AP English Language case studies
AP English Language · Put your knowledge to work in context.
AP English Language and Composition is an introductory college-level composition course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. It is designed for high school students who want to read nonfiction through the eyes of a writer - examining the choices writers and speakers make to persuade an audience - and then apply those choices to their own persuasive writing. The AP English Language case studies are 5 cases and about 1,735 words.
1The School Board's Word Count
A student advocacy group has drafted a 900-word letter to the school board arguing for later start times. The board's public-comment policy caps written submissions at 500 words.
316 words, about 2 min2Two Openings for a Food-Bank Appeal
A nonprofit is writing a fundraising email to two segments. Segment A is prior donors who gave within the last year; Segment B is lapsed donors who gave nothing for three years.
344 words, about 2 min3The Op-Ed That Cites a Rival
A student writes an op-ed arguing the city should fund bike lanes. The student protests that the study is peer-reviewed, recent enough, and directly on point-the strongest source she has.
345 words, about 2 min4Reordering a Persuasive Paragraph
A student's paragraph on raising the minimum wage reads, in order: (1) "The minimum wage should rise to 15." (2) "In our county, 22% of workers earn under 12 an hour." (3) "A 15 wage would lift roughly 9,000 workers above the poverty line." (4) "Opponents say it will cost jobs." (5) "But studies of similar counties show minimal employment effects." (6) "Therefore the county should adopt 15." A peer says the paragraph "jumps around" and suggests moving sentence 1 to the end so the claim comes last. The student worries that without sentence 1 up front, readers won't know the point.
351 words, about 2 min5The Scholarship Essay's Borrowed Voice
I, too, have faced adversity. The student resists: the opening "sets up a big idea" and shows she can "write at a high level," which she thinks scholarship committees reward.
379 words, about 2 min