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AP English & Academic Writing

A complete writing curriculum.

From essay structure to the three AP essay types, every lesson is interactive and personally designed. Students build each skill step by step, write in every lesson, and receive detailed, rubric-based feedback.

  1. Essay structureIntroduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, each with a clear job.
  2. Powerful introductionsHook, background, transition and a thesis that maps the essay.
  3. AP essay hooksOpenings designed for the synthesis, rhetorical analysis and argument essays.
  4. Quotations that workIntroduce, quote and explain, using the They Say / I Say templates.
  5. Rhetorical analysisIdentify a writer’s choices and explain their effect on the audience.
  6. Write and reviseWriting saves with each lesson, ready for rubric-based feedback.
0Years of university
and AP teaching
0AP essay types, each with
its own hook strategy
0Points on the official
AP essay rubric, taught in full
AP English & Academic Writing

Writing that argues, analyzes and persuades.

From the first thesis sentence to the final AP essay, students learn to write with a clear claim, strong evidence and a voice of their own. Lessons cover AP English Language, AP English Literature, academic essays and college application essays.

01StructureEvery part of an essay, and its job. 02The thesisOne clear claim that drives the essay. 03The openingFive proven ways to hook the reader. 04AP essay hooksSynthesis, rhetorical analysis and argument. 05FeedbackEvery essay scored like the real exam.
Step 1

The blueprint of an essay.

Every academic essay is built from the same parts, in the same order. Click any part to see its job and an example.

Introduction
Body paragraph 1
Body paragraph 2
Body paragraph 3: third point or counterargument
Conclusion
Example
Step 2

It starts with the thesis.

A strong thesis states a claim, then names its predictors: the points that become the body paragraphs. Watch how one sentence maps out an entire essay.

Schools should start later because teenagers need more sleep, learn better later in the morning, and travel to school more safely in daylight.
ClaimPredictors
Body paragraph 1The science of teenage sleep and why early starts work against it.
Body paragraph 2Evidence on attention and achievement in later morning classes.
Body paragraph 3Safety on the way to school before sunrise.

Test a thesis

Choose a sentence

What makes a good thesis?

The five checks
  • ?States a claim or opinion
  • ?Is specific about the topic
  • ?Is clear and direct
  • ?Leads into the discussion that follows
  • ?Expresses only one main point
Step 3

Five ways to open an essay.

Every strong introduction hooks the reader before it reaches the thesis. Read each opening and name the technique. Writers often combine techniques, but each of these leans on one.

Which technique is this?

Opening 1 of 5
Score 0 / 0

The five techniques

Ways to hook a reader
  • Ask a question. Invite the reader to think before you answer.
  • Move from general to specific. Start broad, then narrow to your topic.
  • Present facts and statistics. Let a striking number earn attention.
  • Use an anecdote. Open with a brief, vivid story.
  • Use a quotation. Borrow a memorable line, then make it your own.
Avoid: obvious statements
“Technology is an important part of modern life.”
“Phones promise to keep us connected, yet many students find it hardest to focus at the very moments they are most connected.”
Avoid: “I” and “this essay”
“In this paper I will show that the overemphasis on winning is dangerous for young athletes.”
“An overemphasis on winning in youth sports increases injuries, causes burnout, and drives young athletes to quit.”
Avoid: dictionary definitions
“According to the dictionary, a miser is a greedy person who hoards money.”
“In Silas Marner, George Eliot uses the main character’s obsessive hoarding to show how isolation can corrupt the human spirit.”
Avoid: clichés
“Since the dawn of time, humans have…” “In today’s society…”
Start with something specific instead: a question, a striking fact, a brief story, a quotation, or a general idea that quickly narrows.
Step 4

Hooks for the three AP essays.

The AP English Language exam asks for three different essays, and each one calls for a different kind of opening. Choose an essay type to see the strategy and a model hook.

Model hook

What a strong hook does

The checklist
    Step 5

    Feedback that raises the score.

    Practice essays are evaluated against the official AP scoring rubric: thesis, evidence and commentary, and sophistication, out of 6 points. Students see exactly what to fix, revise, and watch the score climb.

    First draft

    AP essay rubric

    Scored like the real exam
    Thesis0 / 1
    Evidence and commentary0 / 4
    Sophistication0 / 1
    Total0 / 6
    The Courses

    Courses for every writer.

    Each course is built around the student’s goals, with interactive lessons, worksheets and timed practice essays.

    AP ExamAP English Language

    Rhetorical analysis, argument and synthesis essays, plus the multiple-choice section of the exam.

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    AP ExamAP English Literature

    Poetry analysis, prose fiction analysis and the literary argument essay.

    FoundationsThesis and Introductions

    Claims, predictors and the five ways to open an essay, practiced until they become habit.

    StructureEssay Structure

    Topic sentences, evidence, commentary and conclusions that tie the argument together.

    ArgumentThey Say / I Say

    The templates for summarizing others, quoting well, and agreeing, disagreeing or both.

    AdmissionsCollege Application Essays

    Finding the right story, then shaping it into a personal statement that sounds like you.

    Not sure where to start? Send a writing sample and we will find your next step together.

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