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AP® Spanish Language

The Ultimate Guide to 2015 AP® Spanish Language Writing FRQs

The Albert Team
Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

2015 AP® Spanish Language Writing FRQs

This study guide, based on the AP® Spanish Language FRQ section from the 2015 exam, will walk you through writing FRQ questions and offer examples and strategies to assist you in earning a high score. It will do this by dissecting the 2015 FRQ test to provide detailed information on what test scorers look for in top scores. Examples of previous year’s test prompts and previous test-takers’ work will reveal what to avoid when writing your own answers come test day.

2015 FREE RESPONSE QUESTION #1:

Question #1, referred to as the Presentational Writing component of the AP® Spanish Language FRQ, asked that students scan a document – an email, text message, or invitation, perhaps – and reply with a written response.

The Prompt

The 2015 AP® FRQ #1 in the writing section asked tests takers to sustain interaction through a written e-mail message received in relation to a potential scholarship to go to Peru. Using a formal form of address, they were asked to include a greeting and a closing, respond to two questions posed in the email, and elicit further information on a topic of their choice in the message. Students were expected to use an assortment of vocabulary, such as idiomatic and culturally applicable terminology. The allotted time to complete this task was 15 minutes.

The 5s – A Strong Response

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

Test scorers recommend students follow the directions so that they answer what is being asked of them. If, for example, an email prompt asks that you “include a greeting and a closing,” so be sure to include this in your reply. In the above excerpt, the test-taker clearly understands the task at hand and responds to the email appropriately. They begin with a well-established introduction and continue by providing all of the asked for information. The above example shows how the writer answered posed questions and requested information, while at the same time drawing upon her cultural knowledge of Peru to make comparisons to her own community in the United States (el seviche es una comida tradicional).

In general, the test scorer found the essay clear and easy to read due to the employment of strong vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and minimal grammatical errors (maravillosa oportunidad; cambio de costumbres; comidas rapidas).

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

Remember to show off your language skills by building some complexity in your responses! The above example by the same student also earned high points for their use of compound sentences with the subjunctive (Espero haber respondido todas sus preguntas y que le sean de gran utilidad).

The 4s and 3s – A Fair Response

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

This test-taker continues to do a fair job of responding to the email by offering a suitable salutation and closing.

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

Be sure to address the task or answer the question presented to you. In the above example, they answer what kinds of difficulties a foreigner might experience while living in another country like Peru. Unfortunately, though, the test-taker did not request any further information, one of the requirements of the prompt, thus negatively impacting the final score.

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

Test scorers further noted that though the use of language is mostly correct, the writer only attempts verbs in present tense (Sin embargo, me acostumbro) and simple sentence structures (Tambien, no voy a tener que pagar tanto después que me gradúo de la universidad). You are encouraged to use difficult sentence structures, but of course be sure you use them correctly. Practice these prior to the exam so you know them! The failure to try more advanced tenses and structures resulted in a lower test score.

The 2s and 1s – A Weak Response

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

This test-taker did not provide a proper response to the given task. For starters, their greeting is not in the appropriate formal register (Estimado Natalia).

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

The writer demonstrates in the response that they did not fully understand what was required in their essay. The above excerpt indicates that the writer believed they had already won the scholarship and joined the program.

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

The incorrect use of language makes understanding the email reply very difficult. Often the writer relies on direct English translations (no estando familiar con locación, no conociendo muchos gentes; porque ellos forma quien usted es!). You can also see in the above example that the student does not employ the appropriate gender modifiers (muchos gentes), plural agreements (experiencias como este), and lacks subject-verb agreement (ellos forma).

Student’s Written Response

Commentary

The incorrect verb tenses are employed from time to time (es posible que hay oportunidades encontrar trabajos), and direct English to Spanish translations are common (Por favor, si usted irá en este experiencia, usted dice como lo fue!). The response lost major points on account of this.

Tips from the Test Scorers

Test scorers noted that at times students had difficulty comprehending the email. For example, instead of answering how the trip to Peru would impact their lives, they talked about how the experience impacted them at the time they received the email. This indicated that students should brush up on their verb tenses in preparation for questions like these.

Students often only gave the bare minimum of answers to posed questions. Scorers encourage test-takers to go deeper into detail when giving their replies. It is important to note that the body/main part of the written text is where students can really show off their language skills, describing specific details to earn the highest scores.

It’s a good idea to studying various modes of communication, be it writing a greeting, answering questions, asking for clarification or more information, or drafting a closing statement. Also, students often used an informal register when responding to the email. Go over the differences between the informal (tú) and formal (usted) so that you know when to use which for the test.

FREE RESPONSE QUESTION #2:

Question #2, referred to as the Persuasive Essay component of the AP® Spanish Language exam, asked students to synthesize an argument from several sources like articles, tables, graphs, or audio artifacts to express their beliefs on a particular theme.