IES: Lesson - AP Environmental Science Exam Format 📖

⏳ Estimated Reading Time: 8 - 10 minutes

What is the AP Environmental Science Exam?

The College Board says the following about the AP Environmental Science exam:

The AP Environmental Science Exam assesses student understanding of the science practices and learning objectives outlined in the course framework. The exam is 2 hours and 40 minutes long and includes 80 multiple-choice questions and 3 free-response questions. A four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator is allowed on both sections of the exam.

Section I. Multiple Choice

Section I of the AP Environmental Science (APES) exam is the multiple choice portion of the exam. It consists of 80 questions and is 90 minutes long. This portion of the exam counts as 60% of your AP exam score.

AP Exam Tip

The multiple-choice section of the APES exam consists of 80 questions in 90 minutes and counts as 60% of your AP Exam score.

The multiple-choice section of the exam includes both individual and set-based questions. All set based questions will include some sort of stimulus you must read or analyze before answering the associated questions.

We will practice both types of multiple-choice questions throughout this course.

Section II. Free Response

Section II of the APES exam is the free response section. There are 3 free response questions (FRQ) on the AP exam, and you have 70 minutes to answer these 3 questions. This portion of the exam is the remaining 40% of the exam.

AP Exam Tip

The free response section of the APES exam consists of 3 questions in 70 minutes and counts as 40% of your AP Exam score.

A free response question is a technical essay written with scientific language. Most free responses questions are divided up into multiple parts (A, B, C or i, ii, iii) that relate to the central topic introduced in the question. All free response parts begin with one of the 7 APES Task Words (more on those coming up). Learning what is needed for each of these task verbs is helpful because it will tell you how much effort and what approach you must take for each question.

Types of Free Response Questions

Every AP Environmental Science exam has the following 3 types of questions, and each is worth 10 points. Explore each type of FRQ below. You will need to know how to do each type well by the time you take the AP exam.

🥽 Design an Investigation (click to reveal)

🧐 Analyze an Environmental Problem and Propose a Solution (click to reveal)

📈 Analyze an Environmental Problem and Propose a Solution Doing Calculations (click to reveal)

FRQ Grading

The 10 points for each FRQ are EARNED. You can earn the points in a number of ways. Two APES students may write completely different responses and earn the same grade. A grader will read through your FRQ adding up the points earned. When the reader reaches 10 points they stop reading.

How to Write An FRQ

✅ Label your responses by question "part" (A/B/C, i/ii/iii). You don't need to write in paragraphs.

✅ Pay attention to task verbs.

✅ Write in complete sentences with nouns and verbs. Incomplete sentences or bullets earn zero points.

✅ Get straight to the point. You get no points for more words or flowery language. If you want college credit, the graders are expecting college-level writing.

✅ Stick to around 4 sentences per part of the question. If you know the answer, it can fit into 4 sentences.

✅ Avoid contradicting yourself. If you say the sky is pink and then later say the sky is blue, the grader will not give you the point.

✅ Show all calculations/work (even if you used a calculator). If you think it's easy math, write out what you did anyhow: you may often get points for the "setup."

✅ Show all units for calculations or graphs/tables and stick to metric.

FRQ Task Verbs

Every FRQ part has one of 7 task verbs that tells you what to do in that part of the question. Explore each task verb below. When you see one of these task verbs throughout the course, you should know what is being asked of you:

⓵ Identify (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in 1 sentence MAX. Provide a simple answer with no elaboration! This is the easiest of all the task verbs.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        IDENTIFY the independent and dependent variables in an experiment studying the effects of reduced sunlight on coral growth.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "The dependent variable is coral growth, and the independent variable is the amount of sunlight."

⓶ Describe (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in approximately 2 sentences, providing basic, key details about the topic.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        DESCRIBE how the phosphorous cycle is different from the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "The phosphorous cycle does not have an atmospheric component. This makes it much slower than the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles."

⓷ Explain (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in approximately 3 sentences, explaining cause and effect step-by-step. You want to connect the dots for the reader and end by circling back to the prompt.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        EXPLAIN how increased fossil fuel combustion can affect the carbon cycle.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "Increased fossil fuel consumption releases more carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that traps heat and contributes to global warming, into the atmosphere. Carbon sinks cannot remove the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere fast enough, which allows it to build up in the atmosphere. The buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere intensifies the greenhouse effect, increasing global temperatures."

