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Ultimate Guide to the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam

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The AP Spanish courses are the most popular AP foreign language classes. In fact, they’re so popular that two sets of Spanish curricula exist: AP Spanish Language and Culture and AP Spanish Literature and Culture. This is the only AP foreign language that has more than one course offering. In 2019, over 185,000 students took the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, making it by far the most popular foreign language exam taken.

The curriculum for the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam emphasizes communication by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. As you undertake the coursework or exam preparations, you will need to focus on understanding others and being understood by others. If you’re planning to take the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, whether you have taken the class, are a native speaker, or have self-studied, read on for a breakdown of the test and CollegeVine’s advice for how to best prepare.

When is the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam?

The College Board will administer the 2020 AP Spanish Language and Culture exam on Tuesday, May 12, at 8 am. For a complete list of all the AP exams, along with tips for success and information about how students score, check out our article 2020 AP Exam Schedule: Everything You Need to Know.

About the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course is taught almost exclusively in Spanish and includes instruction in vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness.

Although there is some emphasis placed on correct grammar usage, the College Board specifically warns against overemphasizing grammatical accuracy at the expense of communication. Instead, more time will be spent on applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication skills in real-life situations, exploring the culture in both contemporary and historical contexts, and building an awareness and appreciation of cultural products, practices, and perspectives.

There are no explicit prerequisites for the AP Spanish Language and Culture course, but students who take it are typically in their fourth year of high school-level Spanish language study or have extensive practical experience communicating in both written and oral Spanish language.

There are four essential components to the framework of the AP Spanish Language and Culture course that clarify what you must know, be able to do, and understand to qualify for

college credit or placement. Those components are skills, themes, modes, and task models.

Skills: Skills are the abilities you’ll need to think and act like a Spanish speaker. The College Board breaks these skills into eight units; below is a list of those units along with the weight they are given on the multiple-choice section of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam:

Themes: The AP Spanish Language and Culture course is divided into 6 themes in which there are 5-7 contexts covered. Below are the 6 themes along with their recommended contexts:

Modes: To pass the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, students need to demonstrate proficiency engaging in three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Students need to possess skills in listening, reading, speaking, and writing in the following areas:

Audio, Visual, and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication
Written and Print Interpretive Communication
Spoken Interpersonal Communication
Written Interpersonal Communication
Spoken Presentational Communication
Written Presentational Communication

Task Model: Finally, you will work with various task models to demonstrate linguistic skills and cultural understanding. The task model types are:

AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Content

At 3 hours and 3 minutes long, the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam is one of the longer-lasting AP exams. It consists of two primary sections—the first section featuring multiple-choice questions, and the second made up of free response questions.

The multiple-choice questions are further broken down into two parts—one part based on text as a stimulus, the other part uses audio as a stimulus.

Section 1(a): Multiple-Choice Text

40 minutes | 30 questions | 23% of score

The first part of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam uses a variety of printed materials—journalistic and literary texts, announcements, advertisements, letters, charts, maps, and tables—as a stimulus. You’re asked to identify ideas and details, define words in context, identify an author’s point of view or target audience, and demonstrate knowledge of cultural or interdisciplinary information contained in the text.

Example of a text-based multiple-choice question:

Answers to multiple-choice questions above:

Section 1(b): Multiple-Choice Audio

55 minutes | 35 questions | 27% of score

The second part of the multiple-choice section uses audio material—interviews, podcasts, PSAs, conversations, and brief presentations—as a stimulus. In this part of the exam, students will encounter two subsections of questions.

In the first subsection, you’re asked to answer questions using two audio sources and related print materials as a stimulus.
The second subsection uses three audio sources (and no print material) as the stimulus.

Example of a question you’ll encounter in the audio-based multiple-choice section, click on the question for audio:

Answers to the multiple choice questions above:

The free-response section of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam is also broken down into two parts—one part focusing on writing, and the other on speaking.

Section 2 (a): Free Response Written

1 hour 10 minutes | 2 questions | 25% of score

The first free response section features two questions—one on interpersonal writing and the other on presentational writing. The first of the two questions require you to read and respond to an email. You have 15 minutes to complete this section, and it’s worth 12.5% of your exam score. The second of these questions provides three sources—including an article, a table, graph, chart, or infographic, and a related audio source offering different viewpoints on a topic—that you will use to construct an argumentative essay. This question is allotted 55 minutes (15 minutes to review materials and 40 minutes to write) and is also worth 12.5% of your exam score.

Example of an email free-response question:

Section 2: Free Response Spoken

18 minutes | 2 questions | 25% of score

The spoken part of the free response section tests your interpersonal and presentational speaking ability. For interpersonal speaking, you will participate in five exchanges in a simulated conversation with 20 seconds for each response. For the second part, you’re tasked with delivering a two-minute presentation requiring you to compare a cultural feature of a Spanish-speaking community to another community you are familiar with.

When delivering oral responses, you will be digitally recorded and your proctor will submit your recordings with the rest of your test materials. Learn more about submitting audio on the College Board’s webpage of the same name, Submitting Audio .

Example of a spoken, presentational, free-response question:

AP Spanish Language and Culture Score Distribution, Average Score, and Passing Rate

In 2019, students generally did quite well on the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam. More than half of all students received a score of 4 or 5, and nearly 90% of test-takers received a passing score (3 or higher). Though students who regularly spoke or heard Spanish outside of school did perform slightly better overall than the standard group of foreign language students, the standard group still passed the exam at a rate of nearly 85% and only 3% received the lowest score of a 1.

To guide your studying, read the full AP Spanish course description . For a comprehensive listing of the score distribution on all of the AP exams, check out our post Easiest and Hardest AP Exams .

ap spanish language and culture essay examples 2019

Best Ways to Study for the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam

Step 1: start by assessing your skills.

It’s important to start your studying off with a good understanding of your existing knowledge. Although the College Board does not provide a complete practice test, you can find sample questions with scoring explanations included in the course description . Additionally, you can find a free AP Spanish Language and Culture diagnostic test from Varsity Tutors. You may also find practice or diagnostic exams in many of the commercially printed study guides.

