AP® Microeconomics 2025 Scoring Guidelines - Set 1 - Question 1 to Question 3

Sep 30, 2026

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AP® Microeconomics 2025 Scoring Guidelines for Set 1 specify point-by-point expectations for answers to Question 1–3. Question 1 requires correctly labeled graphs for Voda Reservoir, including demand, marginal revenue, rising marginal cost, profit-maximizing quantity where MR = MC, profit-maximizing price, ATC and MC relationships, and fully shaded deadweight loss. It also covers effects of subsidies, changes in demand elasticity, and labor market impacts, plus short-run wage changes from a worker-supply regulation. Question 2 and 3 require precise calculations for surplus, export outcomes, consumer surplus, total revenue, game-theory responses, Nash equilibria, bounds, and maximum combined profit.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Question 1

Voda Reservoir: Graphs and subsidy effects

Labor demand, wages, and regulation

Question 2

Total economic surplus and price floor

Exporting rice, consumer surplus, and total revenue

Question 3

Best choice and dominant strategy

Nash equilibria, minimum bound, and maximum combined profit

2025 AP® Microeconomics Scoring Guidelines Set 1 © 2025 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). [AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). AP® Microeconomics 2025 Scoring Guidelines Question 1: Long 10 points A Point 1 Draw a correctly labeled graph for Voda Reservoir with a downward-sloping demand (D) curve and a downward-sloping marginal revenue (MR) curve with the MR curve below the D curve. 1 point Point 2 The graph must show a rising marginal cost (MC) curve and the profit-maximizing quantity, labeled QM, where MR = MC. 1 point © 2025 College Board Point 3 The graph must show the profit-maximizing price, labeled PM, from the D curve at QM. 1 point Point 4 The graph must show the average total cost (ATC) curve above the D curve and show the MC curve passing through the minimum point of the ATC curve. 1 point © 2025 College Board Point 5 The graph must show the area of deadweight loss, shaded completely. 1 point | B
Point 6 | The graph from part A must show the socially optimal quantity of bottled water, labeled QS, from the intersection of the D and MC curves.
| 1 point | | --- | --- | --- | | C
Point 7 | State that Voda Reservoir’s profit-maximizing quantity of bottled water will increase and explain with ONE of the following:
• The per-unit subsidy decreases the firm’s marginal cost, which shifts the
MC curve to the right (down), intersecting the MR curve at a greater quantity.
• The per-unit subsidy increases the firm’s marginal revenue, which shifts the MR curve to the right, intersecting the MC curve at a greater quantity. | 1 point | | D
Point 8 | State that the demand for Voda Reservoir’s bottled water will become more elastic. | 1 point | © 2025 College Board E (i) Point 9 State that Voda Reservoir’s demand for labor will increase and explain that the increase in demand for bottled water will increase the price and marginal revenue of bottled water, increasing the marginal revenue product of labor. 1 point (ii) Point 10 State that the market wage will increase in the short run and explain that the new regulation will decrease the supply of workers. 1 point © 2025 College Board AP® Microeconomics 2025 Scoring Guidelines | Question 2: Short | | 5 points | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | A
Point 1 | Calculate the total economic surplus as $270 and show your work.
Total Economic Surplus = 12 × ($10 − $1) × (60 − 0) = 12 × $9 × 60 = $270 OR
Total Economic Surplus = Consumer Surplus + Producer Surplus = 12 × ($10 − $4) × (60 − 0) + 12 × ($4 − $1) × (60 − 0)
= $180 + $90 = $270 | 1 point | | B
Point 2 | State that there will be neither a surplus nor a shortage and explain that a price floor set below the equilibrium price is not binding and, therefore, will have no effect on the market price and quantity. | 1 point | | C (i)
Point 3
(ii)
Point 4
(iii)
Point 5 | State that Rushland will export rice and explain with ONE of the following:
• At the world price of $5, the domestic quantity supplied is 80 bushels of rice, which is greater than the domestic quantity demanded, which is 50 bushels of rice.
• At the world price of $5, Rushland has a domestic surplus of 30 bushels of rice that can be exported. | 1 point | | | Calculate the domestic consumer surplus in Rushland as $125 and show your work. Domestic Consumer Surplus = 12 × ($10 − $5) × (50 − 0) = 12 × $5 × 50 = $125 | 1 point | | | Calculate the total revenue Rushland’s farmers will earn as $400 and show your work. Total Revenue = World Price × Quantity Sold = $5 × 80 = $400 | 1 point | © 2025 College Board AP® Microeconomics 2025 Scoring Guidelines | Ques

FAQs

What must be shown in the Question 1 graph for Voda Reservoir?

The graph must include a correctly labeled demand (D) curve, a marginal revenue (MR) curve below D, a rising marginal cost (MC) curve, and the profit-maximizing quantity QM where MR = MC. It must also label the profit-maximizing price PM from the D curve at QM, show ATC above D with MC passing through ATC’s minimum, and fully shade deadweight loss.

How should subsidy changes be explained in Question 1?

It must state that the profit-maximizing quantity of bottled water increases and explain using ONE option: either the per-unit subsidy decreases marginal cost (shifting MC right/down) or the per-unit subsidy increases marginal revenue (shifting MR right). Both must lead to a greater quantity where MR intersects MC.

What calculations are required in Question 2 and what is the key export claim in Rushland’s scenario?

Question 2 requires calculating total economic surplus (given as $270) and explaining that a non-binding price floor below equilibrium has no effect. For exports, it must state that Rushland will export rice—at the world price $5 domestic quantity supplied exceeds domestic quantity demanded—then compute domestic consumer surplus ($125) and total revenue ($400) using world price times quantity sold.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Rowan