Due to AP Digital Portfolio BY APRIL 30, 2026, MIDNIGHT
Students are assessed with two through-course performance tasks and one end-of-course exam. All three assessments are summative and will be used to calculate a final AP score (using the 1–5 scale) for AP Seminar.
Students work in teams of three to five to identify, investigate, and analyze an academic or real-world problem or issue. Each team designs and/or considers options and evaluates alternatives; develops a multimedia presentation to present the argument for their proposed solution or resolution; and provides an oral defense to questions posed by the teacher.
(These components are formally scored)
Individual Research Report
Team Multimedia Presentation and Defense (TMP) (8–10 minutes, plus oral defense questions)
College Board scored
Teacher scored (group score)
50% of 20%
50% of 20%
Individually, students investigate their assigned approach, perspectives, or lens on the issue or topic of the team research question. Each student presents their findings and analysis to the group in a well-written individual report that:
identifies the area of investigation and its relationship to the overall problem or issue;
summarizes, explains, analyzes, and evaluates the main ideas and reasoning in the chosen sources;
identifies, compares, and interprets a range of perspectives about the problem or issue; and
cites all sources used and includes a list of works cited or bibliography.
Students must avoid plagiarism by acknowledging, attributing, and/or citing sources throughout the paper and including a bibliography or works cited (see the AP Capstone Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification or Fabrication of Information, located on the AP Seminar Homepage). Students should check their work for plagiarism prior to final submission.
Working collaboratively, the team considers all of the research and analyses from individual team members for the purpose of proposing one or more solutions or resolutions. The team:
collaboratively synthesizes and evaluates individual findings and perspectives to create a collective understanding of different approaches to the problem or issue;
considers potential solutions or resolutions and conducts additional research in order to evaluate different solutions within the context of the problem; and
proposes one or more solutions or resolutions and prepares an argument to support their proposal.
The team develops an 8–10 minute presentation that presents a convincing argument for their proposed solutions or resolutions. The team should ensure the claims made are supported by evidence which should be attribute or cited (orally or visually). They should ensure they have considered different perspectives and the limitations and implications of their proposed solutions or resolutions. The presentation and the media used to enhance the presentation should consider audience, context, and purpose.
Following the presentation, the team will defend its argument, with each student responding to a question posed by the teacher.
Following the presentation, the teacher will ask one question of each individual student. The questions are designed to prompt student reflection on their experiences with group collaboration. Each team member should be prepared to answer questions about any part of the presentation. It is important that teachers ask students questions that allow them to provide specific evidence of their collaboration (for example, asking one student about another team member’s research). Teachers may select questions from the following list or formulate more specific questions appropriate to a team’s presentation, as long as the questions posed address this criterion. Teachers may also ask follow-up clarifying questions to allow students the opportunity to fully explain their answers.
