The AP French Language and Culture exam is one of the most popular AP language exams, second only to Spanish. In 2019, over 23,000 students took the exam—about 75% of which were standard foreign language students, with the remainder being students who regularly spoke or heard the foreign language outside of school, or who studied abroad for more than one month.
Students who are interested in gaining proficiencies in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of French communication are best suited for this line of study. If you are interested in taking the AP French Language and Culture exam—whether you have taken the class, are a native-speaker, or have self-studied—read on for a breakdown of the test and CollegeVine’s advice for how to best prepare for it.
When is the AP French Language and Culture Exam?
On Friday, May 15, at 8 am, the College Board will administer the 2020 AP French Language and Culture exam. For a comprehensive AP exam schedule, along with study tips and more, check out our blog post 2020 AP Exam Schedule: Everything You Need to Know.
About the AP French Language and Culture Exam
The AP French Language and Culture exam aims to promote both fluency and accuracy in French language use. To accomplish this, the AP French Language and Culture course is taught primarily in French, and students will read and listen to authentic texts from the francophone world throughout the course. The course focuses on the three foundational modes of communication as defined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational.
Though it is easy to get caught up in grammatical nuances when learning a foreign language, the AP curriculum explicitly seeks not to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the expense of communication. As such, while grammar is tested on the exam in the context of written and oral responses, a higher weight is placed on general communication skills.
A spelling reform known as La Nouvelle Orthographe is currently underway in France. The new spelling is officially encouraged but not required by the French government. The AP French Development Committee notes that students will not be penalized for using the new spellings in the writing portion of the AP French Language and Culture exam.
AP French Language and Culture Course Content
There are no formal prerequisites for the AP French Language and Culture course; however, most students who take it are in their fourth year of high school-level French study. Native speakers or students with exceptional exposure to the French language may take a different course of study leading to the AP French Language and Culture course, or might completely self-study for the exam.
The framework of the AP French Language and Culture course is made up of six units, and contained within those six units are five to seven contexts. Through the exploration of these units and their contexts, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of French language and culture and engage with it in a variety of ways. Below are the six units and their contexts:
Unit |
Contexts |
Families and Communities |
- Age and Class
- Childhood and Adolescence
- Citizenship
- Customs and Ceremonies
- Family Structures
- Friendship and Love
|
Personal and Public Identities |
- Alienation and Assimilation
- Beliefs and Values
- Gender and Sexuality
- Language and Identity
- Multiculturalism
- Nationalism and Patriotism
|
Beauty and Aesthetics |
- Architecture
- Contributions to World Artistic Heritage
- Ideals of Beauty
- Literature
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Visual Arts
|
Science and Technology |
- Current Research Topics
- Discoveries and Inventions
- Ethical Questions
- Future Technologies
- Intellectual Property
- The New Media
- Social Impact of Technology
|
Contemporary Life |
- Advertising and Marketing
- Education
- Holidays and Celebrations
- Housing and Shelter
- Leisure and Sports
- Professions
- Rites of Passage
- Travel
|
Global Challenges |
- Diversity Issues
- Economic Issues
- Environmental Issues
- Health Issues
- Human Rights
- Nutrition and Food Safety
- Peace and War
|
Throughout the AP French Language and Culture course, you’ll develop and hone eight language and communication skills. Below is a list of the eight course skills, a description of each, and the weight given to each skill on the multiple-choice section of the AP French Language and Culture exam:
Course Skill |
Description |
Percentage of Exam Score (Multiple-Choice Section) |
Comprehend Text |
Comprehend written, audio, audiovisual, and visual text (text, pictures, and numbers). |
20%-30% |
Make Connections |
Make interdisciplinary and cultural connections. |
30%-40% |
Interpret Text |
Interpret the content of written or audio text (words). |
30%-40% |
Make Meanings |
Make meanings from words and expressions. |
10%-15% |
Speak to Others |
Communicate interpersonally by speaking with others. |
Not directly assessed in the
multiple-choice section. |
Write to Others |
Communicate interpersonally by writing to others. |
Not directly assessed in the
multiple-choice section. |
Present Orally |
Communicate through spoken presentations. |
Not directly assessed in the
multiple-choice section. |
Present in Writing |
Communicate through written presentations. |
Not directly assessed in the
multiple-choice section. |
AP French Language and Culture Exam Content
The AP French Language and Culture exam is one of the longer exams, consisting of two sections, and clocking in at three hours and three minutes. The first section takes one hour and 35 minutes to complete, contains 65 multiple-choice questions, and accounts for 50% of your total score.
The multiple-choice section of the AP French Language and Culture exam is two parts. In the first part, you will spend 40 minutes completing 30 multiple-choice questions based on printed texts. In the second part, you will have 55 minutes to complete 35 multiple-choice questions based on audio or combination audio and print texts.
Section 1(a): Multiple-Choice Text
40 minutes | 30 questions | 23% of score
The first multiple-choice section of the exam uses print materials—such as journalistic and literary texts, announcements, advertisements, letters, charts, maps, and tables—as a stimulus. The questions require you determine the main idea and details of the stimulus, determine the meaning of words in context, identify the author’s point of view or target audience, and demonstrate cultural knowledge or interdisciplinary information contained in the stimulus.
Examples of text-based multiple-choice questions:



