AP English Language · Free-response guide
How to write the AP Lang synthesis essay
By the CollegePrepRoom editorial team · Updated · How we write and check these pages
The synthesis essay is the first of the three essays in Section II of the AP English Language and Composition exam. You get a short introduction to an issue, a prompt that asks you to take a position, and a packet of brief sources: excerpts from articles, books, reports and speeches, and usually at least one visual such as a chart, table, photograph or cartoon. Your job is to build your own argument about the issue and use at least three of those sources as evidence.
The key word is your own. Students who lose points on this essay usually treat it as a summary task: they report what Source A says, then what Source C says, then what Source F says. Scorers grade whether you can make the sources serve a position you chose. This guide covers how the essay is scored, a method you can run under time, the mistakes that cost the most points, and examples of thesis statements and commentary at different levels.
Synthesis essay at a glance
| Where it appears | Section II, Question 1 (the first of three essays) |
|---|---|
| Sources | A packet of short sources, typically six or seven, usually including at least one visual |
| Requirement | Use evidence from at least three of the provided sources |
| Score | 0 to 6 points on the analytic rubric |
| Section weight | The three essays together make up 55% of the exam score |
| Suggested time | A reading period for the sources, then about 40 minutes of writing |
How the synthesis essay is scored
The synthesis essay is scored out of 6 points. Each row of the rubric is scored separately, so you can earn points in one row even if you miss another.
| Rubric row | Points | What earns the points |
|---|---|---|
| Row A: Thesis | 1 | A defensible thesis that responds to the prompt by taking a position. Restating the prompt, saying 'there are pros and cons', or writing a thesis with no clear position earns 0. The thesis can be more than one sentence if the sentences sit together, and it can appear anywhere in the essay. |
| Row B: Evidence and commentary | 4 | Scored 0 to 4. Low scores go to essays that summarize or quote sources with little explanation; a score of 1 requires evidence from at least two sources, and scores of 2 or higher require evidence from at least three sources. The top score goes to essays where specific evidence supports all claims in a line of reasoning and the commentary consistently explains how the evidence supports that reasoning. |
| Row C: Sophistication | 1 | Awarded for sophistication of thought or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation. Ways to earn it include crafting a nuanced argument that consistently explores complexities or tensions among the sources, explaining the implications or limits of the argument in a broader context, making rhetorical choices that consistently strengthen the argument, or writing in a style that is vivid and persuasive throughout. |
| Total | 6 | Points from all rows are added together. |
- Row B carries two thirds of the score, and commentary is what drives it. Two essays can cite the same three sources; the one that explains why each piece of evidence matters to the claim is the one that earns 3 or 4.
- Row C is the hardest point to earn and the one scorers award least often. It is a holistic judgment of the whole essay. A tacked-on 'some people might disagree' line in the conclusion does not earn it.
- Cite sources by their letter or a short description, for example (Source C) or (the bar graph). Scorers look for clear attribution. Any consistent citation style is acceptable.
Rubric summaries are written in our own words from the publicly available AP course and exam materials. Check the current official scoring guidelines for exact wording, as they can be revised.
Step-by-step method
Read the prompt before the sources
Underline the exact issue and the verb. Most synthesis prompts ask you to develop a position on a claim, a policy or the value of something. Write the question in your own words at the top of your notes, for example: 'Should a city spend public money on X, and why?' Reading the sources first tends to let the strongest-sounding source decide your position for you.
Sort the sources by role
As you read, tag each source with what it can do for an argument: supplies a statistic, supplies an expert claim, raises a cost, shows who is affected, complicates the issue. Note the author and the date, because a source's position and context are evidence too. Use only the sources that help the argument; one or two will usually be weaker than the rest.
Take a position you can defend with three sources
Choose the side, or the qualified middle position, that at least three sources can support. A qualified position is often stronger: 'Cities should adopt X, but only if Y' gives you a natural place to use the sources that cut the other way. Write the thesis in one or two sentences before you start the essay.
Plan a line of reasoning
List two or three reasons that support the thesis, each in the form of a claim. 'Cost' is a topic; 'the long-term savings outweigh the start-up cost' is a claim. Assign one or two sources to each claim. This plan is your line of reasoning, the part of Row B that separates a 2 from a 4.
Open each paragraph with your own claim
Start body paragraphs with your own sentence that states the reason. Then bring in a source as evidence. If a paragraph begins 'Source D says', the source is driving and you are reporting. Readers should be able to delete the source names and still follow your argument.
