AP Spanish Language and Culture

What the course covers

6 units

1. Unit 1

   Families and Communities

   Free
   What counts as a family in Spanish-speaking societies, which family values and routines matter, and how families and communities meet the pressures of today's world. Interpretive focus: main idea and supporting details (1.A.1, 1.B.1) in Audio and Chart, Article, and Promotional Material sets. Speaking focus: varied grammar and vocabulary, circumlocution, self-correction, clear pronunciation, and giving opinions (2.A.1, 2.A.2, 2.B.1 to 2.B.3, 2.C.1), building toward the Project Presentation and Project Q&A.
   4 topics

   1. 1.1Community Activities (Actividades comunitarias)
   2. 1.2Family Relationships (Relaciones familiares)
   3. 1.3Social Interactions and Relationships (Interacciones y relaciones sociales)
   4. 1.4Urban and Rural Communities (Comunidades urbanas y rurales)

2. Unit 2

   Language and Culture
   How language and culture shape each other, how both change over time, and how technology and media influence the way people speak and live. Interpretive focus: intended audience and point of view, tone, or attitude (1.B.2, 1.B.3) in Audio Report, Article and Chart, and Literary Text sets. Writing focus: the Argumentative Essay (thesis, integrating sources, organization, written conventions: 2.A.1 to 2.A.3, 2.B.1, 2.B.5, 2.C.1, 2.C.4, 2.D.1).
   3 topics

   1. 2.1Customs and Celebrations (Costumbres y celebraciones)
   2. 2.2Linguistics (Lingüística)
   3. 2.3Spanish in the World (El español en el mundo)

3. Unit 3

   Art and Creativity
   How art and creativity shape daily life, how art both challenges and reflects cultural perspectives, how communities value it, and how art records history. The 2026-27 course project theme comes from this unit and uses music as its lens. Interpretive focus: data points and trends (1.A.2) and organizing or rhetorical strategies (1.B.4) in Audio and Chart, Article, Literary Text, and Promotional Material sets. Speaking focus: idioms, register, pacing and intonation, research, examples, cohesive devices, and describing products, practices, and perspectives (2.A.3, 2.A.4, 2.B.1, 2.B.4, 2.C.2, 2.C.3, 2.D.2, 3.A.1), aimed at the Project Presentation and Project Q&A.
   6 topics

   1. 3.1Architecture (Arquitectura)
   2. 3.2Artistic Heritage (Patrimonio artístico)
   3. 3.3Beauty and Aesthetics (Belleza y estética)
   4. 3.4Fashion and Design (Moda y diseño)
   5. 3.5Literature (Literatura)
   6. 3.6Visual and Performing Arts (Artes visuales y escénicas)

4. Unit 4

   Science and Technology
   What drives innovation and discovery, how technology changes global communication, and what social impact scientific and technological advances have. Interpretive focus: meaning of words and phrases from textual cues (1.B.5) and connecting information within or across sources (1.C.1) in Instructional Guidance, Interview, Presentation, and Article and Chart sets. Writing focus: the full Argumentative Essay (integrating all three sources, citing them, organization, cohesive devices, written conventions: 2.A.3, 2.B.1, 2.B.5, 2.C.3, 2.C.4, 2.D.1, 2.D.2, 3.A.1).
   4 topics

   1. 4.1Innovations and Emerging Technologies (Innovaciones y tecnologías emergentes)
   2. 4.2Personal Technology and Communication (Tecnología personal y comunicación)
   3. 4.3Science in Everyday Life (La ciencia en la vida diaria)
   4. 4.4Societal Impacts of Science and Technology (El impacto de la ciencia y la tecnología en la sociedad)

5. Unit 5

   Contemporary Life
   How contemporary life has changed in the last two decades, how cultural values and traditions shape it, and what influences what people consider important. Interpretive focus: synthesizing to draw logical conclusions and inferring implied meaning (1.C.2, 1.C.3) in Audio and Chart, Instructional Guidance, Interview, and Literary Text sets. Speaking focus: the complete set of speaking objectives plus comparing and reflecting on cultural products, practices, and perspectives (2.A to 2.D, 3.A.1 to 3.A.3) for the Project Presentation and Project Q&A.
   6 topics

   1. 5.1Education and Career (Educación y carreras)
   2. 5.2Entertainment and Media (Entretenimiento y medios de comunicación)
   3. 5.3Food and Health (Alimentación y salud)
   4. 5.4Pop Culture (Cultura pop)
   5. 5.5Sports and Leisure (Deportes y tiempo libre)
   6. 5.6Travel and Tourism (Viajes y turismo)

6. Unit 6

   Global Contexts
   How global phenomena affect Spanish-speaking communities, what role individuals play in understanding and responding to them, and how complex problems change a society's culture. This capstone unit reviews every interpretive objective (1.A.1 through 1.C.3) in Audio Report, Presentation, and Article and Chart sets, and completes the full Argumentative Essay with sophisticated vocabulary, structures, and transitions (2.A to 2.D), describing, comparing, and reflecting on cultural perspectives (3.A.1 to 3.A.3).
   5 topics

   1. 6.1Global Communication (Comunicación global)
   2. 6.2Natural World (La naturaleza)
   3. 6.3History (Historia)
   4. 6.4Policy and Planning (Normativa y planificación)
   5. 6.5Transportation (Transporte)

The exam, part by part

5 parts, 2 h 30 min in all.

