2021
AP
®
United States
Government and Politics
Sample Student Responses
and Scoring Commentary
Set 2
Inside:
Free Response Question 4
•• Scoring Guideline
•• Student Samples
•• Scoring Commentary
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AP® United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Question 4: Argument Essay
6 points
Reporting
Category
Scoring Criteria
Row A
Claim/Thesis
(0–1 points)
0 points
Does not meet the criteria for one point.
1 point
Responds to the prompt with a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of
reasoning.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt.
• Do not make a claim that responds to the prompt.
Responses that earn this point:
Respond to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt and
establish a line of reasoning.
• Provide a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning about
the appropriate balance of power between the president and Congress.
•
Examples that do not earn this point:
Restate the prompt
• “The power of the executive and legislative branches of government are
important because there is a balance of power.”
Do not respond to the prompt
• “The executive branch is the most effective branch of government because
the president has many constitutional powers.”
Examples that earn this point:
• “The power of the executive should be strengthened relative to Congress
because Congress is slow to react and sometimes ends up in gridlock.”
• “The power of Congress should be strengthened relative to the president
because Congress is the representative of the will of the people.”
• “The power of the executive and legislative branches should be equal because
no one branch should become too powerful/limited government.”
Additional Notes:
• The claim or thesis must consist of one or more sentences that may be located anywhere in the response.
• A claim or thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.
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AP® United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Category
Scoring Criteria
Row B
Evidence
(0–3 points)
0 points
Does not meet the criteria
for one point.
1 point
Provides one piece of evidence
that is relevant to the topic of the
prompt.
2 points
Uses one piece of specific and relevant
evidence to support the claim or thesis.
3 points
Uses two pieces of specific and relevant evidence
to support the claim or thesis.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not
earn points:
Responses that earn 1 point: Responses that earn 2 points: Responses that earn 3 points
:
• Provide one piece of
evidence relevant to the
topic of the prompt.
• Provide one piece of specific and
relevant evidence that supports the
claim or thesis. This evidence can come
from one of the foundational
documents listed in the prompt, any
other foundational document, or from
knowledge of course concepts.
• Provide two pieces of specific and relevant
evidence that support the claim or thesis. One
of these pieces of evidence must come from a
foundational document listed in the prompt.
The other piece of evidence can come from a
different foundational document or from
knowledge of course concepts.
• Do not provide any
accurate evidence.
• Provide evidence that
is not relevant to the
topic.
• May or may not have a claim
or thesis.
Examples that do not
earn points:
Examples of evidence that are
relevant to the topic of the
prompt:
Examples of acceptable specific and relevant evidence that support the claim or thesis (one
example is one piece of evidence):
Provide evidence that is
not specific
• “The actions of the executive branch during the Vietnam War showed continued
encroachment upon legislative war powers, therefore, Congress passed the War Powers Act in
1973 to limit the President’s power during times of aggression.”
• War Powers Act
• “The Constitution
establishes the
legislative branch.”
• Impeachment
• Veto with super majority for
override
• “While the president has the power to counteract Congress by vetoing legislation, the veto can
be overridden by a supermajority vote in each house of Congress, and the bill will become
law.”
• Ratifying treaties
Provide
evidence that is
not relevant to the topic
of
the prompt
• Confirmation of presidential
nominees
• Federalist 10
• “It is clear
that the executive was not meant to have too much power in foreign policy because
the Constitution requires that any treaties negotiated by the president will need to be ratified
by Congress
as a check on presidential power.”
• “Civil liberties are
protections provided to
citizens against the
actions of the
government.”
• Articles of Confederation
• Any
correct check
between
the executive and legislative
branches
Examples of
acceptable
specific and relevant evidence
from the
foundational documents
that
support the claim or thesis (one example is
one
piece of evidence):
• “The
Federalist
70 defends the idea of a single executive. A weak executive is less
responsive to
crises.”
• “Declaration of Independence: A too-powerful executive is bad and can threaten liberty.”
