argumentative essay ap gov example

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Lesson Plan: AP Government: Argumentative Essay Practice

The Federalist Papers

Boston College professor Mary Sarah Bilder gives a brief overview backgrounding the Federalist Papers

Description

This is intended as an end-of-course review activity for practice with the argumentative essay format included on the AP United States Government and Politics exam since the 2018 redesign. Eleven practice prompts are provided, reflecting content from Units 1-3.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY PROMPT ANALYSIS

Review the provided Argumentative Essay Prompts in either an individual or jigsaw format.
Write a thesis statement for your selected prompt(s) and identify the selection you would make from the provided list and the second piece of evidence you would choose.
If there are prompts for which you struggle to develop a thesis, or items on the bulleted lists with which you are not conversant, use the hyperlinked C-SPAN Classroom resources to extend your understanding of the required founding documents and SCOTUS cases that you found challenging.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Chose one or more of the provided Argumentative Essay Prompts , as assigned, and use the planning and exploration you did above to write a full essay in response to your designated prompt(s) in 25 or fewer minutes , since that's the time limit you'll face on the AP Exam!
Exchange essays with a classmate and evaluate each others' work.
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AP US Government FRQ

Ap government free response.

Check out the following resources for the AP Gov FRQ. Be sure to watch these strategy videos and work through all of the free response practice questions.

Official Sample FRQ

Frq strategy videos, how to write ap gov frqs, argumentative essay.

AP® US Government

How to approach ap® us government frqs.

The Albert Team
Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

The AP® US Government & Politics exam has four FRQs, or free-response questions. You must answer all four of the FRQs, and you have 100 minutes to do so.

The essays test your ability to think critically, analyze the topics studied in the course and demonstrate an understanding of the connections between the various parts of government.

The questions you are asked will cover content, concepts, themes and issues from all six areas of the course:

1. Constitutional underpinnings

2. Political beliefs and behaviors

3. Political parties, interest groups and the mass media

4. Institutions of national government

5. Public policy

6. Civil rights and civil liberties

Be careful. Free-response is a bit misleading. You are not free to write about whatever you choose in response to a topic. You need to provide specific answers to each part of the question to do well. (Fortunately, within the individual questions you will often be given choices. For example, “choose one of the three court cases listed.”)

But don’t worry, we’ll tell you how to answer the FRQs specifically and fully here. You may also like our updated video on how to approach AP® US Government FRQs below:

Before The Exam

During your AP® US Government course , be sure to read your textbook and supplementary texts, with a particular focus on how the various parts of government interact. (For example, how lobbyists influence lawmakers, or how the media influence elections.) You will be expected to discuss these dynamics in your essays.

Before You Begin Writing

Read over the questions.You should plan to budget 25 minutes for each question, for a total of 100 minutes, so that you do not have to rush on any question.

(For what it’s worth, AP® scorers say one of the biggest mistakes that students make on the AP® US Government FRQs is spending too much time on one or two questions at the expense of the others, or becoming fatigued after three good answers and skipping the fourth.)

It doesn’t matter in what order you complete the essays, so feel free to complete the essays you are most comfortable with first.

As you begin, read the essay question carefully. Figure out what the subject matter is. (i.e. Congress, or political parties.)

Next, pay close attention to the essay prompt you are given. The prompt vocabulary will tell you exactly what to do in your essay. Some common prompts are:

1. Evaluate or judge – discuss the value or wisdom of a belief or idea

2. Analyze – evaluate each part of the whole systematically

3. Identify – name something, typically members of a group

4. Define – explain what something means

5. Discuss – provide details and examples of something

6. Describe – create a picture of something with details and examples

7. Compare and contrast – point out similarities and differences

8. Categorize – sort into groups based on traits or features

9. Explain – tell how and why with reasons and examples

10. Determine cause and effect – decide what leads to an event/circumstance and what results from this event/circumstance

Once you know what you are supposed to argue, brainstorm.

The questions will be specific. So your answer must be focused. Spend a few minutes writing an outline at the start of each essay. Match the points in your outline to the rubric points in the question.

