The essay portion of the U.S. Government and Politics AP test will consist of four mandatory questions to be answered in 100 minutes.

There are four essential elements to to remember when writing a successful AP Government essay.

1. IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF QUESTION

a) the "explanation and analysis" question -- requires a thesis statement (two sentences at most) and three main points of supporting evidence.

b) the "list and discuss" question -- no thesis statement is required and you should answer it in a "list" or "bullet" format.

c) You may also be asked to "describe", "identify", "outline", "evaluate", "compare and contrast", or any combination of these activities.

2. OUTLINE

Before you start writing the essay briefly jot down any specific information which immediately comes to mind regarding the subject matter (ex. key terms, relationships between topics, examples, phrases, names, etc..)

3. GET TO THE POINT !

a) Keep your sentences simple and direct.

b) The length of the essay is relatively unimportant. The key factor is content.

4. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

You must include specific examples

As you write your essays

a) write a separate paragraph for each example.

b) do not speculate, state opinions which you cannot support, or make predictions .

c) A question which asks you to evaluate will require a conclusion .