Inside This Unit: The Full Breakdown
Unit 3 explains the Sustained Investigation (60% of the portfolio): a cohesive body of work that develops a guiding inquiry through practice, experimentation, and revision, with written evidence of that development.
Why it matters
The Sustained Investigation is the largest and most distinctive part of the portfolio — coherence and evidence of development are what raise scores.
Key concepts
- Sustained Investigation = a developing inquiry, not unrelated finished pieces.
- Show practice, experimentation, and revision over time.
- Written evidence names the inquiry and how the work evolved.
Sustained Investigation
Frame a specific yet open guiding question, sequence images to show evolution, include experiments and revisions (even unsuccessful ones), and write clear evidence of inquiry, practice, experimentation, and revision.
AP exam tip
Pick an inquiry you can explore visually many ways — a question too narrow or too vague stalls the investigation.
Connections to other units
- Unit 2: Material experimentation feeds the investigation.
- Unit 4: Resolved pieces may become Selected Works.
