Advanced Placement German Language and Culture (also known as AP German Language and Culture, AP German Language or AP German) is a course and examination provided by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is designed to give high school students the opportunity to receive credit in a college-level German language course. It is generally taken in the fourth year of high school German study.
The AP German Language and Culture exam administered around the end of the academic year is split into two parts, a multiple choice section and a free response section, each with equal value in the overall exam score.
For the first part of the multiple choice section of the exam, the student is asked to respond to print materials such as journalistic and literary texts, advertisements, and letters. This part contains 30 questions and lasts for 40 minutes.
In the second part, the student is asked to respond to some print texts paired with audio texts such as interviews, podcasts, and conversations. This part contains 35 questions and lasts about 55 minutes.
In the free response section students are asked to write a reply to an email message written in German, and a persuasive essay based on 3 provided sources and a prompt, demonstrating interpersonal and presentational writing skills.
Students are then asked to respond to a simulated conversation in voice and then to give a presentation comparing their own culture to the culture of the German-speaking world, demonstrating skills in interpersonal and presentational speaking.
The free response section takes about 1 hour and 28 minutes in total.
Originally the College Board had offered two AP German exams, AP German Language and AP German Literature. In 1983, however, due to the persistently low number of students taking the AP German Literature exam, it was dropped from the AP Portfolio and since then only AP German Language has been offered.
The grade distributions for the AP German Language and Culture exam since 2012 are: