2020

AP Chinese Language
®

and Culture
Scoring Guidelines

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 AP® CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
2020 SCORING GUIDELINES
Interpersonal Speaking: Conversation

TASK COMPLETION DELIVERY LANGUAGE USE

6 EXCELLENT • Directly addresses prompts • Natural pace and intonation with • Rich and appropriate vocabulary
Demonstrates and provides very thorough minimal hesitation or repetition and idioms with minimal errors
excellence in and appropriate responses; • Accurate pronunciation (including • Wide range of grammatical
interpersonal includes elaboration and tones), with minimal errors structures with minimal errors
speaking detail • Consistent use of register
• Maintains the conversation appropriate to situation
with a series of responses
that is highly appropriate
within the context of the task
5 VERY GOOD • Directly addresses prompts and • Smooth pace and intonation with • Appropriate vocabulary and
Suggests provides thorough and occasional hesitation and repetition idioms with sporadic errors
excellence in appropriate responses; includes • Occasional errors in pronunciation • Variety of grammatical structures
interpersonal some elaboration and detail (including tones) with sporadic errors
• Maintains the conversation with
speaking • Consistent use of register
a series of responses that is
clearly appropriate within the appropriate to situation except for
context of the task occasional lapses

4 GOOD • Directly addresses prompts • Generally consistent pace and • Mostly appropriate vocabulary
Demonstrates • Maintains the conversation intonation with intermittent and idioms with errors that do
competence in with a series of responses that hesitation and repetition not generally obscure meaning
interpersonal is appropriate within the • May have several errors in • Mostly appropriate grammatical
speaking context of the task pronunciation (including tones), structures with errors that do not
which do not necessitate special generally obscure meaning
listener effort
• May include several lapses in
otherwise consistent use of register
appropriate to situation
3 ADEQUATE • Directly addresses most • Inconsistent pace and intonation • Limited appropriate vocabulary
Suggests prompts with hesitation and repetition that and idioms with frequent errors
competence in • Maintains the conversation interfere with comprehension that sometimes obscure meaning;
interpersonal with a series of responses • Errors in pronunciation (including intermittent interference from
speaking that is basic but tones) sometimes necessitate another language
appropriate within the special listener effort • Mostly simple grammatical
context of the task • Use of register appropriate to structures with frequent errors
situation is inconsistent or includes that sometimes obscure meaning
many errors
2 WEAK • Directly addresses some • Labored pace and intonation with • Minimal appropriate vocabulary
Suggests lack prompts frequent hesitation and repetition with frequent errors that obscure
• Partially maintains the meaning; repeated interference
of competence • Frequent errors in pronunciation
conversation with a series of
in interpersonal (including tones) necessitate from another language
responses that is appropriate
speaking but incomplete within the constant listener effort • Limited grammatical structures
context of the task • Frequent use of register with frequent errors that obscure
inappropriate to situation meaning
1 VERY WEAK • Addresses prompts minimally • Very labored pace and intonation • Insufficient, inappropriate
Demonstrates or marginally with constant hesitation and vocabulary with frequent errors
lack of • Unsuccessfully attempts to repetition that significantly obscure
competence in maintain the conversation • Frequent errors in pronunciation meaning; constant interference
interpersonal with responses that are (including tones) necessitate from another language
speaking inappropriate within the intense listener effort • Little or no control of
context of the task • Constant use of register grammatical structures with
inappropriate to situation frequent errors that significantly
obscure meaning
0 UNACCEPTABLE • Mere restatement of language from the prompts
Contains • Clearly does not respond to the prompts; completely irrelevant to the topic
nothing that • “I don’t know,” “I don’t understand” or equivalent in English or Mandarin Chinese
earns credit • Clearly responds to the prompts in English
• Blank (although recording equipment is functioning) or mere sighs

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 AP® CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
2020 SCORING GUIDELINES

