AP® English Literature and Composition - Sample Student Responses and Scoring Commentary Set 2 - Poetry Analysis Scoring Guidelines

Sep 22, 2026

2023 AP® English Literature and Composition Sample Student Responses and Scoring Commentary Set 2 provides scoring guidelines for Free-Response Question 1, a Poetry Analysis task. It specifies how points are awarded for thesis quality (Row A) and for evidence with commentary (Row B), including decision rules and typical response characteristics. The materials define what qualifies as a defensible interpretation, relevant evidence, and effective explanations of literary elements and techniques used in William Ellery Channing’s poem.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Free-Response Question 1

Scoring Guidelines

Row A: Thesis (0–1 points)

Row B: Evidence and Commentary (0–4 points)

2023 AP® English Literature and Composition Sample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Set 2 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: Poetry Analysis 6 points In William Ellery Channing’s poem “The Barren Moors,” published in 1843, the speaker addresses moors, open expanses of wild, uncultivated land. Read the poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Channing uses literary elements and techniques to develop a complex portrayal of the speaker’s experience of this natural setting. In your response you should do the following: • Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation. • Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning. • Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning. • Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument. | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Row A
Thesis
(0–1 points) | 0 points
For any of the following:
• There is no defensible thesis.
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the issue with no apparent or coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt. | 1 point
Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation of the poem. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt.
• Make a generalized comment about the poem that doesn’t respond to the prompt.
• Describe the poem or features of the poem rather than making a claim that requires a defense. | Responses that earn this point:
• Provide a defensible interpretation of the complex portrayal of the speaker’s experience of this natural setting. | | | Examples that do not earn this point:
Restate the prompt
• “The speaker has a complex experience in the setting of these moors.”
• “William Ellery Channing uses various literary devices to portray the speaker’s complex experience in nature.”
Do not relate to the prompt
• “Nature experiences can inspire great poetry.”
Describe the poem or features of the poem
• “This poem is particularly vivid in its description of the moors.” | Examples that earn this point:
Provide a defensible interpretation
• “The speaker’s experience of the natural setting is one of solitude and uncertainty, but also of appreciation and peace.”
• “By having the speaker address the moors directly, Channing portrays the setting to be a place where divisions are blurred.”
• “The moors provide an escape from the cares ofthe world, but this escape to nature does not provide any advice or resolution. Rather, it offers a quiet that’s more ‘profound.’” | | | Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the poem must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning. | | | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Row B
Evidence
AND
Comment

FAQs

What is Free-Response Question 1 in Set 2 focused on?

It is a Poetry Analysis prompt that requires a well-written essay analyzing how William Ellery Channing develops a complex portrayal of the speaker’s experience of the natural setting in “The Barren Moors.”

How does the scoring rubric evaluate the thesis (Row A)?

Row A awards points only when the thesis responds to the prompt with a defensible interpretation, rather than restating the question or offering a vague summary.

What determines the score for evidence and commentary (Row B)?

Row B considers whether responses use specific, relevant evidence, explain how that evidence supports the student’s line of reasoning, and connect literary elements or techniques to the poem’s meaning.

Sep 22, 2026

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