Long Essay Questions: How Long Is the Essay Supposed to Be?

Answering essay questions effectively requires training and practice. (You will write a great deal this year in order to practice as much as possible before the AP Exam.) For these questions, you’ll write in a very straightforward style---no need for creative or “flowery” language. Write like a historian.

The first thing to know is the difference between the Long Essay Question and the Documents Based Question. The LEQ uses the same strategies related to evidence, thesis statements, and arguments---the LEQ just does this without the documents! Your strategies are the same minus the documents.

Thesis Statement: Make a thesis statement (claim) that addresses the prompt. The thesis statement must be historically defensible and establish a line of reasoning.
Context: Provide context relevant to the prompt by describing a broader historical development or process—what was the situation at the time in the rest of the “bigger picture?”
Evidence: Use specific examples as evidence to support your argument as you make your case.
Historical Skill: Use a historical reasoning skill (causation, comparison, or continuity and change) to develop an argument related to the question.
Complex Understanding: Explain your complex understanding of your claim that responds to the question--use evidence to support, qualify, or modify your claim.

Students should address the question stem in an organized, intentional way. Below are steps you can follow to methodically craft your response.

Step 1: Examine the question.

Examine the question and analyze the stem to determine what is being asked. Identify the elements you have to address and determine what information and/or evidence you’ll need in order to compose your response. Be careful to develop your response to match what is being asked in the question.

Step 2: Choose your evidence/information.

After you have decided what must be answered, you should consider the evidence/information you can include in your response to support your points. Review in your mind the information you learned during the school year that relates to the question and how it fits into the analysis.

If you are asked a question related to similarities and differences, offer information that will illustrate a contrast or similarity and clearly state your intent.

With evidence or additional analysis, elaborate on ways that the additional information is similar or different.

You’ll want your response to indicate that you have an understanding of the nuances of the questions.

Step 3: Develop your thesis. After you have compiled and evaluated the evidence and information you plan to use, you are ready to write your thesis statement (the argument you are going to make) as it relates to the question. You’ll be ready to answer the question in an organized, intentional manner. (This process becomes more efficient as you practice the skills. The process will become second nature.) You will have to develop a thesis statement that makes a claim and explains the reasoning of your argument—this will be an overview—avoid explaining your whole argument in the thesis statement—you’ll do that in the body paragraphs.

The reader is most interested in seeing a strong thesis as early in the LEQ as possible. Your thesis statement can be more than one sentence. With the compound questions, two sentences might be needed to complete your thesis statement.

It isn’t enough to restate the question as your thesis; you must take a position. You should make a strong claim, but be sure you can provide relevant evidence to support your claim. Your thesis statement may also outline the categories of analysis or the major points you’ll include in your LEQ.

While crafting your thesis statement you should consider how your argument will demonstrate a complex understanding--by analyzing multiple variables or by considering changes and continuities or by making connections to another period.

Step 4: Support your thesis statement and write your body paragraphs. You’ll make your overarching statement or argument and then offer supporting evidence so that you are obviously directing your statements to answer the question rather than making random generalizations.

State your points clearly and explicitly connect your response to the thesis statement. Be straightforward. Don’t leave it to your reader to infer what you mean or how evidence illustrates a point. Assume your reader has no historical background information.

Make a note about how you will provide context for the topic of the prompt. The context may fit in the introduction or first body paragraph of your LEQ.

List the documents you will use as evidence—remember that you must use four (4) sources to earn the maximum number of points for using supporting documents (supporting documents only apply to the DBQ).

Consider whether the paragraph is a good place to provide additional evidence—you must include one additional historical example.

Think about when it would be beneficial to explain sourcing--how a document’s context or situation is relevant to the argument—you must do this for two (2) documents.

Think About This icon

Consider your transitions as you move from paragraph to paragraph.

To review, your process should be as follows--state your thesis, introduce the elements that support your thesis, and demonstrate the logic that led you to link the elements in your response.

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