Chapter 11

The Free-Response Sections

Overview and Strategy

The free-response questions—which include three required short-answer questions, one document-based question (DBQ), and one long essay question (LEQ)—are worth 60% of your total exam score. 

You have 40 minutes to answer three short-answer questions in Section I, Part B of the exam, which gives you about 13 minutes per question. Section II is 100 minutes long, and it’s divided into two parts: the first 60 minutes is the suggested writing time for the DBQ (including a recommended 15-minute reading period), and the last 40 minutes is the suggested writing time for the LEQ. 

AP Expert Note

Treat Section II as a marathon (and train accordingly)

One hundred minutes can feel like no time at all when you have to write two free-response questions, but it is actually a long time for your brain to maintain sharp focus—especially after you have already spent 95 minutes on Section I. However, if you practice writing, including sticking to the timing and pacing required for Section II, you will build up the necessary stamina and feel much more prepared and confident on the official exam.  

Readers will score each individual question according to a rubric. The rubric for the short-answer questions is straightforward: each prompt requires you to complete three tasks, and you can earn one point for successfully completing each task, for a total of three points for each question. The rubrics for the DBQ and long essay question are a bit more complex and relate to demonstrating certain skills, such as thesis development, contextualization, and use of evidence. (Scoring information and sample rubrics will be provided in the following sections about each specific question type.)

The Kaplan Method for Free-Response Questions

While there are three different kinds of free-response questions on the exam, you can and should approach every prompt using the same Kaplan Method. Employing a methodical, strategic approach will help ensure that you effectively address every part of every question. Just follow these four steps (which spell out AP-AP)!

1. Analyze the prompt.
2. Plan your response.
3. Action! Write your response.
4. Proofread.

Let’s look at the Kaplan Method steps in more detail.

Step 1: Analyze the Prompt

Take the time to understand each and every part of the prompt—or what the question asks you to do. If you don’t answer each of the prompt’s required tasks, it will be impossible to earn a high score for that question! Analyzing the prompt means thinking carefully about the following components:

• The content of the question. Consider exactly what topics the question addresses. Underline key terms and requirements.
• The action words. Next, make sure you know exactly what you have to do with the content: describe, explain, etc. Consider circling the action words to help you focus on the required tasks. While we often use these action words somewhat interchangeably when speaking, consider carefully how each action word calls for a slightly different treatment of the content. Some examples, from simple to complicated, include:
  • Identify: Point out a trend or piece of information; this task does not require providing an explanation.
  • Describe: Fully lay out the details of something.
  • Explain: Analyze the why or how of something (e.g., what causes it, why it’s important) using reasoning or evidence.
  • Evaluate: Make a determination about a claim and explain your reasoning.
• The source stimulus. Some questions include a primary or secondary source or sources. Analyze each source stimulus thoroughly, noting components such as topic, main idea, author viewpoint, and author background. You must understand the source(s) to effectively answer the prompt.

Step 2: Plan Your Response

This is the most important factor in writing a quality response. Planning is never a waste of time; rather, it is a crucial step to creating an effective response that addresses every part of the prompt. The test makers expect you to take time to plan your responses and have built this into the exam timing, so take advantage of it. Ultimately, planning saves you time by helping you write a focused response. You only have time to write each response once, so make it count!

Here are some tips to help you make your plan:

• Think about what you will write for each part of the prompt. Jot down brief notes—phrases and/or examples—for each part.
• Whenever possible, see if you can come up with specific historical examples to help support your response.
• Double-check the prompt to make sure you didn’t skip any required tasks.
• Devote an appropriate amount of time to each part, depending on the complexity of the required task. (Tasks that only ask you to identify something typically require less time than parts that ask you to explain or describe.)

Step 3: Action! Write Your Response

After thoroughly completing the pre-writing steps, actually writing the response should be relatively straightforward: just use the notes you jotted down in Step 2 to write your paragraphs. Be sure to write full paragraphs; lists or outline-style notes will not earn you points on the exam.

As you write, keep in mind that your responses should clearly focus on the required tasks, provide full explanations, and firmly assert your claims. Time is limited, so every word you write should help you earn points.  The length of your response has nothing to do with your score; the quality of the content and how well it addresses the prompt is what counts.

Finally, make sure you write neatly. Readers can’t award points if they can’t read what you wrote. Keep in mind that actual people will be reading every word you write, so make them happy by making your responses as easy as possible to read.

AP Expert Note

Be strategic with the information you provide

Don’t just write as much as you know about the topic of a prompt; rather, respond with information that satisfies each specific requirement. For example, if a free-response prompt asks you to “Identify ONE difference between the impact of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas and its impact on Europe,” don’t waste time writing out smaller details like long lists of common produce transferred on ships (such as tomatoes, corn, beans, peanuts, bananas, olives, etc.). Instead, it would be more beneficial for you to focus on how the arrival of new animals affected the Americas more than Europe because the new animals, such as horses, changed agricultural styles, diet, and transportation of groups, such as the Plains tribes. Focus your writing on what the question asks for, and move on!

Step 4: Proofread

Try to leave a minute or two to briskly proofread. Your responses need not be perfect, but you should quickly correct any glaring errors that might distract your readers from your content. If you catch a mistake, just neatly cross it out and write the correction above. There’s no time for a complete overhaul of the response, but if you made a plan, there won’t be any need for one!

A Note on Timing and Pacing

Now that we’ve established the Kaplan Method (AP-AP) to apply to every free-response question, let’s review timing considerations. You should respond to each prompt for an amount of time that is proportional to the work involved. The three short-answer questions in Section I, Part B should each take approximately 13 minutes to analyze, plan, write, and proofread. 

For Section II, however, you are working over a long total time span (1 hour and 40 minutes), so pacing yourself among two essays will require some effort and practice. Consider wearing a standard wristwatch to help pace yourself in case there is no clock available in the testing room. And, just as importantly, practice the free-response sections on the practice tests under timed conditions. It’s difficult to anticipate how long each section will feel on the day of the exam, so practicing with a watch will greatly increase your familiarity with the required pacing.

AP Expert Note

Remember to “AP-AP”

Recall that the steps of the Kaplan Method for Free-Response Questions spell out AP-AP. Follow all of the steps of this easy-to-remember acronym every time you encounter a free-response prompt, both in practice and on Test Day. By making the Kaplan Method second nature, you won’t have to think about what you’re doing and can instead focus on the quality of the content you’re writing.