• “The Federalist
51
established a separation of powers/check and balances.”
Additional Notes:
• To earn two or three points in Row B, the response must have a defensible claim or thesis (earned the point in Row A).
•
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To earn three points, the response must use one of the foundational documents listed in the prompt.
AP® United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Category
Scoring Criteria
Row C
Reasoning
(0–1 points)
Does not meet the criteria for one point.
1 point
Explains how or why the evidence supports the claim or thesis.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
• Include evidence but offer no reasoning to connect the evidence to the
claim or thesis.
• Restate the prompt without explaining how the evidence supports the
claim or thesis.
Responses that earn this point:
• Explain the relationship between the evidence provided and the claim or thesis.
Examples of reasoning that explains how the evidence supports the claim or thesis:
• “The Declaration of Independence expressed concern that the king had too much
power, and therefore a stronger legislative branch accountable to the people
would be needed to ensure a constitutional government that respects civil
liberty.”
• “The Federalist 51 argued that there should be a balance of power between the
legislative and executive branches so that one branch does not become overly
powerful. This relatively equal balance of power between the branches should be
maintained.”
• “The Federalist 70 argued that a strong executive is needed to act to protect the
nation which sometimes means the executive branch needs to be the most
powerful branch of government.”
• “The power of the legislative branch to confirm presidential appointments
provides a balance of power between the legislative branch and the executive
because it prevents the president from unilaterally staffing the Cabinet who
could implement laws that subvert the will of Congress.”
Additional Notes:
• To earn this point, the response must have a defensible claim or thesis (earned the point in Row A) and support that argument with at least one piece of specific
and relevant evidence (earned at least two points in Row B).
• The explanation of the relationship between one piece of evidence and the claim or thesis is sufficient to earn this point.
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AP® United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Category
Scoring Criteria
Row D
Responds to
Alternate
Perspectives
(0–1 points)
0 points
Does not meet the criteria for one point.
1 point
Responds to an opposing or alternate perspective using refutation, concession, or
rebuttal.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not earn this point:
• Restate the opposite of the claim or thesis.
• May identify or describe an alternate perspective but do not refute,
concede, or rebut that perspective.
• Refute a foundational document rather than an alternate perspective to
the provided claim or thesis.
Examples of responses that do not earn the point:
Restate the opposite of the claim or thesis
• “Many believe the president should be more powerful than Congress
because the framers gave the president the most powers in the
Constitution.”
Describe an alternate perspective but do not refute, concede, or rebut
that perspective
• “Some would argue that the legislative branch should have more power
than the executive branch because it is closer to the voice of the people.”
Responses that earn this point:
• Must describe an alternate perspective AND refute, concede, or rebut that
perspective.
Examples of acceptable responses to an alternate perspective may include:
• “While some say the president should be more powerful than Congress because
of national security concerns which require immediate action, a more powerful
legislature would ensure that those responses are in line with the will of the
people.”
• “While some say that the legislative branch should be more powerful than the
executive branch because the legislature is more closely tied to the will of the
people, gridlock in the legislative branch could make fast action more difficult.”
• “While some say that the power between the executive and legislative branches
should be equal, it created an inefficient, slow system in response to problems.”
Additional Notes
• To earn this point, the response must have a defensible claim or thesis (earned the point in Row A).
• Responses that demonstrate an incorrect understanding of the alternate perspective do not earn this point.
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4A 1 of 2
4A 2 of 2
4B 1 of 2
4B 2 of 2
4C 1 of 2
4C 2 of 2
AP
®
United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Commentary
Question 4
Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.
Overview
•
This question expected students to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of separation of powers
and checks and balances, as they relate to the balance of power between the legislative and executive
branches. Responses should have also demonstrated an understanding of foundational documents related to
the concept of limited government (the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist 51, and The Federalist 70),
while taking a position on the topic of the prompt.
