FRQ 1: The Synthesis Essay (College Board AP® English Language & Composition): Study Guide

What is the FRQ 1 synthesis essay?

Question 1, the synthesis essay, asks you to develop an evidence-based argument using a set of provided sources.

You will be given six sources and asked to develop your argument using material from at least three of them.

You must:

• Respond to the prompt with a defensible thesis

• Use evidence from at least three sources:

  • Of the sources, two are visual and at least one is quantitative (a chart, table or graph)

  • Text sources are about 500 words each

• Clearly identify the sources you use:

  • Sources may be cited as "Source A", "Source B", etc., or by using the description in parentheses

• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning

• Communicate your argument clearly, using appropriate grammar and punctuation

This essay is worth 6 points.

The College Board recommends that you spend approximately 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources, and planning your answer, and 40 minutes writing your answer.

Any text you enter as an annotation will not be included as part of your answer.

Understanding the synthesis prompt and sources

The prompt will always give you a short introduction to the topic, and then:

You will be given six sources, but you do not need to use all of them for your essay. You must use at least three.

However, you do still need to read all of the sources to determine which can be best used to support your argument.

Before reading every source closely, determine what the prompt is asking. Ask:

• What is the issue?

• What specific judgment am I being asked to make?

• Which words in the task shape my response?

• What would I actually need to prove?  

Next, read the sources with the argument in mind. For each source, ask:

• What does it contribute? 

• What claim could it help support? 

• Does it reinforce, complicate or challenge another source?

Read the sources for argumentative value. A useful approach is to identify the most useful point each source offers and the job it could perform in your argument.

A source might:

• Support one of your reasons

• Complicate or qualify a claim

• Provide a strong example or piece of data

• Reveal a tension with another source

Therefore, look for sources that help you build the strongest line of reasoning:

• Source A $\to$ most useful point $\to$ supports a reason about...

• Source B $\to$ most useful point $\to$ complicates a claim about...

• Source C $\to$ most useful point $\to$ provides evidence for...

Read with a purpose. Ask: "Which sources help me build, challenge or refine my position?"

For more on judging each source, see Unit 6: How to Evaluate Source Credibility & Bias.

How to create a conversation between sources

Strong synthesis recognizes relationships among sources. Sources may:

• Agree

• Reinforce one another 

• Offer different kinds of evidence

• Complicate one another

• Qualify a claim

• Reveal competing priorities

• Challenge one another

For example:

Synthesized:

The sources both contribute to one larger claim developed by the writer.

For more on integrating and citing sources, see:

• How to Incorporate Multiple Perspectives

• Integrating & Citing Sources

How to analyze visual sources

Two of the six sources in the synthesis essay are visual, and at least one of them is quantitative (a chart, table or graph). Other visual sources may include photographs, cartoons, maps or infographics.

A visual source is an argument too. Like a written source, it has a creator, a purpose and a perspective, and it can support, complicate or challenge a claim.

How to read a visual source

Before you decide what a visual shows, read everything around it:

• Title: what is it about?

• Labels, axes and units: what is being measured, and how?

• Key or legend: what do the colors, symbols or categories stand for?

• Source line: who produced it, and when?

• Notes or captions: what does the creator want you to notice?

For an image, cartoon or photograph, ask:

• What is in the foreground, and what is left out?

• Who or what is the focus?

• What does the caption or title add?

Identify what the visual shows

Sum up the main takeaway in one sentence. Look for:

• The highest and lowest values

• A trend over time

• A difference between groups

• A contrast between the image and its caption

Identify what the visual does not show

Visual sources are easy to overstate. Before you use one, check its limits:

• Correlation is not causation: a link between two things does not prove one causes the other

• Scope: who, where and when does the data cover?

• Creator: does the person or organization that made it have an interest in the result?

• Forecasts and estimates: is it a prediction or a measurement?

Noticing a limitation gives you material for qualification, which can help you build the kind of nuanced argument that earns the sophistication point.

Use the visual as evidence

Treat a visual exactly as you would a written source:

• Cite it as "Source D" or by its description in parentheses

• Refer to a specific figure or detail, not the general topic

• Explain what the evidence shows and how it supports your reason

• Where possible, put it in conversation with a written source

The synthesis essay scoring rubric

FRQ 1 is scored out of 6 points:

For more on earning the sophistication point, see Earning the Sophistication Point.

