The AP Chinese exam: the 2027 format, scores and how to practise speaking (video)
From May 2027, AP Chinese speaking is a project talk and Q&A. The new format part by part, College Board score data, a 12-week plan and a speaking timer.
Chapters
- 0:00Start
- 0:22The short answer
- 0:38Who gets the 5s
- 1:23Where the gap is widest
- 2:04The 2027 exam, part by part
- 2:35The project: topic in January
- 3:21The two speaking tasks
- 4:49The writing tasks
- 5:22A 12-week plan
- 6:02What to do next
Transcript
Start
About half of AP Chinese takers get a 5. But for students without Chinese at home or time abroad, it's under a quarter. And in May 2027, the whole speaking section is new. From SayMei Guides, by Mei Lin: the AP Chinese exam. The 2027 format, scores, and how to practise speaking.
The short answer
The short answer: the new speaking section is a presentation on a project you research from January, then four recorded questions about it. They're 35% of your score. And the 2027 theme is music, so you can prepare for months.
Who gets the 5s
So who gets the fives? College Board reports scores twice: for all takers, and for what it calls the standard group. That's students who learned Chinese mainly in U.S. schools, with no Chinese at home and no time abroad. In May 2025, 55% of all takers got a 5. In the standard group, 23% did. Of the 10,154 fives, just 1,092 came from the standard group. And the gap is as old as the exam. In 2007, 49% of the standard group got a 5, against 81% of all takers. It has topped 30 points every year. So in the standard group, a 3 or a 4 is a solid result.
Where the gap is widest
So where can practice win you points? On the 2025 tasks, the standard group trailed most in the conversation: six spoken replies, on the spot. They averaged 63% of the points, against 78% for all takers. The cultural presentation, which you can plan, showed the narrowest gap. The chief reader, Professor Xinda Lian, spotted a telling habit. Some students with excellent Chinese gave 'technically correct yet very brief answers', and earned only basic marks. In 2027, the reply-on-the-spot task is the Q&A. That's where your daily practice should go.
The 2027 exam, part by part
The old conversation and cultural presentation ended in May 2026. The new exam runs in Bluebook, College Board's testing app, with a wired headset, and takes about two hours. Free response is half: the project presentation is 20%, the Q&A 15%, and two typed writing tasks 7.5% each. Listening and reading are 25% each. So speaking now counts for 35%, and writing for 15%.
The project: topic in January
The biggest change? You prepare the main speaking task in advance. Each January, College Board releases a project packet: a prompt and six to eight sources. You choose a Chinese-speaking region or community to research, then boil it down to a short outline, due on the 30th of April. On exam day, you get a printed copy to glance at. For 2027, the theme is music. So start a word list on day one. 乐器, instrument. 演出, performance. 歌词, lyrics. 传统, tradition. 观众, audience. In our view, this is the best news in the redesign: a fifth of your score rides on a task you can plan for months.
The two speaking tasks
Both speaking tasks come first, and both are about your project. The presentation gives you three minutes to prepare and three to speak. Full marks on the task need at least three factors. And mind your delivery: a flat talk that sounds read out or recited typically earns no delivery points. So practise from key words, with linking phrases like 首先, first, and 总的来说, all in all. Then comes the Q&A: four recorded questions about your project. You hear each one twice, then get 40 seconds to answer, and you don't see them in advance. For full marks on culture, at least one answer should compare cultures, or explain why people do what they do. Here's a model answer from the guide. The question: 在你住的地方，年轻人也学传统乐器吗？ First, answer it. 在我住的地方，学传统乐器的年轻人不多。 Then compare. 我研究的社区不一样，有的孩子周末去学古筝。 Then the reason. 我觉得原因是，家长希望孩子了解自己的文化。 The full answer is five short sentences: about right for 40 seconds. To get used to the clock, try the free timer on the guide's page. It runs both tasks with the official timings. It can't hear you, though. So record each run on your phone, and listen back for long pauses and answers that stop short.
The writing tasks
You type both writing tasks, in 30 minutes for the pair: a story from four pictures, and an email reply that answers both requests. In 2025, the chief reader flagged stories with few linking words. 有一天, one day, and 最后, in the end, fix that. And typing has a trap. 我在家写, I'm writing at home. 我明天再写, I'll write again tomorrow. Same sound, different character, and the wrong pick costs you marks.
A 12-week plan
Here's a 12-week plan, at about half an hour a day. Start on Monday the 22nd of February, with the sources and three factors. Record three-minute runs from week 4, and answer 12 likely questions from week 7. The outline is due on the 30th of April. The exam is Thursday the 13th of May. Every day, practise short spoken answers. That's where the gap is widest. Careful with practice tests: most material online was made for the old exam. For the new one, use College Board's free course and exam description, AP Classroom's practice exam, and the Bluebook test preview. Past papers still help with writing.
What to do next
So, what next? Read the official project manual. Run the timer this week, out loud. Practise short spoken answers daily, with a reason and a comparison. Type a little Chinese every day. And put the outline deadline in your calendar now. SayMei's lessons help with the skill the Q&A tests: answering out loud, with someone who replies and corrects you. They aren't an AP simulator, and they don't know your prompt. You can talk with Mei Lin for free: your first lesson is 10 minutes, with no account and no card. The full guide, with the timer, is on the page at saymei dot app.