⓸ Calculate (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You need to show your set up with units. You also need to show your work, step-by-step. You can use your calculator for this part!
      - Example Prompt:
        
        CALCULATE the percentage of forest lost when 12 of 24 acres are clearcut by loggers.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "12 acres/24 acres = 0.5
        
        0.5 * 100 = 50 %"

⓹ Justify (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in approximately 3 sentences, using evidence to explain how the evidence supports the claim/statement.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        JUSTIFY whether deforestation should be prevented or reduced.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "Deforestation should be reduced because it accelerates climate change. Without trees to absorb excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide concentrations can increase in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect, and increasing global temperatures. It should not be prevented entirely because we need wood products to build human infrastructure."

⓺ Propose a Solution (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in approximately 2-3 sentences, using evidence to explain how your solution solves the problem.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        PROPOSE A SOLUTION to reduce carbon emissions from industrial facilities.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "Facilities could reduce carbon emissions by using carbon capture and storage technology. This technology captures carbon dioxide before it is released and stores it. The carbon is then transported to a long-term storage facility underground or underwater. This approach Is expensive but would reduce carbon emissions."

⓻ Make a Claim (click to reveal)

- - What does it mean?
    - You should answer the prompt in approximately 1-2 sentences, basing your claim on evidence presented in the FRQ or your APES knowledge.
      - Example Prompt:
        
        MAKE A CLAIM about whether nuclear energy is more beneficial or harmful for the environment than fossil fuels.
      - Example Answer:
        
        "Nuclear energy is more harmful to the environment than fossil fuels because there is the potential for a catastrophic accident that could release radioactivity into the surrounding ecosystem. Additionally, waste from nuclear power plants must be stored for 10s of thousands of years in an area with little geological activity and a very low water table."

As soon as you see a task verb on the AP exam, circle it. Many times, students have knowledge but do not earn full credit due to misinterpretation of the TASK VERB prompts.

AP Exam Tip

The task verbs are usually written in BOLD on the AP Exam. As soon as you see a task verb, circle it!

Justify, propose a solution, and make a claim are probably the most difficult task verbs. This is because these require that you provide supporting evidence to your statements. A good rule of thumb is to follow the CER method for answering these prompts. Choose one accordion tab that interests you the most and open it. Open another accordion tab that you have not explored yet. Compare and contrast it with the previous one. Finish by checking the other tabs you have not yet explored:

⭐️ Claim... (click to reveal)

...is a statement about the results of an investigation.

You should write a one-sentence answer to the question you investigated and answer the following question: What can you conclude from the results?

The answer to this question should not start with or be “yes” or “no” and should describe the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

📊 Evidence... (click to reveal)

...is scientific data used to support your CLAIM. It should be...

- - - - Sufficient – use enough evidence to support your claim.
      - Appropriate – use data that support your claim. You don’t need to include data that does not support your claim.
      - Qualitative or Quantitative or a combination of both.

🧐 Reasoning... (click to reveal)

...ties together your claim and the evidence and shows how or why the data count as evidence to support the claim. It provides the justification for why this particular EVIDENCE is important to this particular CLAIM. You should include one or more scientific principles that are important to the CLAIM and EVIDENCE.

Phrases to Avoid

The AP readers are looking for college-level writing and knowledge. You do not get extra points for adding flowery language, and you won't get points for vague phrases. Here are some common phrases that do not earn points on the AP exam:

🚫 "bad for the environment"

🚫 "causes environmental degradation"

🚫 "causes global warming and pollution"

🚫 "destroy the environment"

🚫 "ecofriendly"

🚫 "good for the environment"

🚫 "harm the environment"

🚫 "kill all the plants/wildlife/animals"

🚫 "mother nature"

🚫 "pollute the environment"

🚫 "release toxins/pollution/chemicals" without specifying

There are many, many other flowery and vague phrases that earn no points on the AP exam. These were just a few examples. A good rule of thumb is if a random person you'd meet at the grocery store could write the same response you wrote, you won't earn points for it. The reader needs to know you deserve those points!

AP Exam Tip

You should be detailed, specific, and elaborate with environmental science knowledge on your FRQ answers.

APES Topic Breakdown

The AP Environmental Science course is broken into 9 different units. Each unit is weighted differently on the exam:

Topic breakdown for AP Environmental Science Exam: 9 listed topics, accompanied by a percentage indicating its weight.

When you are studying for the AP exam, you can come back to this breakdown and use it to inform your study for the exam.

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