hi i am currently in ap eng lang and since the ap tests are right around the corner i am about dying from stress.
i cannot write good essays i feel like i cannot change it bc “writing is a craft and it takes years to build up and stuff” (english is not my first language and i came to the united states only 2 - 3 years ago) but honestly every time we have essays in class i get 4s ad 5s in rhetorical analyses and 6s in argument . the multiple choice just rapes me everytime because either i don’t have enough time or the passage seems like another language . How should i improve if there is any way to and should i purchase any prep books for the ap tests? i have gone to my teacher several times after school and all to ask him what is wrong on my essays and how i should improve but none of that seems to help. i know it wont be an overnight process it will take time but i am willing to work harder to see ANY sort of improvement .I am naturally not a good writer . I am so scared of writing that i feel sick because i know i cant write good. Next year college essays will be the death of me. Please help?
In regards to the multiple choice (which always seems to screw me over as well), I am practicing using released CollegeBoard practice tests. Do them under timed conditions. That’s honestly the only way to practice for multiple choice; its looking closely into the author’s strategies and conventions.
You can also practice with SAT CR sections, as those questions are similar to the ones on the AP exam. But please remember to review your rhetorical strategies.
For prep books, I’m using Kaplan and Cliffsnotes. I’d advise you, for essays, to look at student sample essays on CollegeBoard’s website. They explain why each student got what they got on the essay, and what they did well and also what they lacked in. From there, try to, dare I say emulate, what these students do in their essays. For example, in the rhetorical analysis, don’t summarize the prompt, but rather, go in order of the passage and break it to pieces, identifying every rhetorical strategy you can while relating it to the author’s purpose. That’s extremely important.
Here are my two cents regarding each essay:
Argument: Use clear and compelling evidence, along with apt vocabulary to truly persuade your reader. You want to make the reader be on your side. The SAT essay is also good practice for the argument essay, as it is an argument essay itself. You will need to base your arguments on the quotes they give you, but don’t repeat the prompt in your essay. In terms of other pieces of evidence you will need to use in our essay besides the quotes they give you, don’t use cliche examples (Holocaust, World War II, 9/11, etc.)
Synthesis: This essay will require you to also compile an argument, but it must be based on sources they give you. You will be given 9 sources and asked to make an argument on a certain issue. Some sources will take one side of the argument, and the rest of the sources will take the other side of the argument. This tests your ability to integrate quotations and make a succinct and compelling argument.
Rhetorical Analysis: This is, by far, the hardest essay on the Lang exam. You will have to analyze a piece of writing and determine the author’s rhetorical strategies in order to determine the author’s purpose. Be prepared to learn complicated vocabulary such as synecdoche, asyndeton, isocolon, colloquialism, etc. For this essay, remember that it will be virtually useless to simply state the rhetorical strategies the author uses and not connect them to the author’s purpose. Tear the piece they give you into pieces, and analyze everything the author uses to achieve his/her purpose.
Again, be sure to see student example essays released by CB. You can see what scores the students recieved, and why. CB releases sample student essays every year. See why that person got a 9, for instance, and do the same. Do this for each type of essay. If you cannot find someone to grade your essays for you, give yourself a self-evaluation and compare it to other students’ strong essays, and ask yourself: What can I do to improve?
Please practice over the next 2 months. Doing so will guarantee success on the exam.
Good luck!
Thank you so much I feel like I am capable of acheiving my goals in terms of the ap test now that you have nicely broken down the entire test into its portions and explained. Fortunately I am on spring break rn so I can utillize this time to practice.
No problem! Truly, the test isn’t hard, you just have to know your way around it. I’m glad you feel more comfortable now.
Also, good choice using your spring break to practice…my school cancelled spring break because of so many snow days -___- I would have done the same as you
Let’s hope for the best for both of us 