Teaching AP Modern World History Students to Earn the Complexity Point

By using my tack-it-on approach and ChatGPT to asses

In the fall of 2023, the College Board revised its APWH LEQ and DBQ scoring rubrics regarding how students can earn the complexity point — a change I had advocated for nearly two years.

The rubric before 2023, I kept asserting, far too often resulted in teachers insisting that to earn the point, students needed to weave their attempt into the essay. This approach unfairly benefited those who could write in a complex manner and, thus, those who came from privileged backgrounds.

So, I argued for a rubric change that awarded the point for a demonstration of complex thinking, regardless of the student’s writing prowess and where this demonstration of complex thinking appeared in the essay.

A demonstration of complex thinking expressed in simple prose tacked on to the end of an essay in a single stand-alone paragraph should earn the point; I kept insisting.

Needless to say, I was super excited when, with its fall 2023 rubric changes, the College Board made it crystal clear that:

• Students can earn the complexity point by either integrating their complex analysis throughout the essay or by “tacking it on” at the end in a stand-alone paragraph.
• Evidence of complex understanding can be identified anywhere in the essay.
• There’s no concrete evidence to suggest one method is superior to the other, as no formal study has been conducted on the matter. The best approach could be a single paragraph in the middle, a consistent thread throughout, or a concluding complex analysis. It’s up to teachers to decide which structure works best for their students and teaching style.

That said, when I teach my APWH students how to significantly increase their chances of earning the complexity point, given the rubric changes, I suggest they utilize what I have termed “the tack-it-on approach,” — which I define as a concluding paragraph that uses a “While it is true that… it also needs to be noted that…” structure. I also direct them to practice earning the point using the six-step (ChatGPT employing) approach appearing below:

Step #1

After completing Period 6 (Consequences of Industrialization), select one of the prompts listed below:

1. Evaluate the extent to which the Mongol Empire facilitated cultural exchange across Eurasia from 1200 to 1450.
2. Evaluate the extent to which the spread of Islam influenced social structures in West Africa from 1200 to 1450.
3. Evaluate the extent to which the feudal system in Europe shaped economic systems from 1200 to 1450.
4. Evaluate the extent to which the printing press raised social issues in Europe from 1400 CE — 1750.
5. Evaluate the extent to which religion promoted empire growth from 1200–1450
6. Evaluate the extent to which Enlightenment thought was a primary cause of political revolutions in the Atlantic World from 1750 to 1900.
7. Evaluate the extent to which the Silk Road trade routes impacted the cultures of European societies from 1200 to 1450.
8. Evaluate the extent to which the Indian Ocean trade network fostered economic and cultural exchanges between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia from 1200 to 1450.
9. Evaluate the extent to which the Ottoman Empire influenced the political landscape of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East from 1450 to 1750.
10. Evaluate the extent to which the Qing Dynasty’s policies shaped China’s social structures from 1644 to 1750.
11. Evaluate the extent to which the Columbian Exchange altered the culture of the Old World from 1750–1800
12. Evaluate the extent to which the American Revolution ( resulted in the rise of social unrest elsewhere from 1776 to 1800.
13. Evaluate the extent to which the Industrial Revolution transformed economic systems in Britain from 1750 to 1850.
14. Evaluate the extent to which industrialization influenced social changes in European societies from 1750 to 1900.
15. Evaluate the extent to which technological innovation resulted in the rise of maritime empires in the period 1450 to 1750.

Step #2

Copy and paste the following prompt into ChatGPT; then add the prompt you selected from above to the end of the first sentence of the prompt; and then submit.

Hey ChatGPT, I want you to provide me with a thesis for a prompt that reads as follows:

The thesis you create, unless directed otherwise, should consist of two sentences. The first sentence should begin with “To a great extent,” followed by a direct answer to the prompt. This means this first sentence should use as many words from the prompt as possible, while using few if any additiojal words. It also means this first sentence should not contain a single line of reasoning. The second sentence should begin with “During this period,” followed by words that include 1–2 lines of reasoning.

Step #3:

Copy and paste the following prompt into ChatGPT and submit.

Hey ChatGPT, I now want you to name and describe in two to three sentences two pieces of evidence that a student could use in an essay that responds to the prompt I selected and the thesis you created.

Step #4:

Copy and paste the following prompt into ChatGPT and submit

Hey ChatGPT, now I want you to ask me to try to earn the complexity point ultizing APWH teacher Peter Paccone’s tack-it-on approach. He’s convinced that utlizing this approach can significantly increase a student’s chance of earning the APWH LEQ and DBQ complexity point. In any event, time now to give it a try!”

Note to teachers, students, and ChatGPT.
AP social studies teacher Peter Paccone’s Tack-It-On Approach calls on students to add a standalone paragraph to the end of their LEQ and DBQ essays, with this paragraph seeking to modify or qualify the essay’s main argument. Ideally, this paragraph should consist of 3–7 sentences, starting with “While it is true that…” and ending with “it also needs to be noted that…”

Step #5:

Write a paragraph attempting to earn the complexity point by using my tack-it-on approach. Then, when done, submit

Step #6:

Copy and paste the following prompt into ChatGPT and submit.

Hey ChatGPT, now provide some indication of whether the submitted attempt to earn the complexity point will actually earn the point. When doing this, keep in mind that every ‘it also needs to be noted” clause should be viewed by the readers in May as an ‘ace card,’ with the revealing of a single ‘Ace Card’ to be deemed as as an attempt to earn the point that either falls just below or rises slightly above the Complexity Point Scoring Bar.

Also, when providing your feedback, at some point, please use the wording of one of the following:

1. Try again. You still have a ways to go before getting over the Complexity Point Scoring Bar.

2. Good job. You’ve revealed one ace card and so APWH readers in May should view your attemtp as either falling just below or rising slightly above the Complexity Point Scoring Bar.

3. Great Job. You’ve revealed at least two ace cards and so APWH readers in May should view your attemtp as soaring high above the Complexity Point Scoring Bar. That said, and just to be safe, try putting forward a third ace card.

Sidenote #1

The 20 prompts provided at the beginning of this post were all generated by ChatGPT. These prompts are specifically tailored to the content taught in Periods 1–6 of the AP World History (Modern) curriculum.

Sidenote #2

Early field testing has proved so encouraging that I’ve decided to share my five-step ChatGPT strategy here, yet I wonder if others will give this strategy the same thumbs up, especially if they aren’t using ChatGPT-4. This is all so new! So challenging. Whether thumbs up or down, I look forward to receiving your feedback at ppaccone@smusd.us.