Past AP English Language and Composition Score Distributions
See how all students performed on past AP English Language and Composition exams from 2002 to 2025.
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3+ (Pass Rate) | Test Takers | Mean Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13.4% | 28.0% | 32.8% | 16.1% | 9.7% | 74.3% | 616,294 | 3.19 |
| 2024 | 9.8% | 21.4% | 23.5% | 28.8% | 16.6% | 54.6% | 597,097 | 2.79 |
| 2023 | 10.3% | 19.7% | 26.1% | 29.5% | 14.4% | 56.1% | 562,328 | 2.82 |
| 2022 | 10.4% | 21.1% | 24.2% | 29.8% | 14.5% | 55.7% | 520,771 | 2.86 |
| 2021 | 9.1% | 22.9% | 25.8% | 29.3% | 12.9% | 57.7% | 518,548 | 2.86 |
| 2020 | 12.6% | 20.4% | 29.1% | 26.2% | 11.8% | 62.1% | 535,478 | 2.96 |
| 2019 | 9.9% | 18.2% | 26.2% | 31.2% | 14.5% | 54.3% | 573,171 | 2.78 |
| 2018 | 10.6% | 17.7% | 28.8% | 29.3% | 13.5% | 57.2% | 580,043 | 2.83 |
| 2017 | 9.1% | 18.3% | 27.7% | 30.7% | 14.2% | 55.0% | 579,426 | 2.77 |
| 2016 | 10.7% | 17.6% | 27.1% | 32.1% | 12.6% | 55.4% | 547,575 | 2.82 |
| 2015 | 9.9% | 18.3% | 27.3% | 29.7% | 14.8% | 55.5% | 527,274 | 2.79 |
| 2014 | 9.6% | 17.9% | 28.4% | 30.1% | 14.1% | 55.8% | 505,244 | 2.79 |
| 2013 | 10.2% | 16.2% | 28.6% | 29.8% | 15.2% | 55.0% | 476,277 | 2.77 |
| 2012 | 11.0% | 20.2% | 28.9% | 27.9% | 11.9% | 60.2% | 443,835 | 2.90 |
| 2011 | 11.1% | 20.0% | 30.1% | 27.5% | 11.3% | 61.2% | 412,466 | 2.92 |
| 2010 | 10.7% | 20.8% | 29.3% | 27.6% | 11.6% | 60.8% | 374,620 | 2.91 |
| 2009 | 10.5% | 19.0% | 30.2% | 28.4% | 11.9% | 59.7% | 357,441 | 2.88 |
| 2008 | 8.7% | 18.2% | 31.4% | 30.5% | 11.3% | 58.2% | 306,479 | 2.82 |
| 2007 | 9.2% | 18.3% | 31.4% | 30.3% | 10.9% | 58.8% | 282,230 | 2.85 |
| 2006 | 5.4% | 15.9% | 29.6% | 36.7% | 12.4% | 50.9% | 256,722 | 2.65 |
| 2005 | 7.5% | 16.4% | 32.5% | 33.3% | 10.3% | 56.4% | 230,709 | 2.78 |
| 2004 | 8.7% | 17.8% | 31.7% | 33.0% | 8.8% | 58.2% | 198,514 | 2.85 |
| 2003 | 7.4% | 18.4% | 35.0% | 30.5% | 8.6% | 60.9% | 175,860 | 2.86 |
| 2002 | 9.0% | 20.7% | 31.9% | 29.8% | 8.7% | 61.5% | 156,193 | 2.92 |
Understanding the Trends
The table above illustrates the fluctuation in AP English Language and Composition scores over more than two decades.
- Passing Rates: The percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher typically hovers between 54% and 62%. In 2025, this jumped significantly to 74.3%.
- Top Performers: Achieving a score of 5 remains difficult, generally obtained by around 9%–11% of students.
- Mean Score Stability: The mean score stays remarkably stable, generally sitting around 2.80.