Where can I find strong AP Lang essay examples for practice?

The best place to find strong AP Lang essay examples is the College Board website itself. On their AP English Language and Composition Exam page, they release yearly sample student essays for each of the three Free Response Questions (synthesis, rhetorical analysis, and argument). Each essay is scored and paired with detailed commentary that explains what made them high- (and low-) scoring. To get there, search 'AP English Language and Composition Sample Student Responses' and navigate to the released exams for recent years. You’ll see full essays along with the prompt and grader feedback.

Other great sources include review books from Princeton Review or Barron’s, which often provide sample essays (sometimes scoring explanations, too). Also, some educational websites and AP teacher blogs curate essay examples, but make sure they are recent and match the current rubric since the expectations changed in 2020.

To use these examples well, don’t just read them—analyze them! Ask yourself what the writer is doing in the introduction, how they incorporate evidence, how the essays are organized, and how the thesis is articulated. Try marking up an example using the official rubric (also found on College Board’s website), and then compare your analysis to the grader’s notes. This exercise makes the expectations much more concrete.

A tip from students who have scored high: try rewriting one of the sample essay prompts yourself first, then compare your work to the top scorer. See what the high-scoring essays do that yours didn’t—maybe it’s stronger transitions between ideas, deeper analysis, or more precise evidence. Then adapt those strategies in your later practice.

Graders look for a clear thesis, well-developed arguments with specific evidence, skillful reasoning, strong organization, and varied sentence structure. For example, in a high-scoring rhetorical analysis essay, the writer not only identifies literary devices but explains how those devices achieve the author’s purpose and relates them back to the overall argument.

Spending regular time with real examples, grading rubrics, and your own writing is one of the best ways to improve and feel confident heading into the exam!