Long Essay Question (LEQ)

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's working, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

📌 Overview

• Students are asked to pick one topic out of 3 and write a historical essay supporting an argument
• 15% of Exam Score
• Spend about 40 min
• Scored on a 6-point rubric:
  • Thesis/Claim (1)
  • Contextualization (1)
  • Uses 2x specific evidence (2)
  • Analysis & Complexity (2)

💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high-level things to know

• Do practice tests. These will help you understand the format and pace of the AP exams and are an excellent study tool.
• Just write. Think about what you want to say for the rubric points, but just write for the rest of the essay. You wouldn’t have made it this far if your writing wasn’t good! Trust yourself.
• The LEQ is not as scary as some teachers may make it seem. Be confident in yourself and your knowledge.
• Spend at least 30 minutes studying every day in the month leading up to the exam. It may feel excessive, but studying is vital to success on this exam.
• The DBQ and LEQ are done together in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remember to pace yourselves; you have 50/50 for each composition. Don’t make the same mistake students make of spending too much on one section and not the other. The proctor will not tell you to move to the next portion, so make sure you keep your own pace and write.
• Don’t stress about the LEQ! The name may sound scary, but it really is just an extended version of the SAQs. Don’t stress; it is simple if you read the question a couple of times.
• Remember that the people grading the tests wish to give you as many points as possible, so try to do your best!
• You will be given the guidelines for points on the same page that your prompt will be on. Throughout the essay, look back and ensure you follow those guidelines.
• It’s ok to take 15-20 minutes to write out your intro paragraph. It helps you set up the rest of your essay, the points for your body paragraphs, and even a counterargument that may help you reach the complexity point and extend your argument.
• It essentially uses the information you probably already know, and as you write, more and more will come to you and help you write a cohesive essay (so long as studied!).
• Knowing the general information is key, and piecing it together while writing will happen more naturally than you think.
• If your mind blanks out during this section, just start writing something. You will be surprised at how much you remember (of course if you studied a bit or paid attention in class!).
• Writing something is better than writing nothing. You don’t get points off for incorrect information. In the worst case scenario where you don’t know something, you could happen to write the correct information if you just write down anything you know.
• Put extra effort on prep work because if you have a solid preparation and somewhat organized thought then you can do great on the essays.

🕐 Before you Write

What should a student do in the first few minutes before they start writing?

• First of all, take a deep breath! Take a few seconds to relax and collect your thoughts.
• After picking your topic, consider how you want to organize your essay. How will you hit all of the rubric points? What historical events should you discuss?
• Have a loose guideline written out to remember the connections and points you want to cover in the essay.
• Write a plan for the essay and anything you remember about the topic before writing the actual essay. This will help your mind narrow down to the main things you should write about instead of going on a tangent.
• When stating points you’ll make in the essay, remember to add why it’s essential to know that to answer the question and address that in your essay.
• When you write your claim out in your planning time, make sure to address a counterargument that can be made to refute it
• Don’t stress too much about the time. Many students tend to have extra time after writing their LEQ, so you have more time than you think.
• You are okay! Remember that you are fantastic and highly clever; you wouldn’t still be in AP if you weren’t.
• This is a rough drat, so you won’t get points deducted for spelling and grammar.
• Before you start writing your essay, plan out your intro paragraph. Write your thesis and figure out the topic for your context and the time period you want to begin in. If it asks about political, economic, or social aspects of WHAP, jot down what you remember from the periods before, during, and after. This will help you establish and extend your argument.
• Circle all keywords from the prompt and brainstorm ideas while doing that. Remember what the question is asking and what time period it’s asking from.

💡 Tips for Earning Each Point

Claim/Thesis (1)

• Try to write two claims. This way you can get two shots at receiving the thesis point, and more importantly rewriting your thesis as your conclusion paragraph gives you a better chance at writing a good dissertation since you’re done and know exactly what you were writing about and its direction.
  • One at the start of your writing (this will help you organize your writing based on your main ideas. Think of this thesis as a “draft”)
  • Your final thesis after your writing is completed (this thesis is more specific to your writing and will be more specific than the first thesis.)
• Keep it simple. A wordy thesis statement is more complicated and unnecessary to write.
• A claim/thesis always needs to be argued. Restate the question in the LEQ, but please remember to include a claim that can be argued. If you write a thesis that is stated as a fact without formulating an argument, you need to prepare a defense.
• Only restate the question if you can add an arguable claim to it. It might be helpful if you try adding three topics that support your claim.
• Your thesis can go anywhere in the essay, but a lot of students tend to place it in the last sentence of their intro paragraph.
• Here are some examples of a claim/thesis:
  • LEQ: In the late twentieth century, the spread of free-market economic ideas led to numerous changes worldwide. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the spread of free-market ideas led to economic change during this period.
  • ⇒ Thesis: In the late twentieth century, the spread of free-market economic ideas led to numerous changes worldwide, including but not limited to a more significant division between classes based on wealth and the new arrival of the middle class.
  • LEQ: To what extent did American foreign policy change after the Spanish-American war?
  • ⇒ Thesis: Although the war brought new foreign territories, American policy has not changed as would be suggested by some historians due to the disinterest in controlling Cuba, the maintained isolationism, and the release of gained territories.
• Your thesis doesn’t always have to be “high extent” or “low extent”, sometimes using “however this also occurred” or “medium extent” is acceptable as long as you’re able to support it.

