English with Mrs. Lamp

Teachers:

Share this advice with your AP Literature students. Help them write better AP Lit essays!

Common Weaknesses

1. The hook and conclusion must be better developed; they should be interesting and creative. (Almost everyone struggled with this.)
2. Evidence should include more specific, vivid, and detailed elements of the story’s plot, characterization, and style.
3. Events in the plot should be discussed in the literary present tense.
4. Transition words, phrases, or sentences must be placed either at the end of a body paragraph or the beginning of a new one.
5. Literary terms (like the ones we have been studying on Quizlet) should be used where appropriate to demonstrate a deep understanding of the author’s craft.