AP® Spanish Literature and Culture - Free-Response Question 1 - Scoring Guidelines

Sep 20, 2026

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Scoring guidelines for AP® Spanish Literature and Culture Free-Response Question 1 (Short Answer—Text Explanation), describing how to award points for content and language. The document evaluates whether students correctly identify the author and/or period, explain the development of the theme of la justicia, and support claims with relevant textual evidence. It also defines criteria for language quality, including vocabulary appropriateness, control of grammar and syntax, and conventions such as spelling and accents, with rules for zero and NR responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Scoring Guidelines

Question 1: Short Answer—Text Explanation

Scoring Criteria: Content

Scoring Criteria: Language

General Scoring Note

Scoring Notes: Content

2023 AP® Spanish Literature and Culture Sample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Inside: Free-Response Question 1 5 Scoring Guidelines 5 Student Samples 5 Scoring Commentary © 2023 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). Question 1: Short Answer—Text Explanation 6 points General Scoring Note When applying the scoring guidelines, the response does not need to meet every single criterion in a column. You should award the score according to the preponderance of evidence. | Scoring Criteria: Content | | | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 2 | 3 | | The response incorrectly identifies the author and/or the period; response does not successfully explain the development of the theme in the text; description and narration outweigh explanation; irrelevant comments may predominate.
• Does not correctly identify the author and/orthe period.
• Attempts to explain the development of the theme in the text.
• Does not adequately support response with textual evidence.
Scoring note: A response that correctly identifies the author and/or the period but does not explain the development of the theme in the text cannot earn a score higher than 1. | The response correctly identifies either the author or the period and explains the development of the theme in the text; description and narration are present but do not outweigh explanation.
• Identifies either the author or the period correctly.
• Explains the development of the theme in the text.
• Supports response with evidence from the text, but evidence may not be clear or relevant.
Scoring note: A response that fails to correctly identify both the author and the period must have a good explanation of the development of the theme in the text in order to earn a score of 2. | The response correctly identifies the author and the period and effectively explains the development of the theme in the text.
• Identifies the author and the period correctly.
• Effectively explains the development of the theme in the text.
• Supports response with relevant evidence from the text. | | 0 (zero) The response is so brief or so poorly written as to be meaningless, is not in Spanish, or is otherwise off-task.
A response that merely restates part or all of the prompt and/or stimulus receives a score of 0. A response that receives a 0 in content must also receive a 0 in language.
NR (No Response)—Page is blank.
A response that receives a NR in content must also receive a NR in language. | | | | Scoring Criteria: Language | | | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 2 | 3 | | Language usage is inappropriate to the task, inaccurate, or insufficient; the student’s use of language impedes the reader’s understanding of the response.
• Vocabulary is insufficient or inappropriate to the topics or works being discussed; errors render comprehension difficult.
• Control of grammatical and syntactic structures is inadequate; errors in verb tenses, mood, word order, or word formation are frequent and impede comprehension.
• There are frequent errors in conventions of written language (e.g., spelling, accent marks, punctuation) that impede communication. | Language usage is appropriate to the task and sometimes accurate; although the student’suse of language is somewhat limited, it supports the reader’s understanding of the response.
• Vocabulary is appropriate to the topics or works being discussed but may limit the student’s ability to present relevant ideas.
• Control of grammatical and syntactic structures is adequate, but there are some errors; occasional errors in the use of verb tenses, mood, word order, or word form

FAQs

How is the content score for Question 1 determined?

Points depend on whether the response correctly identifies the author and/or the period, explains how the theme of la justicia develops, and supports statements with relevant textual evidence. Incorrect identification, weak explanation, or irrelevant narration can limit the maximum score.

What language factors are used in the language score?

The language score considers whether vocabulary fits the topics, whether grammatical and syntactic control supports understanding, and whether errors in writing conventions (spelling, accents, punctuation) impede communication. More accurate and varied language earns higher points.

When does a response receive a score of 0 or NR?

A score of 0 applies when the response is too brief or meaningless, is not in Spanish, or is off-task, including responses that only restate the prompt or stimulus. NR (No Response) is used when the page is blank, and the language score must match the content score when content is 0 or NR.

Sep 20, 2026

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