Rubric terms that matter
Contextualization
Relevant background that sets up the historical situation.
Your move: Write a few sentences about the broader period before the thesis or early in the essay.
HAPP sourcing
Historical situation, Audience, Point of view, and Purpose for documents.
Your move: Explain why the source perspective affects how the document should be read.
Complexity
A more nuanced argument that recognizes change, limits, or multiple causes.
Your move: Show a tension or exception instead of making a one-factor argument.
Common traps in this course
Using documents as summary instead of evidence.
Fix: Group documents by argument point and explain how each supports the thesis.
Forgetting outside evidence in the DBQ.
Fix: Add one specific fact not found in the documents.
Writing an LEQ without the named reasoning skill.
Fix: Use the prompt language: cause, compare, change, or continuity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a DBQ and an LEQ?
A DBQ gives you documents to use and source. An LEQ gives no documents, so all evidence comes from your own historical knowledge.
What counts as outside evidence in a DBQ?
A specific historical fact, event, person, policy, or development that is not already in the provided documents.
Do APUSH essays need a thesis?
DBQs and LEQs do. Short-answer questions do not need a full thesis, but each part still needs a direct answer.
Use the exact prompt your teacher gave you
Paste the prompt and BetterPaper will identify whether it is a DBQ, LEQ, or short-answer task and show the first planning move.