Did you know that there are six different ways to earn the complexity point on the Long Essay Question?
It's unsurprising that the complexity point is, well, complex. I'm a professional tutor who has helped dozens of students improve their grades in AP US History. Read on for my best advice about how to earn this point.
Table of Contents
The Basics of the Complexity Point
Six Ways to Earn the Complexity Point
Multiple Themes or Perspectives
Myth 1: You must write a counterargument to earn the complexity point.
Myth 2: You need to earn the complexity point for a 5.
Myth 3: Only perfect papers earn the complexity point.
Myth 4: The complexity point is the most important point.
Myth 5: Content is unrelated to earning the complexity point.
The Basics
To earn the complexity point, you must show a "complex understanding" of the topic. You show this by creating an argument that goes above and beyond the basics. The College Board describes this type of argument as nuanced, complex, or sophisticated.
Any part of your response can earn the complexity point. It is common to find the necessary requirements in more than one paragraph. This makes earning this point more complicated than many other points. You have to sustain high-quality writing across a whole essay.
You can't earn the complexity point through passing mentions of a topic. This includes a lone vocabulary word, mentioning a person's name, or a specific event. The goal is to develop a complex argument, and citing evidence does not do that. You will need to elaborate on each point and connect it to your argument to earn this point.
Six Ways to Earn the Complexity Point
There are exactly six ways to earn the complexity point. I've ranked them below in the order of my personal preference. My favorite techniques are at the top, and my least recommended techniques are at the bottom.
Like many things in AP US History, there isn't one correct way to do the complexity point. Some methods work better with specific prompts. Some people find it easier to write in certain ways. Practice and feedback will help you determine which methods work best for you.
More of the Same
This method requires explaining many aspects of the prompt. You need to use one of the historical thinking skills. That could mean any of the following.
Explaining multiple causes.
Explaining multiple effects.
Explaining multiple similarities.
Explaining multiple differences.
Explaining multiple continuities.
Explaining multiple changes.
I love this method because it works for every prompt in every topic. It aligns with the goal of the Long-Essay Question. You are forming an argument about a specific topic. The more aspects of the topic you address, the more sophisticated your argument is. This means you don't have to remember to do anything extra during the exam. The exam is stressful, and its easy to forget things. Reducing the amount of things you have to remember is useful.
Multiple Themes or Perspectives
This method requires describing many perspectives or themes related to the topic. A perspective refers to how different groups of people view events. Themes are recurring patterns in history.
Let's use this prompt as an example:
Evaluate the relative importance of the causes of conflict between American settlers and Native Americans in the 1800s.
An essay focused on perspectives would consider the groups involved. Because the essay should be about causes, we want to explore what caused each group to act. In this case, American settlers included many groups. You could consider the motivations of recent immigrants, Northerners, or Southerners. You could also focus on more specific groups, like the Mormons or Exodusters. Even within this one group, there are many different perspectives.
Native Americans also had different motivations for their actions. You could consider specific tribal groups, like the Sauk and Fox or the Dakota. You could also write about leaders like Wovoka or Tecumseh. Each of these groups or people has a unique perspective. The focus should still be on their motivations, concerns, or actions.
If you wanted to focus on themes, you would look at the bigger picture. You could consider the role of culture in these conflicts. A single paragraph could describe the conflicts between American ideals and indigenous religions. You could describe the influence of people who shaped these ideals. Other paragraphs could describe the role of land, economic, or political factors.
I like this option because it plays to one of the strengths of the AP US History curriculum. The course itself emphasizes themes and perspectives. Many students internalize these ideas, so this method works well for them.
Evidence to Show Perspectives
This option is like the previous option, but it focuses on evidence. This technique requires using evidence to show different perspectives.
Most of the information in the previous section applies here. You still need to explore different perspectives to earn this point. The emphasis is on how you use evidence to make your argument more complex.
Let's use the same prompt as last time:
Evaluate the relative importance of the causes of conflict between American settlers and Native Americans in the 1800s.
