Writing & Elaborating on Commentary (College Board AP® English Language & Composition): Revision Note

This study guide introduces you to commentary, the explanation that connects evidence to a claim and develops a line of reasoning. Commentary answers the following important questions:

• How does this evidence support the claim?

• Why does it matter?

• What should the reader understand from it?

What is commentary?

Commentary is the writer’s explanation of how evidence supports a claim.

Evidence gives the reader information. Commentary explains what that information proves.

In addition to claim and evidence, a body paragraph needs explanation that shows how the evidence supports the paragraph’s reason and how that reason supports the thesis.

Why commentary matters: explaining the how and why

Commentary matters because evidence does not speak for itself. A writer may choose strong evidence, but the reader still needs to understand how the evidence supports the writer’s argument from their perspective. Strong commentary answers questions such as:

• What does this evidence show?

• How does it support the reason?

• Why is it significant?

• How does it connect to the thesis?

• How does it develop the line of reasoning?

• What larger insight should the reader understand?

Note: in rhetorical analysis, commentary also explains why a writer’s choices matter for a particular audience, context and purpose.

What is the difference between commentary and evidence?

Evidence and commentary do different jobs:

Evidence shows what happened. The commentary explains why it matters.

For example:

Claim:

Evidence:

Commentary:

How to elaborate and develop your commentary

Elaboration means developing your explanation instead of stopping after one basic sentence. Strong commentary shows the reader the thinking that connects the evidence to the claim. Develop it by asking better questions about your evidence — these teach the thinking behind commentary without making every paragraph sound too similar:

How much commentary should follow each piece of evidence?

There is no exact number of words every time, but a useful rule of thumb is that the explanation should usually be longer than the evidence. This does not mean that every paragraph must follow the same formula. Some evidence needs only a brief explanation. Complex evidence may need more. However, if a paragraph has more evidence than explanation, it may start to feel like listed evidence rather than a convincing argument.

Worked example: paragraph with commentary

Prompt:

• Develop a position on whether high schools should allow students to revise one major writing assignment after receiving teacher feedback

Thesis:

Model paragraph:

Common mistakes when writing commentary

• Summarizing instead of explaining

• Repeating the evidence

• Using empty phrases

• Forgetting to connect back to the claim

• Writing commentary that is too short

• Integrating evidence without explanation

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between commentary and analysis?

Commentary is the written explanation of thinking in the essay. Analysis is the thinking that interprets evidence. In many AP Lang contexts, the terms overlap. When students write commentary, they are usually doing analysis by explaining how evidence supports a claim or how a writer’s choice affects an audience. 

How do I avoid simply summarizing my evidence?

After presenting evidence, explain what the evidence proves rather than restating it. The questions listed under Why commentary matters above give you what to answer: summary stops at what the source said, while commentary explains why it supports the claim.

How is commentary scored on the AP Lang FRQs?

On AP Lang free-response rubrics, commentary is part of Row B: Evidence and Commentary, which is worth up to 4 points. Stronger responses explain how evidence supports a line of reasoning, while weaker responses may summarize evidence without explaining how it supports the argument. 

Key terms and glossary

• Analysis: interpretation that explains the meaning, function or significance of evidence

• Claim: a statement that presents a writer's position and requires proof or defense

• Commentary: explanation that shows how evidence supports a reason, how the reason supports the thesis and why the evidence matters

• Evidence: information used to support a claim or reason

• Line of reasoning: the logical progression of reasons, evidence and commentary that explains how the thesis is supported

• Paraphrase: an accurate restatement of a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure

• Reason: an explanation of why a claim or thesis is valid

• Relevance: the degree to which evidence directly supports the claim or reason being developed

• Rhetorical situation: the circumstances that shape a text, including the exigence, audience, writer, purpose, context and message

• Summary: a condensed statement of a source's main ideas

• Thesis: the main, overarching claim a writer seeks to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence

• Topic sentence: a sentence that states the main claim or reason developed in a body paragraph

• Unity: the quality of an argument in which all reasons, evidence and commentary support the same central claim