Common Mistakes on Q3 of the AP Lang Exam | How to Write an Argument | Coach Hall Writes

Summary

In this insightful video, the presenter shares valuable advice for students tackling question three of the AP Language exam. Having scored numerous essays at a conference, the speaker emphasizes the importance of providing specific evidence to avoid low scores. The video offers a clear distinction between essays that make generalizations and those that provide concrete examples, illustrating how to improve writing through detailed evidence and consistent commentary. The presenter also highlights the significance of developing a strong concession and refutation to avoid appearing one-sided and to strengthen the essay's reasoning. With practical examples and a relatable analogy, the video guides students on how to craft a coherent line of reasoning and plan their essays effectively. The speaker reassures viewers that focusing on their areas of knowledge can lead to persuasive and well-written essays, regardless of the topic's complexity.

Takeaways

• 📝 The importance of using specific evidence in essays for the AP Language Exam cannot be overstated; it's crucial for achieving higher scores.
• 🔍 Students often fail to provide concrete evidence, leading to lower scores of 1 or 2, which is a common mistake to avoid.
• 📈 Writing styles that include claims without supporting facts or evidence are seen as generalizations and not persuasive.
• 🌐 Including specific examples, such as mentioning a particular country or state, can elevate an essay from a score of 2 to 3.
• 📚 The difference between a score of 3 and 4 lies in the consistency and quality of commentary alongside specific evidence.
• 🏀 A strong authorial voice and accurate facts can make an essay convincing, but insufficient commentary can prevent it from achieving the highest score.
• 💡 Students should choose topics they are knowledgeable about to demonstrate a strong voice and provide persuasive arguments.
• ✅ Setting up a developed concession and refutation is essential for a well-rounded argument and to avoid appearing narrow-minded.
• 🤔 Acknowledging the merits of the opposing viewpoint before refuting it is a key strategy for a stronger essay.
• 📊 Including evidence from current events, history, or personal experience adds credibility and specificity to the essay.
• 🔗 Maintaining a clear line of reasoning throughout the essay ensures logical coherence and helps the reader follow the writer's argument.
• 📋 Planning essays in advance can help establish a logical flow and line of reasoning, which is beneficial for the final score.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on common mistakes students make on question three of the AP Language exam and provides tips to improve their performance based on the 2020 rubric.

Why is specific evidence crucial in essays according to the new rubric?

Specific evidence is crucial because essays with only generalizations or insufficient specific evidence tend to score low, receiving either a 1 or a 2.

What is the difference between a generalization and specific evidence in an essay?

A generalization is a broad statement without supporting facts, which can come across as an opinion. Specific evidence, on the other hand, involves concrete examples or facts that prove a claim.

What are some examples of writing styles that warrant either a generalization or specific evidence?

Examples include essays that are more like rants without concrete evidence and essays that have a claim but lack detailed support or examples to substantiate the argument.

How can students improve their essays to score higher on the AP Language exam?

Students can improve by providing specific evidence, having a consistent line of reasoning, and ensuring their commentary is strong and connects back to the thesis.

What is the significance of commentary in an essay?

Commentary is important as it helps to connect the evidence to the thesis, explains the evidence, and supports the claims made in the essay. Inconsistent commentary can lead to a lower score.

Why is it important to have a developed concession and refutation in the essay?

A developed concession and refutation is important because it acknowledges the merit of the opposing viewpoint and strengthens the writer's argument by addressing potential counterarguments.

What is the key difference between an essay that scores a 3 out of 4 and a 4 out of 4 in terms of evidence and commentary?

Both scores have specific evidence and detail, but essays that score a 4 out of 4 have more consistent and effective commentary that strongly supports all claims in the essay.

What is the role of the authorial voice in an essay?

The authorial voice adds personality and conviction to the essay, making it more engaging and persuasive. A strong voice can make the essay stand out, even when discussing a topic that may not be inherently complex.

What is the advice given for choosing a topic for the essay?

The advice is to choose a topic that the student knows well and can discuss with confidence and a strong voice. It's not necessary to choose a highly sophisticated topic; what matters is the evidence and commentary provided.

What is the 'line of reasoning' and why is it important in an essay?

A line of reasoning is a logical and coherent sequence of arguments that supports the essay's thesis. It is important because it ensures that the essay is clear, logical, and easy for the reader to follow.

How can students ensure they have a clear line of reasoning in their essays?

Students can ensure a clear line of reasoning by planning their essays in advance, connecting all the dots for the reader, and ensuring that the examples chosen are clearly related and support the overall argument.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Importance of Specific Evidence in AP Lang Essays

The speaker starts by addressing common mistakes made by students on question three of the AP Language Exam, emphasizing the critical role of specific evidence in essays. They share insights from a conference where they scored numerous essays. The key advice is to use concrete examples rather than generalizations to avoid low scores. The speaker illustrates the difference between generalizations and specific evidence through writing samples, explaining how the level of commentary can affect the essay's score, and stressing the need for a consistent and detailed analysis to achieve a top score.

05:01

🏀 Strengths in Writing: Voice and Knowledge

The speaker discusses how essays that stand out often showcase the student's strengths, such as a deep understanding of a subject, which gives the essay a strong voice. They recount an essay about a basketball player that was well-written but lacked sufficient commentary for a top score. The speaker encourages students to choose topics they are knowledgeable about, as this can make the writing more convincing. They also highlight the importance of setting up a developed concession and refutation to avoid narrow-minded arguments and to strengthen the essay's reasoning.

10:02

🔍 Developing a Coherent Line of Reasoning

The speaker emphasizes the need for a clear line of reasoning in essays, where each idea should logically connect to the next. They discuss how some students struggle to maintain a coherent flow of ideas throughout their essays. The speaker provides a strategy for planning essays in advance to establish a clear line of reasoning before writing. They also mention their plans to upload weekly videos to assist students with AP Language Exam preparation, offering support and resources to help students navigate the new rubrics and achieve success in their exams.

Keywords

💡Specific Evidence

Specific evidence refers to the use of concrete examples, facts, or data to support a claim or argument in an essay. In the context of the video, it is a crucial aspect of the AP Lang exam, where essays lacking specific evidence are often scored lower. The video emphasizes the importance of moving beyond generalizations to include detailed, verifiable information that strengthens the essay's argument.

💡Generalizations

Generalizations are broad, sweeping statements that lack specificity. In the video, it is mentioned that essays relying on generalizations rather than specific evidence are less effective and typically receive lower scores on the AP Lang exam. The speaker cautions against using generalizations and instead encourages students to provide detailed evidence to support their claims.

💡Rubric

A rubric is a set of criteria or standards used to evaluate and score essays. In the video, the 20/20 rubric is referenced as the grading standard for the AP Lang exam. The rubric emphasizes the need for specific evidence and detailed commentary, which are key to achieving higher scores. The video aims to help students understand and align their essays with the expectations set by the rubric.

💡Line of Reasoning

A line of reasoning is a logical sequence of arguments or ideas that leads to a conclusion. The video stresses the importance of a coherent line of reasoning in essays, where each point connects logically to the next, creating a persuasive and well-structured argument. A lack of clear line of reasoning can result in a lower score as it confuses the reader and weakens the essay's impact.

💡Concession and Refutation

Concession and refutation are rhetorical strategies where a writer acknowledges an opposing point of view (concession) and then counters it with their own argument (refutation). In the video, it is suggested that developing a full paragraph for concession and refutation can lead to a more nuanced and well-rounded essay, which is favored by the AP Lang exam's rubric.

💡Commentary

Commentary in an essay refers to the writer's interpretation, analysis, or explanation of the evidence or arguments presented. The video highlights that consistent and insightful commentary is necessary to achieve higher scores on the AP Lang exam. It should connect the evidence to the thesis and clarify the writer's perspective, thus enhancing the essay's persuasive power.

💡Authorial Voice

Authorial voice is the unique style, tone, and personality that a writer brings to their work. The video uses the example of a basketball player essay to illustrate how a strong authorial voice can make an essay engaging and convincing, even for readers unfamiliar with the subject. However, the video also notes that a strong voice alone is not sufficient; it must be paired with specific evidence and commentary.

