Scoring Guidelines.pdf

The 2017 AP United States History scoring guidelines provide instructions for answering short answer questions. For Short Answer Question 1, students must answer three parts: (a) explain a historical development that represents an accomplishment of the national government under the Articles of Confederation, (b) explain an argument critics used to support revising the Articles of Confederation, and (c) explain how the United States Constitution addresses a criticism of the Articles of Confederation. Examples of responses that would earn points are provided in the guidelines.

For Short Answer Question 2, students must answer three parts: (a) explain how the Second World War transformed the relationship of the United States with the rest of the world, (b) explain one important way the Second World War transformed United States society, and (c) explain another important way the Second World War transformed United States society. The guidelines provide examples of responses that would earn points for each part.

The scoring guide awards 0-3 points for each question, with 3 points for answering all parts of the question, 2 points for answering two parts, 1 point for answering one part, and 0 points for not answering any parts. A "no response" or completely blank answer receives a score of NR.