DBQ Essay Writing Process

To successfully write a DBQ essay response, a student must be prepared to take between 45-60 minutes writing an essay based upon a DBQ Documents which revolve around a theme or a historical context. This essay is a combination of working with documents and information not contained in the documents. It is required to add information that is not contained in your documents in order to achieve a score higher than a two (2) out of five (5).

The essay is scored from zero to five (0-5), and reflects certain requirements in order to achieve a solid score at each level. A student should learn those steps and/or requirements in order to achieve the highest score possible. The first place to start is the Generic Scoring Rubric. Understanding the Generic Scoring Rubric is the key for a successful essay since the Social Studies teachers grading your exam must use the same scoring rubric.

You may also use our DBQ Essay Writing Guide for reference.

A DBQ Essay Graphic Organizer (Older Version) Update Needed is available for a step by step guide through the writing process.

A DBQ Essay Guide is available for you to use.

To completely learn the writing process, follow the following links in order.

1. DBQ Document Strategies & Techniques
2. DBQ Essay Generic Scoring Rubric
3. Pre-Writing
4. Transition Words
5. Writing a DBQ Essay Introduction
6. How to Analyze History Topics
7. Writing DBQ Essay Body Paragraphs
8. Adding Outside Information
9. Writing a DBQ Essay Conclusion
10. DBQ Essays