Question 4 - Argument Essay

Sep 29, 2026

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Set 1 free-response Question 4 for AP United States Government and Politics is presented as an argument essay task. The scoring guidelines define the requirements for Row A (Claim/Thesis) and Row B (Evidence), including point-by-point criteria and decision rules. Example responses show what earns credit versus what fails, emphasizing a defensible thesis and the use of specific, relevant evidence (including foundational documents or course concepts) to support the claim.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Question 4: Argument Essay

Scoring Guidelines

Row A: Claim/Thesis (0-1 points)

Row B: Evidence (0-3 points)

APUnited States Government and PoliticsSample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Set l Inside: Free-Response Question 4 ☑ Scoring Guidelines ☑ Student Samples ☑ Scoring Commentary ◎2023 College Board.College Board,Advanced Placement,AP,AP Central,and the acorm logo are registeredtrademarks of College BoardVisit College Board on the web:collegeboard.org.AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program:apcentral.collegeboard.org. # Question 4:Argument Essay | Reporting
Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Row A
Claim/Thesis
(0-1 points) | 0 points
Does not meet the criteria for one point. | 1 point
Responds to the prompt with a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of
reasoning. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
·Only restate the prompt.
·Do not make a claim that respondsto the prompt. | Responses that earn this point:
·Respond to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt and
establish a line of reasoning.
·Provide a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning about
whether the federal government or the states are more effective in ensuring
educational opportunities for all students. | | | Examples that do not earn this point:
Restate the prompt
·“There is a debate about whetherthe federalor state governments should
ensure educational equality."
Do not respond to the prompt
·"There are times when states do things that help theircitizens out better
than the national govemment." | Examples that earn this point:
·“The federal government is more effective at ensuring educational
opportunities forall students because the federal government has more
resources to address issues of inequality than do individual states."
·“The federal government is more effective at ensuring educational
opportunities forall students because it can create national policies that apply
to all the states."
· “State governments are more effective at ensuring educational opportunities
for all students because states are closer to citizens and can develop solutions
to fit the particular issues that affect the states." | | | Additional Notes:
·The claim or thesis must consist of one or more sentences that may be located anywhere in the response.
·A claim or thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response sucesfully supports that line of reasoning | | AP®United States Government and Politics 2023 Scoring Guidelines | Reporting
Category | Scoring Criteria | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Row B
Evidence
(0-3 points) | 0 points
Does not meet the criteria
for one point. | 1 point
Provides one piece of evidence
that is relevant to the topic of the
prompt. | 2 points
Uses one piece of specific and relevant
evidence to support the claim or thesis. | 3 points
Usestwo pieces of specific and relevant evidence
to support the claim or thesis. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | | | Responses that do not
earn points:
·Do not provide any
accurateevidence.
·Provide evidence that
is not relevant to the
topic. | Responses that earn 1 point:
·Provide one piece of
evidence relevant to the
topic of the prompt.
·May or may not have a claim
or thesis. | Responses that earn 2 points:
·Provide one piece of specific and
relevant evidence that supports the
claim or thesis.This evidence can come
from one of the foundational
documents listed in the prompt,any
other foundational document,or from
knowledge of course concepts. | Responses that earn 3points:
· Provide two pieces of specific and relevant
evidenc

FAQs

What must the essay include for the Claim/Thesis point (Row A)?

The essay must respond to the prompt with a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning about whether the federal government or the states are more effective at ensuring educational opportunities for all students.

How is evidence scored in Row B?

Evidence is scored based on whether it is accurate, relevant, specific, and supportive of the thesis. Two points require one specific relevant piece; three points require two pieces, with at least one coming from a foundational document listed in the prompt.

What are common reasons responses do not earn points?

Responses may fail by only restating the prompt, providing no accurate evidence, or using evidence that is not relevant or not specific to the topic of the prompt.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by aboduw