As You Write

You shouldn’t try to write a five-paragraph essay with introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Have clear topic sentences and write an organized argument, but do not feel the need to repeat information. So:

1. Don’t rephrase the question in your introduction.

2. Don’t write a conclusion paragraph that restates what you have already written.

Do not ramble. Do not be vague. Write clearly and concisely. You don’t need rhetorical flourishes.

Use structural indicators such as “First, second, finally” and back up your ideas with examples.

And remember these rules:

1. Don’t use words you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with.

2. Don’t editorialize or moralize. Don’t put any personal opinions in your essays. Stick to fact-based analysis.

3. Don’t dump facts or create laundry lists simply to fill up space. Provide context for the data you provide.

4. Pay attention to dates and terms. If a question asks about the “modern presidency,” do not write about Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln.

5. Be as specific as possible.

After You Finish Writing

Some free-response questions will have multiple parts. After you finish writing, make sure you have addressed each part (in addition to checking for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors).

Also, you won’t lose points for an incorrect answer, so make sure you write at least something down for every question. The graders know that you might have to rush to finish the last question, so do not be afraid to abbreviate or write partial sentences if you must.

You should try to write at least three paragraphs if possible. Just be sure that you are clear and coherent.

Now, let’s look at a past exam question.

The Constitution states that “each House shall determine the rules of its proceedings.” Sometimes these rules impede the legislative process. In other cases the rules expedite the passage of laws. (6 pts.)

1. Define each of the following rules

2. The filibuster

4. Closed rule

5. Describe one way two of the above rules either impedes or enhances the legislative process.

6. Explain how the House Rules Committee affects the legislative process.

OK, so how do we tackle this question?

In (a) we’re asked to define three things: the filibuster, cloture and the closed rule.

So your first few paragraphs should be:

1. The filibuster is…

2. Cloture is…

3. The closed rule is…

No more than a few sentences are needed to answer each question. Be detailed, but don’t get lost in the intricacies—remember the old adage, “Just the facts, ma’am.”

Now we are asked to (b) describe one way two of the above rules impede or enhance the legislative process. So, pick two rules and provide one or the other for each. That’s it! You won’t get bonus points for providing more examples—so don’t. Make sure you are not answering more than you have to: time is of the essence.

The filibuster impedes the legislative process in the Senate by…

Cloture enhances the legislative process in the Senate by…

Again, you need only a few sentences to answer each of these questions.

Finally, we have to explain how the House Rules Committee affects the legislative process. You are not asked for a specific number of examples as in part (b), so you need to be disciplined. Use structural indicators (such as one, another, also, etc.) to keep yourself focused. Do not say more than is necessary.

One way the House Rules Committee affects the legislative process is…

Another way is…

The House Rules Committee also…

Most Importantly

Keep in mind we’ve shown you how to pace yourself, organize your argument, and avoid including superfluous information on your AP® US Government FRQ section. But you’ve got to know the content well to write a good response—so get back to studying!

If you’re looking for some pointers on tackling AP® US Government FRQs, check out the video below:

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AP US Gov FRQ: SCOTUS Application Review (2021)

4 min read • november 18, 2021

Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan

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An Overview: FRQs on the AP US Gov Exam

On your AP Government exam in May, you will be asked to write 4 FRQs . You will have 100 minutes to write your responses for all four of the questions.

Each of the free response questions (FRQs) are worth 12.5% of your total exam score - making the entire FRQ section worth 50% .

#1: Concept Application (20 minutes - suggested)

#2: Quantitative Analysis (20 minutes - suggested)

#3: SCOTUS Comparison (20 minutes - suggested)

#4: Argumentative Essay (40 minutes - suggested)

It is important that you manage your time ! You will have to budget your time wisely so you know when to move on to each part of the exam.

The one thing you need to know about this question:

What is the SCOTUS Comparison Case Question about?

This question tests how well you know the 15 required Supreme Court cases from the course.

Marbury v. Madison, 1803

Mcculloch v. Maryland, 1819

Schenck v. United States, 1919

Brown v. Board of Education, 1954

Baker v. Carr, 1961

Engel v. Vitale, 1962

Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 1969

New York Times Company v. U.S., 1971

Wisconsin v. Yoder, 1972

Roe v. Wade, 1973

Shaw v. Reno, 1993

United States v. Lopez, 1995

McDonald v. Chicago, 2010

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), 2010

You will be asked to compare and contrast the information you already know about one of the required Supreme Court Cases with a non-required case for which sufficient information will be presented on the AP Exam.

