<p>I swear my english teacher is a crazy grader. I think that she has only given out one 9 all year to anyone in any class. She has 3 of 30 kids. She occasionally gives people 8s. But in all, she is really good at making people feel like they suck at writting. Especially after she shows us samples that have been scored....some of them suck and they get 8s...
i really hope that the graders are easier than my teacher...</p>
<p>omg lunar, I'm freaking out too!!</p>
<p>I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow :(
Freak out and die is my guess. lol</p>
<p>dearsky-</p>
<p>Absolutely stand out in front of your argument. You make the point and use the experts to support your claims. The death of a synthesis essay is the thought that you use the sources to provide your argument; they should be there to add credence and examples.</p>
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Don't get so far away from the prompt that you forget that AP =Answer the Prompt
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<p>I'm not so sure about this. Of the 9s I've seen, some of them don't really address the question in a straightforward way, they instead simply show an impressive level of insight about the piece and are marked by excellent writing quality. That being said, it's very hard to go wrong if you simply answer the prompt clearly and effectively, you might not get a 9, but you should get a 7 or an 8.</p>
<p>PaPa H-- I read a lot, and I enjoy writing, but I wouldn't say I'm naturally talented or anything. My essays sure as hell were not terribly insightful. I basically approached them all the way my WHAP teacher told us to handle World History DBQs-- come up with a comprehensive thesis and latch onto it like a bulldog with a slab of beef, returning doggedly to it after every point. It helps with the organization and everything, but it doesn't exactly make for brilliance or creativity. I think the effect is one of stolid, boring competency.</p>
<p>Lol, pekingnese, don't freak out! I'm just going to approach it with an absolutely fatalistic mindset so I won't be disappointed no matter what. Like Spanish. I actually felt better after Spanish than after any of the tests I was actually prepared for. Because I came in expecting blood and horror, but it was only mildly horrific?</p>
<p>lunar-</p>
<p>Sounds like you probably write a lot of 7s maybe 8s. You are very much in play for a 4 or a 5 depending on your APM/C.--Best of Luck.</p>
<p>ooohh thanks PaPa H. so for a synthesis, you're allowed to use and incorporate your own ideas and examples as long as you end up using some of the documents as examples? (as you can probably tell, my english teacher this year was not much of a teacher.. )</p>
<p>raller-</p>
<p>I agree with what you are saying, if that is what you see then you will probably see/write 9s, but I just can't, in good conscience, tell students to respond tangetially. If YOU are able to discern the difference between seeing the meat in a prompt and writing 9s according to your heart, then I would not discourage you. It just seems to me that many posting here are looking for more concrete advice.</p>
<p>BTW-everything you have posted that I have seen has been really sound, so you clearly get it.</p>
<p>four paragraph essays (2 body) are preferred then? (this comes from a previous post that A, B, C essays sound boring.) i've found it difficult to write 3 solid, well thought out paragraphs within the time limits. i'd rather use only 2 examples that go deep in analysis than 3 mediocre examples...</p>
<p>dearsky-
It is not easy to be an AP teacher, so far be it from me to be critical.</p>
<p>that said-many of the prompts I see state something to the effect of "What would the person who is making the decision need to consider to..." This should lead you to a multi-faceted open issue, and I coach mine to give the considerations/history of their argument, and then start plugging away at the most "global" and "world citizen" type aspects. Hint: it usually comes down to a humanitarian concern vs. cost (pollution-nobody votes for more pollution, but nobody votes their paycheck to clean it up either.) Because everything else is a shade of gray, you just define how gray it is by citing sources that buile your case.</p>
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I agree with what you are saying, if that is what you see then you will probably see/write 9s, but I just can't, in good conscience, tell students to respond tangetially. If YOU are able to discern the difference between seeing the meat in a prompt and writing 9s according to your heart, then I would not discourage you. It just seems to me that many posting here are looking for more concrete advice.
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</p>
<p>You're right, I guess my point was sort of just to those out there who are more creative writer types than formal analysis types that you don't have to write a completely dry and bland essay that has no life and lists things in a rote manner, which is what I am afraid people will do if they are told "answer the question very specifically".</p>
<p>Off to bed..GL everyone..don't forget those pens and pencils. :D</p>
<p>i guess that i will try being so bitter about my teacher and yeah... -.-;;</p>
<p>thanks for the input so far PaPa H hahah (: but i'm also wondering... in general, is it better to qualify?! or to just go for one side and then near the end do a rebuttal arguing against the point of one of the sources? or is this totally up to the individual lol.</p>
<p>debater-</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about the form as much as the content. Check the postings by raller. If you have two great points-make them and let the chips fall. Follow a comfortable debate form and let fly. If it ends up with 5 paragraphs, oh well. The point was never oh write 4 or 6 because 5 is bad, the point is a 3 point essay can seem like a sermon, and graders will reward you for what you do well. A 5-p essay is generally a basic formula, but if you are good it will trump the "simplicity"-or said another way tricking it up won't help if there is nothing underneath!</p>
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thanks for the input so far PaPa H hahah (: but i'm also wondering... in general, is it better to qualify?! or to just go for one side and then near the end do a rebuttal arguing against the point of one of the sources? or is this totally up to the individual lol.
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<p>If you can add qualifications without interrupting the flow of your essay, use them. If you find your qualifiers are awkward and make your essay less "fluid" than you should try to bunch them together a bit more (also, from what I've seen, often you only need to respond to 1 potential criticism, though answering another can be nice).</p>
<p>dearsky-</p>
<p>great question-I asked the same one in San Antonio in February at teh AP conference. I was told by 3 graders, that taking a strong stand is where MOST of the top essays were, but they "qualified" that with the fact that if you do a great job qualifying it can be done.</p>
<p>Overall, I tell mine to write on one side and concede the strength of the oppositions argument, followed by a refutation. Here is why-if you never acknowledge the other side you look like you don't "see" it, but if you come across as wishy-washy, you lose ground.</p>
<p>raller are you taking this exam or teaching it?</p>
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raller are you taking this exam or teaching it?
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<p>I am taking the exam, my English teacher has very helpfully photocopied lots of released exams and material she's gotten at College Board training workshops, which I've read quite throughly (well, at least I think I've read it thoroughly:P). The reason I've studied it so much is because I am not a great writer. I am very good at the MC, but my writing is very choppy and often lacks both voice and cohesion, not to mention the number of essays I've started by restating the prompt.</p>
<p>oh i see. haha okay i'm pretty sure that i will argue my ass off instead of qualifying lol. thanks you guys! (: </p>
<p>okay my last question (i promise) hahah</p>
<p>do you have any suggestions/strategies for the multiple choice section? i always seem to be getting so many wrong..... =/</p>