How Can I Write a Better AP Essay?

As many of you know, it’s AP exam season. If thinking about taking your AP tests makes you nervous, you’re not alone. Here’s an email we received from one worried Sparkler:

I am currently taking AP USH and AP Eng. However, I am not doing so well when it comes to writing essays. The AP exams are coming up soon, and I would like to know what you guys would suggest I do to better prepare myself. I write plenty of essays, but I don’t get them back until many weeks later, and by that time, I've all but forgotten what the topic was over. Thanks for the advice!

Though it can seem like a challenge to prepare for the essay portion of any test when you don’t know what the essay topic will be, there are some simple things you can do to improve your AP essay scores. Here they are:

1. Learn how to apply your teacher's essay criticism: This Sparkler voices a common complaint: You write an essay and once you get it back, it’s hard to apply your teacher’s comments to a topic you no longer remember clearly. However, remembering the topic isn’t what’s important here, especially when it comes to AP exams—the chance that you’ll be writing about the same topic on the real exam that you’ve written about on a practice essay is pretty small.

Instead, carefully read your teacher’s comments and see if they can help you identify any weaknesses in your writing. Do you make claims without supporting them? Do you think you’re making a point clearly, only to see that your sentence structure was wordy and confusing? Chances are, if you make a certain type of mistake on one essay, you’ll make it on the next one, too. If you’re not sure how to apply your teacher’s comments and criticism, find a time to talk with your teacher and ask, “Can you explain how I can use your comments from this essay to do a better job on the next one?”

2. Review key concepts and important people from each period you've studied: AP essays test your ability to make connections between the essay topic and the material you’ve learned throughout the course. Make sure you’re well prepared to write on any topic that comes your way by reviewing the big names and concepts from each course section. This isn’t the same as the nitty-gritty memorization of dates and terms that you’ll need to practice for the multiple choice portion of the exam. Rather, you want to test yourself on the big-picture ideas. Go through the table of contents in your AP books and ask yourself a few questions about the key terms you see. For example, “Who were the Transcendentalist writers? What were their key beliefs? How did they influence literature?” If you can’t answer your questions, go back and review that section.

3. Review your basic essay writing skills: In some ways, an AP essay is like any other essay you’ll write. It needs a clear thesis statement in the introduction, explaining the position you’ll take in the paper. Each paragraph must have a clear topic sentence that explain how that paragraph supports your main argument. (And yes—every paragraph needs to support the main argument; don’t get sidetracked.)  Each claim needs clear and substantial support that you draw from your course material. Here's a way to brush up on your timed essay writing basics if you need some review.

4. Make an outline before you start writing: Some students dive right in and start their essay as soon as they receive the prompt, but it’s far better to outline your thesis, supporting arguments, and supporting examples before you begin. That way, you’ll have to think through your idea and make sure you can support and sustain them throughout an entire essay. If not, come up with a new thesis and make another outline. Though this takes a little more time up front, it’s far better than starting over after you’ve begun writing.

Do you have any other AP essay writing tips?