Properties of Water and Writing for the Long Free Response Portion of the AP Biology Exam

The main goal of our AP Biology class is to prepare you to do college-level work in Biology at the sophomore level.  As you know, there is an exam designed by the College Board which is taken by students around the world.  It is a measure of student's preparation in Biology.  The exam was revised for 2013, and focuses more on reasoning skills and the process of science rather than knowledge that can be learned by memorization.

Writing essays for the AP Biology Exam is a specialized type of writing. The essay portion of the exam is the second part of the test. You will be given two long free response questions (lfr) and six short free response questions (sfr).  You will have 10 minutes to read and organize your thoughts. After the reading period, you will have 80 minutes to write your responses.  Because the old exam had 4 lfr's, and the new test has 2 lfr and 6 sfr, I think it is safe to assume that 3 sfr = 1 lfr.  That means you have about 20 minutes for each lfr and 6.67 minutes for each sfr.  As a result, you will have to use your time wisely. I suggest the following strategy:

During the reading period:

1. Prepare a graphic organizer identifying what the question is asking. I like a simple table format.  This will help you keep your answer on-topic when you begin to write.
2. Fill in your graphic organizer with information you intend to use.

When writing:

1. Do NOT write an introductory paragraph or a concluding paragraph. This is a waste of time. Although it is good writing, you will earn no points for good writing—sad but true.
2. Write logically using your graphic organizer as a reference.
3. If the question asks for one example, choose your best example and fully explain it.  Readers (who grade the exam--I am one) are trained to grade the first example given. Therefore, if the question asks for one example and your first example only earns one point, it doesn’t matter that your second would earn two. The rationale behind this is that it prevents students from benefiting from “mind dumping”, where the student writes anything that might possibly be related and hopes to earn points.
4. Avoid contradicting yourself. Although readers look for places to give points, contradictory statements can negate earned points.

Your Turn:
Prepare a graphic organizer for the following question which was taken from an actual AP Biology Exam. Do NOT fill in any information at first. Simply determine what the question is asking.

The unique properties (characteristics) of water make life possible on Earth.  Select three properties of water and
a) for each property, identify and define the property and explain it in terms of the physical/chemical nature of water.
b) for each property, describe one example of how the property affects the functioning of living organisms.

• How many pieces of information is the question asking for?
• What are those pieces of information?

Answers are in the "read more" section below.

Once your graphic organizer is complete, fill in any relevant information and then write your essay based on the pieces of information the question is asking for.

How many pieces of information is the question asking for? You should have found 12.

What are those pieces of information?

	Property 1	Property 2	Property 3
Identify
Define
Explain (physical/chemical properties)
Example of affect on living organisms