• Students were expected to articulate a defensible claim/thesis and establish a line of reasoning; support the
thesis with evidence from a foundational document(s) and/or the course concepts; use reasoning to explain
why the evidence provided supports the thesis; and respond to an alternative perspective using refutation,
concession, or rebuttal. Students were also expected to write in the form of an argumentative essay,
demonstrating each of the skills mentioned above.
Sample: 4A
Claim/Thesis: 1
Evidence: 3
Reasoning: 1
Alte
rnative Perspectives: 1
A.
The response earned the thesis point for taking a position: “Congress should hold more power over the
president” and by establishing a line of reasoning: “in order to protect the will of the governed.”
B.
The response earned 2 evidence points for accurately describing the Declaration of Independence by
stating, “One of the most famous grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence is Great Britain’s taxing
of the colonies without colonial representation.” These points were earned because it supports the thesis that
Congress should have more power in order to protect the will of the governed. The response earned a third
point for evidence that supports the thesis for providing an accurate description of other course knowledge:
“Article I of the Constitution establishes Congress as the chief legislative body and gives it numerous powers
over the president.”
C.
The response earned the reasoning point for explaining how the Declaration of Independence supports the
thesis by stating, “The colonists felt oppressed by their inability to control what laws were placed upon them ...
Congress, which is largely regarded as the branch most representative of the general population should hold
more power in the creation and use of laws to ensure no U.S. citizen has no control over the rules placed upon
them.”
D.
The response earned the alternate perspective point by describing an alternative perspective: “Some may
argue that, since the President is elected in a general election, he or she also serves as representative of the
general populace and thus should also act in a policy and rule making way” and by rebutting the claim:
“However, the establishment of Congress as a bicameral legislature with various means of election that serve
to diminish the faults of a general election system, among others, demonstrates Congress as the best
representation of the general governed and thus should be the one in the charge of legislation of the people.”
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AP
®
United States Government and Politics 2021 Scoring Commentary
Question 4 (continued)
Sample: 4B
Claim/Thesis: 1
Evidence: 3
Reaso
ning: 0
Alternative Perspectives: 0
A.
The response earned the point for thesis for taking a position: “the president has gained and should have
more power than Congress” and by establishing a line of reasoning: “the president has foreign and military
powers and can make executive orders.” This response provides the line of reasoning before it makes a claim.
B.
The response earned 2 evidence points for accurately describing Federalist 70 by stating, “the founders
intended on the president being energized, strong, and a singular face who could make quick
decisions.” These points were earned because it supports the thesis that the president should have more power
than Congress. It earned a third point for evidence that supports the thesis by providing an accurate
description of other course content: “In the Constitution, the powers given to the legislative branch are
explained, ... but nothing like executive orders, or pocket vetoes than the president finds himself using.”
C.
The response did not earn the reasoning point because it does not explain why the evidence provided
supports the thesis that the appropriate balance would give more power to the president.
D.
The response did not earn the alternate perspective point because there is no alternative perspective
provided. Claiming, “While Congress tries to enter foreign affairs, military decisions, etc.” is not an alternative
to the claim that the president should have more power.
Sample: 4C
Claim/Thesis: 1
Evidence: 0
Reaso
ning: 0
Alternative Per
spectives: 1
A.
The response earned the thesis point for taking a position: “Congress should be granted more power than
the president” and by establishing a line of reasoning: “Because of the need for country-wide government
involvement and equal representation of the people.”
B. The response did not earn any points for evidence because it does not show a clear description of a required
document or provide other course content that would support the thesis.
C.
The response did not earn the reasoning point because it does not have evidence that supports the thesis.
D.
The response earned the alternate perspective point by describing an alternative perspective: “Some people
may also argue ... that fears of the president gaining too much power are irrational” and by rebutting the claim:
“If the president has wiggle room to advance his policies against the good of the people, the wiggle room
should be eliminated, and increasing the power of the legislative branch would do just that, as it would keep
the president in check.”
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