How do I convert this rubric to the 6-point AP LEQ score?

The official rubric gives 1 point for thesis, 1 for contextualization, 2 for evidence, and 2 for analysis and reasoning. On the first two rows, Excellent or Proficient earns the point. On Evidence and Analysis & reasoning, Excellent earns 2 points, Proficient earns 1, and Developing or Beginning earns 0. Add them for a score out of 6.

What's the difference between an LEQ and a DBQ?

A DBQ gives students seven documents and grades how they use and source them, on a 7-point rubric. An LEQ gives no documents: students support their argument only with evidence they remember, on a 6-point rubric. There is no sourcing row in the LEQ, so the evidence has to come entirely from the student's own knowledge.

What counts as complexity in an LEQ?

Complexity means the essay shows the history is more complicated than a single claim. It can explain multiple causes and weigh them, show both continuity and change, compare across regions or periods, or use a counterexample to qualify the thesis. One closing sentence that says 'however, some historians disagree' does not earn the point; the essay has to argue the complexity with evidence.

Is the LEQ rubric the same for APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro?

Yes. APUSH, AP World History, and AP European History use the same LEQ rubric: the same four rows and the same 6 points. What changes between the courses is the content of the prompts (the regions and time periods students write about), not how the essay is scored. You can use this one rubric in all three classes.

What is the LEQ format?

Starting with the May 2027 exams, students get one broad long essay prompt and must answer it (earlier exams let them choose one of three). The recommended time is 40 minutes, and the scoring rubric did not change. A common structure is an introduction with context and a thesis, two or three body paragraphs that each pair specific evidence with the prompt's reasoning skill, and a short conclusion. The thesis can be in the introduction or the conclusion, but it has to sit in one place, not be spread across the essay.

Can I use this rubric outside an AP class?

Yes. For a regular history class, use the first three rows and grade 'Analysis & reasoning' only up to Proficient. Using causation or comparison to organize an essay is a reasonable goal in any high school history course. Complexity is usually expected only in AP or college courses.

LEQ Rubric Template

A ready-to-use, analytic LEQ rubric for AP history long essay question (LEQ) written without provided documents (Grades 10–12: APUSH, AP World History, and AP Euro). Score the four things the AP long essay is graded on (thesis, contextualization, evidence, and analysis and reasoning) using evidence the student has to bring from memory, since no documents are given. Edit it for your own assignment, print it, download it as a Word file, or share a link with your students.

Grading a document-based essay instead? See which rubric fits ↓

Edit this template in the maker →

The LEQ rubric

Criterion	Excellent (4)	Proficient (3)	Developing (2)	Beginning (1)
Thesis / claim	States a historically defensible claim that answers the prompt's reasoning task and previews a line of reasoning (the categories or causes the essay will argue), in the introduction or conclusion.	States a historically defensible claim that answers the prompt, but the line of reasoning is implied rather than previewed.	States a claim, but it restates or rephrases the prompt, or it is not historically defensible for the time period asked about.	No identifiable claim; the essay describes the period without answering what the prompt asks.
Contextualization	Describes a broader historical development relevant to the prompt in several sentences and explains how it sets up the argument.	Describes a relevant broader development, but the link to the argument is stated rather than explained.	Mentions a related event or date in a phrase, without describing the larger development it belongs to.	No context beyond the topic itself, or the context comes from the wrong period or region.
Evidence	Uses multiple specific, accurate historical examples (named people, laws, events, dates) and explains how each one supports the claim.	Gives specific, accurate examples relevant to the topic, but mostly describes them rather than using them to support the claim.	Evidence is general ('many people were unhappy') or only loosely related to the prompt's period.	Little or no specific evidence, or the evidence is historically inaccurate.
Analysis & reasoning	Structures the argument around the prompt's reasoning skill and shows complexity: for example, weighs more than one cause, explains both continuity and change, or qualifies the claim with a counterexample.	Uses the prompt's reasoning skill (causation, comparison, or continuity and change) to frame the argument, but stays one-sided with no complexity.	Names the reasoning skill but mainly narrates events in order; the reasoning is asserted, not shown.	Narrative or list of facts with no reasoning connecting them to the claim.

Four levels — Excellent (4) to Beginning (1). Print this page, or open it in the editor to change the wording, levels, or points.

LEQ, DBQ, or regular essay?

This page grades an AP history long essay written without documents. If your assignment gives students sources or isn't a history essay, use the matching rubric.

Assignment	Grades	What the student has to do
LEQ (long essay question)you are here	10–12 AP	Argue a historical claim from memory, with no documents provided.
DBQ (document-based question)	9–12 AP / IB	Build a historical argument out of a provided set of documents.
Argumentative / analytical essay	9–12, intro college	Take a position and defend it with evidence and reasoning, in any subject.

