AP CSP Vocab + Scoring Guidelines

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES CED

Scoring Guidelines

General Scoring Notes

• Responses should be evaluated solely on the rationale provided.

• Responses must demonstrate all criteria, including those within bulleted lists, in each row to earn the point for that row.

• Termsandphrasesdefinedintheterminologylistareitalicizedwhentheyfirstappearinthescoringcriteria.

AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description

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Reporting Category Scoring Criteria Decision Rules

Course Project:

Video

(0-1 points)

The video demonstrates the running of

the program including:

• input

• program functionality

• output

Consider only the video when scoring this point.

Do NOT award a point if the following is true:

• The video does not show a demonstration of the program running (screenshots or storyboards are

not acceptable and would not be credited).

Course Project:

Program Requirements

(0-1 points)

The program code includes:

• A list

• A procedure

• A call to the procedure

• Selection

• Iteration

Consider the Personalized Project Reference (or Program Code if necessary) when scoring this

point.

• IftheprogramrequirementsdonotappearinthePersonalizedProjectReference,considerthefull

program code file when scoring this point.

• The procedure does not need to have a parameter to earn this point.

• The code segments demonstrating selection and iteration do not need to appear in the same

algorithm to earn this point.

• The code segments demonstrating selection and iteration do not need to be contained in a

procedure to earn this point.

Do NOT award a point if any one or more of the following is true:

• Thelistisaone-elementlist.

• The use of the list is irrelevant or not used in the program.

• The use of either the selection or the iteration is trivial (i.e., does not affect the outcome of the

program).

Written Response 1:

Program Design,

Function, and Purpose

(0-1 points)

The written response:

• identifies an expected user of the

program.

• describes one way the program’s design

meets the needs of the identified user.

Consider Written Response 1 and the student’s Program Code when scoring this point.

• The response must relate the program design to the needs of the identified user.

Do NOT award a point if the following is true:

• The description of the design is implausible, inaccurate, or inconsistent with the program.

Video, Program Requirements, and Written Response 1 3 points

AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description

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Written Response 2 3 points

General Scoring Notes

• Responses should be evaluated solely on the rationale provided.

• Responses must demonstrate all criteria, including those within bulleted lists, in each row to earn the point for that row.

• Termsandphrasesdefinedintheterminologylistareitalicizedwhentheyfirstappearinthescoringcriteria.

AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description

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Written Response 2 3 points

Reporting Category Scoring Criteria Decision Rules

Written Response 2(a):

Algorithm Development

(0-1 points)

The written response:

• identifies the number of times the body

of the iteration statement will execute.

AND

• describes a condition or error that

would cause an infinite loop.

OR

• if no such condition or error exists,

explains how the loop could be

modified to cause an infinite loop.

Consider the Personalized Project Reference and Written Response 2(a) when scoring this point.

• IfmultipleiterationstatementsareincludedintheProceduresectionofthePersonalizedProject

Reference, use the first iteration statement to determine whether the point is earned.

• The iteration statement does not need to be contained in a procedure to earn this point.

Do NOT award a point if the following is true:

• The identified number of times the body of the iteration statement will execute does not match the

code.

Written Response 2(b):

Errors and Testing

(0-1 points)

The written response:

• describes a change to the procedure

thatwillresultinarun-timeerror.

• explains why the change will result in a

run-timeerror.

Consider the Personalized Project Reference and Written Response 2(b) when scoring this point.

• Ifmultipleproceduresareincludedinpart(i)oftheProceduresectionofthePersonalizedProject

Reference, use the first procedure to determine whether the point is earned.

Do NOT award a point if any one or more of the following is true:

• Aprocedureisnotidentifiedinpart(i)oftheProceduresectionofthePersonalizedProject

Reference.

• The response does not apply to the procedure in part (i) of the Procedure section of the

PersonalizedProjectReference.

• The response describes expected behavior that is implausible, inaccurate, or inconsistent with the

program.

Written Response 2(c):

Data and Procedural

Abstraction

(0-1 points)

The written response:

• explains in detailed steps an algorithm

that uses isEqual to count the

number of elements in the list that are

equal to a certain value.

Consider the Personalized Project Reference and Written Response 2(c) when scoring this point.

• IfmultiplelistsareincludedintheListsectionofthePersonalizedProjectReference,usethefirst

list to determine whether the point is earned.

• The algorithm can be described in code, pseudocode, as a sequence of steps in English, or as a

paragraph in English.

• The algorithm must describe iterating over all elements of the list, calling isEqual on each list

element and maintaining a count of the number of list elements equal to a certain value.

• The algorithm must correctly determine the number of elements that are equal to a certain value.

Some ways this can be determined is by storing the value in a variable, returning it, or displaying it

to the user.

Do NOT award a point if the following is true:

• AlistisnotidentifiedintheListsectionofthePersonalizedProjectReference.

• The description of the algorithm is not detailed enough for someone else to write the code.

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AP Computer Science Principles Create Performance Task Terminology

Algorithm: Analgorithmisafnitesetofinstructionsthataccomplishaspecifctask.Everyalgorithmcanbeconstructedusingcombinationsofsequencing,selection,and

iteration.

Arguments: The values of the parameters when a procedure is called.

Collection type: Aggregates elements in a single structure. Some examples include: databases, hash tables, dictionaries, sets, or any other type that aggregates elements in a

single structure.

Data stored in a list: Inputintothelistcanbethroughaninitializationorthroughsomecomputationonothervariablesorlistelements.

Input: Program input is data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Input can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile (through touch), audible, visual, or

text. An event is associated with an action and supplies input data to a program.

Iteration:Iterationisarepetitiveportionofanalgorithm.Iterationrepeatsuntilagivenconditionismetorforaspecifednumberoftimes.Theuseofrecursionisaformof

iteration.

List: Alistisanorderedsequenceofelements.Theuseoflistsallowsmultiplerelateditemstoberepresentedusingasinglevariable.Listsarereferredtobydiferentterms,

such as arrays or arraylists, depending on the programming language.

List being used: Using a list means the program is creating new data from existing data or accessing multiple elements in the list.

Output: Program output is any data that are sent from a program to a device. Program output can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audible, visual, movement, or text.

Parameter:Aparameterisaninputvariableofaprocedure.Explicitparametersaredefnedintheprocedureheader.Implicitparametersarethosethatareassignedin

anticipation of a call to the procedure. For example, an implicit parameter can be set through interaction with a graphical user interface.

Procedure:Aprocedureisanamedgroupofprogramminginstructionsthatmayhaveparametersandreturnvalues.Proceduresarereferredtobydiferentnames,suchas

method, function, or constructor, depending on the programming language.

Program code segment:Acodesegmentreferstoacollectionofprogramstatementsthatarepartofaprogram.Fortext-based,thecollectionofprogramstatementsshould

becontinuousandwithinthesameprocedure.Forblock-based,thecollectionofprogramstatementsshouldbecontainedinthesamestarterblockorwhatisreferredtoasa

“Hat” block.

Program functionality: The behavior of a program during execution, often described by how a user interacts with it.

Purpose: The problem being solved or creative interest being pursued through the program.

Selection: Selection determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false. The use of try / exception statements is a form of selection

statements.

Sequencing: The application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given.

Student-developed procedure / algorithm: Program code that is student developed has been written (individually or collaboratively) by the student who submitted the

response.Callstoexistingprogramcodeorlibrariescanbeincludedbutarenotconsideredstudentdeveloped.Eventhandlersarebuilt-inabstractionsinsomelanguages

andwillthereforenotbeconsideredstudent-developed.Insomeblock-basedprogramminglanguages,eventhandlersbeginwith“when”.