Understanding the Scoring Guidelines
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| scoring guidelines | 评分标准 | píng fēn biāo zhǔn |
| preponderance of evidence | 证据的总体倾向 | zhèng jù de zǒng tǐ qīng xiàng |
Build to the rubric
- Both sections are scored against published scoring guidelines 评分标准 — know the rows to build toward them.
- Sustained Investigation rows: inquiry; practice/experimentation/revision; materials/processes/ideas; skills; synthesis.
- Selected Works criteria: written evidence; drawing skills; synthesis.
Which rubric level?
Sort each described evidence by its rubric descriptor.
AP portfolios are scored by ____.
Preponderance of evidence, not an all-or-nothing checklist.
The language ladder
- The rubric language runs rudimentary → moderate → good → advanced — aim at the top descriptors.
- Scores are given by preponderance of evidence 证据的总体倾向, not a checklist of every criterion.
- Knowing the ladder tells you what "advanced" evidence actually looks like.
You should read the scoring guidelines early, not in April.
You cannot build toward an unseen target.
Select all Sustained Investigation rubric rows.
Frame quality is not a rubric row.
Score yourself each term
- Score your own mock portfolio against the rubric each term; the gaps write your to-do list.
- Every rubric row asks for visual evidence — show it, then name it.
- Scores 1-5 arrive in July; the rubric habits are the real prize.
The rubric descriptor ladder runs rudimentary, moderate, good, ____.
Aim at the top descriptor.
Match the descriptor to its meaning.
The language ladder.
Waiting until April to read the scoring guidelines wastes the whole year — you cannot build toward a target you have not seen. Read the rubric in September and self-score every term.
Self-scoring in January reveals: strong skills (good), clear inquiry (good), but synthesis only rudimentary — the materials feel interchangeable. That one gap becomes the spring's whole to-do list: experiment with materials that mean something.
Both sections score against published scoring guidelines by preponderance of evidence, on a rudimentary → advanced ladder. Read them early, self-score each term, and aim every piece of evidence at the top descriptors.