Where can I find good College Board synthesis essay examples for AP Lang?

You can find high-quality, real student synthesis essay examples directly on the AP Central website, which is run by the College Board. Every year, after the AP exams, the College Board releases actual student responses for each free-response question, along with scoring guidelines and detailed commentary from AP readers.

To access these, search for “AP English Language and Composition past exam questions” on the College Board website. Once you're on the page, select the most recent year, or pick several years to see a range of essay prompts and examples. Each synthesis question will have a PDF that includes: the prompt, sample student essays scored across a range from low to high, the rubric, and an explanation for why each essay received its score.

For example, if you look at the 2023 AP Lang free-response questions, you’ll find a link to actual synthesis essays that scored a 1, 4, 6, or 8 (out of 9 in past rubrics, or out of 6 in more recent versions). Each comes with annotations showing what they did strongly—like smoothly integrating and citing sources, staying on-topic, and making a clear argument.

Reviewing these will help you see how top essays use evidence from the provided sources without just summarizing them, and how they maintain an original argument. Try this method: pick a prompt, write your own synthesis essay, and then compare your response with the high-scoring examples. Notice where your structure, evidence use, or commentary differ, and read the scorer’s comments for specific insights.

The College Board typically releases these every year, usually a few months after the exam. Many teachers also use them for class, so you can ask your AP Lang teacher if they have a collection from previous years. Practicing with these official examples is one of the best ways to prepare.