A comprehensive guide on how to write a DBQ essay
Writing DBQ essays can be pretty daunting for the students since it requires high precision levels in academics and the student’s ability to have different thoughts. But there is no reason to worry. We have come up with a practical guide on how to write a DBQ essay to help you master your writing skills. Follow along the guide to have a better understanding.
What is a DBQ essay?
Before understanding how to write one, we first need to understand what is a DBQ essay. DBQ is an abbreviation for Document/Data-Based Question. As a part of the AP US History Exam or APUSH, DBQ essays are typically timed and conducted under exam conditions set by the United States College Board.
The Document-Based Question of 2021 will relate to the historical development from 1754 to 1980 and will be worth 25 per cent of the final score.
A DBQ will need to keep its relevance with the historical context to prove its point. DBQ essays are generally assigned to test the student’s understanding and knowledge of a specific topic. The course instructor generally provides tons of documents relating to a significant historical event or personality for the students to go through. When you are working with the documents, try to identify patterns and how the information from the documents relates to your topic. It forms the basis of creating an outline for your DBQ essay.
Creating an outline for your DBQ essay
Here is a general outline of a DBQ essay to follow.
- Introduction: It will introduce the topic to the readers and contain a hook that is interesting while also including any historical context. For example, “The Spanish Flu caused widespread panic across the globe and was a depressing time.”
- Thesis statement: The section answers the primary question of the essay. Describe what you will be claiming in the subsequent sections that have evidence backing it from historical texts. For example, “Bank failures were one of the primary cause that led to the Great Depression.”
- The body paragraph: Use four paragraphs to divide the body section. Introduce one idea or argument per paragraph
- Begin with the topic paragraph that connects to the thesis statement.
- Use the following paragraph to introduce external information to back up your argument by citing references from three different sources of evidence from the documents.
- Conclude the body section with a transition to the final section of the DBQ essay.
- Conclusion: Use this section to paraphrase your thesis statement and summarize the main arguments you presented in the body section while providing the readers with the historical significance. End with a sentence that challenges any evidence found in the documents.
- What type of document is it? For example, letters, book extracts, photographs, maps, etc.
- What was the purpose of the document? For example, to entertain, to inform, to record data, etc.
- Is the document formal or informal?
- Is the document religious or political?
- Is the document credible?
- How does it connect to the other documents?
- What historical events does it refer to?
- What was life back during the specific era? For example, prosperous, famine struck, war-torn, etc.
- If images are provided, what objects and people can you spot?
- What do you see in the background of the image?
- Can you recall any external information that might aid you in interpreting the document?
- Where was the document produced or the photograph clicked?
- In which state?
- What was the location of the production of the document or photograph? For example, a rural area, an urban city, a ship, a boat, etc.
- Where was the document or photograph procured from?
- Where was it published?
- Can you use the documents to create a timeline or sequence of events?
- When was the document written or the photograph taken? What is the source of the said information?
- Does the document or photograph include a date? Try checking for fine prints or inscriptions.
- Are historical events mentioned?
- Was it produced before or after the other documents that you were provided with?
- Is it possible to ascertain the time from an image by observing the clothes, buildings and other elements in the image’s background?
- The document was targeted towards whom?
- Who wrote or produced the original document or took a photograph?
- Is it signed? Look very closely to verify.
- Who is mentioned in the document?
- Are you able to make any inferences about the author of the document?
- The document refers to which event or person?
- Who published it?
- Who discovered it?
- Was the writer paid to write the document?
- Who do you see in the photograph? Can you infer information about the age, status or lives of the people photographed?
- What was the reason behind producing the document or taking a photograph?
- What message did the creator of the document or photographer want to convey?
- Is there any bias in the views of the writer? How does it alter your interpretation of the document?
- Is it possible to stage the document or the image?
- How reliable is the information source?
- How was the image or the document during its time? For example, outrages, sceptical, visionary, etc.
- How many have been successfully able to interpret it in the past? Imagine the social norms and influences during that time.
- How is it able to connect with the other documents that have been provided? Was it contemporary to the other documents?
- How are the people of the image being portrayed? For example, sad, healthy, happy etc.
- How do the people in the mage want themselves to be perceived, and how the photographer wants them to be perceived?
- How do objects in the surrounding of the image appear? For example, overcrowded, downtrodden, lavish etc.
- The planning: The stage should be around 15 minutes. Use this time to study the documents and identify the connection and the key points. Keep a note of the key points and ask yourself which points would be a good fit for the introduction. Then, determine where to put the key points and have a rough outline.