• Section I, Question 1: Project Presentation

  Questions

  1

  Time

  6 min

  Weight

  20%

  Format details

  Task types: Project Presentation

  Recorded in Bluebook: 3 minutes to prepare, then 3 minutes to present on the project prompt released in January, with a printed copy of your own Personalized Project Reference (submitted by April 30). Section I (all three free-response questions) runs 65 to 70 minutes and is 50% of the score.

• Section I, Question 2: Project Q&A

  Questions

  1

  Time

  9 min

  Weight

  15%

  Format details

  Task types: Project Q&A

  A recorded interlocutor introduces the exchange and asks 4 unseen questions about your project and research. Each question plays twice; you have 40 seconds to record each answer. The CED lists about 15 minutes for Questions 1 and 2 together; the 6/9 split here is an estimate.

• Section I, Question 3: Argumentative Essay

  Questions

  1

  Time

  55 min

  Weight

  15%

  Format details

  Task types: Argumentative Essay

  Typed in Bluebook. Three sources with differing viewpoints (an audio source, an article, and a chart or graphic). A 6-minute countdown to read the prompt and print sources precedes the audio, which plays twice. Independent of the project topic.

• Section II, Part A: Listening

  Questions

  25

  Time

  40 min

  Weight

  25%

  Format details

  5 sets of 5 questions, one set of each audio task type: Audio and Chart, Audio Report, Instructional Guidance, Interview, Presentation. Every set opens with a Spanish introduction naming the topic and origin of the source. 4 answer choices per question.

• Section II, Part B: Reading

  Questions

  30

  Time

  40 min

  Weight

  25%

  Format details

  6 sets of 5 questions drawn from Article, Article and Chart, Literary Text, and Promotional Material (1 to 2 sets of each; the mix varies by year). Sets can appear in any order. 4 answer choices per question.

Skills the exam scores

• 1.ARecognize explicit meaning

  Skill Category 1, Interpretive Communication. Find the supporting and relevant details a text or audio states outright (1.A.1) and read data points, patterns, and trends in charts, tables, and graphs (1.A.2).

• 1.BInterpret meaning

  Skill Category 1. Work out a source's main idea, theme, or purpose (1.B.1), who it is written or recorded for (1.B.2), the speaker's or writer's point of view, tone, or attitude (1.B.3), how it is organized and which rhetorical strategies it uses (1.B.4), and what unfamiliar words and phrases mean from textual cues (1.B.5).

• 1.CSynthesize and infer meaning

  Skill Category 1. Connect information within one source or across two sources (1.C.1), combine what you understood to reach logical conclusions (1.C.2), and infer meaning the source implies but does not state (1.C.3).

• 2.AUse language that fits the purpose and context

  Skill Category 2, Interpersonal and Presentational Communication. Use a variety of grammatical structures (2.A.1) and vocabulary (2.A.2), idiomatic and culturally relevant expressions (2.A.3), and a register suited to the audience and situation (2.A.4).

• 2.BMake communication comprehensible

  Skill Category 2. Keep communication going with circumlocution and paraphrase (2.B.1), monitor and self-correct spoken language (2.B.2), pronounce clearly for a range of Spanish speakers (2.B.3), speak at an appropriate rate with effective intonation (2.B.4), and follow written conventions such as accents, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation (2.B.5).

• 2.CShare ideas, information, and opinions

  Skill Category 2. Express ideas, preferences, and opinions (2.C.1), gather information and evidence with research strategies (2.C.2), use examples to advise, inform, or explain opinions and emotions (2.C.3), integrate several sources to build and support a position (2.C.4), and reference and cite sources appropriately (2.C.5).

• 2.DApply organizational and rhetorical strategies

  Skill Category 2. Organize a response with a structure that fits the task (2.D.1) and connect ideas with a variety of cohesive devices such as relative pronouns, pronoun reference, conjunctions, and transitions (2.D.2).

• 3.AMake connections within and across cultures

  Skill Category 3, Cultural Understanding. Describe cultural products, practices, and perspectives (3.A.1), compare them across distinct communities (3.A.2), and reflect on why they matter and how perspectives shape products and practices (3.A.3).