Exam Requirements & Prompts
AP 2-D ART AND DESIGN PORTFOLIO EXAM REQUIREMENTS AND PROMPTS
For the Selected Works section of the AP 2-D Art and Design Portfolio Exam, students must submit five works that demonstrate:
For each work, students must state the following in writing:
For the Sustained Investigation section of the AP 2-D Art and Design Portfolio Exam, students must submit 15 digital images that demonstrate:
Students must state the following in writing:
For images that document process or show detail, students should enter “N/A” for size (see Additional Information About the Sustained Investigation Section on p. 34 for more details). For digital and virtual work, students should enter the size of the intended visual display.
Samples of student work for the AP Drawing portfolio can be found on AP Central at apcentral.collegeboard .org/courses/ap-drawing.
For the Selected Works section of the AP 2-D Art and Design Portfolio Exam, students must submit five works that demonstrate:
- 2-D skills
- Synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
For each work, students must state the following in writing:
- Idea(s) visually evident (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
- Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
- Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
For the Sustained Investigation section of the AP 2-D Art and Design Portfolio Exam, students must submit 15 digital images that demonstrate:
- Sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision
- Sustained investigation of materials, processes, and ideas
- Synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas
- 2-D skills
Students must state the following in writing:
- Identify the questions or inquiry that guided your sustained investigation
- Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your questions or inquiry (1200 characters maximum, including spaces, for response to both prompts)
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- Materials used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
- Processes used (100 characters maximum, including spaces)
- Size (height × width × depth, in inches)
For images that document process or show detail, students should enter “N/A” for size (see Additional Information About the Sustained Investigation Section on p. 34 for more details). For digital and virtual work, students should enter the size of the intended visual display.
Samples of student work for the AP Drawing portfolio can be found on AP Central at apcentral.collegeboard .org/courses/ap-drawing.
Exam Structure
All three AP Art and Design Portfolio Exams contain two sections. The Selected Works section requires students to demonstrate skillful synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas. The Sustained Investigation section requires students to conduct a sustained investigation based on an inquiry of the student’s choosing. The work in this section should reflect ongoing practice, experimentation, and revision.
Both sections of the portfolios require students to articulate information about their work. Both sections are required. Students earn a score for each section, and sections scores are combined to produce an overall portfolio score that may offer opportunities for college credit and/or advanced placement. The order in which the sections are presented is not intended to suggest a curricular sequence. The works presented for portfolio assessment may be produced in art classes or on the student’s own time and may cover a period of time longer than a single school year. The table that follows summarizes the section requirements for each of the three portfolios.
Both sections of the portfolios require students to articulate information about their work. Both sections are required. Students earn a score for each section, and sections scores are combined to produce an overall portfolio score that may offer opportunities for college credit and/or advanced placement. The order in which the sections are presented is not intended to suggest a curricular sequence. The works presented for portfolio assessment may be produced in art classes or on the student’s own time and may cover a period of time longer than a single school year. The table that follows summarizes the section requirements for each of the three portfolios.
Students’ portfolio scores are a final, end-of-course, summative assessment of their learning related to portfolio requirements and assessment criteria. Since portfolio scores are based on AP Art and Design scoring rubrics (available on AP Central), it is essential that the teacher and their students understand the scoring rubrics and are able to accurately apply them to assess portfolio work. Teachers can introduce students to AP Art and Design scoring rubrics at the beginning of the year by demonstrating how the rubrics are applied to scored samples of student work on AP Central. Throughout the year as students develop their portfolios, rubrics should be used as formative assessment criteria to give students feedback on how their work aligns with portfolio requirements and evaluation criteria.