- Introduction: Use around 5 to 10 minutes to complete the introduction of your DBQ essay. Provide a summary of the topic and its details.
- Thesis: Use around 5 minutes of your time to formulate the thesis. It usually includes:
- The claim you are making in the essay, along with the evidence to back from the documents you received from your instructor.
- Essay description.
- Explanation of how you will answer the primary question of the essay
- Body section: This will constitute most of your time. Take around 20 to 30 minutes to finish the body paragraphs. Try linking each paragraph with the thesis and ensure one paragraph is used to answer only one question. Use evidence from the documents to back your arguments up. Try reading between the lines and not simply concentrate on the obvious.
- Conclusion: The final section of the DBQ essay. Keep around 5 to 10 minutes to complete the section. Then, summarize the entire essay and link the conclusion with the thesis statement. Keep in mind that this section is used to persuade the readers, which would be the instructor.
- Proofreading: Allocate around 5 minutes to proofread and edit your essay to eliminate grammatical or spelling mistakes. Such errors can cause you to lose marks and result in a lower grade even if you have a compelling DBQ essay.
- Go through a few example papers and essays and practice using a timed setting.
- Before starting to write your essay, ensure you have gone through and understood all the provided documents.
- Use a highlighter to mark down key points from the source that you want to include in your essay.
- Look for the implications of the document and also the obvious vital points.
- A temporary thesis for your DBQ essay is roughly based on your preliminary analysis to help keep you on the right track.
- Use the thesis to give your opinion.
- Demonstrate your understanding of the author’s views and opinion.
- Use proper titles when referring to them in your essay.
- Remember why the document is essential historically and how it was relevant in its time.
- Since DBQ essays are academic texts, ensure to use proper formatting and avoid slang, colloquialism and informal sentences.
- Though it might seem ironic, starting with the introduction can save a lot of your time.
- An effective demonstration of the student’s understanding and accurate interpretation of the documents by including external relatable information throughout the essay
- Examples and facts from credible sources support points and arguments
- The consideration of the importance, validity and reliability of the documents for the essay
- Proper analysis of conflicting points with the help of various evidence to make an effective main body section
- A strong introduction, thesis and conclusion section.
Proper format of a DBQ essay
The APUSH exam lasts for 195 minutes, of which candidates are given 60 minutes to complete the DBQ section. It includes 15 minutes of planning and 45 minutes to write. A DBQ essay has roughly 5 to 6 paragraphs. It includes an introduction and thesis, 3 or 4 for the body section and one for the conclusion. However, there is no mandate on the number of paragraphs to be used in the essay and mostly cover around two or three pages. The length of the DBQ essay is not as important as the conciseness and exact nature of your arguments. You will need to use evidence from the provided documents and include information from your external knowledge. The documents provided by the instructors can differ quite often; however, the length of these documents are pretty short.
If you are typing it on a computer, make sure to use clear fonts like Times New Roman or Calibri with a font size of 12. Also, don’t forget to format the text using double spacing and follow the proper citation format set by your education institution.
Interpreting the Data or Documents
Every document you will be provided to write the DBQ essay will contain information and evidence that will help you better understand any historical event or figure. Students will need to identify patterns in these documents or look for connections between them. Start by asking few analytical questions to yourself. Here are a few examples:
What?
Where
When?
Who?
Why?
How?
In simpler words, the documents you receive from the evidence needs to be questioned. Therefore, try to read between the line to provide a balanced and fair argument.
Steps to writing a DBQ essay
Tips on how to write an effective DBQ essay
What does the examiner want?
The examiner would be looking for the following:
Keep in mind that you might lose marks if you do not recognize the validity and credibility of the documents’ points of view. Therefore, keep away from reiteration and only talk about the documents and divide your essay into an introduction, thesis statement, body section and conclusion.
Final thoughts
It is critical to understand how to write an effective DBQ essay and learn the proper format prescribed by the APUSH to succeed. Managing your time during the test is essential, and therefore, timed practices are necessary to perfect your time management. Clarify any doubts with the instructor and go through previous examples of DBQ papers to understand what the examiner is looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to learn how to write a DBQ essay?
AP U.S. History exam (APUSH) set by the United States College Board includes a hefty weightage on the DBQ writing section. Therefore, for those students who want to sit for the APUSH exam, learning and mastering DBQ essay writing skills is necessary for a good score in the exam.
How much time does a student get during the APUSH exam to finish the DBQ essay?
With the APUSH exam lasting around 3 hours and 15 minutes, an hour is generally left for the DBQ essay section.
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