How to write the synthesis essay: step-by-step

1. Understand the task:

   • Determine exactly what judgment the prompt requires

   • Underline the core of the task, e.g. "develops your position on the extent to which...", and note any factors the prompt asks you to weigh

2. Develop a working position:

   • Begin forming an answer as you read

   • Read the introduction and the prompt, then write down a provisional answer before you read Source A

   • A working position gives you something to test each source against

3. Evaluate the sources:

   • Identify useful ideas and evidence rather than trying to summarize

   • Use the 15-minute reading period to find what each source could do for your argument, rather than trying to understand every detail

   • Annotate in the margin with a quick label, such as "supports cost argument" or "counterpoint"

4. Look for relationships:

   • Notice where sources agree, reinforce, complicate or challenge one another

   • Group the sources by the position they support or the issue they raise

   • Look for pairs: two sources that agree from different angles, or one that undercuts another

   • Note where a source agrees with a point but adds a condition, such as "only if..." or "but at a cost":

     • These complications are a good basis for nuanced reasoning

5. Develop and refine your thesis:

   • Let the sources sharpen or complicate your initial thinking

   • Return to your working position and revise it in light of what you've read:

     • Make it more precise

     • Consider qualifying it if the sources reveal real trade-offs

     • Check that it's defensible

6. Establish your supporting reasons (line of reasoning):

   • Decide the two or three reasons that will carry your argument

   • Phrase each reason as a claim that supports your thesis

7. Match sources to those reasons:

   • Choose evidence because it supports the reason

   • List which sources support each reason

   • Check you are using at least three of the provided sources

   • Drop evidence that's interesting but does not advance a reason

8. Organize around your claims:

   • Do not organize the essay by sources, as this summarizes rather than argues

   • Start each body paragraph with your claim, not with a source

   • Bring two or more sources into the same paragraph so that they work together

   • Place counterarguments where they are most relevant

9. Integrate and cite source evidence:

   • Quote, paraphrase or summarize accurately

   • Evidence should sit inside your own sentences and be clearly attributed

10. Develop commentary:

    • Explain what the evidence demonstrates, why it matters and how it advances the line of reasoning

    • After every piece of evidence, ask "So what?" and answer it in your own words

    • Link the evidence back to the paragraph's claim and then to your thesis

    • Where you use two sources together, explain how they relate, e.g. whether they confirm, complicate or extend each other

How to structure your synthesis essay

A common structure is:

The important principle is to organize your essay around reasons, not around sources.

Frequently asked questions

How many sources do I need to use?

You must use evidence from at least three provided sources. Using more than three is allowed, but more sources do not automatically produce a stronger essay. 

How long should the synthesis essay be?

There is no required word count or paragraph count. Write enough to establish a defensible thesis, develop supporting claims and consistently explain how the source evidence supports your reasoning. 

How much time should I spend on the synthesis essay?

The College Board recommends:

• 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources and planning

• 40 minutes writing the response 

It is recommended that you use the planning time to identify useful evidence and source relationships rather than trying to annotate every detail.

Key terms and glossary

• Citation: a reference that identifies the source of quoted, paraphrased or summarized material

• 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

• Defensible thesis: a main claim that responds to the prompt and can be supported with reasoning and evidence

• 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

• Qualification: a condition, limitation or exception that makes a claim more precise

• Quantitative source: a source that presents numerical data, such as a chart, table or graph

• Quote: the author's exact words

• Scoring rubric: the six-point guide used to score each free-response essay, divided into Row A (thesis), Row B (evidence and commentary) and Row C (sophistication)

• Sophistication: the Row C rubric point, earned by demonstrating sophistication of thought or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation

• Source: a text, image, chart, speech, study or other material from which information or ideas are drawn

• Source conversation: the interaction among sources as they agree, contend with, extend or qualify one another

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

• Supporting claim: a claim that develops one part of the thesis and contributes to its defense

• Synthesis: the process of considering, explaining and integrating ideas from multiple sources into your own argument

• Synthesis essay: FRQ 1, which asks you to develop an argument using evidence from at least three of the provided sources

• Visual source: a source that communicates mainly through images or graphics, such as a photograph, cartoon, map, chart or graph