free-response section is important to the overall test results, mention content covered in the free-response section, and discuss how to prepare for AP® Spanish Language Free-Response section. Finally, this guide will provide you with AP® Spanish Language Exam tips to help you answer the free-response questions on the day of the test, and provide AP® Spanish Language practice questions.

What is the Format of the AP® Spanish Language Exam?

The AP® Spanish Language Exam is approximately three hours long and consists of two sections divided into several components.

The first section asks test takers to complete a number of listening and reading comprehension questions. Here students are asked to listen to prerecorded interviews, radio programs, podcasts, or to read articles from newspapers, web pages, special reports, or literature, and answer multiple choice questions about each of them.

The second section, also referred to as the “AP® Spanish Free-Response” section, lasts about one hour and 30 minutes. It deals with writing and speaking both informal and formal Spanish. The Interpersonal Writing component, for example, asks that students look over a document – an email, perhaps – and respond with a written answer. The Presentational Writing component asks students to draw together an argument from a number of sources like articles, tables, graphs, or an audio artifact to express their views on a particular topic.

Students also interact with documents in the informal and formal speaking component as well. In the Interpersonal Speaking component, test takers are given five listening passages meant to provoke conversation. Students then respond to the clip for about 20 seconds per question. The Presentational Speaking component asks that test takers speak for a bit longer – for two minutes, to be exact. Here they are given a prompt on a cultural topic, where they are asked to compare how such an issue may be similar or different in their own community and that of a Spanish-speaking country.

Why is the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response Important?

The AP® Spanish Language Exam is scored by a team of college faculty and seasoned AP® teachers trained in fair-mindedness and uniformity. This Free-Response section, like the multiple choice section, is 50% of your final exam grade – so it’s pretty important. The weighted scores from the Free-Response section are combined with those from a machine-graded multiple choice. These are summed and given an AP® composite score of a 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 (5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest).

What Content is Covered in the Free-Response Section of the AP® Spanish Language Exam?

The exam tests the social, cultural, academic, and workplace skills you have been developing throughout your AP® Spanish course. In particular, test-takers are presented with questions on global challenges, science & technology, contemporary life, personal and public identities, families and communities, and beauty and aesthetics. Within these themes, students are asked to interact with an assortment of media, voice their opinions, and make connections and comparisons between English and Spanish speaking communities.

How can Test Takers Prepare for the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response Section?

In this section, you’ll find a few suggestions on how you can conduct your own AP® Spanish review during your free time. The CollegeBoard also offers some additional insights to get test-takers ready for test day. You can find out more by clicking here.

Writing

One way to prepare for the writing section of the exam is to look through various review books — in addition to your textbook, AP® Spanish: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination by José M. Díaz, Prentice Hall’s Una Vez Más (Once More), or Triángulo (Triangle) by Barbara Gatski all come highly recommended. When looking through these books, check out a few practice questions that are modeled after writing prompts from the test. Doing a few practice drills will better acquaint you with the sorts of essay questions asked on the test. If your AP® Spanish teacher has the time, ask them to go over any mistakes you may have made while working out your answers.

Speaking

You’ll improve your Spanish skills by speaking the language on a daily basis. As mentioned, the exam asks you to discuss various topics in Spanish, for times ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. Practicing this skill will be invaluable. Without limiting yourself, speak in simple, frank sentences that use vocabulary and grammar you are most conversant in. Investing in a digital recorder so that you can practice speaking into it is one way to improve your oral communication skills while developing muscle memory for particular tough-to-pronounce Spanish sounds.

How can Test Takers Answer the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response Questions?

Albert offers test takers some useful tips to prepare them for the writing section of the AP® Spanish Language exam (see Albert’s The Ultimate List of AP® Spanish Language Tips for further details). Here are a few more insights regarding how you may want to tackle answering these during the exam.

