AP World History: Modern · Exam guide

AP World History LEQ Rubric Explained: How the 6 Points Are Scored

The long essay question, or LEQ, is the last free-response question on the exam. You choose one of three prompts and write for about 40 minutes with no documents, so every piece of evidence comes from your own memory. That is why specific examples matter so much. This guide explains each of the six rubric points in plain language, shows a weak and a strong example from AP World History: Modern, and gives you a time plan. The three LEQ choices come from different parts of the course, so you can choose the period where you can give the most specific examples.

The six points at a glance

Row	Points	What earns it
Thesis	1	A defensible claim that answers the prompt and sets up a line of reasoning.
Contextualization	1	A broader historical context for the prompt, described in more than a phrase.
Evidence	2	1 point for at least two specific, relevant examples; a second point for using specific evidence to support an argument and explaining how each example supports the claim.
Analysis and reasoning	2	1 point for using comparison, causation, or continuity and change to frame the argument; a second point for a sustained, complex understanding.
Total	6

The LEQ counts for 15 percent of your exam score. Throughout this guide we use one sample prompt: Compare the ways in which the Ottoman and Mughal Empires legitimized and maintained their rule from 1450 to 1750.

First, name the reasoning the prompt wants

Every LEQ asks you to use one of three kinds of historical reasoning. Comparison prompts say "compare" and want similarities and differences. Causation prompts ask about causes or effects, or the relative importance of causes. Continuity and change prompts ask how much something changed, or what stayed the same, over a period of time. The sample prompt above uses comparison. Spotting the type before you write is the single most useful habit for this essay, because it decides how you organize everything.

Point 1: the thesis

The thesis must answer the prompt, make a claim someone could disagree with, and tell the reader how you will argue it. It can sit in the introduction or the conclusion. It cannot repeat the question or list topics.

Does not earn the pointThe Ottoman and Mughal Empires were similar in some ways and different in others.

It restates the prompt and says nothing a reader could argue with. A comparison thesis must name specific similarities and differences.

Earns the pointBoth empires used gunpowder weapons and a bureaucracy to hold large territories, but the Ottomans relied mainly on a military and administrative elite recruited and trained by the state, while the Mughals relied more on negotiating with regional rulers and religious communities, which made their rule flexible but more dependent on each emperor's policies.

It makes both a similarity and a difference specific, explains the difference, and previews categories for the body paragraphs.

Point 2: contextualization

Context means describing the bigger historical picture around the prompt: developments before it, during it, or after it. It has to be more than a phrase, and it has to be relevant. A few connected sentences in the introduction are usually enough.

Earns the pointBoth empires rose from the fragmentation that followed the Mongol era. The Ottomans expanded from Anatolia and captured Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire, while Babur, a ruler with Timurid and Mongol ancestry, invaded northern India in 1526 and founded the Mughal dynasty. Both then ruled populations of many faiths in a world increasingly linked by gunpowder warfare and maritime trade.

It describes what came before both empires and the world they ruled in, and it ties both to the question of how rulers kept control.

Points 3 and 4: evidence

The first evidence point needs at least two specific examples relevant to the prompt. The second needs you to use specific evidence to support an argument and explain how each example supports the claim. Because there are no documents, build a short list of examples for each major topic before the exam: a name, a law, a date, a place, and what it did.

Earns both pointsThe Ottomans used the devshirme, which took boys from Christian families in the Balkans and trained them as soldiers called Janissaries or as officials, creating a ruling class whose loyalty belonged to the sultan. The Mughals instead organized their nobility through the mansabdari system, which ranked officials by the number of troops they were expected to supply, and under Akbar the state ended the jizya, a tax on non-Muslims, to win support from the Hindu majority. Each example is specific, and together they show two different strategies for maintaining rule.

Each example is specific, and the last sentence says what the evidence shows about the comparison.

Points 5 and 6: analysis and reasoning

The first analysis point rewards an essay that uses comparison, causation, or continuity and change to frame its argument. The second rewards a sustained, complex understanding. It is the hardest point on the rubric, so do not plan the whole essay around it.

Reasoning. This prompt uses comparison. Organize the essay by category, such as military, religion, and administration, and compare both empires inside each paragraph, using words like "both", "whereas", and "unlike". Two separate mini-essays, one on each empire, is the most common way to lose this point.

Complexity. Complicate the comparison by showing change over time. The Ottoman millet system let religious communities govern their own affairs, the devshirme faded in the 1600s as the Janissaries gained political power, and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb later restored the jizya that Akbar had ended. Showing how each empire's methods shifted, and what that does to your comparison, earns the point if you keep it up through the essay.

A 40-minute time plan

Minutes	What to do
0 to 5 min	Read all three prompts. Choose the one where you can name the most specific examples, not the one with the most familiar topic. Circle the command words and the time frame, and jot four to six pieces of evidence.
5 to 10 min	Write the introduction: a few sentences of context, then a thesis that makes a claim and previews your categories.
10 to 30 min	Write two body paragraphs. Each makes one claim, gives at least two specific examples, and explains how each example supports the claim.
30 to 37 min	Write a third body paragraph that qualifies or complicates your argument. This is where complexity usually comes from.
37 to 40 min	Add a short conclusion that sharpens the thesis. Check that every body paragraph still answers the prompt.

Common mistakes

Writing two mini-essays, one on each empire, and leaving the comparison to the reader.
Giving only similarities or only differences. A strong comparison does both and says which matters more.
Comparing things that do not match, such as an Ottoman policy and a Mughal date. Compare the same category in both places.

Frequently asked questions

How many points is the AP LEQ worth?

The AP World History: Modern long essay is scored out of 6 points. It counts for 15 percent of your total exam score.

How many examples do I need?

At least two specific examples for the first evidence point. For the second, you need evidence that supports an argument and an explanation of how each example supports it. Aim for four to six specific examples across the essay.

How is the LEQ different from the DBQ?

The LEQ has no documents. All of your evidence comes from your own knowledge, so you must remember specific people, laws, events, dates, and places. You also choose one of three prompts.

Does my thesis have to be in the introduction?

No. The rubric accepts a thesis in the introduction or the conclusion. Most strong essays put it first so that the body paragraphs have a direction.

What if I do not remember exact dates?

The time frame matters for staying on topic, but a specific, accurate description of an event, law, or policy counts as evidence even without a date. Do not guess a date you are unsure of.

Keep practicing

The AP World History course includes LEQ prompts with a writing space that scores your response against this rubric. These free lessons also build the skills the LEQ tests:

See the AP World History: Modern course Free lessons and lesson list

Other rubric guides:

AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this site. This guide is our own explanation of the rubric. For the official scoring guidelines, see the College Board.