Score Higher on AP Human Geography 2024: Tips for FRQs

FRQs

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's doing the trick, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

📌 Overview

• Students are given 3 free response questions and asked to explain spatial relationships for authentic scenarios
• 50% of Exam Score
• Spend about 25 min per question

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💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high level things to know

• Get familiar with task verbs - it will help you understand what level of detail is needed and help you stay on task.
  • Identify - This is typically shorter and can be accomplished quickly by defining the term in relation to the question. It should be an answer in 1 sentence. (However, if you’re unsure of whether or not your answer is specific enough, you can elaborate more on the idea. It can be answered in one sentence, but it is not limited to one sentence.)
  • Describe - This is asking to be able to demonstrate understanding of concepts and how it relates to other terms beyond their textbook definitions - form connections! You should provide an answer and reasoning in 2-3 sentences.
  • Explain - This is where you have to be able to utilize your vocabulary and apply conceptual thinking in terms of the prompt, to show evidence of higher level application and earn the point. This is going to be more lengthy as it requires you to simplify your explanation under the assumption that the reader has no prior knowledge, but can still understand and answer the FRQ question. You should provide an answer, context and reasoning in 3-5 sentences.
  • Compare - try to work at least one similarity between the two things in
• Remember that you do not have to answer all the sections in order. Start with the easier ones that you know you can answer, and worry about the hard ones last.
  • Just remember to label your answers with the section letter. (ex: 1A or A.)
  • Make sure you label it correctly and inside the lines, the AP graders won’t see anything that you write outside of the box.
• APHG Vocab words are your best friend! Keeping up with your vocab throughout the school year, and being sure to extensively review them before your exam will give you a strong grasp of various topics and how they connect to other topics will greatly help you form your FRQ answers!
• With common sense you can write about anything and everything as long as it relates back to the topic in a historically accurate way.
• Your FRQ doesn’t have to be super long! Students would be filling up pages for one topic, but it’s a waste of your time. Get straight to your point, give an accurate evidence, and start the next one (the students who write whole essays are just making it 10x harder on themselves).
• Make sure to practice a FRQ from every unit to make sure you know how to tackle a FRQ from any unit.
• Always remember to write in third person! No personal pronouns like “I”, “me”, etc. Doing this helps your AP grader know that you are professional and confident in your writing skills.
• It’s okay to take a break if you need to, just make sure to keep an eye on the clock. But make sure, if the time is running out and you still have a lot left, try to write faster and still legibly.
• There is no penalty for wrong answers, but you should manage your time by skipping difficult questions and coming back to it later!
• If you’re unsure how to connect thoughts or ideas, use the PIECES acronym to see how they would interact and relate to one another.
• Write an outline! Before you dig into each FRQ, write an outline for all 3 questions so that you won’t have to spend time thinking about what to write, and you can focus on developing your response.
• Practice active recall before the AP Exam day. You want to have as many definitions and examples as possible so make sure that you can explain the concepts and provide examples.
• Review previous FRQs from AP Classroom prior to the test! The College Board likes to reuse questions and topics from FRQs in recent years, and previous FRQs can be extremely helpful in understanding what questions are asking.
• Annotate the stimulus! The stimulus is the main focus of the FRQ! Make sure you understand what trends or concepts the stimuli represents, and frame your response in the topic of the unit. You can annotate by writing little marks, underlining, drawing arrows, and forming an outline when a stimulus looks challenging.
• If you feel concerned about the time limit of the AP exam or managing your time on the FRQS as a whole, practice mimicking the atmosphere of the exam. Do several timed practice tests so you force your mind to adapt to thinking quickly in a fast-paced and stressful environment. That way, you won’t feel like you’re running out of time on exam day.
• Skim through the FRQ packet and answer the FRQ you know the most about first. That way you can save your precious time developing stronger answers on the responses you know will require more thinking power. If you have a tendency to overcompensate in your responses (detailed paragraphs), elaborate the most on the responses you’re unsure about- to convince the grader you know what you are talking about.
• Running out of study time? Hone down on your biggest weaknesses; the units where your gaps of knowledge are most present. A good indicator of the concepts you should prioritize are the ones you wouldn’t be able to answer an FRQ about.
• Knowing most if not all vocabulary terms will get you far! Once you know the concepts, you will be able to apply them. You will be able to make more adept connections as well.

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🕐 Before you Write

What should a student do in the first few minutes, before they start writing?

• Read all introductory statements for FRQs before you start answering to decide where to start. If you see a familiar topic, start with that because you will be able to answer it faster. Then, answer the most challenging prompt second to manage time effectively.
• Underline task verbs - compare, define, describe, explain, identify.
• Note the key words and use the acronym ESPN (Economic, Social, Political, eNvironmental). Remember that this is what the focus of your answer should be.
• Underline and look for key terms/vocab words (in the question) that you are familiar with in order to better analyze the source and review the topic faster, in order to allocate more time to answering your questions.
• Take 2-5 minutes and read all the FRQ prompts and just write all the information you know about each of the prompts. This way when you go back and answer the questions, you will already have an idea of the main things you want to address.
• Look through the different sources and decide which ones you are the most comfortable with. You can write the questions in any order (ex: question 3 before question 1), but make sure to fill the bubble with the question number you are writing about. You should tackle the source you find challenging last and start with the easiest prompt.
• Think back to the MCQs and see if any of the information from there correlates to the FRQs since you might be able to use info or ideas from them.
• Identify which unit the FRQ is discussing, and try to think of as many examples and key concepts as you can remember, write them down for clarity!

