Advanced Placement French Language and Culture (also known as AP French Lang, FLAP, AP French Language or AP French) is a course offered by the College Board

College Board

The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...

 to high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 students in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

-level French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 course. The AP French Language test is widely compared to a final examination for a French 301 college course. Enrollment requirements for AP French Language differ from school to school, but students wishing to enter it should have a good command of French grammar and vocabulary as well as prior experience in listening, reading, speaking, and writing French.

The exam

The AP French Language class culminates in an exam

Advanced Placement Exams

Advanced Placement examinations are taken each May by students at participating American, Canadian, and international educational institutions. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement courses. All but one of the AP exams combine multiple-choice questions with a...

 to test students’ proficiency.

The exam is approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes in length. It measures the student's French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 ability in four general areas, each of which counts as one-fourth of the final grade. Listening and reading are tested in a multiple-choice section; writing

Writing

Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...

 and speaking as tested in a free response

Free response

Free response is a type of question used in tests in education, workplace, and government. Most free response questions ask or require the test-taker to state a belief, opinion, or write a short essay and support it with facts, examples, or other evidence...

 section.

Listening

First, students are asked to listen to several brief exchanges between two speakers. The exchanges are spoken twice. Students must choose the most appropriate rejoinder, or the next logical phrase in the dialogue, from a selection of four choices.

For the second part, students listen to brief recorded monologues or dialogues and must then answer questions about what they just heard. The said monologues and/or dialogues are played one time.

Reading

Students read several written sections pulled from various sources and answer multiple-choice questions based on their content.

Writing

For the first part, the student must fill in omitted words or verb forms within paragraphs.(Grammar)

For the second part, he or she has 40-minutes to write an essay on a provided topic. The essay is judged on appropriateness and range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, idiomatic usage, organization, and style.

Speaking

Students respond to questions about some visual stimulus (such as a picture or series of pictures). The questions are both printed in the exam booklet and heard on a master recording. Students are given 90 seconds to prepare their answers and 60 seconds to respond to each question. They will hear a tone to signal when they are supposed to begin speaking.

Grade distribution

In the 2009 administration, 21,029 students took the exam. The mean score was a 2.72 with a 5 being the best score possible and 1 being the lowest.

The grade distribution for 2009 was:

Score	Percent
5	11.8%
4	15.7%
3	28.0%
2	21.7%
1	22.8%

External links

• AP French Language Summary from College Board
  College Board
  The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
  
  
• Sample Questions, Tips, and Scoring Guidelines from College Board
  College Board
  The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...