Write commentary after each piece of evidence
After each quotation or paraphrase, write at least two sentences that explain what the evidence shows and how it supports the paragraph's claim. Useful moves: explain the cause behind a number, point out what the evidence implies for the people in the prompt, connect two sources that support each other, or explain why a counter-source does not change your conclusion.
Use the opposing sources on purpose
Pick the strongest source against your position and answer it: concede what it gets right, then explain why your position still holds or how it should be qualified. Handling tension between sources well is one of the most reliable ways to show the complex understanding that Row C rewards.
Finish with the implication
End with what follows if your argument is right: who benefits, what changes, or what question remains. Save two minutes to check that at least three different sources are cited and attributed.
Common mistakes
Source-by-source summary
Paragraphs organized as 'Source A … Source B …' tend to score 1 or 2 in Row B because the sources carry the argument and the writer only reports them. Organize by reasons.
Citing only two sources
Evidence from at least three of the provided sources is required for a Row B score of 2 or higher. Count your citations before you finish.
Quotation without commentary
A long quote followed by 'This shows that…' and a restatement of the thesis leaves the evidence unexplained. Explain the specific connection between the evidence and the claim.
A thesis that only lists topics
'This essay will discuss cost, health and fairness' names topics and takes no side. State what you believe about the issue and why.
Misreading a visual
Charts are easy to overstate. Describe only what the data shows (for example, the trend over the years shown), and limit causal claims to what the source measures.
Spending too long on the sources
Reading each source twice leaves too little time to write commentary. Read once with a purpose, tag the useful lines, and start writing.
Example: weak and strong thesis statements
Invented prompt for illustration: a town is deciding whether to convert part of its public golf course into a nature preserve. Develop a position on whether the town should make the change.
Does not earn Row A
There are many arguments for and against turning the golf course into a nature preserve, and the town should consider all of them.
Earns Row A
The town should convert part of the golf course into a nature preserve because the land would serve more residents and reduce maintenance costs.
Earns Row A and sets up a stronger line of reasoning
Converting the back nine into a preserve is worth the lost fees, but only if the town protects the course's public access hours, because a preserve that replaces one exclusive use of public land with another would defeat its own purpose.
Commentary that moves Row B up
The parks department's survey shows that most residents never use the course (Source B), but the more important point is who those non-users are: families without the time or money for a sport with green fees. A preserve answers the fairness problem the survey reveals as well as the budget problem.
All prompts, passages and sample sentences on this page are original examples written for illustration. They are not official exam material.
Practice prompts
Original prompts in the style of the synthesis essay, written by our editorial team for practice. They are not official exam questions.
- A school district is considering replacing printed textbooks with digital devices for all students. Develop a position on whether the district should make the change.
- Many cities are debating whether to make public transit free to ride. Develop a position on the value of fare-free transit for a mid-sized city.
- Some colleges have dropped standardized test requirements for admission. Develop a position on what role, if any, such tests should play.
- Local governments sometimes restrict short-term home rentals. Develop a position on how a tourist town should balance visitors' demand and residents' housing needs.
How to practice the synthesis essay
Practice the synthesis essay in two stages. First, run only steps 1 to 4 on a source packet in 15 minutes and compare your plan to a classmate's: did you choose different sources for the same claim? Then write full timed essays. After each one, highlight each sentence of commentary in one color and each sentence of evidence in another. If evidence wins, Row B is where your next points are.
Track your Row B result across practice essays alongside your total. Row B carries four of the six points, so it is usually the most informative row to review when you compare one draft with the next.
Lessons in the AP English Language course
Related guides and terms
Synthesis essay: frequently asked questions
How many sources do you need for the AP Lang synthesis essay?
You must use evidence from at least three of the provided sources. Essays that use only two can earn at most 1 point in the evidence and commentary row. Using more than three is fine as long as each source does real work in the argument.
Can I use outside evidence in the synthesis essay?
Yes. You may add your own examples. They do not count toward the three-source requirement, and the provided sources should remain the main evidence. Outside evidence works best as a short addition that extends a point the sources already support.
Is it better to agree, disagree or qualify?
Any defensible position can earn full credit. A qualified position often makes it easier to use the sources that disagree with you, which helps with commentary and with the sophistication point, provided the qualification is specific.
How long should the synthesis essay be?
There is no length requirement. Many well-developed essays are four or five paragraphs. Scorers reward the quality of the line of reasoning and commentary.