💡Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical analysis is a method of examining and interpreting the strategies used by writers or speakers to persuade or influence an audience. The video mentions that modes of rhetorical analysis can be applied in students' own writing to enhance their arguments. This includes techniques such as comparison and contrast, which can be used to effectively present evidence and support claims.

💡Consistency

Consistency in an essay refers to the uniformity and coherence of ideas, arguments, and language throughout the text. The video emphasizes that essays scoring a 4 out of 4 on the AP Lang exam exhibit consistent evidence and commentary, meaning that each part of the essay supports the thesis and builds upon the arguments made previously.

💡Scope

The scope of an essay refers to the breadth and depth of the topic it covers. The video advises students aiming for a high score to consider the scope of their essays, suggesting that multiple claims with evidence and commentary can demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic and lead to higher scores.

💡Planning

Planning in the context of essay writing involves outlining and organizing the essay's structure and content before writing. The video suggests that planning can help students establish a clear line of reasoning and ensure that their essays meet the expectations of the AP Lang exam's rubric. By doing so, students can avoid common pitfalls and present a more cohesive and persuasive argument.

Highlights

The importance of providing specific evidence in essays for the AP Lang exam, as it is crucial for achieving higher scores according to the new rubric.

Generalizations without specific evidence result in lower scores of 1 or 2, emphasizing the need for concrete examples.

The necessity for students to understand the difference between generalizations and specific evidence to improve their writing.

The use of rhetorical modes such as compare and contrast to enhance writing and connect it to the thesis.

The distinction between a score of 3 and 4 on the rubric lies in the level of execution and consistency of commentary.

Essays with strong authorial voice and accurate facts can be convincing, even on less sophisticated topics.

The need for students to connect the dots for the reader by providing commentary that explains the absurdity or reasoning behind their claims.

The ability to write about topics within one's own strengths can lead to more persuasive and convincing essays.

The significance of setting up a developed concession and refutation to avoid narrow-minded arguments and strengthen the essay's reasoning.

Acknowledging the merit of the opposing side before refuting it is essential for a well-rounded argument.

The importance of a clear and logical line of reasoning throughout the essay to maintain coherence and avoid confusion for the reader.

Including evidence from current events, history, or personal experience can provide a stronger argument than hypotheticals.

Planning essays in advance can help establish a clear line of reasoning and improve the overall quality of the writing.

The upcoming series of weekly videos aimed at helping students prepare for the AP Lang exam, including a cram session for the exam.

The encouragement for students to not be intimidated by the new rubrics and to focus on understanding and applying the requirements effectively.

The advice that the topic of the essay does not have to be highly sophisticated; what matters is the evidence and commentary provided.

The example of how an essay about a basketball player with a strong voice and accurate facts could have achieved a higher score with more commentary.

The emphasis on the need for students to think critically about the scope of their essays, especially when aiming for a score of 4 out of 4.

The caution against starting with a strong example, like Columbus, and then losing the thread of the argument in subsequent paragraphs.

