How to write a LEQ six points, no documents.
The Long Essay Question appears on APUSH, AP World, and AP European History. It is worth six points and about 15% of your exam, written in 40 minutes with no documents. You pick one of three prompts. Here is the LEQ format and how to earn every point.
The LEQ format
The LEQ trades documents for your own knowledge, and you choose the prompt that fits you best.
The six points, one by one
The rubric mirrors the DBQ minus the document work, so good DBQ habits carry over.
Choosing the right prompt
The three prompts cover different periods, so read all three before committing. Pick the one where you can name at least two specific pieces of evidence right away, not the one that sounds most interesting. A prompt you have evidence for is worth more than a prompt you find compelling but cannot support. The supporting skill, whether comparison, causation, or continuity and change over time, is named in the prompt, so build your essay around it.
Where students lose points
Thin evidence is the usual problem: one vague example instead of two specific ones. Complexity is the other, and it is reachable by qualifying your argument, weighing a counterexample, or connecting your point across periods. APUSH and AP World both use this rubric, so the same method works for the APUSH and AP World essays alike. Check a raw score with the APUSH score calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers — written by humans, not a chatbot.
How many points is the LEQ worth?
Six points, and the Long Essay Question is about 15% of your AP history exam score.
How long do you get for the LEQ?
40 minutes. You choose one of three prompts, each tied to a different time period, and write without any documents.
How is the LEQ different from the DBQ?
The LEQ has no documents, is worth six points instead of seven, and relies entirely on evidence you bring from your own knowledge.