The "essay writer" portion of the AP English Language and Composition Exam is an opportunity for you to show your teacher that you have learned a great deal about how to write clearly, concisely, forcefully, and stylishly. The skills that you will need to use on this exam are not ones that can be learned from a book; rather, they are developed with practice and experience—practice writing essays of various sorts (literary analysis, argumentative/persuasive) and experience reading good examples of good essays as well as bad examples.
Writing clear, effective prose is something that takes practice. You should read the newspaper every day so that you can watch how professional journalists develop their ideas in paragraph after paragraph. Reading fiction will help you learn how to describe and understand human psychology, motivation, and behavior.
Finally, reading essays that your friends or the teacher have written will help you learn how to write a good essay for this test.
Unfortunately, most students who take AP English Language and Composition do not read enough outside of school; therefore, they are not prepared to handle either the writing portion of this exam or many of the other college-level assignments that they'll encounter in their English courses at the university level.
They might say things like "I try really hard but I just can't write well!" Or, perhaps even worse: "I don't really care whether my writing is good." Or worst yet: "It's so much easier to just copy someone else's paper and turn it in. For a couple of bucks, I'll ask around and find someone to "write my essay" for me."
However, when they get to college, these students will be surprised to learn that the rule at most universities is that you are not allowed to buy or sell (or trade) your AP essays with other students! Of course, there are always those students who "forget" this fact; however, if caught cheating by their professors...well....They will likely receive an "F" on the assignment and then they may be expelled from school. Perhaps even more importantly, however, they will have lost a valuable opportunity: The opportunity to show their teachers—and themselves—that they can master difficult assignments by doing the hard work necessary to learn how to write a good essay.
However, here is a small consolation: You don't need to worry about getting an "F" on your AP English Language and Composition Exam. Why not? Because you can learn how to write the types of essays that are required for this exam from A Guide to Understanding the Essay Prompt (see below)....and when you have learned those skills, you will be able to conquer many of the other writing assignments that you will encounter at college.
As a matter of fact, if you read this Guide carefully before taking the exam, and then do what it says during the test...you might even find yourself wondering if this entire guide isn't just a joke! But it's not. And as difficult as learning how to write good essays might seem, it's actually quite simple; so don't be afraid to give it a try.
After all, if you do what this Guide says and earn a high score on the writing portion of your AP Exam...you'll have achieved a goal that most students who take AP English Language and Composition (and even some teachers!) cannot master: You will have learned how to write a good college-level essay! And then no one can ever say "I can't!" because you will know better—you will know how!
To use this guide, simply read through the italicized sections below once or twice before taking the exam so that you get a general idea of what sort of response is expected from you. Then when it comes time for you to write your "essay writing service", simply follow the "Steps" below your level of writing ability (beginner, intermediate or AP).
After completing each essay, compare it with the example essays at the bottom of this Guide. If there are major differences between yours and the examiners' preferred choice...correct what needs correcting before continuing on to complete your next essay.
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