Transcripts

hey guys welcome back to coach all

rights in today's video we're gonna be

looking at common mistakes that students

make on question three of the AP lang

exam recently I went to a conference in

which I scored close to a hundred essays

of the overrated prompt from 2019 but

based on the 20/20 rubric and let me

tell you it was an eye-opening

experience so this video has all my tips

that I'm gonna be giving to my own

students to help them be more successful

on the 20/20 exam so the biggest piece

of advice I have for students is to make

sure you have specific evidence I don't

think a lot of students who wrote these

essays truly understood what specific

evidence was it's something that I'm

gonna be hammering into my own students

between now and May as well because it's

absolutely crucial based on the new

rubric so if you have generalizations or

only some specific evidence you're gonna

get either a 1 or a 2 and Roby so let's

look at some of the writing styles that

warrant either a generalization or some

specific evidence so keep in mind that

the examples I'm gonna show you are not

full paragraphs let alone an essay it's

just representative of the style so here

we basically just have a claim there's

no facts no evidence to prove this it's

just a generalization so it comes across

as an opinion we saw a lot of essays

that came across as a rant in the

generalization type style now this one

is very indicative of the essays that

were close they just needed to dig

deeper and part of the reason I say that

is because the student clearly has an

idea here they have a claim that they

try to support but they just don't give

concrete evidence and so it says other

countries here if we had a specific

example of another country and really

developed that example that would be

what it took to improve that to a three

instead of a two in my opinion now again

it's just a simple sample of the type of

writing this one is what I believe would

warrant a three possibly afford

depending on the level of commentary but

notice it's already longer than the

previous example and we see two specific

examples in this one first we see a

reference to Arkansas so we see a

specific example about what testing is

like in that state and then we see a

reference to Finland so instead of

saying other countries we already have

an exact country that we're talking

about here and we see this mode of

compare and contrast so this

is important because some of the modes

that you study for rhetorical analysis

are modes that you can use in your own

writing and so this hinges on specific

evidence so what's the difference

between a 3 out of 4 and a 4 out of 4 in

row B well here's the thing I actually

saw a couple essays that unfortunately

got it too and it's not because they

didn't have good commentary they

actually did the problem was they didn't

have specific evidence so that's the

thing that students really need to

understand is that a3 and a4 both have

specific evidence they have detail they

have a line of reasoning now once you

have that specific evidence then we look

at the commentary and essays that scored

a3 tended to have a bit more

inconsistent commentary so they might

have evidence but they might not have

commentary to really back it up and

connect it back to the thesis to really

explain it

whereas a4 tended to have very

consistent evidence in commentary to

support all of the claims in the essay

so that was the difference it was just

the level of execution and consistency

of the commentary so if you're striving

for a4 you've really got to think of the

scope of your essay you need to think

about having multiple claims with

evidence and commentary so let's talk

about that commentary for a second

because there was one essay that really

stood out to me as being very

well-written

but it just didn't have enough

commentary to warrant a 4 out of 4 in

row B so this particular essay was

actually about a basketball player and

the student had an amazing authorial

voice this is where when students play

to their strengths you can really tell

this student knew all about this players

stats it was very convincing and it was

written in a way in terms of style where

somebody like me who doesn't really

follow a professional basketball could

still understand however there were a

few sentences throughout where after we

had all this evidence the commentary was

just very limited things like this is

absurd and quite frankly I understood

why it was absurd but I had to think

about it a little bit too much you need

to connect the dots for your reader if

the student had said something like this

is absurd because and had just continued

that line of reasoning with that

commentary a little bit more I would

have felt more confident about giving it

a 4 but I loved the voice and so that's

something that I think students need to

understand too is that we don't always

need you to choose the

these highly sophisticated topics

sometimes it's much more convincing and

much more persuasive if you choose

something you know because then you have

a strong voice and so this was a classic

example of it where the student had a

strong voice they were able to provide

very accurate facts I trusted the

student the essay read like something

that would be in like ESPN magazine or

something it was just that good however

it was a bit too limited on the

commentary to warrant a four out of four

that basketball essay was one that

really stood out to me so much so that I

gave it to one of the other readers at

my table to read because I really

enjoyed it and then another reader at my

table gave me one to read about

rollerskating because she thought it was

really good and then as we were talking

about the essays we heard other essays

that stood out from other tables one was

about broccoli one was about travel mugs

one was about amusement parks so notice

that at no point here did I mention

things like the electoral college now

that's not to say that an essay about

that is bad because it's absolutely not

in fact I read one that was amazing

about that very topic however I think

sometimes students think that they need

to write about these super intelligent

concepts and if you can do it absolutely

go for it but let's be honest not

everybody has taken american government

not everybody can write about the

electoral college and how it's overrated

or maybe you don't even think it is so

sometimes you just gotta play to your

strengths and if you are more convincing