Contextualization (1)

• This section should be about 2-4 sentences and should cover as much information as possible about the historical background of your topic. Don’t get carried away with specifics.
• Think about what events led up to your topic. Dynasties, political parties, and other organizations are very important to note, as they say a lot about the region and time period you will be covering.
• Always focus on the W’s (who, what, where, when, why) and the H(how) of the given topic. Be as direct as possible. Always cover the history behind the topic, essential figures, where it took place, its cause, etc. The College Board bases its grading on how much you remember, the effects, and your understanding of the topic. You’re also being graded based on how you can establish a link between the topic at hand and evaluating or comparing its long-term effects and also what caused it.
• The use of transition words is of the utmost importance to establish links, make comparisons, or show the effects of something. In order to use transition words correctly, you have to know what the question is asking.
• Address significant eras or time periods like the Industrial Revolution, Renaissance Era, the Age of Exploration, etc. Also, remember to explain the zeitgeist of the time.
• Do not go more than 100 years back in time, and keep events in factual order.
• Be sure to establish a strong link between the contextualization and the prompt or your thesis, as this sets the stage for your argument and positions your writing effectively.

Specific Evidence Usage (2)

• The LEQ requires you to use outside sources, and these can be the AMSCO Book, your textbook, or even reputable online resources like Heimler.
  • Always attribute your sources, even when paraphrasing. Start your sentence with “According to ________, the Mongols ________.”
  • Use transition words to connect the outside source with your topic.
  • Quality of evidence matters more than quantity, so it’s better to have one good fact rather than a bunch of unnecessary and irrelevant information.
  • Avoid using statistics, primarily because you may put in the wrong number when you’re on a time crunch.
• Contextualize your outside evidence within its time period to provide a deeper understanding. Consider global events and their relevance to your topic.
• Explore the long-term impacts of your topic by asking yourself: What were the lasting effects of your topic? These can also be explained in your evidence, especially if the impact was global (i.e., Industrial Revolution).
• Think through if there were other significant events in the same geographical region during the same time period. If so, write about it, tying it back to your topic.
• Explicitly state the significance of the evidence and how it relates to your topic.
• If you don’t remember time period make sure to be extremely detailed with the event and give approximate time periods, such as “after WWI” or “during the 20th century” to provide context.

Complexity (2)

• Remember to connect your topic to an event in a different time period throughout your essay. Putting one sentence will not earn you the complexity point. Remember, history always repeats itself. For example, if you’re discussing Spanish colonization of the Americas, you can connect that to British imperialism in India, or vice versa.
• You could also write a paragraph at the end comparing and contrasting the events or acknowledging different sides of your argument and refuting them.
• Acknowledge both sides of the argument, even the side you disagree with! This is probably the hardest to do, but you can start with a nuanced thesis: Although ______ is ______ because ______, this is (more/less) _______ because ______. Then, at the end, address both perspectives in depth.
• For compare/contrast, make sure to show distinct things that make the two sides different and what makes the two events unique. By specifying the nuances that make them the same/ different, it will allow you to earn the point.
• For continuity/change, show how a specific event changed what was considered the norm before (speak about before and about how it changed), and show how it continued a thought process or behavior that is apparent before and after the event.
• For causation, speak about what were the causes of the event, and specify what happened as a result from that event happening.

🤔 Choosing Which Question to Answer

• Choose a topic that you feel the most comfortable writing about. It doesn’t have to be your favorite or most exciting topic, but it should be the one you know the most about.
• The LEQs on the exam may be similar to practice LEQs you’ve done in the past. If you see something familiar you’ve written about before, it would be wise to consider it.
• If all the topics are outside your knowledge, pick the one you remember the most out of the four and start writing. You’ll feel the knowledge come back to you as you write what you remember, and you can achieve the points for the rubric.
• There are four questions in the LEQ, each about a distance time period spanning 1200-1450, 1450-1750, 1750-1900, and 1900-present. You're more likely to get the point if you choose a question based on a time period that you know from the bottom of your heart.
• If you remember the W’s(who, what, where, when, why) and the H's ( how) of a topic related to that question, choose it. The College Board is not only testing your memory but also your understanding of the context and themes that go farther than just memory.
• Most of the LEQ questions are pretty general. You don’t need to know everything about, say, 1700-1800, but knowing a major event like the Industrial Revolution can lead you to different ideas, such as changing work cultures, families, unions, etc., that are all obviously tied with the event.
• Choose a topic you can give specifics about. Everyone remembers the Mongols, but can you elaborate on how their vast empire affected and was dependent on the Silk Road? Pick whatever question you can more thoroughly explain.
• If you’re planning to do the more recent time period remember that it is expected to be more specific and you’re expected to know more about it. However, ultimately, choose a topic you feel the most confident in. Brainstorm ideas for each prompt, and choose the one for which you can provide the most compelling response.