Presentational Speaking: Cultural Presentation

TASK COMPLETION DELIVERY LANGUAGE USE

6 EXCELLENT • Presentation addresses all aspects of • Natural pace and intonation with • Rich and appropriate vocabulary
Demonstrates prompt with thoroughness and detail minimal hesitation or repetition and idioms with minimal errors
excellence in • Well organized and coherent, with a • Accurate pronunciation • Wide range of grammatical
presentational clear progression of ideas; use of (including tones) with minimal structures with minimal errors
speaking and appropriate transitional elements and errors
cultural cohesive devices; well-connected • Consistent use of register
knowledge discourse of paragraph length appropriate to situation
• Cultural information is ample, accurate,
and detailed
5 VERY GOOD • Presentation addresses all aspects of • Smooth pace and intonation with • Appropriate vocabulary and
Suggests prompt occasional hesitation and idioms with sporadic errors
excellence in • Well organized and coherent, with a repetition • Variety of grammatical
presentational progression of ideas that is generally • Occasional errors in structures with sporadic errors
speaking and clear; some use of transitional elements pronunciation (including tones)
cultural and cohesive devices; connected • Consistent use of register
knowledge discourse of paragraph length appropriate to situation except
• Cultural information is accurate and for occasional lapses
detailed
4 GOOD • Presentation addresses all aspects of • Generally consistent pace and • Mostly appropriate vocabulary
Demonstrates prompt but may lack detail or elaboration intonation with intermittent and idioms with errors that do
competence in • Generally organized and coherent; use of hesitation and repetition not generally obscure meaning
presentational transitional elements and cohesive • May have several errors in • Mostly appropriate grammatical
speaking and devices may be inconsistent; discourse pronunciation (including tones), structures with errors that do not
cultural of paragraph length, although sentences which do not necessitate special generally obscure meaning
knowledge may be loosely connected listener effort
• Cultural information is accurate but may • May include several lapses in
lack detail otherwise consistent use of
register appropriate to situation
3 ADEQUATE • Presentation addresses topic directly but • Inconsistent pace and intonation • Limited appropriate vocabulary
Suggests may not address all aspects of prompt with hesitation and repetition and idioms with frequent errors
competence in • Portions may lack organization or that interfere with that sometimes obscure
presentational coherence; infrequent use of transitional comprehension meaning; intermittent
speaking and elements and cohesive devices; • Errors in pronunciation interference from another
cultural disconnected sentences (including tones) sometimes language
knowledge • Cultural information is generally correct necessitate special listener effort • Mostly simple grammatical
but has some inaccuracies • Use of register appropriate to structures with frequent errors
situation is inconsistent or that sometimes obscure meaning
includes many errors
2 WEAK • Presentation addresses topic only • Labored pace and intonation, • Minimal appropriate vocabulary
Suggests lack of marginally or addresses only some with frequent hesitation and with frequent errors that obscure
competence in aspects of prompt repetition meaning; repeated interference
presentational • Scattered information generally lacks • Frequent errors in pronunciation from another language
speaking and organization and coherence; minimal or (including tones) necessitate • Limited grammatical structures
cultural no use of transitional elements and constant listener effort with frequent errors that obscure
knowledge cohesive devices; fragmented sentences • Frequent use of register meaning
• Cultural information has several inappropriate to situation
inaccuracies
1 VERY WEAK • Presentation addresses prompt only • Very labored pace and intonation • Insufficient, inappropriate
Demonstrates minimally with constant hesitation and vocabulary with frequent errors
lack of • Lacks organization and coherence; very repetition that significantly obscure
competence in disjointed sentences or isolated words • Frequent errors in pronunciation meaning; constant interference
presentational • Cultural information has frequent or (including tones) necessitate from another language
speaking and significant inaccuracies intense listener effort • Little or no control of
cultural • Constant use of register grammatical structures with
knowledge inappropriate to situation frequent errors that significantly
obscure meaning
0 UNACCEPTABLE • Mere restatement of the prompt
Contains • Clearly does not respond to the prompt; completely irrelevant to the topic
nothing that • Not in Mandarin Chinese
earns credit • Blank (although recording equipment is functioning) or mere sighs

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