AP® Psychology 2025 Scoring Guidelines - FRQ 2 Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) 7 Points

Sep 20, 2026

AP® Psychology 2025 scoring guidelines for Free-Response Question 2 (Evidence-Based Question, EBQ) provide a seven-point framework to evaluate student responses. The guidelines set requirements for cogent, topic-relevant answers, emphasizing that points require applying psychological concepts to the prompt rather than giving definitions alone. They also specify how claims and cited evidence must be accurate, specific, relevant, and correctly cited from the provided sources, including decision rules for when incorrect information may still allow credit.

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FRQ 2: Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) 7 Points

General Considerations

Reporting Category: Part A - Claim (0–1 points)

Reporting Category: Part B (i) - Evidence (0–1 points)

2025 AP® Psychology Sample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Set 1 Inside: Free-Response Question 2 ☑ Scoring Guidelines ☑ Student Samples ☑ Scoring Commentary © 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](College Board. Visit College Board on the web: collegeboard.org). AP Central is the official online home for [the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). AP® Psychology 2025 Scoring Guidelines FRQ 2: Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) 7 Points General Considerations 1. Answers must be cogent enough for the meaning to come through. Spelling and grammatical mistakes do not reduce ascore, but spelling must be close enough so that the reader is convinced of the word. 2. A student can earn points only if the student is clearly addressing the topic of the source material in their response. 3. The response must apply the concept to the prompt. A definition alone will not earn the point, but a clear definition can support the application. 4. Examples provided in the Scoring Guidelines for each of the points are not to be considered exhaustive. 5. Within a question part, a response will not be penalized for incorrect information unless it directly contradicts correct information that otherwise would have earned the point(s) . For example, if a student applies a concept by defining it in two contradictory ways (such as applying proactive interference as both interference from older and newer information), the point is not earned. | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Part A
Claim
(0–1 points) | 0 points
Does not propose a claim that is relevant to the question | 1 point
Proposes a claim that is relevant to the question | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
• The response describes the question without making a claim.
• The response proposes a claim unrelated to the question.
• The response proposes an oversimplified conclusion or evidence from a provided source. | Responses that earn this point:
• The response proposes specific effects on the question.
• The response proposes a claim that suggests a positive or negative effect on the question.
• The response proposes recommendations for the application of the question. | | | Examples that do not earn this point:
• “Does the presence of others influence performance?”
• “Using animals in research can tell us a lot about ourselves.”
• “Studying the factors that influence performance is important to social psychologists.” | Examples that earn this point:
• “The presence of others makes a difference in whether someone performs well on a specific task or set of tasks.”
• “When someone else is present during a performance, it is more likely that the participant will perform well.”
• “The presence of others will make them do worse at what they are doing.”
• “People should have an audience for tasks they are good at.” | | | Additional Note:
• A claim that meets the criteria can be awarded the point regardless of whether the responses in Parts B and C successfully support the claim. | | © 2025 College Board AP® Psychology 2025 Scoring Guidelines | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Part B (i)
Evidence
(0–1
points) | 0 points
Does not identify nor correctly cite one piece of specific evidence from one of the provided sources to support the claim. Any evidence provided is not relevant to the question. | 1 point
Uses one piece of correctly cited, specific, accurate, and relevant evidence from one of the provided sources to support the claim. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
• The response identifies no evidence.
• The evidence is not co

FAQs

What must a student do to earn points on FRQ 2 (EBQ)?

The response must be cogent and clearly address the topic of the source material, applying the concept to the prompt. A definition alone does not earn the point, but a clear definition can support the application.

How is Part A (Claim) scored in the guidelines?

A student earns the point by proposing a claim relevant to the question. The claim should suggest specific positive or negative effects or recommendations for applying the question.

What qualifies as correct evidence for Part B (i)?

The evidence must be one piece of specific evidence correctly cited from one of the provided sources and directly relevant to the claim. Evidence must be accurate in its general pattern even if exact numbers are slightly misreported.

Sep 20, 2026

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