The fastest way to tell
If there is a document packet, you are almost certainly writing a DBQ. If there are no documents and the prompt names causation, comparison, or continuity/change, you are probably writing an LEQ.
DBQ
Use the DBQ guide when the prompt gives documents and asks you to use or source them.
Read the guideLEQ
Use the LEQ guide when the prompt gives only a question and asks you to build the historical evidence yourself.
Read the guidePrompt clues to look for
DBQ
- "document-based question"
- "use the documents"
- "historical situation, audience, purpose, point of view"
LEQ
- "long essay question"
- "evaluate the extent"
- "causation, comparison, continuity and change over time"
What changes in the essay
Evidence source
DBQ: Provided documents plus outside evidence.
LEQ: Your own historical knowledge only.
Why it matters: The DBQ tests document use and sourcing; the LEQ tests recall and argument structure.
Rubric skill
DBQ: Document sourcing is required for high scores.
LEQ: No document sourcing; the reasoning skill carries more of the structure.
Why it matters: A DBQ without sourcing misses a major task. An LEQ with document-style sourcing wastes time.
Planning move
DBQ: Group documents by argument category.
LEQ: List specific evidence from memory before drafting.
Why it matters: The first notes you make should match the evidence source.
Common mistake
DBQ: Summarizing each document in order.
LEQ: Writing broad historical claims with no specific examples.
Why it matters: Both essays need argument, but they fail in different ways.
Example prompts
DBQ signal
"Use the documents and your knowledge of the period to evaluate the extent to which industrialization changed labor systems."
DBQ, because documents are provided and must be used.
LEQ signal
"Evaluate the extent to which the market revolution changed American society from 1800 to 1848."
LEQ, because no documents are provided and evidence must come from memory.
Frequently asked questions
Do both DBQs and LEQs need a thesis?
Yes. Both need a defensible historical claim and a line of reasoning.
Can I use outside evidence in a DBQ?
Yes. In fact, AP DBQ rubrics award a point for specific outside evidence that is not already in the documents.
Is the LEQ easier than the DBQ?
Not always. The LEQ has fewer moving parts, but it depends more on what you can remember without documents.
Use the exact assignment in front of you
Paste the prompt and BetterPaper will identify the essay type, evidence rules, and first planning move.