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🧠 Understanding the Source

• Make sure to annotate your source!
  • List any relevant vocabulary words that come to mind when looking at the source.
  • Write any background knowledge you have about the source.
  • Think about which unit is associated with the topic and what the unit is about. For example, if you get a chart about birth rates, you’re probably back in unit 2, so you should be thinking about the Demographic Transition Model!
• For maps:
  • Look at the title to understand the topic, the legend/key to understand the data, and then move onto analyzing the map data.
  • Mark up maps and graphs so you can refer back when writing (ex. correlations or areas of interest).
• For graphs:
  • Look at the title and the x- and y-axis to understand the displayed data.
• Write down examples that you know you can use as your evidence as you read through the question. Doing this can help you come up with multiple pieces of evidence that support your assertion.
• Make sure the evidence you’re writing down is connected with the prompt. Having strong evidence helps you have a strong FRQ.
• It is better to go slow and know exactly what you are looking at rather than rushing through it just to start writing. If you don’t understand, you risk writing about the wrong topic and losing the point! Taking your time helps you know exactly what to say in your answer!

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✍🏼 Writing the FRQ

➕ General Advice

• Use complete sentences.
• Take a deep breath! FRQ’s can look kinda scary but you got this! Just identify your needed info and don't be afraid to skip questions. Don't obsess over the small details or getting a 100 or a 5.
• Once you’re done answering a question, make sure to leave a couple of lines blank if you go back and want to add more to your response.
• If you’re having trouble answering a question (or you have very little knowledge on the topic), make sure you spend more time and have strong answers for the questions that you can answer! Even if you might not get points for the question you’re stuck on, you’ll have a higher chance of making up for it.
• Don't write too much, as that makes it wordy and takes longer to write.
• Remember to use the evidence you've been given.
• If you’re unsure if your response makes sense, try to work in an example for that particular theme or concept. For example, the Kurds would be an example when talking about stateless nations.
• If you’re having trouble remembering an answer to one of the questions, use the other ones as evidence! There’s always context clues in each of the FRQ’s, so make sure you take the time to find them!
• Once you’re done answering, make sure to quickly skim your response to see if you have answered everything asked in the prompt and if you’re not forgetting anything. If you don’t have enough time though, trust your judgment you answered everything and move on.

🏛️ Structure and Content

• The questions are asked in sections for a reason! Answer each question individually with the corresponding letter in front of your answer.
• Only write what's necessary. If it's an Identifying question, then write only what the prompt requires you to identify, if you’re describing something, like “cultural hearth”, give an example of one! Also, if you’re explaining something, start from the beginning, and the impacts it has now and give the “why of where.”
• Do not restate the question, go straight to the point and don't try to over elaborate. Answering the questions in the most simple way will be better and faster. Restate the question as your intro, provide your evidence, then provide your answer. It’s really that easy!
• This is not supposed to be an essay for your English class. Get to the point, answer the question, and use what you’ve learned this year to defend it.
• Don’t give a ton of commentary, instead give more evidence.
• At the end of your paragraph, make sure to add a concluding statement that ties together your paragraph and restates your answer to the question
  • Ex: “Therefore, explaining how population pyramids can predict the state of a nation in the future.”
• Here’s an helpful acronym you can use for your format: AEC (Assertion, Evidence, Commentary).
  • For your assertion, keep it short and specific. Don’t talk about more than you need to. AP graders can’t give a point to an assertion that doesn’t hit the nail on what the question needs to be answered.
  • Use specific examples for your evidence! Recall important vocabulary words and topics (Demographic Transition Model, Dependency Ratio, and Carrying Capacity), and use them throughout your response.
    • Instead of giving broad or vague examples, like “Space-Time Expression,” elaborate on how modern technology (radio, airplanes, internet, etc.) are examples of how Space-Time Expression works!
    • Instead of saying “countries with low birth rates have smaller populations”, mention a specific country, like Japan in your response.
  • In your commentary, it’s good to thoroughly explain the connection between your claim and the topic/concept that you use as evidence, in a way that will both correctly and concisely answer the question.

🪟 Presentation and Clarity

• Write legibly!
• If you’re going to use a vocab word that has an abbreviation like TFR, make sure to use the whole phrase at least once, and then in parentheses, write the abbreviation to make sure the reader knows what you’re talking about when you use the abbreviation later on in your response.
• Underline the key words and definitions you want the graders to read. The easier it is to see you got it right, the more likely you are to get the points than with an overly complex answer.
• Don’t use filler words to seem like you understand the topic! It’s better to have a couple simple, concise sentences written down, rather than commentary that isn’t specific enough in describing the evidence!

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💯 How it’s Graded

• Graders are looking to give you the highest score they can, but they cannot give you any points if you leave a question blank. So, even if it’s just a guess, you should always write something for every question to have a chance of getting a singular point answering correctly.
• You don't have to have perfect English essays as answers. Most of the time, graders do not care about your fancy use of vocabulary, and only see if you have answered the question properly or not.
• Always read over your FRQ after you’ve finished writing to make sure it answers the question. Check whether you’ve added extra info that isn’t needed, or you’re missing important details.
• Answer the question in the most concise way, and you’ll get the points!
• It's okay if you're not sure how to apply the information from the source! AP graders are interested in seeing how you apply the knowledge you have, even in unfamiliar situations.
• Remember you don't have to get a perfect score to get a 5! Generally, scoring around 70 raw points can still result in a 5 for AP Exams. So, don’t stress if you do not know an answer or you get confused.
• Use past grades on FRQs and MCQs (or ones from in class), and put those into a grade calculator to see what specific part of the text to focus on.
• When you’re writing an FRQ, focus on answering the question rather than the grammar. The readers are not going to deduct points for spelling errors or missing commas! So, focus on crafting a coherent response with legible handwriting and clear organization.