One perspective we could consider is that of religious leaders and their followers. We could develop this argument by citing specific religious movements. We could discuss the role of new religious movements. This could include the Second Great Awakening or the Ghost Dance movement. We could look at how those events led to specific instances of conflict. For example, the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Again, these ideas should be well-developed. That means that mentioning evidence isn't enough. You want to develop these ideas over several paragraphs. Each piece of evidence should relate to your thesis.
Both Sides
Explain causes and effects
Explain continuities and changes
Explain similarities and differences
I love this technique because it's so simple. It lays out a great roadmap for the essay. Two paragraphs describe one "side" of the issue. Then, write one paragraph describing the other "side."
Let's use this prompt this time:
Evaluate the extent to which the British colonies developed unique regional cultures and economic systems in the period before 1754.
You could write describing the differences between New England and the Southern colonies. You could describe the rise of Southern plantations and Northern shipping. Or you could focus on the role of religion in New England. Then, you would include one paragraph on the similarities. This could be the existence of legal slavery in the colonies.
Writing a counterargument often sets you up to earn the point in this way, but it is not required.
A downside of this technique is that you have to take care to stay focused on the prompt. In particular, sometimes the prompt asks for causes or effects. In this situation, trying to write about cause and effects can take you off topic. I recommend using a different technique for that type of prompt.
Connections
You earn this point by making connections between time periods or geographic regions. In US History, each of the nine units covers a specific period. You can made connections between the units to earn this point. The AP US History curriculum often refers to the North, South, Midwest, Southwest, and West. You can also consider smaller regions. This includes New England, the Hawaiian Islands, Willamette Valley, or the Sun Belt.
We'll return to our first prompt:
Evaluate the relative importance of the causes of conflict between American settlers and Native Americans in the 1800s.
You could explore causes of conflicts in different regions of the United States. Conflicts occurred in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West during this period. There were also conflicts in Hawaii and Alaska. An argument could explore several of these areas. You could argue that a cause was more important if it was influential in many different regions.
This strategy also works well for prompts that span many periods like this one. In AP US History, three different units cover the 1800s. They are Unit 4, Unit 5, and Unit 6. You can always use those divisions in your essay. Like before, you can argue that a cause that showed up in many periods is more important.
This strategy is not the best choice for all prompts. If the prompt limits you to a specific period or geographic region. In that case, trying to pull in other time periods or locations can pull the whole essay off topic. In that situation, I would fall back on the "more of the same" method.
Four Pieces of Evidence
The final method requires citing at least four high-quality pieces of evidence. This evidence must be part of a complex argument.
The appeal of this option is the number four. Four pieces of evidence is far more concrete than any of the other options. Many students like this option because it appears to be simple.
Using this method is more complex than it seems at first glance. It is not enough to drop in four pieces of evidence. The evidence must "support a nuanced or complex argument" to meet the requirements. This is where things get tricky. If the argument that you make is not complex, then it doesn't matter how much evidence you include. Also, you can't throw together four random pieces of evidence. All the evidence needs to support the same thesis statement.
So what makes an argument complex? The other five options do a great job of giving us some parameters. A complex argument explores many themes, perspectives, geographic areas, or periods. You can also show complexity by using the historical thinking skills to show depth of though.
Students who use the other five strategies often have four pieces of evidence. If they don't, trying to think of four different points and adequately support them can be very time consuming. I recommend using this method as a back up. When you write your essay, use one of the other methods to develop a strong thesis and outline. Then, be intentional about using four pieces of evidence to develop that point. That makes it more likely that you will earn the complexity point.
Myths and Misconceptions
Myth 1: You must write a counterargument to earn the complexity point.
I have a love-hate relationship with counterarguments. If you write one, great. If you don't, great. They are not required to earn any point on the AP US History exam.
Write a thesis statement with a counterargument is a great tool. The counterargument forces you to think about the topic in a different way. That often leads to a more nuanced argument. It also gives you a great road map for the essay. You write two paragraphs talking about one side. Then you shift and write one paragraph talking about the other. Bam! Complexity point!