How to Earn the Points

*Taken from The College Board CED for AP US Government & Politics

How Can I Practice and Improve?

Start around 16 weeks before your AP exam (this would be around the beginning of the second semester for many students).

Each week, focus on ONE Supreme Court case. Make ALL the notes you can about it - on index cards, Quizlet, anything works!

Make sure you include: the year, the decision, rationale behind the decision, and the constitutional principle that goes with the case. It would also be helpful to include related court cases!

Make sure you review these flashcards week to week, and by AP exam time, you’ll be perfect!

Each week, you might also want to create your OWN free response questions. Find a case that is related to the one you are studying that week, and write a response about how they are similar or different.

Review the differences between “identify,” “describe,” and “explain,” in terms of key words that will be used in the question.

If you “identify” on a question that asks to “explain,” you will NOT receive the point. Make sure you provide a degree of detail based on the term used in the question.

Sample Question

You can access the 2019 AP Exam FRQ, and the FRQ that is on this year’s Course and Exam Description on The College Board’s website. To get you started, here’s a practice question you can use.

Prior to their high school football games, the students of a high school in Texas would choose a fellow classmate to address the crowd through a loudspeaker. This address almost always involved a prayer - students were not required to attend, but many of those present were students. This prayer was described by many as “overtly Christian.” Several students and their parents sued the school board, stating that the practice violated the Constitution. In the resulting case, Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe , in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court held that the policy that allowed for student-led prayer over the loudspeakers at a football game violated the Constitution because it was occurring “on government property at government-sponsored school events.”

Identify the constitutional clause that is common in both Engel v. Vitale and Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe .

Explain how the facts in both Engel v. Vitale and Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe led to a similar decision in both cases.

Describe an action that could be taken by legislators who disagree with the ruling in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe.

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How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the ap language argument essay, tips for writing the ap language argument essay, ap english language argument essay examples, how will ap scores impact my college chances.

In 2023, over 550,148 students across the U.S. took the AP English Language and Composition Exam, and 65.2% scored higher than a 3. The AP English Language Exam tests your ability to analyze a piece of writing, synthesize information, write a rhetorical essay, and create a cohesive argument. In this post, we’ll be discussing the best way to approach the argumentative essay section of the test, and we’ll give you tips and tricks so you can write a great essay.

The AP English Language Exam as of 2023 is structured as follows:

Section 1: 45 multiple choice questions to be completed in an hour. This portion counts for 45% of your score. This section requires students to analyze a piece of literature. The questions ask about its content and/or what could be edited within the passage.

Section 2: Three free response questions to be completed in the remaining two hours and 15 minutes. This section counts for 55% of your score. These essay questions include the synthesis essay, the rhetorical essay, and the argumentative essay.

Synthesis essay: Read 6-7 sources and create an argument using at least three of the sources.
Rhetorical analysis essay: Describe how a piece of writing evokes meaning and symbolism.
Argumentative essay: Pick a side of a debate and create an argument based on evidence. In this essay, you should develop a logical argument in support of or against the given statement and provide ample evidence that supports your conclusion. Typically, a five paragraph format is great for this type of writing. This essay is scored holistically from 1 to 9 points.

Do you want more information on the structure of the full exam? Take a look at our in-depth overview of the AP Language and Composition Exam .

Although the AP Language Argument may seem daunting at first, once you understand how the essay should be structured, it will be a lot easier to create cohesive arguments.

Below are some tips to help you as you write the essay.

1. Organize your essay before writing

Instead of jumping right into your essay, plan out what you will say beforehand. It’s easiest to make a list of your arguments and write out what facts or evidence you will use to support each argument. In your outline, you can determine the best order for your arguments, especially if they build on each other or are chronological. Having a well-organized essay is crucial for success.

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

When you write the essay, it’s best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the arguments of the other side has. This can make the essay a bit more nuanced and show that you did consider both sides before determining which one was better. Often, acknowledging another viewpoint then refuting it can make your essay stronger.