Answers – 1: C | 2: B | 3: D
Section 1(b): Multiple-Choice Audio
55 minutes | 35 questions | 27% of score
The second part of the multiple-choice section uses audio material—interviews, podcasts, PSAs, conversations, and brief presentations—as a stimulus. In this part of the exam, students will encounter two subsections of questions. One set of questions uses audio files in combination with print materials as the stimulus, and the other set of questions uses only audio material as the stimulus.
Examples of audio-based multiple-choice questions (click on the question for audio):


Answers – 12: B | 13: D
The free response section of the AP French Language and Culture exam is also broken down into two parts. The first part of the free response section is focused on writing, the other part is centered on speaking.
Section 2(a): Free Response Written
1 hour 10 minutes | 2 questions | 25% of score
The first part of the free response questions consists of two questions. The first question requires you to read and reply to an email. You’re alloted 15 minutes to answer this question and it accounts for 12.5% of your total score. The second question tasks you with writing an argumentative essay based on three provided sources. You’re given 55 total minutes—15 to review sources and 40 minutes to write—to form your essay. This question also accounts for 12.5% of your exam score.
Example of an email free response question:

Section 2(b): Free Response Spoken
18 minutes | 2 questions | 25% of score
During the second part of the free response section, you will listen and respond orally to prompts. You will first need to complete five exchanges (20-second responses) in a simulated conversation. You will then deliver a 2-minute presentation comparing a cultural feature of a French-speaking community to another community you’re familiar with.
Example of a spoken free response question:

AP French Language and Culture Score Distribution, Average Score, and Passing Rate
Exam |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
AP French Language and Culture |
16.1% |
25.3% |
35.7% |
18.2% |
4.7% |
In 2019, students generally did quite well on the AP French Language and Culture exam. Of all test takers, more than 77% received a score of 3 or higher, including 73.9% of standard group students (excluding native or heritage speakers). Only 16.1% of all students received the top score of 5, while less than 5% scored a 1 on the exam.
Keep in mind that credit and advanced standing based on AP scores varies widely from college to college. While a 3 is generally considered passing, you may need a 4 or 5 to receive credit. Some schools don’t grant credit at all, and only use AP exams for placement. You can find regulations regarding which AP exams qualify for course credits or advanced placement at specific colleges on the College Board’s website.
A full course description that can help to guide your studying and understanding of the knowledge required for the test can be found on the College Board AP French course website. If you’re curious about other score distributions, see our post Easiest and Hardest AP Exams.