Nine-unit course sequence
AP Lang Study Hall
Work through nine student-friendly guides for reading arguments, using evidence, explaining reasoning, combining sources, making strong style choices, and writing clearly. Every unit includes an identified passage, notes across the whole reading, a step-by-step lesson, and scored multiple-choice practice.
Test-preparation blueprint
How the AP Lang exam filters skills
The reading sets ask what a writer is doing and why; the writing sets ask which revision best achieves a rhetorical purpose. Preparation should therefore pair close reading with decision-making about claims, evidence, organization, and style.
Blueprint 2026.1 · reviewed 2026-08-2660 minutes · 45% of the exam
Section I — Multiple Choice
45 questions in five sets: two reading sets followed by three writing sets.
- Reading set 111–14 questions; KSSR target 12
- Reading set 211–14 questions; KSSR target 11
- Writing set 17–9 questions; KSSR target 8
- Writing set 27–9 questions; KSSR target 8
- Writing set 34–6 questions; KSSR target 6
135 minutes · 55% of the exam
Section II — Free Response
Synthesis
Six sources: four text sources and two visual or quantitative sources, including at least one quantitative source; use at least three sources.
What it tests: Establish a position, select relevant source evidence, explain relationships among sources, and maintain a line of reasoning.
Rhetorical Analysis
One nonfiction passage of approximately 600–800 words.
What it tests: Explain how specific rhetorical choices operate within the writer's rhetorical situation; device identification alone is insufficient.
Argument
A brief statement, concept, or idea that invites a defensible position.
What it tests: Develop a position with specific evidence and explicit warrants while addressing complexity or qualification where useful.
Eight recurring skill families
The percentage ranges show how much of Section I each current CED category contributes.
Rhetorical Situation — Reading
speaker or writer position · audience · purpose · exigence and context
Rhetorical Situation — Writing
revision for audience · purpose and occasion · effective introductory and concluding choices
Claims and Evidence — Reading
central and subsidiary claims · evidence function · assumption · qualification and counterposition
Claims and Evidence — Writing
claim precision · relevant evidence · development · qualification
Reasoning and Organization — Reading
line of reasoning · paragraph or sentence function · method of development · structural shift
Reasoning and Organization — Writing
logical sequence · transition · cohesion · placement, addition, deletion, or combination
Style — Reading
diction · syntax · tone · figurative language and rhetorical choice
Style — Writing
precise word choice · sentence effectiveness · concise expression · appropriate tone and emphasis
Rhetorical foundations
Unit 1 of 9Who Is Speaking, to Whom, and WhyName who is speaking, who they are speaking to, and what happened that made them speak now.Explain what the writer wants the audience to think, feel, or do.Find the writer’s main point and choose a short quotation that truly supports it.Open Unit 1 →
Unit 2 of 9Make a Claim and Prove ItTell the difference between the main claim and the smaller reasons that support it.Explain what a fact, example, or comparison proves—and what it does not prove.Find the hidden 'because' that connects evidence to a claim.Open Unit 2 →Reasoning and synthesis
Unit 3 of 9Build an Argument One Step at a TimeFollow an argument one step at a time instead of treating every paragraph as separate.Explain the function each paragraph serves in the argument.Recognize when a writer uses causes, examples, comparisons, or a story to build a point.Open Unit 3 →
Unit 4 of 9Use Sources Without Losing Your Own PointGroup sources by the ideas they share or disagree about.Use sources to support your own reason instead of writing one summary after another.Show clearly whose idea or words you are using.Open Unit 4 →Source, style, and sentence control
Unit 5 of 9Make Every Sentence and Paragraph ConnectMake each sentence connect clearly to the sentence before it.Explain how one important word creates an attitude or judgment.Write a topic sentence that gives the paragraph one clear purpose.Open Unit 5 →
Unit 6 of 9Decide Which Sources to Trust and How to Use ThemJudge whether a source is useful for the exact claim you need to prove.Separate a writer’s point of view from factual error.Support a tone word with two visible patterns in the writing.Open Unit 6 →
Unit 7 of 9Show Complexity and Write Clear SentencesShow that an issue has real tension without making your claim confusing.Use words such as 'although,' 'when,' and 'because' to show which idea matters most.Join complete sentences with the right punctuation and connecting word.Open Unit 7 →
Unit 8 of 9Choose Words and Comparisons for Your AudienceNotice repeated choices in words, sentence length, images, and pacing.Explain how a comparison makes a difficult idea easier to understand.Show how honest limits and exact details make a speaker believable.Open Unit 8 →