Score Higher on AP Literature 2024: Tips for FRQ 1 (Poetry Analysis)

FRQ 1 – Poetry Analysis

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.

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📌 Overview

• Students are asked to write an essay that explains how literary devices are used to interpret a work of poetry
• 18.3% of overall exam score
• Spend about 40 min
  • 10-15 minutes should be spent on planning your essay
• Scored on a 6 point rubric
  • Presents thesis (1)
  • Provides evidence and commentary (4)
  • Demonstrates sophistication (1)

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💭 General Advice

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

• It is super important to practice time management and outlining rough drafts for essays leading up to the exam!
• The poetry analysis is first for a reason—College Board is trying to stump you! The national scores indicate that students score the lowest on this essay question. Keep an open mind and be prepared to think outside the box. Be prepared for this question by practicing higher level writing techniques that you can pull from the text and use as evidence.
• If you are going to take your time reading anything, take it on this FRQ. The short story for the next essay will likely be a lot more straightforward. So take an extra read to really understand what the text is saying and to outline your argument, it can make a world of a difference!

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🕐 Before You Write

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

• Before you write, take a deep breathe and try your best to relax. Being stressed out can make it harder to recall information and think clearly.
• Although you do have a time limit, make sure you understand the poem before writing. Annotating it will make writing easier!
• Outline your essay! Make a clear timeline of your argument that you can refer to, and annotate the text to pull out evidence.

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🖋️ Types of Poetic Devices to Know

• Focus on poetic devices that are universal in poems and easy to recall. Devices such as rhyme, metaphors, imagery, diction, etc. A good essay will earn points for its interpretation, not how obscure the rhetorical device is.
• Common allusions are also a good poetic device to know. Additionally, symbolism and pathos are good devices to remember and use.

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💯 Tips for Earning Each Point

Thesis and Claim

• Stick to a specific format that you’re comfortable with and can easily reproduce!
• Make sure the thesis is arguable and accurately addresses all parts of the prompt.
• Be specific and select defensible arguments.
• Make sure your thesis can stand on its own. If a reader were to only read those one or two sentences, they should be able to understand your argument.

Evidence and Commentary

• Remember that evidence alone does not earn points. Make sure you sufficiently analyze it and connect it to your claim!
• Don’t needlessly add in long quotes/evidence—this will only take up time, without adding depth to your argument.
• Try to emphasize the commentary portion more than the evidence. Constantly tie each piece of evidence back to your thesis. Sometimes less evidence is more, as long as each is clearly developed and has adequate commentary.
• Coherence is important, especially when discussing complex ideas in poetry. Build clear and concrete levels of your thought process.

Complexity and Sophistication

• This is a chance to reflect your own views and opinions, don’t be shy!
• It is important to make sure you have a good thesis and evidence/commentary before trying to go for the sophistication point. It's easy to lose sight of the evidence when trying to do too much to get the sophistication.
• Earning the point shouldn’t be your goal going into this essay, but if you can connect your thesis to a bigger picture or theme, you may mange to bag this point!