Other history assignments: research paper, timeline project.

How to use this rubric

The long essay question gives students a prompt and no documents. Everything they use (context, examples, the reasoning skill) has to come from what they already know. This rubric follows the four rows of the official LEQ rubric that APUSH, AP World History, and AP European History all share: thesis/claim, contextualization, evidence, and analysis and reasoning. Each row is described in four levels, so students can see what separates their essay from the next level up. A student who remembers a lot of facts but never uses them to argue causation, comparison, or change over time should land in the middle of this rubric, because the LEQ tests historical reasoning more than recall.

Why these criteria

Each row targets something the assignment is really teaching, with descriptors written to be observable rather than vague:

Thesis / claim: An LEQ prompt names a historical reasoning skill, such as causation, comparison, or continuity and change. A thesis only counts if it takes a defensible position on that skill, not if it restates the prompt or lists topics.
Contextualization: Checks whether the student can place the prompt's topic inside the broader history before, during, or after the period, in more than a passing phrase. In an LEQ, all of that context has to come from the student's own knowledge.
Evidence: With no documents to quote, every fact has to come from the student. This row separates naming specific, accurate examples from using those examples to prove the claim, which is the difference between 1 and 2 official points.
Analysis & reasoning: Grades whether the essay uses the reasoning skill the prompt names or just tells events in order. The top level also checks for complexity: does the essay qualify, corroborate, or modify its own argument?

How to adapt it

For a timed in-class LEQ (the AP exam recommends 40 minutes), lower the top level on 'Evidence' to two well-used examples. Students writing from memory under time pressure rarely get more.
Before AP-style grading is introduced, give students the prompt's reasoning skill in the question ('Explain two causes of…') and grade 'Analysis & reasoning' only up to Proficient. Save the complexity level for later in the year.
To practice one skill at a time, run a thesis-and-context-only round: students write just the introduction, and you score only the first two rows.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert this rubric to the 6-point AP LEQ score?: The official rubric gives 1 point for thesis, 1 for contextualization, 2 for evidence, and 2 for analysis and reasoning. On the first two rows, Excellent or Proficient earns the point. On Evidence and Analysis & reasoning, Excellent earns 2 points, Proficient earns 1, and Developing or Beginning earns 0. Add them for a score out of 6.
What's the difference between an LEQ and a DBQ?: A DBQ gives students seven documents and grades how they use and source them, on a 7-point rubric. An LEQ gives no documents: students support their argument only with evidence they remember, on a 6-point rubric. There is no sourcing row in the LEQ, so the evidence has to come entirely from the student's own knowledge.
What counts as complexity in an LEQ?: Complexity means the essay shows the history is more complicated than a single claim. It can explain multiple causes and weigh them, show both continuity and change, compare across regions or periods, or use a counterexample to qualify the thesis. One closing sentence that says 'however, some historians disagree' does not earn the point; the essay has to argue the complexity with evidence.
Is the LEQ rubric the same for APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro?: Yes. APUSH, AP World History, and AP European History use the same LEQ rubric: the same four rows and the same 6 points. What changes between the courses is the content of the prompts (the regions and time periods students write about), not how the essay is scored. You can use this one rubric in all three classes.
What is the LEQ format?: Starting with the May 2027 exams, students get one broad long essay prompt and must answer it (earlier exams let them choose one of three). The recommended time is 40 minutes, and the scoring rubric did not change. A common structure is an introduction with context and a thesis, two or three body paragraphs that each pair specific evidence with the prompt's reasoning skill, and a short conclusion. The thesis can be in the introduction or the conclusion, but it has to sit in one place, not be spread across the essay.
Can I use this rubric outside an AP class?: Yes. For a regular history class, use the first three rows and grade 'Analysis & reasoning' only up to Proficient. Using causation or comparison to organize an essay is a reasonable goal in any high school history course. Complexity is usually expected only in AP or college courses.

More rubric templates

DBQ Rubric Template →
Document-based question essays, AP / IB / honors history.
Current Events Rubric Template →
News article summaries and analysis, grades 5–12.
Model UN Rubric Template →
Model UN delegate performance and resolutions, grades 8–12.
Timeline Project Rubric Template →
Timelines of historical, scientific, or literary events, grades 5–12.

Rubric Template for Word →
Download any rubric as an editable Word file.
Blank Rubric Template →
Print an empty rubric or build one from scratch.
All 60+ Rubric Templates →
Browse every template by subject.