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

The AP readers will be looking for examples and evidence to support your argument. This doesn’t mean that you need to memorize a bunch of random facts before the exam. This just means that you should be able to provide concrete examples in support of your argument.

For example, if the essay topic is about whether the role of the media in society has been detrimental or not, and you argue that it has been, you may talk about the phenomenon of “fake news” during the 2016 presidential election.

AP readers are not looking for perfect examples, but they are looking to see if you can provide enough evidence to back your claim and make it easily understood.

4. Create a strong thesis statement

The thesis statement will set up your entire essay, so it’s important that it is focused and specific, and that it allows for the reader to understand your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis statement is the very last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In this sentence, list out the key points you will be making in the essay in the same order that you will be writing them. Each new point you mention in your thesis should start a paragraph in your essay.

Below is a prompt and sample student essay from the May 2019 exam . We’ll look at what the student did well in their writing and where they could improve.

Prompt: “The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that “[b]eing queen is overrated.”

Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

Sample Student Essay #1:

[1] Competition is “overrated.” The notion of motivation between peers has evolved into a source of unnecessary stress and even lack of morals. Whether it be in an academic environment or in the industry, this new idea of competition is harmful to those competing and those around them.

[2] Back in elementary school, competition was rather friendly. It could have been who could do the most pushups or who could get the most imaginary points in a classroom for a prize. If you couldn’t do the most pushups or win that smelly sticker, you would go home and improve yourself – there would be no strong feelings towards anyone, you would just focus on making yourself a better version of yourself. Then as high school rolled around, suddenly applying for college doesn’t seem so far away –GPA seems to be that one stat that defines you – extracurriculars seem to shape you – test scores seem to categorize you. Sleepless nights, studying for the next day’s exam, seem to become more and more frequent. Floating duck syndrome seems to surround you (FDS is where a competitive student pretends to not work hard but is furiously studying beneath the surface just like how a duck furiously kicks to stay afloat). All of your competitors appear to hope you fail – but in the end what do you and your competitor’s gain? Getting one extra point on the test? Does that self-satisfaction compensate for the tremendous amounts of acquired stress? This new type of “competition” is overrated – it serves nothing except a never-ending source of anxiety and seeks to weaken friendships and solidarity as a whole in the school setting.

[3] A similar idea of “competition” can be applied to business. On the most fundamental level, competition serves to be a beneficial regulator of prices and business models for both the business themselves and consumers. However, as businesses grew increasingly greedy and desperate, companies resorted to immoral tactics that only hurt their reputations and consumers as a whole. Whether it be McDonald’s coupons that force you to buy more food or tech companies like Apple intentionally slowing down your iPhone after 3 years to force you to upgrade to the newest device, consumers suffer and in turn speak down upon these companies. Similar to the evolved form of competition in school, this overrated form causes pain for all parties and has since diverged from the encouraging nature that the principle of competition was “founded” on.

The AP score for this essay was a 4/6, meaning that it captured the main purpose of the essay but there were still substantial parts missing. In this essay, the writer did a good job organizing the sections and making sure that their writing was in order according to the thesis statement. The essay first discusses how competition is harmful in elementary school and then discusses this topic in the context of business. This follows the chronological order of somebody’s life and flows nicely.

The arguments in this essay are problematic, as they do not provide enough examples of how exactly competition is overrated. The essay discusses the context in which competition is overrated but does not go far enough in explaining how this connects to the prompt.

In the first example, school stress is used to explain how competition manifests. This is a good starting point, but it does not talk about why competition is overrated; it simply mentions that competition can be unhealthy. The last sentence of that paragraph is the main point of the argument and should be expanded to discuss how the anxiety of school is overrated later on in life.

In the second example, the writer discusses how competition can lead to harmful business practices, but again, this doesn’t reflect the reason this would be overrated. Is competition really overrated because Apple and McDonald’s force you to buy new products? This example could’ve been taken one step farther. Instead of explaining why business structures—such as monopolies—harm competition, the author should discuss how those particular structures are overrated.

Additionally, the examples the writer used lack detail. A stronger essay would’ve provided more in-depth examples. This essay seemed to mention examples only in passing without using them to defend the argument.