Counterarguments can backfire. I've met many students who thought they had to write a counterargument. Some of them spent hours agonizing over the counterargument. Then, they could only to come up with one that was difficult to defend. It's not hard to see how that's a disaster on exam day.
The reality is that not every topic has two polar opposites. There are times when things change way more than they stay the same. There events that are different from each other, despite seeming similar. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to think of a counterargument on the day of the exam. If you can't, roll with it. A complex argument can be talking about many aspects of the same thing. It's more important to keep going than spend time thinking of a counterargument.
There's an old saying about how if you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. One of my goals for this article was making sure you have many tools you can use.
Myth 2: You need to earn the complexity point for a 5.
Many people think they need to get perfect scores on all sections of the exam to earn a 5. This is false.
The College Board establishes cut points for each exam before its given. Everyone scoring above a specific point earns the same score. This is important for two reasons.
First, it means that the AP exam is not scored on a curve. You are not in competition with everyone else who takes the exam. You do not need to score better than everyone else to earn the top score. If everyone else does better than expected, that has zero impact on your score.
Second, those cut points are much lower than they would ever be in a high school class. Scores on comprehensive exams tend to be lower than on unit exams. The College Board sets the cut points with this in mind. Let's look at this in more detail.
You can earn a 5 even if you miss the complexity points on the Document Based Question and the Long Essay Question. Albert.io has a great AP US History exam score calculator at this link. The cut points change every year, so this isn't perfect. It is a great resource for getting a general idea what a "good" score looks like.
It can take a weight off your shoulders if you experiment with the numbers. I found that a student who got 38/55 on the Multiple Choice, 6/9 on the Short Answer Questions, and missed both complexity points would earn a 5. The bar for this exam has never been perfection, or anything close to it.
Myth 3: Only perfect papers earn the complexity point.
Every point on the AP US History exam is independent of the other points. It is possible to miss other points, and still earn the complexity point.
A paper with a weak thesis, evidence, or argumentation is less likely to earn the complexity point. The complexity point measures the strength of the evidence and argument. It's hard to develop a more sophisticated argument without a good foundation. The thesis is the argument itself. It's tough to set up a good argument if you're unclear about what you're arguing.
Myth 4: The complexity point is the most important point.
The most important point on the exam is the next one that you can learn how to earn.
For some people, it's the complexity point. Other people may be better served by working on the evidence points. Other people would benefit from focusing on the on the Multiple Choice Questions. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.
This claim doesn't make sense based on math. The entire Long Essay Question is worth fifteen percent of your total score. If we divided fifteen percent by six points, we get 2.5. This means that 2.5 percent of your entire exam score comes from the Long Essay Question complexity point. That's about one third of a Short Answer Question. It would be absurd to say you needed to get every question on the Short Answer section correct. The same is true for the complexity point. It's an absurd claim not backed by math.
In fact, it's counterproductive to worry about the complexity point in some circumstances. The thesis and evidence points create a strong base for your argument. If you are not earning those points, they should come first. After that, I would recommend focusing on contextualization. It's an easier point and it shows up on the LEQ and the DBQ. Finally, earning the initial analysis and reasoning point is important. If all those things are good, that's the optimal time to focus on the complexity point.
Myth 5: Content is unrelated to earning the complexity point.
Most of the guidance for this point focuses on crafting a good thesis and a good argument. That's reasonable because that's how you earn the point.
But I always like to highlight that the complexity point is about content knowledge. You must understand the content. This allows you to explore many perspectives, regions, periods, or aspects of a topic. The best situation to be in is to know more about the topic than what made it into the essay. This allows you to pick the best options and avoid spending extra time thinking of examples.
Sometimes, content knowledge is what holds people back in this area. That means it's time to review your study skills and habits to ensure a high-level of mastery of the content.
I help ambitious students improve their skills and master the AP US History exam. Learn more here!
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