Document Based Questions
Document based questions are worth 25% of your overall exam score (1-5) and are graded on a scale of 1-9, 9 being the highest score one can get. Because of this, it is important to know exactly what the essay graders are looking for, so we can be sure to get all the points possible.
A DBQ asks us to use provided documents to take a stance on a prompt, and use these documents as evidence. That being said, they also want to see outside knowledge incorporated into the essay, often rewarding an extra point. A nine-scored essay will also have a thesis with clear organization of body paragraphs. Try to use as many of the provided documents as possible.
When College Board is grading an essay, they have a checklist of possible arguments or interpretations that a student could have argued. To see exactly what these possible arguments could be for a specific topic, read through the example below (click on the link), that specifically outlines document information, inferences, and potential outside knowledge.
Example
Below is an example of a rubric College Board would use to grade our DBQ on the AP Test. Notice the requirements of each score, as well as the actual information they are looking for in response to the prompt, "Analyze the impact of big business on the economy and politics and the responses to these changes [corporations growing in size]."
To see all the information the graders are looking for throughout the entire essay, see the rest of the example at the link: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap12_us_history_q1.pdf.
Thanks, Olivia! This is super helpful, especially to have all written down to refer to later in the year. During class Mr. Stewart threw out there quickly and then moved on, and personally, I didn’t catch everything. I really appreciate that you posted the rubric/guidelines for grading.
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