AP® Spanish Language Essay Tips & Advice

1. Begin your paragraphs with clear topic sentences and follow them with well-organized supporting sentences. Link paragraphs with transitional phrases like De esta manera, como resultado, además de eso.
2. Write neatly in pen.
3. If using difficult sentence structures, be sure you use them correctly. Practice these prior to the example so that you’ll have them down to a science!
4. Incorporate each of the sources you’re being asked to discuss.
5. Be sure to follow the directions so that you answer what is being asked of you. If, for example, an email prompt asks that you “include a greeting and a closing,” so be sure to include this in your reply.
6. Show off your language skills by using the subjunctive.
7. The Presentational Writing component asks that you write a persuasive essay. Be sure that you include a strong argument backed up with the sources provided to support your position. You may want to reference and disclaim the opposing arguments first, to strengthen your point.

Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Examples and Tips

1. Use the time you have to talk! If you get stuck, return to the main idea to help jog your memory.
2. Rather than using filler words in English (ahh, but, so, and…), try Spanish fillers instead (pues, bueno, y, o sea, entonces…)
3. Don’t be afraid to correct any mistakes you’ve made.
4. Keep your Interpersonal Speaking answers casual.
5. Be sure to address the task or answer the question presented to you.
6. Consider who you are talking to and decide if you should use informal (tú) or formal (Usted) pronouns.
7. Jot down an outline, grammar notes, or a vocabulary bank to glance upon in case you get stuck.
8. The Presentational Speaking component is formal, so remember who your audience is and adjust accordingly.
9. Stay organized by building your comparisons off of a thesis or main idea, then go into differences and similarities with supporting evidence. Remember to conclude with a summary of your arguments.
10. Outline key ideas, but do not script what you want to say.
11. Remember that in this section you are being asked to compare aspects of your culture with those of a Spanish-speaking culture. Jot down a Venn diagram or other visual tools to help you organize your claims.
12. Research a few specifics on Spanish speaking countries so that you’ll have cultural references to draw from.
13. Use transition words likeademás, por ejemplo, por otro lado, aunque, por el contrario…
14. Remember it is okay to talk about your personal experiences. Use this to support your opinion.

What are the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response Questions Like?

Below you’ll find some examples of real Free-Response Questions from the CollegeBoard’s AP® Central (you can check out specific details and more sample questions here). Try a few of these questions in the months before the test to ensure you are getting your fill of AP® Spanish practice!

AP® Spanish Language Essay Tips & Advice

Example 1: You will write a reply to an e-mail message. You have 15 minutes to read the message and write your reply. Your reply should include a greeting and a closing and should respond to all the questions and requests in the message. In your reply, you should also ask for more details about something mentioned in the message. Also, you should use a formal method of address.

Example 2: You will write a persuasive essay to submit to a Spanish writing contest. The essay topic is based on three accompanying sources, which present different viewpoints on the topic and include both print and audio material. First, you will have 6 minutes to read the essay topic and the printed material. Afterward, you will hear the audio material twice; you should take notes while you listen. Then, you will have 40 minutes to prepare and write your essay. In your persuasive essay, you should present the sources’ different viewpoints on the topic and also clearly indicate your own viewpoint and defend it thoroughly. Use information from all of the sources to support your essay. As you refer to the sources, identify them appropriately. Also, organize your essay into clear paragraphs.

Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Examples and Tips

Example 1: You will participate in a conversation. First, you will have one minute to read a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each turn in the conversation. Afterward, the conversation will begin, following the outline. Each time it is your turn to speak, you will have 20 seconds to record your response. You should participate in the conversation as fully and appropriately as possible.

Example 2: You will make an oral presentation on a specific topic to your class. You will have four minutes to read the presentation topic and prepare your presentation. Then you will have two minutes to record your presentation. In your presentation, compare your own community to an area of the Spanish-speaking world with which you are familiar. You should demonstrate your understanding of cultural features of the Spanish-speaking world. You should also organize your presentation clearly.

How can Test Takers Practice for the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response Section?

In summary, there are a lot of resources that test takers can draw from to help them with the AP® Spanish Language Free-Response section. Wrap your mind around as many interviews, radio programs, podcasts, newspapers, web pages, special reports, or literature in Spanish as you can handle. Meet with your fellow students or Spanish speakers in your community to attend Spanish cultural events and films, Discuss current global events; the latest tech gadgets; or your love, family, or work life. In other words, if you engage with the language on a daily basis, you’ll not only be developing skills that will help you practice for the test, but you’ll be opening yourself up to unique social worlds in new and dynamic ways.

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