Helpful Hints!

•  The first and most important thing to do when beginning your free response essay is to read the essay question CAREFULLY. Most of the time, the question actually has 2 or 3 different tasks within it. Underline each separate task so that you can make sure to address everything that is required of you. The biggest mistake that students tend to make is that they digress from the essay question. This trick will help you to stay on task and write an organized, focused essay that will score high on the AP English Exam.

•  Another mistake that many students tend to make is summarizing the plot. Sometimes it's hard to resist over-explaining, but the grader of the exam already knows the plot of the book you will be writing about. Here's a simple trick to keep in mind while writing your essay: Try to make the essay confusing to somebody who has never read the book you are explaining. The grader of the exam will know exactly what you're talking about, but someone who hasn't read the book you are analyzing will not.

•  A common problem with writing timed essays is that students run out of time before they have finished expressing all that they wanted to say. Time management is extremely important, especially since you will only have 40 minutes to write your essay. This is why it is unnecessary to garnish your essay with an attention grabber in your introduction. Instead, get right to the point of your essay, and don't waste any time thinking of something clever to pull the reader in. The graders are obligated to read your essay anyway... even if they're bored!

•  Even without an attention grabber, you can still spice up your essay, by incorporating sophisticated language. Also, try not to use the same word multiple times throughout your essay; use synonyms. Here's a link to the 12 vocabulary lists we studied in Ms. Conn's class. Review them before the exam, and read the vocabulary stories that you wrote in order to refresh your memory on how to use them properly.

•  Since the free response essay question basically leaves you to your own devices, you're going to have to know your stuff. It would be very beneficial to read up on summaries on the literature that we have read in the AP English course, as well as books that you've read on your own.

• Always remember to refer back to the essay question at all times, explain every inch of detail that you can remember that relates to the question and explain how it refers to the story as a whole.

• Most important tip of all: USE YOUR TIME WISELY! If you need to annotate and jot down some important details and notes, you should do so, because you might not remember it while writing the original essay, keep calm, plan it out (using an outline, most preferably) and then write the essay.

GOOD LUCK!~