Step 2: Study the Material

In the case of the AP Spanish Language and Culture course, the theory you’ll need to know falls into six themes (Beauty and Aesthetics, Contemporary Life, Families and Communities, Global Challenges, Personal and Public Identities, Science and Technology). Many textbooks will be divided into units based on these themes. Even if they are not, you should find threads of them throughout your studies.

Of course, the best way to study a foreign language is to truly immerse yourself in it. Although your course will be taught primarily in Spanish, this will account for only a tiny percentage of your day. You should find other ways to further your exposure to the Spanish language, and given the prevalence of Spanish in our own contemporary culture, this should not be difficult. You can easily find engaging young adult books written in Spanish, interesting Youtube videos or TV shows in Spanish, or even Spanish podcasts. Check out comic books, news, or websites in Spanish. Make sure you are speaking, listening to, and reading Spanish as much as possible, even outside of your regular study or class hours.

The College Board also provides some valuable study tools for your use. Reviewing the AP Spanish Language and Culture Course and Exam Description can help you to more deeply understand the course content and format. You should also review the exam audio files and the official Exam Practice Tips to help guide your studying.

In addition, you should take advantage of the many commercial study guides available for your use. One of the top-rated AP Spanish Language and Culture study guides is the Princeton Review’s Cracking the AP Spanish Language & Culture Exam with Audio CD, 2020 Edition . This compilation of content reviews and strategies also contains two full-length practice tests with complete answer explanations and access to the Princeton Review’s AP Connect portal online. Another great option is Barron’s AP Spanish Language and Culture with MP3 CD, 8th Edition , which again contains two full-length practice exams with audio sections for both practice exams.

There are also vast amounts of study materials available online. Taking one of the more popular AP exams means that many students have been in your shoes, and often they or their teachers have posted past materials to supplement their studying. You can find a huge database of resources including sound files, Spanish reading sites, and grammar sites— this site is a good place to get started.

Finally, apps are a relatively new and fun way to squeeze in a little more studying. The Fluent U app is a great option for AP foreign languages. The basic version is free, but watch out for in-app purchases. The premium versions can set you back between $30 and $240 dollars.

Step 3: Practice Multiple-Choice Questions

Once you’ve got a good handle on the major course content and theory, you can begin putting it to use. Start by practicing multiple-choice questions. You will be able to find plenty of these available online (for example, study.com has a free 50-question online practice test ) for the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, or you can try the practice ones provided in commercial study guides.

The College Board course description also contains a number of multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations. As you are reviewing these, keep track of which broad content areas are coming easily to you and which still require more effort. Think about what each question is really asking you to do, and keep a list of vocabulary, grammar, and content areas that still seem unfamiliar. These will be points for more review before you move on.

Step 4: Practice Free Response Questions

Even if you’ve studied for the free response section of other APs in the past, your studies for the free response section of the foreign language AP exams will be quite different. In addition to practicing your written responses, you’ll also need to fine-tune your listening skills and oral responses.

Begin your preparations by brushing up on your vocabulary and grammar. Make sure you have a handle on a broad variety of verbs and how to conjugate each. Also, reaffirm that your knowledge of vocabulary will allow you to express yourself as fluently as possible. A great tool for this is a supplementary set of Barron’s AP Spanish Flash Cards . These cards emphasize word usage within the context of sentences and review parts of speech, noun genders, verb forms and tenses, and correct sentence structure.

Beyond vocabulary and grammar, your studies should also include practicing written and oral responses. The best way to specifically prepare for both the written and spoken portions of your free response questions is to practice repeated similar prompts. There is a huge resource of past free response questions available on College Board’s website dating back to 1999, with accompanying scoring explanations and examples of authentic student responses.

To make the most of these example free response questions, review the Chief Reader Report on Student Responses wherein the Chief Reader of the AP Exam compiles feedback to describe how students performed on the prompts, summarizes typical student errors, and addresses specific concepts and content with which students have struggled the most.

It can be especially difficult to prepare for the oral portion of your free response section since it’s difficult to identify your own spoken errors. Try recording your responses and comparing them to the authentic student responses available above. Alternatively, collaborate with a classmate to record and trade responses, offering one another constructive criticism framed by the scoring examples available above.

Step 5: Take Another Practice Test

Just as you took a practice test at the beginning of your preparations to gauge your readiness for the exam, do so again after a thorough review of the course content and each exam portion. Identify the areas in which you’ve improved the most, and areas still in need of improvement. If time allows, repeat the steps above to incrementally increase your score with each pass.

Step 6: Exam Day Specifics

If you’re taking the AP course associated with this exam, your teacher will walk you through how to register. If you’re self-studying, check out our blog post How to Self-Register for AP Exams .

For information about what to bring to the exam, see our post What Should I Bring to My AP Exam (And What Should I Definitely Leave at Home)?

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For more information about APs, check out these CollegeVine posts:

2020 AP Exam Schedule
How Long is Each AP Exam?
Easiest and Hardest AP Exams

PandaTree’s Top Tips for Acing the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Exam

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It’s May 7, 2019 and you’re sitting in your school’s gymnasium with desks spaced six feet apart. You’ve got a school issued laptop or iPad on your desk, with a headset and microphone, as well as a pencil, eraser, and exam booklet. At 8:00 am sharp the exam proctor announces you may open your exam booklet. Are you ready for the Advanced Placement® Spanish Language and Culture exam?

The AP® Spanish Language and Cultural exam is the most popular AP world language exam, with good reason — there are six million students studying Spanish in school in the United States. With about 50 million Spanish-speakers, the U.S. is the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world after Mexico. Speaking Spanish is great for people who love to travel – it’s the official language in 20 countries. And learning Spanish can help students understand another culture, boost career opportunities, and more.

In this post, we’ll demystify the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, give an overview of AP exams, take a thorough look at each section of the AP Spanish exam and offer plenty of tips for how to prepare for the AP Spanish exam so you can get your best grade. Along the way, we’ll share expert advice from PandaTree tutors and advisors who have helped The College Board develop and grade AP exams in the past.

