How to Prepare for AP Drawing: No Written Exam, 15 Sustained Investigation Images Plus 5 Selected Works, and New AI Policy Updates

2026-09-26 · Guides

Based on the College Board website, this guide details the AP Drawing portfolio structure (Sustained Investigation: 15 images plus written statements accounting for 60%; Selected Works: 5 pieces plus statements accounting for 40%), the May 7, 2027 submission deadline, the three official skills, the updated AI policy for the 2026–27 academic year (generative AI cannot be used in final works, and any AI use must be disclosed), the differences from 2-D and 3-D Design, and how to prepare the inquiry question, process documentation, and written statements.

AP Drawing is one of the three AP Art and Design courses, assessing drawing skills. According to the official description, the course demonstrates drawing skills through painting, drawing, comics, printmaking, illustration, animation, fiber art, and more; the College Board's official blog summarizes the assessed drawing skills as: mark-making, line, surface, space, light and shade, and composition. The 2026 score distribution is: 16% scored a 5, 31% scored a 4, and 83% scored a 3 or higher.

The course is equivalent to an introductory college drawing class. There are no official prerequisites, but any drawing experience (in or out of school) will be helpful. Based on the College Board website, this article explains how to submit, how portfolios are scored, and how to prepare.

1. Differences from 2D Design and 3D Design

According to the College Board's official blog comparison: common media for Drawing include painting (hand-drawn or digital), oil/watercolor painting, printmaking, and mixed media; 2D Design includes graphic design, digital imagery, photography, collage, fashion illustration, etc.; 3D Design includes sculpture, architectural models, metalwork, ceramics, installation, etc. If you choose Drawing, your portfolio must highlight drawing skills themselves. See also our AP 2D Design and AP 3D Design articles.

2. Portfolio Structure

The three AP Art and Design courses (2D Design, 3D Design, and Drawing) have no written exam; scores are based entirely on the portfolio. The portfolio structure is the same for all three, divided into two sections:

Section	Submission Requirements	Portfolio Score Weight
Sustained Investigation	15 digital images (which may include details and process images), plus written responses to prompts: explaining the questions guiding your investigation and how you practiced, experimented, and revised	60%
Selected Works	Digital images of 5 physical works, each with a description detailing the materials, processes, and ideas used; works can be from the Sustained Investigation or separate	40%

Submit via the AP Digital Portfolio. The official deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, May 7, 2027. All three components (Sustained Investigation images, Sustained Investigation written responses, and Selected Works) must be submitted as final versions; schools or teachers usually set earlier deadlines;
The official course overview states that works can be completed in class or outside of class, and the timeframe can span more than one academic year;
Even if you upload your works, your school's AP Coordinator must order the exam for your portfolio to be sent for scoring.

3. The Three Official Skills

Inquiry and Investigation: Researching materials, processes, and ideas;
Practice, Experimentation, and Revision: Making through practice, experimentation, and revision;
Communication: Expressing ideas about art and design works.

Official guidelines state that skills 2 and 3 are assessed in both sections of the portfolio. In other words, scoring is based not only on how good the work looks, but also on your inquiry process and how you communicate it.

4. AI Policy for the 2026–27 Academic Year (Important)

The AI policy for AP Art and Design has been updated for the 2026–27 academic year. Key points include:

All final works submitted must be the student's own work; the use of AI is optional, not required;
Generative AI can only be used in the research, ideation, practice, experimentation, and revision stages, and cannot be used to create the final submitted works; built-in generative features in digital editing software (such as generating objects, generative fill or expand, and replacing backgrounds) also cannot be used for final works;
Non-generative tools (adjusting exposure, contrast, color correction, cropping, minor cleanup, etc., editing only self-created content) can be used at all stages, including for final works;
Any use of AI must be disclosed in the AP Digital Portfolio (for both Sustained Investigation and Selected Works), explaining how AI was used for research, ideation, practice, experimentation, or revision.

5. How to Prepare

The following are experiential recommendations, unless otherwise noted.

Make Drawing Skills Visible

The portfolio should demonstrate the drawing skills listed in the official blog: control of line, light and shade, space and perspective, composition, and surface texture. Within the 15 Sustained Investigation images, you can consciously experiment with these different aspects (experiential recommendation).

Keep Inquiry Questions Authentic and Specific

The Sustained Investigation accounts for 60%, and its core is a question-guided inquiry. The question should drive you to continuously experiment and revise, rather than deciding on 15 finished pieces first and working backward to a prompt (experiential recommendation).

Document the Process

The official timeline recommends documenting your thinking, learning, and making processes from the start of the academic year, and beginning to photograph or scan your works. Process images, sketches, and failed attempts can all serve as evidence of "practice, experimentation, and revision."

Write Clear Text Descriptions

Written responses and work descriptions should be specific: what materials were used, what methods, why changes were made, and what you intend to express. Scoring evaluates your ability to clearly connect your inquiry to your work (experiential recommendation).

Review Official Examples

AP Central provides sample portfolios from previous years, scoring guidelines, and score commentary. The official timeline also recommends that students review these examples at the beginning of the academic year to familiarize themselves with the scoring criteria.

Conclusion

AP Drawing has no written exam; the portfolio accounts for the entire score: the Sustained Investigation is 60%, evaluating how you continuously practice, experiment, and revise around a question; the Selected Works are 40%, evaluating the synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas. Create according to the new AI policy and disclose your usage honestly, and document your process from the very beginning of the academic year to submit a complete portfolio in May.

For other AP Art subjects, see our article on How to Take the AP Art History Exam. For the overall AP scoring system, see How to Score a 5 on the AP Exam. If you need portfolio guidance, feel free to chat with our counselors.

Verification Note: This article was verified against the College Board website in September 2026. The content, weight, and submission deadline for the two portfolio sections are from the AP Central AP Drawing Portfolio page; the course introduction, media, corresponding college courses, and prerequisite information, as well as the AI policy update notice, are from the AP Students AP Drawing Course page; the three skills and their assessment methods are from the AP Central Course page; the specific AI policy regulations are from the AP Art and Design section of the AP Central AI Tools Policy page; the information that works can be completed outside of class and the timeframe can span an academic year is from the "AP Art and Design Course Overview" PDF; the requirement to order the exam for portfolio scoring, and the recommendations to document the process and review examples from the start of the academic year, are from the AP Students "AP Art and Design Portfolio Timeline" page; the drawing skills assessed in Drawing (mark-making, line, surface, space, light and shade, composition) and the media comparison for the three courses are from the College Board official blog post "The Differences Between AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing" (2023); the score distribution is from the AP Students 2026 Score Distribution page. The remaining preparation advice is based on our experiential recommendations.

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