if you're writing about travel softball

then write about travel softball but

have evidence and commentary if it boils

down to evidence in commentary then it

doesn't necessarily matter which topic

you choose as long as you actually

follow the tasks on the rubric itself so

hopefully that gives some of you a peace

of mind because a lot of the essays that

stood out to us or ones that were a

breath of fresh air because the student

did what they needed to do and they did

it well because it was in their

wheelhouse another crucial skill that

students need to work on is setting up a

developed concession and refutation and

that's because quite frankly a lot of

the essays that I read that did not have

one seem to be a bit narrow-minded and

seemed to have loopholes in their line

of reasoning and that set up a faulty

line of reasoning which equates to a two

out of four and evidence and commentary

so a concession is basically when you

ignore

that the other side has merit and then

you refute it by asserting your own

position and so some students did this

by doing it in the form of a single

sentence which was refreshing to see in

some sense however I think students need

to understand that they can actually

develop this into a full paragraph some

students did this as their first body

paragraph others did it as their last

body paragraph but those arguments

tended to be much more well developed

than a single sentence so what I think

students need to realize with the

overrated prompt is that if it's

overrated it means lots of other people

like it so you need to acknowledge the

merit of that topic before refuting it

so let's look at some examples of how we

can do that here

so we're gonna continue with this idea

of standardized testing and so we need

to acknowledge the benefits of

standardized testing and so we've done

that here you can see it says that it

provides Norman so it measures students

abilities it can be beneficial so all

these words suggest that there is merit

to standardized testing then we're gonna

see a switch because it says however so

that indicates that we're about to

refute it now this doesn't have to just

be a concession and refutation done one

time you can actually continue with this

and have it be a multi-step process the

previous slide acknowledged that while

standardized tests have merit they

actually cause too much stress for

students and that's why they're

overrated so that's our claim but now we

need to prove it and so one way to do

that is to actually set up a concession

and refutation so we're gonna focus in

on one type of stress and that is going

to be the financial stress so you'll see

that we have the word yes here that

indicates a concession and then we have

the word but which indicates a

refutation and so notice that it's a

very systematic approach here we're

anticipating an argument that someone

would have against our claim and then

we're refuting that and so it's a very

layered approach here so this is how you

develop a line of reasoning now that we

have in this case a layered concession

and refutation we need to make sure that

we have specific evidence in this

paragraph in order to set ourselves up

for the potential of either a three or a

four and evidence in commentary and so

to do that we need specific evidence so

one thing I would like students to

remember is that generally speaking it

is better to include evidence from

current events or history if possible

but you can also include personal

experience of

hypotheticals because those are gonna

come across as generalizations so if you

can name a specific college that doesn't

take test scores that would be something

to bring up or if you have personal

experience in this matter that could be

something to develop this as well but

make sure you have specific evidence

I've mentioned the phrase line of

reasoning a few times in this video and

so I want to take a second to try to

explain what it means in terms of

question three and so one of the best

ways to describe it that I've heard so

far is a monkey is walking and he picks

up a banana he keeps walking and he

picks up a banana he keeps walking and

he picks up a watermelon and that's

where the story kind of ended and the

idea is that you would expect him to

pick up a banana but he picks up a

watermelon so it's a bad line of

reasoning and so I was thinking about

this story and I was like well wait a

minute what if he's grocery shopping

then he could pick up a watermelon

well that wasn't specified well why

would a monkey be grocery shopping

what if it's Curious George and the man

in the yellow hat well then it would

make more sense

but that wasn't conveyed to the reader

so a line of reasoning means that it has

to be logical and it has to be coherent

you have to connect all the dots for

your reader that's why that particular

story about Russell Westbrook was not a

perfect score for me because there were

certain things that I had to infer and

as a reader on the exam I can't do that

and so one of the things that I think

students struggled with in certain

instances on cue three is that the

examples they chose were not very

clearly related I read one essay in

particular where a student started out

by talking about Columbus and I was like

oh man I wish I had thought of Columbus

that's a great idea but Columbus was one

body paragraph the other body paragraphs

talked about different things and by the

time I finished the essay we were so far

away from Columbus that I wasn't sure

why we even started with Columbus and so

that was simply just a student who

didn't have a clear line of reasoning

it's not that the student didn't have

good ideas it's that the ideas weren't

connected for the reader and so that's

something I think we need to think about

a little bit more as we plan one of

those tips that I have because I did

actually try to write these essays with

my students I did a video on this if you

guys are curious I'll link it above is

planning these essays out in advance

really truly can help because you can

establish your line of reasoning before

you actually start writing your

honestly guys I know it can be a bit

intimidating to be the first cohort to

use these new rubrics in 2020 but I've

got you covered because in the coming

months I'm gonna be uploading weekly

videos in order to help you prepare for

the AP legging exam including a cram for

the exam series and the month leading up

to the test so make sure you're

subscribed and until next time guys

happy writing