Units
Unit 1 · 3 weeks
Programs, variables and errors
Write, test and debug short programs that store and combine values.
Framework topics: 1.1 Collaboration, 1.2 Program Function and Purpose, 1.3 Program Design and Development, 1.4 Identifying and Correcting Errors, 3.1 Variables and Assignments, 3.3 Mathematical Expressions, 3.4 Strings
Unit 2 · 3 weeks
Decisions
Make programs choose between actions with Boolean expressions and IF.
Framework topics: 3.5 Boolean Expressions, 3.6 Conditionals, 3.7 Nested Conditionals
Unit 3 · 3 weeks
Loops and algorithms
Repeat steps with loops and build algorithms such as max, sum and divisibility checks.
Framework topics: 3.8 Iteration, 3.9 Developing Algorithms
Unit 4 · 4 weeks
Lists, search and the robot
Store data in lists, traverse them, search them and guide the robot through a grid.
Framework topics: 3.2 Data Abstraction, 3.10 Lists, 3.11 Binary Search
Unit 5 · 3 weeks
Procedures, libraries and simulations
Write procedures with parameters and return values, use libraries and simulate with random numbers.
Framework topics: 3.12 Calling Procedures, 3.13 Developing Procedures, 3.14 Libraries, 3.15 Random Values, 3.16 Simulations
Unit 6 · 3 weeks
Binary and compression
Represent and compare data in binary, and choose between lossless and lossy compression.
Framework topics: 2.1 Binary Numbers, 2.2 Data Compression
Unit 7 · 3 weeks
Working with data
Clean, filter and visualize data, and explain what it can and cannot show.
Framework topics: 2.3 Extracting Information from Data, 2.4 Using Programs with Data
Unit 8 · 2 weeks
The internet
Explain how packets, protocols and redundancy keep the internet working.
Framework topics: 4.1 The Internet, 4.2 Fault Tolerance
Unit 9 · 2 weeks
Efficiency, limits and parallel computing
Compare how algorithms scale, recognize undecidable problems and compute parallel speedups.
Framework topics: 3.17 Algorithmic Efficiency, 3.18 Undecidable Problems, 4.3 Parallel and Distributed Computing
Unit 10 · 3 weeks
The impact of computing
Weigh the effects of computing innovations, including bias, privacy and security.
Framework topics: 5.1 Beneficial and Harmful Effects, 5.2 Digital Divide, 5.3 Computing Bias, 5.4 Crowdsourcing, 5.5 Legal and Ethical Concerns, 5.6 Safe Computing
Unit 11 · 3 weeks
The Create performance task
Build an original program with a list and a procedure, then record the video and the Personalized Project Reference.
Framework topics: Create performance task (at least 9 hours of class time)
Unit 12 · 2 weeks
Exam review
Read exam pseudocode quickly and practice questions across all five big ideas.
Framework topics: Exam reference sheet, All five big ideas
How the multiple-choice section is weighted
| Big idea | Share of questions | Units |
|---|
| 1. Creative Development | 10-13% | 1, 11 |
| 2. Data | 17-22% | 6, 7 |
| 3. Algorithms and Programming | 30-35% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 |
| 4. Computer Systems and Networks | 11-15% | 8, 9 |
| 5. Impact of Computing | 21-26% | 10 |
The exam is 70 multiple-choice questions (70% of the score) and written responses about the student's own Create task program (30%, together with the task itself).
For teachers
- Every unit is a ready-made set in Classrooms: assign it in two clicks and watch a live board of who solved what and who is stuck.
- Solutions to assigned work stay hidden until a student solves it or it is past due, and you can replay how each student wrote their code.
- Activities can go into Moodle, Canvas or Schoology, with scores in the gradebook.
- The pacing guide lays out all 34 weeks, and the Create task guide covers the rules and the timeline.
Questions
- Is the course free?
- Yes, every lesson, exercise and question, with no account needed. Signing in only saves your progress across devices.
- Can the Create performance task be written in Python?
- Yes. Any language with variables, lists, conditionals, loops and procedures is allowed, and Python is one of the languages the course framework names.
- Which version of the exam does it follow?
- The 2026-27 course framework, for the May 2027 exam. The course is being redesigned for 2027-28; each lesson lists the framework topics it covers, so it can be remapped when the new framework is published.
- Is this an official or endorsed course?
- No. It is pythoncompiler.io's own course, written to the published course framework. Schools that offer an AP course label it through their own course audit.
AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this website.