Carnegie Learning AP preparation content
The College Board is introducing updates to the AP World Language and Culture exams beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Carnegie Learning is committed to helping educators navigate these changes with confidence. To support the transition, Carnegie Learning will:
- Update the AP Language and Culture Exam digital ancillary in ¡Qué Chévere! Level 4, and T’es branché? Level 4.
- Provide a Personalized Project Reference PDF to support implementation of the new Project Presentation component.
- Share additional guidance as College Board materials become available.
Per the College Board, textbooks published in the last 10 years will adequately address the revised course material.
What’s Changing on the AP World Language Exam?
Beginning in 2026-2027, the AP World Language and Culture exam will place a greater emphasis on authentic cultural sources, transition to a digital testing experience, and align skills and learning objectives across AP World Languages courses. These changes apply to AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
Core Revisions
- The course frameworks for all six AP World Language and Culture courses will be aligned around common skills and learning objectives.
- A new Project Presentation component will be introduced in which students use source materials in the target language to prepare for authentic speaking tasks on exam day.
Course Project Presentation
- Project topics and source materials will be released annually in January of the exam administration year.
- Students will use authentic materials in the target language to prepare for their presentation throughout the course.
- On exam day, students will deliver a three-minute presentation and verbally respond to questions about their project.
- Students may bring a written outline to support their presentation. Check out our Personalized Project Reference PDF to prepare for and use on exam day.
Exam Revisions
- Students will answer 55 questions in 80 minutes (compared to the previous 65 questions in 95 minutes).
- Multiple-choice sections will be divided into reading and listening based questions, each accounting for 25% of the overall exam score.
- AP Spanish, French, German, and Italian will no longer complete the Email Reply task. (Chinese and Japanese will continue to complete this task.)
- Students will move from the Project Presentation component directly to the Argumentative Essay task.
- A new Project Q&A section will replace the current conversation task, requiring students to respond to four pre-recorded questions about their Project Presentation.
AP Revision Timeline
- Spring 2026: Updated Course and Exam Descriptions, including the Project Manual, are released.
- Fall 2026: Practice exams for each course, including a sample Project Presentation, become available.
- January 2027: Project topics and source materials are released for the 2027 exam
For more detailed information on the changes to the AP exam, please refer to this blog post or contact our customer support services at help@carnegielearning.com.
