AP Stats FRQs: A Simple Writing Guide

A simple FRQ structure—procedure, conditions, work, and conclusion—helps graders follow your thinking and award full credit.

Writing AP Statistics Free Response Questions (FRQs) can seem strange at first because you’re expected to do more than just get the right answer. You’re demonstrating you understand the story behind the stats.

I've worked with a lot of AP Stats students, and here's what I consistently see: the majority of FRQ points slip away not because students don't understand the statistics, but because they skip the most important stuff—defining context, verifying conditions, and writing clear conclusions.

This guide gives you a simple way to write FRQs that AP test graders can easily follow.

The core rule: Write like the reader doesn’t live in your head

Your reader is a real person using a scoring rubric to determine how many points you get. If you don’t write it, they can’t give you credit.

When you’re stuck, use this four-part structure.

1) Name the procedure

Don’t make the grader guess what you intend to say.

Examples:

• “I will perform a one-sample t-test for a mean.”

• “I will construct a two-sample z-interval for a difference in proportions.”

2) State conditions (and show how you know)

This is where a lot of “almost perfect” FRQs lose points.

Write the conditions in words, and then back them up with the facts from the problem.

Common condition sets:

• Random: random sample or random assignment is stated

• Independence: 10% condition (sample is less than 10% of population) 

• Normal / Large counts:

  • For means: roughly normal population or large sample size (typically greater than 30

  • For proportions: large counts condition (also called the Success-Failure condition) 🡪 np > 10 and n(1-p) > 10np 

3) Do the mechanics (show the key work)

You can use your calculator. You still need to show the inputs and the result.

Good “minimum work” includes:

• the test statistic and p-value (or interval and endpoints)

• the degrees of freedom for t procedures

• the sample statistics you used, such as x̄, s, or ̂p

4) Conclude in context (with the right comparison)

This is the money sentence.

Use this frame:

• For tests: “Because the p-value is ___ (less/greater) than alpha, I (reject/fail to reject) the null hypothesis, H_o . There is (convincing/not convincing) evidence that ___ (here is where you type the specific context for the scenario)

❌ MISSING CONTEXT (loses points): "We are 95% confident that the true proportion is between 0.256 and 0.394."

✓ PROPER CONTEXT (full credit): "We are 95% confident that the true proportion of all high school students who own a graphing calculator is between 0.256 and 0.394."

• For intervals: “I am ___% confident that the true ___ lies between ___ and ___ (context goes here)

Want help improving your AP Stats FRQ writing?

If you’re losing points on AP Stats FRQs, it’s usually fixable fast—especially conditions, parameter statements, and conclusions.

At Max Math Tutoring, I offer a free trial session where you and I can:

• find your biggest point leaks

• practice the exact FRQ wording graders reward

Book a Free Trial

References (direct links)

• College Board. AP Statistics Course and Exam Description (CED). https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-statistics

• College Board. AP Statistics Exam Questions (past FRQs + scoring guidelines). https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-statistics/exam