A Primer on AP Exams

What are ap exams, and why should students take them.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams are standardized exams developed by The College Board (the educational body which also administers the SAT test). Administered in the U.S. and Canada, AP exams test a student’s knowledge of college-level curricula. High school AP courses are designed to prepared students for the AP exam towards the end of the year and the exam is a standardized way to confirm a student’s mastery of a given subject.

Why should a student take AP courses and AP exams?

High school students should consider taking AP courses and exams for two key reasons: first, admissions boards of competitive universities like to see high AP scores on student transcripts — it demonstrates that a student is prepared to succeed in college-level academic courses. Second, high scores on AP exams often count as college credit, depending on the university’s policies. In addition, 35 states now participate in the Seal of Biliteracy program and award students special recognition on their high school diploma. Criteria for qualifying for the seal differ by state, but often a high score on an AP test can qualify the students.

How are AP tests scored? Who grades them?

All AP test takers are scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “no recommendation” and 5 being “extremely well qualified” — the highest score a student can earn. AP tests are scored by graders, called “readers” hired by the College Board, in order to ensure that the grades are consistently calibrated. AP readers are selected from high school AP teachers and college instructors and they attend “AP Reading Week” in June, when all AP exams are graded.

Intro to the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam

How popular is the ap spanish language and culture exam.

The AP Spanish Language and Culture exam is the most popular AP world language exam — more than 180,000 students took the AP Spanish exam in 2018, a 33% increase from 2014. In 2018, exam-takers included 59,000 Standard Students, who self-report that they do not speak or hear Spanish at home regularly, and have not lived in a Spanish-speaking country for a month or more.

Source: The College Board

When is the AP Spanish Language and Culture test administered? How much does the exam cost?

Most AP exams are administered during a two-week stretch in May each year, after a high school student has completed two semesters of AP course study in the subject. This year, the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam falls on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 8:00 am local time.

In 2019, AP exams cost $94 per test. Students and their families may qualify for AP exam fee reductions and federal and state assistance.

What does the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam test for? How long is it?

The AP Spanish test will test students’ proficiencies in the interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes of communication — reading, writing, and speaking. Students have approximately 3 hours minutes to complete the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam.

How is the AP Spanish exam administered? How do test takers submit spoken responses?

The first and part of the second portion of the AP Spanish exam is administered traditionally — students answer with multiple choice selection or written responses. In the last portion however, students are asked to record spoken answers to given prompts through AP’s Digital Audio Submission (DAS) portal. The portal is accessed through school-provided computers or recording devices, and most recently, a Digital Audio Capture (DAC) app has been made available for Apple iPad tablets.

What are the components of the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam?

The AP Spanish test consists of 4 distinct portions which cover skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking. The exam is approximately 3 hours long and includes a 95-minute multiple choice section and an 85-minute free-response section.

How Well Do Students Do on the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam?

Each year, the AP College Board releases score distributions , displayed as the Total Group and the Standard Group. While the Total Group reflects the score distribution for all test-takers, the Standard Group does not include students who hear or speak Spanish at home, or who have lived for one month or more in a country where Spanish is the native language. Unless your student regularly hears Spanish at home, the Standard Group is the best comparison.

The data from the College Board show that amongst the Total Group 23.7% of exam takers scored a 5 in 2018. Amongst the Standard Group, 16.5% of students scored a 5.

Scoring a 5 on the exam is similar to earning an A on a college-level Spanish course or Advanced level proficiency on the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.

Data Source: The College Board

The College Board also shares data on the scores for the four Free Response questions in Section 2 (but not the Multiple Choice questions in Section 1.)

The data shows that amongst the Total Group, scores were usually slightly lower for the presentational tasks versus the interpersonal tasks. In 3 out of 4 years, presentational writing (the persuasive essay) scored lower than interpersonal writing (responding to an email). In all years, presentational speaking (cultural comparison presentation) scored lower than the interpersonal speaking (conversation) – which had the highest scores of all the free response questions in each year.

For the Standard Group, which excludes students who hear or speak Spanish at home, or who have lived for one month or more in a country where Spanish is the native language – scores tended to be slightly lower than for the Total Group, and the scores for each of the four questions were similar. The exception was the 2017 Presentational Speaking question, which scored significantly lower than other questions. The question that year asked how the media affected the development of people’s personal image. Some students appear to have misinterpreted the phrase “los medios de comunicación” as modes of communication rather than the media.

Deep Dive on Each Question Type

Being ready for the AP Spanish exam includes understanding what each different section of the exam is looking for. Here we’ll go into detail about each question type, and offer tips for maximizing your score.

a. Section 1 Multiple Choice – Part A Interpretive Communication of Print Texts

Question instructions: According to the College Board: “You will read several selections. Each selection is accompanied by a number of questions. For each question, choose the response that is best according to the selection and mark your answer on your answer sheet.”

What to expect: You’ll be provided multiple authentic print texts — which could be a journalistic or literary text, announcement, public service announcement, advertisement, letter, map or table. You’ll read through the print text and then answer a total 30 questions about the print texts. Past topics have included leisure activities, demographics and population growth.

How to maximize your score: The multiple choice section is straightforward in this regard — exam-takers should read carefully, and choose whichever answer seems most appropriate to them, and move on. Don’t gets hung up on a question. Instead, move on, completing the rest of the questions, and come back to any you’re stuck on. Points are not subtracted for incorrect answers, so it is better to guess than leave a question unanswered.

b. Section 1 Multiple Choice – Interpretive Communication of Print Text and Audio Texts

Question instructions: According to the College Board: “You will listen to several audio selections. The first two audio selections are accompanied by reading selections. When there is a reading selection, you will have a designated amount of time to read it. For each audio selection, first you will have a designated amount of time to read a preview of the selection as well as to skim the questions that you will be asked. Each selection will be played twice. As you listen to each selection, you may take notes. Your notes will not be scored. After listening to each selection the first time, you will have 1 minute to begin answering the questions; after listening to each selection the second time, you will have 15 seconds per question to finish answering the questions. For each question, choose the response that is best according to the audio and/or reading selection and mark your answer on your answer sheet.”

