AP Courses vs. ENG 101-102

Every year, students and parents ask similar questions when making a decision between these courses. Students need to take into consideration their commitment to hard work, their comfort in receiving constructive criticism, and their success on standardized test scores so far in their high school career. If you have further questions after thinking about this handout, please contact Deanna Bott at .

AP Literature and AP Language / BHC ENG 101-102
  • Our most motivated students at the junior and senior levels generally take these courses.
  • College credit may be awarded if a student scores high enough on the AP exam in May and if the college that a student desires to attend accepts AP credit.
  • 2-3 summer reading books will be required for these classes.
  • The curriculum is college level analysis and argumentation.
  • If students are thinking about taking two AP courses during their high school career, the English department suggests taking AP Language first to focus on non-fiction reading skills to help improve their ACT scores.
  • AP Language focuses on nonfiction texts. AP Literature focuses on fiction, drama, and poetry.
  • AP students earn an extra GPA point for the year if they complete the test in May.
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  • Seniors who are interested in starting their college transcripts while in high school take these courses.
  • College credit is awarded for a grade of C or higher and passing an exit exam for ENG 101.
  • 1 summer reading book will be required for these classes.
  • The curriculum is college level analysis and argumentation.
  • Students interested in these courses must either pass the COMPASS exam or earn a 22 on the English portion of the ACT.
  • ENG 101-102 is extremely similar to the content of AP Language and Composition.
  • There is no added GPA point for taking ENG 101-102.

Questions to ponder with your students:

  • What is my ultimate goal? What do I want to achieve by the end of my high school career?
  • Am I most interested in a challenging environment that drastically improves my reading and writing skills while as a junior? (Choose AP Language)
  • Am I most interested in guaranteed college credit? (Choose ENG 101-102 senior year)
  • Am I ready to take a course that is essentially skipping multiple grades of high school into college level material? (Take AP courses)
  • Should I wait one more year and work on my English skills in Literature III as a junior before pushing myself ahead one grade and taking ENG 101-102 my senior year?
  • Can I handle the intense constructive criticism that accompanies all three courses?

Final Thoughts . . .

Parents often ask why a student would choose to take AP Language when they learn the same material in ENG 101-102? The answer lies in the desire to challenge themselves. The pacing is faster in AP Language and more emphasis is placed on analytical reading skills. The cohort of AP students is generally more driven to become good WRITERS, rather than simply earning college credit. A student can take AP Language their junior year and then choose to take ENG 101-102 their senior year.

Students should enter this decision with a plan in mind. A junior choosing an AP English course should have a solid idea of what class they want to take their senior year. A senior needs to realize that they have three options to choose from which may earn them college credit.

Possible Two-Year Class Combinations

Junior Year / Senior Year
AP Language and Composition / AP Literature and Composition
AP Language and Composition / BHC ENG 101-102
AP Literature and Composition / BHC ENG 101-102
Literature III / AP Language and Composition
Literature III / AP Literature and Composition
Literature III / BHC ENG 101-102