El Examen AP

AP Spanish Language and Culture

Exam Format

The AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so teachers and students know what to expect on exam day.

Although College Board releases scoring guidelines each year, they remain relatively identical with each release. Here is a direct link to the 2019 scoring guidelines for the four speaking and writing elements of the test.

Section IA: Multiple Choice

30 Questions | 40 Minutes| 23% of Score

· Interpretive Communication: Print Texts. This section consists of a variety of authentic print materials (e.g., journalistic and literary texts, announcements, advertisements, letters, charts, maps, and tables). Students will be asked to:

· Identify the main ideas and supporting details

· Determine the meaning of vocabulary words in context

· Identify the author’s point of view or the target audience

· Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural or interdisciplinary information contained in the text

Section IB: Multiple Choice with Audio

35 Questions | 55 Minutes | 27% of Score

· This section consists of a variety of authentic audio materials, including interviews, podcasts, public service announcements, conversations, and brief presentations. It is divided into 2 subsections:

· Interpretive Communication: Print and Audio Texts (combined). 2 sets of audio sources paired with print materials on the same topic with questions (article and audio report, chart and conversation).

· Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts. 3 sets of audio sources with questions (interview, instructions, presentation).

· Students will respond to questions about main ideas and supporting details. Some questions will require students to demonstrate their understanding of cultural or interdisciplinary information.

· Students will have time to read a preview of each selection and skim the questions before listening to the audio. All audio texts will be played twice.

To be clear, in this part of the test students will read a short text, interpret a visual graph/diagram, read a memo and then answer questions about the text. Some questions require summarizing main ideas, others require drawing logical conclusions, etc. Here is a more detailed analysis of “Section 1: Multiple Choice”.

Section IIA: Free Response Written

2 Questions | 1 Hour 10 Minutes | 25% of Score

· Interpersonal Writing: Read and reply to an email message (15 minutes).

Here is an analysis of what you will need to know and some advice... E-mail Reply

Here is some information about “formal” vs. “informal” exchanges.

· Presentational Writing: Write an argumentative essay based on 3 sources, including an article, a table, graph, chart, or infographic, and a related audio source (played twice), that present different viewpoints on a topic (~55 minutes total: 15 minutes to review materials plus 40 minutes to write). Students will have access to the print sources and any notes they may take on the audio during the entire 40-minute writing period.

Here is an analysis of what you will need to know...Argumentative (formerly Persuasive) Essay

Here is an organizer that could prove to be helpful in structuring your essay as simply as possible.

Section IIB: Free Response Spoken

2 Questions | 18 Minutes | 25% of Score

· Interpersonal Speaking: Participate in 5 exchanges in a simulated conversation (20 seconds for each response). For this conversation, students will be provided with a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each exchange.

Here is an analysis of what you will need to know...Conversation

Here is some GREAT advice from the publishers of your textbook (Temas) for preparing properly for the simulated conversation.

Here is an example of how the conversation will be structured and the instructions that will be provided. REMEMBER to do as you're told in the prompts. If it tells you to answer "negatively" you MUST. How you answer is one of the few items that will change from year to year. Twenty seconds per response has been the same since time began!

· Presentational Speaking: Deliver a 2-minute presentation in response to a prompt in which students compare a cultural feature of a Spanish-speaking community with which they are familiar to their own community or another community.

Here is an analysis of what you will need to know...Cultural Comparison

Here is an example from your textbook of how to earn that beloved "5" on this section.

Exam Questions and Scoring Information:

You MUST practice the AP format all year, so that much of this becomes second nature to you. The biggest issue on the day of the test that most students have relate to time management and organization. The knowledge is usually there but the ability to relay that knowledge is the tricky part. The more familiar you are with the difference between a 5 and a 4 and a 3, etc. the better you will perform on the big day!

Here is a quick access guide to the scoring rubrics for section II of the 2019 AP Exam (the guidelines remain essentially the same every year). This is also posted near the top of this page. It's that important.