Examples of AP Biology Lab Reports: A Guided Review of Historical Samples

Biology Foundations and Lab Skills Teaching Resources · High school biology; AP extensions where noted.

Use historical report examples to evaluate scientific communication, not as text to copy or as guaranteed high-scoring models. These reports belong to earlier teaching materials. Their lab numbers, procedures, interpretations, and assessment expectations may differ from the current AP Biology course.

Learning goals and prerequisites

Students will locate a report’s question, methods, evidence, and reasoning; identify a specific strength and limitation; and propose a justified revision. Prerequisites: the biology lab report template and the relevant biology topic. Materials: one teacher-selected report, a copy of the review questions, and paper or a document editor.

Selected historical reports

The descriptive links below replace old numbered “Sample” links for this teaching sequence. They are examples to critique; inclusion does not certify the science, safety, grade, or permissions for redistribution.

For current course and investigation guidance, use the College Board AP Biology Lab Manual Resource Center and the teacher’s current course materials. Do not follow an old report as a laboratory procedure.

Before assigning an example

Open the chosen report and check the full page, figures, units, and links.
Select the section relevant to the learning goal. Explain that historical procedures and claims can require correction.
Check student names, permission records, and school policy before copying, redistributing, or adapting a student-authored report. This page links existing public examples without reproducing their text.
Provide a teacher-created example or the original annotated paragraph in the report-format lesson when a historical sample is unsuitable.

Student review questions

What question is being investigated? Is the response defined clearly?
What is the independently treated or sampled unit? Are repeat readings confused with independent replication?
Could another reader understand the methods, units, timing, and comparisons?
Do the tables, calculations, and graph labels agree?
Which sentence reports a result, and which interprets it?
Does the conclusion address alternative explanations and sampling limits?
Choose one sentence or graph label to revise. Explain why your version is more accurate without copying the report into your own submission.

Teacher feedback

Require a specific reference to the selected example and an explanation, rather than “good report” or “bad graph.” There is no universal answer key across these different reports. A useful critique distinguishes a presentation problem from a design limitation that editing alone cannot fix.

AP extension: ask students what additional evidence or analysis would be needed for a stronger conclusion. Use the current assignment criteria; the page is not an official College Board rubric or endorsement.