AP essay grader

Practice AP English Language and Literature free-response essays. You get an estimate on the three public rows (A, B, C) out of 6, with quotes and a fix for each.

The three scoring rows

All six free-response essays (three for Language, three for Literature) use the same six-point structure in the 2026 guidelines. We describe it in our own words; the official scoring guidelines are on AP Central for Language and Literature (2026, read 2026-11-03).

Row A: ThesisA defensible position, interpretation or analysis of the writer's choices (depending on the question) that answers the prompt instead of restating it.0–1
Row B: Evidence & commentarySpecific evidence, and reasoning that explains how it supports the claim. Worth most of the score.0–4
Row C: SophisticationUnderstanding of the bigger picture: tension, context or complexity, kept up through the essay.0–1

Total: 6 points. Real AP essays are scored by trained readers; our number is a practice estimate.

The six question types

Paste the question in the prompt box, so the grader knows which task you answered. Rows A, B and C are the same for all six; only what the thesis must do changes.

AP free-response question types and what the thesis row asks for
Exam	Question	What Row A (thesis) asks for
AP Language	Synthesis	A defensible position that answers the prompt, built from the sources.
AP Language	Rhetorical analysis	A defensible thesis about the writer's rhetorical choices.
AP Language	Argument	A defensible position on the issue in the prompt.
AP Literature	Poetry analysis	A defensible interpretation of the poem.
AP Literature	Prose fiction analysis	A defensible interpretation of the passage.
AP Literature	Literary argument	A defensible interpretation of the work you choose, in answer to the prompt.

Question types and row names read from the 2026 Language and Literature scoring guidelines on 2026-11-03; our wording of what each row asks for is a summary.

A scored example

Opening of a short analysis we wrote ourselves, with the note for Row A.

Sample essay written by usopening

Throughout the passage, the author uses many literary devices to show that nature is important.1 For example, the author uses imagery and a metaphor to describe the river.

Row A: Thesis

0/1

“Throughout the passage, the author uses many literary devices to show that nature is important.”

Why: This names no specific devices and no specific claim about nature, so it could describe almost any passage. It does not yet take a position a reader could disagree with.
Suggestion: Name the one or two devices that matter and say what they argue.
Rewrite example (this sentence only): Through a river described as both a road and a wall, the author argues that nature offers a way forward only to those who accept its limits.

Synthetic example. Scores are estimates, not official scores.

A second example: evidence and commentary

A body-paragraph sentence from the same sample essay, for Row B, the row worth up to 4 of the 6 points.

Sample essay written by usbody paragraph

The river is described as “a brown road that never rests.” This shows that the river is important in the passage.2 The author also says it is “a wall against the farms.”

Row B: Evidence & commentary

2/4

“This shows that the river is important in the passage.”

Why: The quotation is specific, but the commentary only says it is "important". It does not explain what the road metaphor does or how it supports the claim.
Suggestion: Say what the metaphor suggests, then connect it to the argument of the whole essay.
Rewrite example (this sentence only): Calling the river a road makes it a route to somewhere, which sets up the later contrast with the wall that keeps the farms apart.

Synthetic example. Scores are estimates, not official scores.

Common mistakes

Listing devices without saying what they do.
A thesis that restates the prompt.
Quotations with no commentary after them.
Summarising the passage instead of analysing it.

Honest limits

Not a College Board score.

AP essays are scored by trained readers. Ours is an AI estimate and can be a point off on any row.
The grader only sees what you paste. For source-based prompts, paste the key lines so it can check your evidence.
Row C is the hardest to judge from a machine, so expect the least certainty there.

Questions about AP grading

Will this predict my AP score?

No. It estimates one essay against the public rubric. An AP exam score also depends on multiple-choice and the other essays.

Does it cover both Lang and Lit?

Yes. Pick the exam and question type. The three-row, six-point structure is the same.

Does it grade the 2026 format?

It follows the 2026 scoring guidelines linked above. Check AP Central if your course uses a later version.

Will it write the essay for me?

No. It scores your draft and rewrites one sentence at a time as an example.

Which AP essays does it cover?

The six free-response essays: Language synthesis, rhetorical analysis and argument, and Literature poetry analysis, prose fiction analysis and literary argument. Choose Language or Literature, and paste the question.