What to expect This section is similar to the previous section except with an added listening component. Each audio selection will be played twice — take advantage of the repetition. The two parts of this section are an article and audio on the same topic followed by a chart and conversation.

How to maximize your score: It’s crucial to have practiced listening to and interpreting authentic Spanish texts and audio selections in order to do well on this section — comb through previous exams and practice, practice, practice. Remember that you will hear each audio selection twice: feel free to take notes and spend the second listening trying to hone in on elements you may have missed from the first just don’t let note taking cause you to miss the main ideas. Prepare for this by regularly listening to and reading Spanish-language newspapers, news reports, and podcasts. BBC Mundo and El País are great options.

c. Section 2, Part A, Interpersonal Writing: Email Reply

Question instructions: According to the College Board: “You will write a reply to an email message. You have 15 minutes to read the message and write your reply. Your reply should include a greeting and a closing and should respond to all the questions and requests in the message. In your reply, you should also ask for more details about something mentioned in the message. Also, you should use a formal form of address.”

What to expect: You’ll write as though you are the recipient of the email provided to you, and be asked to exchange information, opinions and ideas. understand and use a wide variety of vocabulary including idiomatic and culturally appropriate expressions on a variety of topics. Past topics have included designing an app, applying for a long-distance education, sponsoring an animal shelter, applying for a scholarship to study in a different country, and being part of an environmental group.

Providing input for the development of a mobile travel app, including why the student is interested in traveling abroad and what type of information they need to plan their itinerary. (2018)
Writing to the admissions office of a university, explaining why they were considering long-distance learning, and what challenges they might face. (2017)
Responding to an email from an animal shelter and answering why they were interested in making a donation and what animal they would like to shelter and why. (2016)
Responding to an email as a finalist for a scholarship to Peru and answering questions about what difficulties they might have living abroad and what impact it would have on their future. (2015)

How to maximize your score :

According to the College Board, answers that score a 5 demonstrate the following:

Maintains the exchange with a response that is clearly appropriate within the context of the task
Provides required information (responses to questions, request for details) with frequent elaboration
Fully understandable, with ease and clarity of expression; occasional errors do not impede comprehensibility
Varied and appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic language
Accuracy and variety in grammar, syntax, and usage, with few errors
Mostly consistent use of register appropriate for the situation; control of cultural conventions appropriate for formal correspondence (e.g., greeting, closing), despite occasional errors
Variety of simple and compound sentences, and some complex sentences

According to the Chief Reader’s reports, in the past, when students have struggled it is because:

They misunderstood the prompt. For example some students interpreted “aplicación” to mean a job application rather than an app on the 2018 exam, or interpreted “educación a distancia” to mean studying abroad instead of online courses on the 2017 exam, or thought they were being asked to work at an animal shelter rather than make a donation on the 2016 exam, or they didn’t understand that they were a finalist for a scholarship “beca” on the 2015 exam.
They had inconsistent use of the formal register (e.g. tú v. usted),
They didn’t address all the questions and requirements of the prompt.

PandaTree Tutor and AP Teacher, Elise Plaza, who has graded AP exams for the College Board for 6 years, recommends: “As students prepare to answer the email prompt, they should circle all the requirements in the prompt, and check them off as they complete them. Don’t forget that in addition to responding fully to all the parts of the questions in the email you should also include your own questions asking for additional information. In addition, include a greeting and a closing in your email, but don’t simply repeat the salutations used in the prompt.”

d. Section 2, Presentation Writing: Persuasive Essay

Question instructions: According to the College Board “You will write a persuasive essay to submit to a Spanish writing contest. The essay topic is based on three accompanying sources, which present different viewpoints on the topic and include both print and audio material. First, you will have 6 minutes to read the essay topic and the printed material. Afterward, you will hear the audio material twice; you should take notes while you listen. Then, you will have 40 minutes to prepare and write your essay. In your persuasive essay, you should present the sources’ different viewpoints on the topic and also clearly indicate your own viewpoint and defend it thoroughly. Use information from all of the sources to support your essay. As you refer to the sources, identify them appropriately. Also, organize your essay into clear paragraphs.”

What to expect: Past topics have included:

Whether traditional libraries will be relevant in the future. (2018)
Whether students should be allowed to use cellular phones in high school. (2017)
Whether the increasing popularity of digital books is good. (2016)
Whether it’s beneficial for companies to let employees work from home. (2015)

Sources have frequently been newspaper or magazine articles from the Spanish-speaking world, authentic charts, and audio interviews or news reports.

How to maximize your score: According to the College Board’s grading rubric, responses that scored a 5 demonstrated the following:

Effective treatment of topic within the context of the task
Demonstrates a high degree of comprehension of the sources’ viewpoints, with very few minor inaccuracies
Integrates content from all three sources in support of the essay
Presents and defends the student’s own viewpoint on the topic with a high degree of clarity; develops a persuasive argument with coherence and detail
Organized essay; effective use of transitional elements or cohesive devices
Develops paragraph-length discourse with a variety of simple and compound sentences, and some complex sentences

While there is not guidance on how long the student’s persuasive essay should be, responses that score a 5 are typically 2 to 2-1/2 pages of handwritten single-spaced text.

According to the Chief Reader’s report, essays that struggled often didn’t include supporting evidence from all 3 of the sources. In addition, students should be sure to integrate information from the source in support of their argument, rather than just summarize the source, and should include more than one idea from each source. Occasionally students misunderstood the prompt, for example addressing why cell phones should or should not be used in classes rather than in school overall, which was the question (2017).

According to Dimaris Barrios-Beltran, a PandaTree AP tutor who has graded AP exams for 4 years and a table leader for 2 years: “When using the sources, the most important thing is to show that the student understood each of the sources and that they are integrated and follow a logical order of discussion. The student has the option of defending the idea, refuting it or explaining the pros and cons, but it is highly important to refer to the sources to substantiate their argument with evidence.”

