<p>So, I am a junior who is currently taking AP Lang and just recently we got our grades back for the research paper we wrote. I was confident that I would get no less than a B due to the rigorous amount of effort and work I had put into it. To my dismay, I got a 70%. This wouldn't have been so bad had the class average not been a 90%. Growing up, I have been told several times that writing is my strong suit but this class had really shattered any form of confidence I had in me. Now, I am currently deliberating whether or not I should drop the class since I seem to be doing worse than anyone in the class. Some may say that with effort, I will be able to succeed but this past semester has been nothing but discouraging failure. The worst part is that the majority of the students in my grade hold no interest to what we are learning and wrote their essays the night before yet still managed to pull off amazing grades. Well, my little rant is over and that leaves me with a question...do you all think that I should continue on with the class or not? I feel as though my writing is good, just not in a way in which she wants is. Does this ultimately mean I will fail the AP lang exam?
Also, is anyone willing to read my research paper in an effort to tell me where I screwed up?
Thanks, and sorry for the pity party I through myself.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should give up so quickly. You can only grow as a writer if you open yourself to criticism. I’ve gotten Cs on a lot of individual assignments in various classes and my final grades have mostly been good. </p>
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<p>I can read it if you want. (What kind of comments did your teacher leave, though? I would definitely suggest going to him/her for extra feedback.)</p>
<p>I’m in AP Lang right now, and I understand where you’re coming from. However, don’t give up. So what if you didn’t do great? Maybe you didn’t fully understand the prompt or something. Lots of reasons for not getting as good of a grade as you wanted. Just learn from the criticism your teacher gives you. Don’t quit; just keep working hard.</p>
<p>I’ll read your paper too.</p>
<p>AP English Lang and Lit are two classes that tend to start off poorly and improve as time goes on. I’ve seen many students in my Lang class go from consistently getting 2’s and 3’s on essays to getting 7’s and 8’s on essays in a matter of months.</p>
<p>AP Lang isn’t real writing - its really just comprehensive rhetoric analysis. The essays are all formulaic, and not at all imaginative. Once you master how to write the perfect synthesis, rhetorical analysis, and argument essay, your grade will pick up. You can almost create a universal template that you can use time and time again. I remember my argument essays used to be kairos+thesis+introduction of evidence topics, followed by topic sentence+elaboration of evidence+real world connection for three paragraphs, then a reiteration of the argument in the conclusion, and I received 8’s and 9’s on every argument essay. </p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about your style or voice - just master the Lang-specific essays and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for the feedback and advice. I talked to my AP lang teacher the other day about my essay and she really opened up my eyes in terms of where I went wrong. I guess the only thing left to do is to keep practicing in order to improve. For those who agreed to read my essay, I’ve decided not to burden you all with the trouble of it. Thanks again!</p>