AP English Literature and Composition Exam Review Tips

As we near the AP English and Composition Exam, it is a temptation to rush through material we had hoped to cover, but didn’t. To give into that impulse is a mistake. The month of April should consist largely of review and practice. That said, some new pieces of poetry and prose excerpts can keep things fresh for students, but this isn’t the time to introduce longer fiction. Remember that longer fiction only comprises approximately 18% of the final exam.

The most important point to consider is how to build students’ confidence in what they already know and make them aware of the skills they have developed over the course of the year. The following tips and strategies aim to do just that.

Poetry

Traditionally this has proven to be the most challenging for students. Remember that the poetry students encounter will not be over 30 – 40 lines and can certainly be shorter. Sonnets have been popular over the years. Consider the following activities:

1. Have students revise on demand writing that they did at the beginning of the year. This provides an opportunity to apply skills they have honed since September and October. A reflection on how they improved the writing will metacognitively cement what they need to do in May. This also works well for FRQ’s 2 and 3.
2. Give students five previous poetry prompts that are available on AP Central. Have students choose one and write a timed response. This will expose them to multiple poems. If you give them a poem from before 2018, be sure to revise the prompt according to the template in the Course and Exam Description.

In [poet’s] poem [title], published in [publication date], the speaker [comment on what is being addressed in the poem]. Read the poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how [author] uses [poetic or literary] elements and techniques to [convey/ portray/develop a thematic, topical, or structural aspect of the poem that is complex and specific to the poem provided]. (Course and Exam Description pg. 136)

After they write the response have them get peer feedback using the scoring guide. This will solidify their understanding of how their responses will be scored. If time permits, students can do a revision based on feedback.

3. Have students search for poems in anthologies or the internet that might meet the requirements for inclusion on the exam. Give them stems of previous multiple-choice poems and have them write multiple choice questions for their found poem. This activity lends itself to group work. Students not only are exposed to more poetry, they develop confidence in answering the types of questions they will encounter on the exam.

Short Fiction

1. All the tips for Poetry review can be modified for short fiction analysis. Remember that fiction excerpts are between 300 and 500 words with 500 words being the upper limit. The stable wording template for the prose FRQ #2 is on page 137 of the Course and Exam Description and should be used to revise any prompts appearing before 2018.
2. Have students find 300 – 500 words excerpts from longer fiction they have read. Students can write and respond to their own FRQ prompts using the stable wording template from the Course and Exam Description. The activity does double duty of a review of longer fiction and practice with skills for FRQ2. Tell students the passages should have a character arc, a potential conflict and have several literary elements and techniques that lead to a defensible interpretation.

Longer Fiction (Literary Argument)

Some of the most common student shortcomings on the Literary Argument are confusing or forgetting character’s names and writing a plot summary rather than a literary argument with a defensible interpretation of themes and characters. The following review activities address these issues.

1. Have students review three to five longer works that they might use. Encourage them to try for a range in themes, characters, and conflicts. If they have kept summaries such as a major works data sheet or precis of some sort throughout the year, they can use those for review. An effective strategy is to put them in pairs or groups with other students who have chosen the same titles. Encourage them to share their earlier versions and add to their own from their classmates’ work.
2. If they haven’t kept summaries throughout the year, place them in groups to collectively create one to two major works data sheets or precis. It is important that they move beyond summary with this work and push for interpretations of themes and character. Encourage them to consider the FUNCTION of skill categories from the Course and Exam Description (character, setting, structure, narrator, symbols, and comparisons.
3. In years past, students were expected to respond to FRQ#3 with longer fiction. Now short fiction is accepted, but students should make certain the work is complex enough to sustain a fully developed literary argument.