While the College Board says there is no single format that is acceptable for referring to the three sources, Ken Stewart, a PandaTree advisor, who has previously helped the College Board develop AP Spanish exams, says: “It is good practice for students to use MLA style citations, with the author’s or publisher’s name in brackets, or if that is unknown, then a shortened title after each quote or reference.” The source, in brackets, should be included before the period of the sentence.

e. Section 2, Interpersonal Speaking: Conversation

Question instructions: According to the College Board: “You will participate in a conversation. First, you will have 1 minute to read a preview of the conversation, including an outline of each turn in the conversation. Afterward, the conversation will begin, following the outline. Each time it is your turn to speak, you will have 20 seconds to record your response. You should participate in the conversation as fully and appropriately as possible.”

What to expect: You’ll be given the written outline in Spanish of a conversation. The outline describes who you are talking with, and what each speaker does each time they speak. For example, “answer in the negative and explain why.” You only have one minute to digest the outline before you’ll hear the first conversation prompt on your audio device. Someone else will speak, you’ll hear a tone, and then you’ll have 20 seconds to record your response. Expect to speak 5 or 6 times, responding to different prompts as the conversation evolves.

Past conversations have included topics such as: updating a classmate about a meeting she missed with academic advisors about universities (2018), discusssing with a classmate a school project to create a website (2017), discuss community volunteering events with a friend (2016),

How to maximize your score : According to the College Board, answers that earned a 5 have the following qualities:

Maintains the exchange with a series of responses that is clearly appropriate within the context of the task.
Provides required information (e.g., responses to questions, statement and support of opinion) with frequent elaboration.
Fully understandable, with ease and clarity of expression; occasional errors do not impede comprehensibility.
Varied and appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic language.
Accuracy and variety in grammar, syntax, and usage, with few errors.
Mostly consistent use of register appropriate for the conversation.
Pronunciation, intonation, and pacing make the response comprehensible; errors do not impede comprehensibility.
Clarification or self-correction (if present) improves comprehensibility.

According to the Chief Reader report, in some cases students did not respond to the prompt as directed in their outline. For example, in 2015 the outline asked students to respond in the negative and provide an alternative. Some students responded in the affirmative. In some cases, students only answered part of the question in the prompt. In 2016, as the final question, students were asked if they had any questions, and some students did not expect to have to come up with their own question about the topic.

According to Barrios-Beltros, “the best way to prepare for this task is to practice, practice and practice. Look for friends, teachers, family members and tutors with whom you can have conversations in Spanish. The focus should be to improve your pronunciation and to feel comfortable answering unexpected questions from a peer. You can start with a topic like: organizing a party; choosing a place to eat; or buying tickets for a concert. Then, you start asking each other different questions about the event or activity that you are planning to execute. Keep answers simple but logical and coherent – and remember to keep talking. You can use phrases like: así pues, por otro lado, sin embargo, también, entonces… but avoid using umm, emm, uhhh, etc. Lastly, don’t forget we all make mistakes so feel free to self-correct when needed.”

f. Section 2, Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison

Question instructions: According to the College Board, “You will make an oral presentation on a specific topic to your class. You will have 4 minutes to read the presentation topic in Spanish and prepare your presentation. Then you will have 2 minutes to record your presentation. In your presentation, compare your own community to an area of the Spanish speaking world with which you are familiar. You should demonstrate your understanding of cultural features of the Spanish-speaking world. You should also organize your presentation clearly.”

What to expect: In this section, the student is asked to plan and produce spoken presentational communications, expound on familiar topics and those requiring research, and demonstrate an understanding of features of target culture communities (e.g., geographic, historical, artistic, social, and/or political). Past topics have included:

Attitudes toward the treatment of animals in the student’s community compared to a community in the Spanish-speaking world (2018)
The importance of the media in the development of personal image in the student’s community compared to a community in the Spanish-speaking world (2017)
What type of events or activities are an expression of cultural identity in the student’s community compared to a community in the Spanish-speaking world (2016)
The impact of fast food on the student’s community compared to a community in the Spanish-speaking world. (2015)

How to maximize your score : According to the College Board’s scoring rubric, students that earned a 5 demonstrated the following:

Effective treatment of topic within the context of the task.
Clearly compares the student’s own community with the target culture, including supporting details and relevant examples.
Demonstrates understanding of the target culture, despite a few minor inaccuracies.
Organized presentation; effective use of transitional elements or cohesive devices.
Mostly consistent use of register appropriate for the presentation.

According to the Chief Reader’s report, in some years students haven’t fully addressed the prompt – for example, in 2017, describing a cultural activity, but not explaining how it reflects cultural identity. communities. Additionally, students should make “equal comparisons” e.g., compare a country to a country or a city to a city, and be clear about the communities they have chosen.

It goes without saying for questions like this it’s really important for students to practice prepping and saying their presentation under the 4 minute/2 minute time limits to become comfortable managing their time.

During their prep time, students should can use Venn-diagrams or t-charts to help them organize their thoughts. They should not attempt to write out their presentation in full – they just won’t have time.

Stewart, a PandaTree advisor recommends “from an organization point of view, it’s generally best to start with the community in the Spanish-speaking world for the first half of the presentation, and then compare it to the student’s community in the second half of the presentation, rather than trying to go back and forth between the two.”

Ken Stewart, who has previously helped the The College Board develop AP Spanish exams recommends that for the Cultural Comparison presentation “it is generally best to start with the community in the Spanish-speaking world for the first half of the presentation, and then compare it to the student’s community.”

PandaTree’s Barrios-Betran says, “in order to avoid over-generalizations or stereotypes avoid implying that everybody does a certain thing or thinks in a certain way by using phrases like often, in general, typically, etc. Focus on those communities or groups that you are familiar with and make specific comparisons.”

How to prepare for the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam

So now that you know the format of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, what are the best tips for preparing for it?

