AP English Language and Composition · Exam guide

AP English Language Rhetorical Analysis Essay Explained: How the 6 Points Are Scored

The rhetorical analysis essay gives you a nonfiction passage and asks how the writer's choices help achieve a purpose. The most common way to lose points is to name devices without explaining what they do. This guide shows the difference using a public-domain speech.

What the rubric asks for

Row	Points	What earns it
A: Thesis	1	A defensible thesis that analyzes the writer's rhetorical choices. Restating the prompt or describing the passage earns nothing.
B: Evidence and commentary	4	Specific evidence in a line of reasoning, with commentary that explains how the writer's choices contribute to the argument, purpose, or message. Explaining several choices is needed for the top score.
C: Sophistication	1	Explaining why the writer's choices fit the rhetorical situation, or what the passage's complexities do, as part of the argument.
Total	6

Read the situation first

Before you look for devices, answer four questions: who is speaking, to whom, on what occasion, and for what purpose. Our example is Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1863), which is in the public domain. Lincoln spoke at the dedication of a cemetery for soldiers who died in the battle, after a principal speaker, Edward Everett, had talked for about two hours. Lincoln's speech was about 270 words.

Point 1: the thesis

Does not earn the pointLincoln uses rhetorical devices such as repetition and diction to persuade his audience.

It names categories but makes no claim about what Lincoln does or why.

Earns the pointIn the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln turns a cemetery dedication into a call to finish the nation's unfinished work, moving from the founding to the dead soldiers to the living audience, and using repetition and a shift in pronouns to make his listeners share the duty.

It makes a claim about purpose and previews the choices the essay will explain.

Points 2 to 5: evidence and commentary

Names the device, stops thereLincoln uses repetition when he says "we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow." This is an example of repetition.

It identifies the device but says nothing about what the repetition does.

Explains the effectBy repeating "we can not" three times and escalating the verbs, Lincoln builds toward the claim that the soldiers' sacrifice has already done what no speech can. The repetition makes the audience feel the limits of words, and it prepares the turn to "us the living," where the pronoun shifts from "they" to "we" and the listeners are given the work that remains.

It names the choice, quotes it, and explains how it advances Lincoln's purpose.

Point 6: sophistication

Earns the pointThe speech's brevity is itself a rhetorical choice. After a two-hour oration, Lincoln's few words make the audience listen closely, and by dating the nation to the Declaration of Independence in his opening, he frames the war as a test of the founding promise of equality. These choices work together to give the occasion a purpose beyond mourning.

It connects choices to each other and to the occasion, instead of treating each device alone.

A method that works

Underline three to five choices that matter, such as diction, structure, tone, syntax, or an appeal.
For each choice, write down what it does for the audience, not just what it is.
Organize by idea, such as how the writer builds authority, then how the writer moves the audience, instead of by device.
Quote short phrases and comment on them in your own words.

Common mistakes

Listing devices without explaining their effect. "Uses pathos" is a label, not an analysis.
Summarizing the passage. The reader has already read it.
Ignoring the rhetorical situation. Choices only make sense in the context of the audience, occasion, and purpose.
Explaining only one choice. The top score in Row B needs several.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a rhetorical choice and a device?

A device is a name, such as repetition. A rhetorical choice is a device used for a reason. Your essay should always say what the writer gains from the choice.

How many choices should I analyze?

Three to five is usual. The top score in Row B needs you to explain how multiple choices contribute to the writer's purpose.

Do I need to know the passage's context?

The prompt gives the occasion and the writer. Use it, since explaining why a choice fits the situation is a route to the sophistication point.

Can I write about appeals like ethos, pathos, and logos?

Yes, but only if you explain how the writer creates the appeal and what it does. Naming an appeal does not earn points by itself.

How should I structure the essay?

Start with a thesis about the writer's overall strategy, then write two or three body paragraphs, each explaining a group of related choices.

Keep practicing

The AP English Language course has five practice prompts for each of the three essay types, with a writing space that scores your response against the official 6-point analytic rubric. These free lessons also build the skills the free-response section tests:

See the AP English Language and Composition course Free lessons and lesson list

Other free-response guides:

AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this site. This guide is our own explanation of the question types and scoring. For the official scoring guidelines, see the College Board.