The option may have been “available” but in reality it wasn’t an option for her. Her English teacher is going to have to incorporate this score into his recommendation letter (which he had written and shared with her before the
AP scores came out). He was absolutely certain she was getting a 5, and wrote that she was one of the most talented and committed students he has taught. This score does not jive with his glowing recommendation of her, so I guess he will have to talk about that now.