From Summary to Insight: Pushing AP English Students Toward Sophisticated Commentary

One of the most persistent challenges in AP® English classrooms isn’t getting students to write—it’s getting them to move beyond summary.

AP students are often strong readers who can accurately recount what happens in a text. But when it comes to explaining why it matters or how an author creates meaning, many responses stall at plot retelling or surface-level observations. On the AP English exams, however, summary alone earns little to no credit. Students must demonstrate insight, analysis, and purposeful commentary.

Helping students make that leap—from what the text says to how and why it works—is essential for success on both the exam and beyond.

Why Students Default to Summary

Students don’t summarize because they’re lazy; they summarize because it feels safe.

Summary:

• Feels concrete and “correct”

• Relies on comprehension rather than interpretation

• Mimics writing habits reinforced in earlier grades

Analysis, on the other hand, requires risk. It asks students to make claims, explain authorial choices, and articulate abstract ideas—skills that take time, modeling, and practice to develop.

Step 1: Redefine Commentary as “Meaning-Making”

Many students believe commentary means restating evidence in different words. Instead, commentary should answer one core question:

So what?

Strong AP commentary:

• Explains how evidence supports the claim

• Connects literary techniques to meaning

• Explores the impact on the reader or the text’s message

When students understand that commentary is about meaning, not repetition, their writing begins to shift.

Classroom strategy: After citing evidence, require students to complete the sentence: “This shows that…” or “This suggests…”—and prohibit plot details in the explanation.

Step 2: Teach Students to Identify Authorial Choices

Sophisticated analysis focuses on what the author does, not just what the text says.

Encourage students to look for:

• Diction and syntax

• Imagery and figurative language

• Structural choices

• Shifts in tone or perspective

AP readers reward commentary that connects these choices to meaning. Perfection Learning’s AP® English resources emphasize this skills-based approach, helping students consistently link technique to purpose.

Classroom strategy: Ask students to underline verbs in their commentary. If the verbs describe the author’s actions rather than the plot, they’re on the right track.

Step 3: Replace Formula with Flexible Thinking

While sentence frames can support emerging writers, overreliance on rigid formulas can flatten analysis.

Instead of abandoning structure entirely, shift students toward adaptable thinking patterns:

• Claim → Evidence → Meaning

• Choice → Effect → Significance

• Technique → Interpretation → Insight

This flexibility encourages originality while still maintaining clarity and focus.

Classroom strategy: Provide multiple models of strong commentary that earn points without sounding identical.

Step 4: Model the Difference Between Summary and Insight

Students need to see what analysis looks like.

Side-by-side examples are especially effective:

• A summary-based paragraph

• A commentary-driven paragraph

Analyzing these examples together helps students identify why one earns credit and the other falls short.

Classroom strategy: Have students label sentences as summary, evidence, or commentary in sample responses before writing their own.

Step 5: Push Students to Answer “Why It Matters”

High-scoring AP responses don’t just analyze—they contextualize significance.

Strong commentary often:

• Explains how a moment contributes to a larger theme

• Connects a technique to character development or author’s purpose

• Shows awareness of complexity or nuance

This level of insight signals maturity and earns higher rubric marks.

Classroom strategy: Add a final commentary sentence requirement: “Why is this moment important to the text as a whole?”

Step 6: Use Rubrics as Teaching Tools, Not Just Scoring Guides

AP English rubrics reward commentary that demonstrates understanding, reasoning, and sophistication—not length.

When students study rubric language, they begin to recognize:

• Why summary earns limited credit

• How insightful commentary strengthens an argument

• What differentiates adequate analysis from strong analysis

Perfection Learning’s AP® English materials align instruction, practice, and scoring expectations, helping students internalize what quality analysis looks like long before exam day.

Classroom strategy: After practice essays, have students highlight the sentence they believe shows the strongest insight—and explain why.

From Retelling to Reasoning

Moving students from summary to insight doesn’t happen overnight. It requires explicit instruction, consistent modeling, and repeated opportunities to practice meaningful commentary.

When students learn to focus on authorial choices, explain significance, and articulate why details matter, their writing transforms. More importantly, they become confident, analytical readers—ready for the demands of AP English and beyond.

With intentional scaffolding and aligned resources, insight isn’t elusive. It’s teachable.