Take the high school AP Spanish course: This course, offered in thousands of U.S. and Canadian high schools in North America, is specifically designed to prepare a student to succeed on the AP Spanish Language and Culture test.
Practice, practice, practice: While the AP Spanish Language and Cultural test undoubtedly measures a person’s proficiency in the Spanish language, it also tests how well a student understand the test itself. When studying for the AP Spanish test, students should practice just like one would for any other standardized test (like the SAT). Complete sample exams — many are available on the College Board website. PandaTree also makes additional practice materials available for free – click here .
Practice in realistic conditions: Can you hand-write a persuasive essay in 40 minutes? Can you record a 20 second response to a conversation prompt? Getting familiar with the timing and technology is important prep.
Practice Spanish language skills with PandraTree tutors: PandaTree offers one-on-one tutoring with AP-experienced teachers, many of whom have graded AP Spanish exams for the College Board. Prior to the lesson, students can complete a practice section of the test, which their tutor will grade. During the one-on-one lesson, the tutor will provides feedback and coaching. This expert feedback allows a student to zero in on key areas for improvement and accelerates student progress.

May 7 th is coming up quickly. PandaTree is here to help ensure all students are ready to bring their best when it’s time to open their AP Spanish exam booklets.

Author: Kristina Klausen

Kristina Klausen is the Founder and CEO of PandaTree.com. PandaTree offers online foreign language tutoring for children with friendly, carefully vetted tutors. View all posts by Kristina Klausen

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52 Spanish Essay Phrases for Your AP Exam

In order to do well on the AP Spanish exam’s free-response section, you must be able to write a persuasive essay based on three Spanish-language sources.

Here we’ve put together a list of 52 vocabulary words and essays phrases that will come in handy for making and supporting arguments in your AP Spanish essays.

Handy Essay Phrases for Writing a Strong Spanish AP Composition

Starting your essay, agreeing and disagreeing, stating an opinion, supporting an opinion, contrasting (or comparing), transitional phrases, changing topics, concluding your essay, how to prepare for the ap spanish essay, what are the details of the ap spanish essay, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Para empezar – To begin with

Hoy en día – Nowadays…

Hoy en día, las personas están en Internet hasta ocho horas por día. (Nowadays, people are on the Internet up to eight hours per day.)

A manera de introducción – We can start by saying…

Como punto de partida – As a starting point

Al principio – At the beginning…

En primer lugar – To start…

Empecemos por considerar – Let’s begin by considering…

Estoy de acuerdo/No estoy de acuerdo — I agree/I disagree

Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dice el autor. (I agree with what the author says.)

No estoy de acuerdo con la idea principal de la fuente número dos . (I disagree with the main idea of source number two.)

En mi opinión — In my opinion

En mi opinión, los jóvenes deberían comer más sano. (In my opinion, young people should eat healthier.)

La verdad es — The truth is

La verdad es que todavía hay mucha desigualdad en los Estados Unidos . (The truth is there is still a lot of inequality in the United States.)

Es verdad — It’s true

Es verdad que las redes sociales pueden ser peligrosas . (It’s true that social media can be dangerous.)

Es falso — It’s false

Hay gente que dice que las redes sociales son peligrosas, pero esto es falso . (There are people who say that social media is dangerous, but this is false.)

Me parece/No me parece — It seems to me/It doesn’t seem to me

Me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

No me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I don’t think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

Remember that since me parece implies an opinion or emotion, you must conjugate the verb in the subjunctive tense.

(Yo) pienso que — I think that

Yo pienso que no hay nada más importante que la familia . (I think that there is nothing more important than family.)

(Yo) creo que — I believe that

Yo creo que todos los adolescentes deberían aprender a tocar un instrumento . (I believe that all adolescents should learn to play an instrument.)

The following phrases all have the same structure: Es + adjective + que .

This structure is similar to the English “It’s [adjective] that…” and is great for expressing and supporting opinions in a strong and confident manner. Here are some phrases that are especially useful when making and defending claims in a persuasive essay:

Es evidente que — It’s evident that

Es claro que — It’s clear that

Es cierto que — It’s certain that

Es obvio que — It’s obvious that

Es importante que — It’s important that

Es necesario que — It’s necessary that

Es probable que — It’s probable that

Es dudoso que — It’s doubtful that

For some of these phrases, the verb following the word que must be conjugated in the indicative, while others require the subjunctive . A good rule of thumb is that when implying that something is certain, use the indicative. When expressing doubt or expressing some other emotion, use the subjunctive.

On this list, evidente, claro, cierto and obvio use indicative verbs, and importante, necesario, probable and dudoso use subjunctive verbs.

Es cierto que nuestro clima está cambiando . (It is certain that our climate is changing.)

Es importante que la gente sepa hablar más de un idioma . (It’s important that people know how to speak more than one language.)

These words will help you refer to your three sources, which contain information that will help you support your argument. This section also contains transition words to connect one part of your argument to the next.

Según — According to

Según el autor… (according to the author…)

La fuente — The source

Según la fuente numero 1… (According to source number one…)

El tema — The theme/topic

Esto es un tema muy importante. (This is a very important topic.)

Mostrar — To show

La fuente muestra la importancia de la diversidad. (The source shows the importance of diversity.)

Remember, mostrar is an o-ue stem-changing verb—pay attention to conjugation!

Demostrar — To demonstrate

La tabla demuestra que muchos jóvenes en España juegan al fútbol. (The table demonstrates that many youths in Spain play football.)

Demostrar is also an o-ue stem changing verb. Luckily for you, it follows the exact same conjugation rules as mostrar !

Indicar — To indicate

La tabla indica que hay muchas familias pobres en ese barrio. (The table indicates that there are many poor families in that neighborhood.)

Apoyar — To support

Estos datos apoyan la idea de que el clima está cambiando. (This data supports the idea that the climate is changing)

Sin duda — Without a doubt

Sin duda, el cambio climático es el problema más grave que enfrenta nuestra planeta. (Without a doubt, climate change is the most serious problem that our planet faces.)