It should also be noted that the structure of the essay is incomplete. The introduction only has a thesis statement and no additional context. Also, there is no conclusion paragraph that sums up the essay. These missing components result in a 4/6.

Now let’s go through the prompt for a sample essay from the May 2022 exam . The prompt is as follows:

Colin Powell, a four-star general and former United States Secretary of State, wrote in his 1995 autobiography: “[W]e do not have the luxury of collecting information indefinitely. At some point, before we can have every possible fact in hand, we have to decide. The key is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Powell’s claim about making decisions is valid.

In your response you should do the following:

Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position.
Provide 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.

Sample Student Essay #2:

Colin Powell, who was a four star general and a former United States Secretary of State. He wrote an autobiography and had made a claim about making decisions. In my personal opinion, Powell’s claim is true to full extent and shows an extremely valuable piece of advice that we do not consider when we make decisions.

Powell stated, “before we can have every possible fact in hand we have to decide…. but to make it a timely decision” (1995). With this statement Powell is telling the audience of his autobiography that it does not necessarily matter how many facts you have, and how many things you know. Being able to have access to everything possible takes a great amount of time and we don’t always have all of the time in the world. A decision has to be made with what you know, waiting for something else to come in while trying to make a decision whether that other fact is good or bad you already have a good amount of things that you know. Everyone’s time is valuable, including yours. At the end of the day the decision will have to be made and that is why it should be made in a “timely” manner.

This response was graded for a score of 2/6. Let’s break down the score to smaller points that signify where the student fell short.

The thesis in this essay is clearly outlined at the end of the first paragraph. The student states their agreement with Powell’s claim and frames the rest of their essay around this stance. The success in scoring here lies in the clear communication of the thesis and the direction the argument will take. It’s important to make the thesis statement concise, specific, and arguable, which the student has successfully done.

While the student did attempt to provide evidence to support their thesis, it’s clear that their explanation lacks specific detail and substance. They referenced Powell’s statement, but did not delve into how this statement has proven true in specific instances, and did not provide examples that could bring the argument to life.

Commentary is an essential part of this section’s score. It means explaining the significance of the evidence and connecting it back to the thesis. Unfortunately, the student’s commentary here is too vague and does not effectively elaborate on how the evidence supports their argument.

To improve, the student could use more concrete examples to demonstrate their point and discuss how each piece of evidence supports their thesis. For instance, they could discuss specific moments in Powell’s career where making a timely decision was more valuable than waiting for all possible facts. This would help illustrate the argument in a more engaging, understandable way.

A high score in the “sophistication” category of the grading rubric is given for demonstrating a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, context, etc.), making effective rhetorical choices, or establishing a line of reasoning. Here, the student’s response lacks complexity and sophistication. They’ve simply agreed with Powell’s claim and made a few general statements without providing a deeper analysis or effectively considering the rhetorical situation.

To increase sophistication, the student could explore possible counterarguments or complexities within Powell’s claim. They could discuss potential drawbacks of making decisions without all possible facts, or examine situations where timely decisions might not yield the best results. By acknowledging and refuting these potential counterarguments, they could add more depth to their analysis and showcase their understanding of the complexities involved in decision-making.

The student could also analyze why Powell, given his background and experiences, might have come to such a conclusion, thus providing more context and showing an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

Remember, sophistication in argumentation isn’t about using fancy words or complicated sentences. It’s about showing that you understand the complexity of the issue at hand and that you’re able to make thoughtful, nuanced arguments. Sophistication shows that you can think critically about the topic and make connections that aren’t immediately obvious.

Now that you’ve looked at an example essay and some tips for the argumentative essay, you know how to better prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

While your AP scores don’t usually impact your admissions chances , colleges do care a lot about your course rigor. So, taking as many APs as you can will certainly boost your chances! AP scores can be a way for high-performing students to set themselves apart, particularly when applying to prestigious universities. Through the process of self-reporting scores , you can show your hard work and intelligence to admissions counselors.

That said, the main benefit of scoring high on AP exams comes once you land at your dream school, as high scores can allow you to “test out” of entry-level requirements, often called GE requirements or distribution requirements. This will save you time and money.

To understand how your course rigor stacks up, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine . This resource takes your course rigor, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, to determine your chances of getting into over 1600 colleges across the country!