Last Updated: January 10, 2025
The AP Chinese Language and Culture exam consists of four sections: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The exam is scored on a scale of 1 - 5, with a 5 being the highest possible score.
The scores in this calculator are estimates based on previous scoring curves. The actual scoring curve may vary year to year.
Instructions
Enter your scores for each section using the sliders below to calculate your estimated AP score.
Section IA: Multiple Choice Listening
Section IB: Multiple Choice Reading
Writing Task 1: Story Narration
Writing Task 2: Email Response
Speaking Task 1: Conversation
Speaking Task 2: Cultural Presentation
PREDICTED AP® SCORE
0 | Score range: 1 - 5
SECTION SCORES
Multiple Choice Score
0 / 50
Free Response Score
0 / 50
Combined Composite Score
0 / 100
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The AP Chinese Language and Culture exam consists of four main sections:
| Section | Question Type | Time | Questions | Exam Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section IA | Multiple Choice Listening | 20 minutes | 25-35 questions | 25% |
| Section IB | Multiple Choice Reading | 60 minutes | 30-40 questions | 25% |
| Section IIA | Free Response Writing | 30 minutes | 2 tasks | 25% |
| Section IIB | Free Response Speaking | 10 minutes | 2 tasks | 25% |
Total exam time: 2 hours
Section IA: Multiple Choice Listening (25%)
Identify appropriate conversation continuations
Answer questions about various audio materials including announcements, messages, and dialogues
Identify main ideas and supporting details
Understand vocabulary and infer meaning from context
Section IB: Multiple Choice Reading (25%)
Read various materials including notes, emails, letters, and stories
Identify main ideas and supporting details
Understand vocabulary and cultural references
Infer meaning from context
Section IIA: Free Response Writing (25%)
Task 1: Story narration based on picture series (15 minutes)
Task 2: Email response (15 minutes)
Section IIB: Free Response Speaking (25%)
Task 1: Simulated conversation (4 minutes)
Task 2: Cultural presentation (7 minutes total: 4 minutes prep, 2 minutes response)
The AP Chinese Language and Culture exam uses a balanced scoring system where each section contributes 25% to your total score. Your performance in all four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) is equally weighted.
Your raw scores from each section are converted into a composite score, which is then converted to the final AP score of 1-5. The distribution of scores from the most recent exam was:
| AP Chinese Score | Percentage of Students |
|---|---|
| 5 | 53.3% |
| 4 | 19.4% |
| 3 | 15.9% |
| 2 | 4.9% |
| 1 | 6.5% |
A score of 3 or higher is generally considered passing, though many top colleges only award credit for scores of 4 or 5. For college admissions purposes, a 4 or 5 is considered a strong score.
To earn a high score (4 or 5), students typically need to demonstrate:
Strong listening comprehension skills
Solid reading comprehension abilities
Clear and effective written communication
Strong speaking skills with good pronunciation
Understanding of Chinese culture and customs
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