Por otra parte — On the other hand

Es importante que la economía crezca, pero por otra parte, tenemos que cuidar el medio ambiente. (It’s important that the economy grows, but on the other hand, we have to care for the environment.)

Aunque — Even though/Although

Aunque is followed by an indicative verb when the outcome is known, but a subjunctive verb when the outcome is speculative.

Aunque cuesta mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución. (Even though it costs a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Aunque cueste mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución . (Even though it may cost a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Al igual que — Just like

Al igual que en los años 40, hoy en día hay mucha gente que no quiere ayudar a los refugiados de guerra . (Just like in the 40s, today there are many people who don’t want to help war refugees.)

Tanto… como… — … as well as…

Fill in this phrase with two nouns to emphasize that you’re talking equally about two different things.

Tanto chicos como chicas deberían aprender a cocinar, limpiar, coser y cuidar a los bebés. (Boys as well as girls ought to learn how to cook, clean, sew and care for babies.)

Sino — But rather

Remember that Spanish has two translations for the English word “but.” The word sino is like the English phrase “but rather,” used to introduce an alternative.

En comparación — In comparison

En comparación, la fuente número 2 indica que hay más obesidad en Estados Unidos que en España . (In comparison, source number 2 indicates that there is more obesity in the United States than in Spain.)

Leer no es una pérdida de tiempo, sino una manera de aprender y de conocer otras culturas . (Reading isn’t a waste of time, but rather a way to learn and understand other cultures.)

Además — Additionally

This word is usually seen at the beginning of a sentence, and it’s useful for transitioning from one idea or argument to another.

Además, es evidente que la tecnología nos ayuda mucho. (Additionally, it’s evident that technology helps us a lot.)

Sin embargo — However

This is another good transition word. In your essay, you may want to present an alternate argument and then explain why you disagree with it. Sin embargo is very helpful for this.

Obviamente, estudiar es muy importante. Sin embargo, es necesario que los adolescentes tengan tiempo para jugar con sus amigos . (Obviously, studying is very important. However, it’s necessary that teenagers have time to play with their friends.)

Por lo cual — For this reason/That’s why/Which is why

This phrase is used in the middle of a sentence to connect ideas.

La Amazonía tiene un alto nivel de biodiversidad, por lo cual la conservación de esta región debe ser una prioridad. (The Amazon has a high level of biodiversity, which is why the conservation of this region must be a priority.)

Sobre un tema relacionado — On a related topic

Sobre un tema relacionado con la inteligencia artificial, se están llevando a cabo investigaciones para mejorar la capacidad de aprendizaje de los algoritmos de machine learning. (Regarding a topic related to artificial intelligence, research is being conducted to enhance the learning capacity of machine learning algorithms.)

Cuando se trata de – When it comes to

Relacionado con esta idea — Related to this idea

Una idea similar es — A similar idea is

Una idea similar es utilizar la realidad virtual como herramienta educativa para mejorar la experiencia de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. (A similar idea is to use virtual reality as an educational tool to enhance the learning experience of students.)

Ahora estoy pasando a — Now moving onto

In your final paragraph, you’ll want to provide a summary of your main argument and your main supporting points. You can use the following helpful phrases:

En conclusión — In conclusion

En resumen — In summary

En fin — Finally

En conclusión,/En resumen,/En fin, las tres fuentes muestran que la contaminación del aire es un problema muy grave para todo el mundo . (In summary, the three sources show that air pollution is a very serious problem for the whole world.)

After summarizing your essay, you’ll want to restate your main argument in a succinct, strongly-worded sentence. Start with these phrases:

Por estas razones — For these reasons

Por eso — That is why

Así que — Therefore

Entonces — So

Por estas razones,/Por eso,/Así que/Entonces, afirmo que los adolescentes no deberían usar las redes sociales. (For these reasons, I affirm that teenagers should not use social media.)

In many ways, preparing for the free-response section is the same as preparing for the rest of the AP exam.

It involves studying grammar and vocabulary, and it also means immersing yourself in the Spanish language as much as possible.

There are also some targeted ways to practice for the free-response section.

Do practice exams and read sample essays. The College Board has posted the full AP exams from the last several years. Try to read the sources and write the essay in the allotted 55 minutes. When you’re done, go back and slowly revise your essay for errors in grammar, spelling and logic. After that, you can also check out the grading rubric provided by the College Board and several sample persuasive essays . Try to compare your essay against the rubric and the samples to see how you can improve your writing.
Practice summarizing and analyzing Spanish-language sources. Remember all those great resources listed above? Well, it’s not enough to just read or listen to them. The whole point of the presentational essay is to measure your ability to summarize, synthesize and argue. So, after you read or listen to a Spanish-language source, take five minutes to summarize it—on paper. Identify the main argument, and then make a bulleted list of important points. Finally, write a few sentences summarizing your personal opinion.
Learn targeted vocabulary for talking about opinions and arguments. Is there anything more frustrating than knowing exactly what you want to say, but not having the vocabulary to say it? This article lists many crucial vocabulary words for expressing and supporting opinions in persuasive essays. Using these words and phrases will help make your writing flow more smoothly, and allow you to argue with more credibility.

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You can also find some great info on great news outlets , podcasts , YouTube channels and blogs —all in Spanish. Even following some Spanish Twitter feeds or listening to Spanish music can be a great way to work a little language practice into your day.

The free-response section of the exam is meant to test your ability to communicate with others in spoken and written Spanish.

There are two essays in the free-response section. The interpersonal essay asks you to respond to an email. The presentational essay tests how well you can draw information from Spanish-language sources, form an argument and write formally. This second essay is a little less straightforward, so we’ll walk you through it here.

So, how does it work?

The presentational essay is based on three sources . Two of them are written sources and one is an audio source.

These sources can be just about anything: Advertisements, articles, infographics, letters, maps, interviews, radio programs, podcasts and conversations are just some examples of the types of sources you may encounter.

You’ll have about 55 minutes to complete this particular essay. First, you’ll have six minutes to read the prompt and the two written sources, and then you’ll hear the audio source twice. Finally, you’ll have 40 minutes to plan and write your essay.

The essay is graded on the basis of Spanish language skills like reading, listening, writing and grammar—but it’s also based on your general ability to analyze the sources and make a strong, coherent argument.

Of course, learning vocabulary and essay phrases is just one way to prepare for the free-response section.

Remember to expose yourself to as many Spanish-language sources as you can before test day, and don’t forget to think critically about those sources as you read them!

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FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

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Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab .

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AP® Spanish Language

Interpersonal writing: email reply, la vida contemporánea / contemporary life, la educación y las profesiones: buscador de empleos, programa bilingüe, las identidades personales y públicas / personal and public identities, intercambio cultural, la ciencia y la tecnología, la belleza y la estetica / beauty and aesthetics, las artes visuales y escénicas: el museo de bellas artes, invitación al programa educativo del museo del prado, madrid, presentational writing: argumentative essay, los desafíos mundiales / global challenges, obesidad en la infancia y adolescencia., la ciencia y la tecnología / science and technology, los teléfonos celulares en el aula, el arte callejero, las familias y las comunidades / families and communities, bilingüe o monolingüe, los matrimonio concertados, la moda sostenible, interpersonal speaking: conversation, el club ecológico, las redes sociales, recomendaciones en tu ciudad, la feria de comida, la universidad, la música y los jóvenes, presentational speaking: cultural comparison, el acceso a la educación, los espacios verdes, los días nacionales, celebraciones culturales, la vida en familia.

Specialty Spanish

Ideas and Resources for Spanish Teachers

The Argumentative Essay on the AP Spanish Exam: Part 1

The Argumentative Essay on the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam is “arguably” one of the most difficult tasks. It is the open-ended section that takes the most time. It really challenges students to demonstrate excellent reading and listening comprehension skills. Their vocabulary and grammar skills are also put to the test. In addition, the argumentative essay also requires some specific knowledge of good writing skills and how to include the requirements that AP Scorers are looking for.

How To Teach the Argumentative Essay

There are many ways to approach teaching AP Spanish students how to tackle this task. This is my way, and I have had great success! I’m sure there are many other ways too!

First, I start by doing some direct instruction with THIS Google Slides presentation . It contains information like: the rules and requirements of the task, what skills it tests, what the instructions are, Do’s and Don’ts, helpful hints and a short vocabulary list and Quizlet with words and expressions that will raise the level of sophistication of their writing.

I post this presentation in their Google Classroom so that they can refer to it all year long.

The last general strategy I use is to introduce this task early in the year. I find that it takes students several attempts to put it all together, so I don’t want to have just one or 2 practices before the exam in May.

The Sources

After showing students what the Argumentative Essay entails, I give them the 3 sources from the AP Training book (Does everyone take that course for New AP Spanish Teachers? If not, any practice essay will do! Leave me a comment below if you need names of resources!)

I give time for everyone to read the sources individually. We highlight reading what the question is. That’s really important! I encourage them to underline and note what they think may be helpful in the written sources.

Then I play the listening. I remind them to take notes on what they understand, and not to panic if they don’t understand the first time. (The listening is always played twice.)

Look at Some Examples

In my opinion, starting with a really strong intro paragraph sets students up for success. We look at several intro paragraphs and analyze them for what they did well and what could be improved. HERE are some free samples!

Would you agree that the combination of telling students about requirements and SHOWING them what we mean leads to better understanding? I have found that to be the case, especially with this argumentative essay!

Start With a Group Practice

Now I break students up into groups of 2-3. I do this for 2 reasons. Working together, students have a little more support and confidence. And, when they turn in their work, I give feedback 1/3 the amount of student work. I remind students that they should choose to defend the side that is easiest to write about, not necessarily the side that they personally agree with! This can be really hard for kids!

In their small groups, students are asked to write the entire introductory paragraph. They bring it (or submit it) to me for feedback. I check to be sure that they have a) introduced the topic in a general manner b) have brought up at least 3 points they plan to make in the body of the essay and c) have ended their paragraph with a CLEAR thesis statement (taking a side on the issue).

Next I ask them to write the topic sentence for body paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Argumentative Essay, and to choose one quote that will go with that paragraph. I remind them in the instructions of their work that they must use a quote from each of the 3 sources. I check these as they go or all 3 at once. It depends on my class size that year! I encourage them to have a topic sentence to help them to stay on message. Some students can go off on tangents within their body paragraphs. They won’t have time to finish if they do that, and they won’t be as persuasive either.

Last, I ask them to write the entire conclusion paragraph. It is simpler to write since it goes in opposite order of the intro paragraph. The challenge is to vary vocabulary! And again- feedback on how students did!

The 3rd Body Paragraph of the Argumentative Essay

To be honest, this has been a point of confusion for during my tenure as an AP Spanish Teacher. Some say that the 3rd body paragraph should present an opposing viewpoint, but then negate it. Recently, I have read in the AP Spanish Teacher Forum that students do NOT need to do this.

I feel that it adds a level of sophistication if students are able to do this, so I teach my students how. One of the biggest confusions I see here is that students will use a quote from one of the sources that supports the opposing viewpoint. I encourage them to remove that quote and find one that actually supports THEIR thesis. It requires practice for sure, but students CAN learn how to do this! However, teachers can decide for themselves how to teach this task, or even differentiate for individual students, asking some to negate a point and others to stick with 3 solid reasons why their stance is the right one.

In their practice groups, I have them write the entire paragraph to practice the skill of presenting an opposing argument and proving it wrong.

Next Steps For the Argumentative Essay

In my next blog post, I will write about how we tackle the Argumentative Essay when it’s time to grade them and give feedback.

In the meantime, here are the links to some of the resources I have already created to help students with the Argumentative Essay. If you find them helpful, please use them! However, you can also make up your own resources too using the ideas I presented above.

Test Prep Growing Mega Bundle

AP Spanish Argumentative Essay: How To

AP Spanish Argumentative Essay: Sample Intro Paragraphs