College Board has announced updates to the AP History exams beginning with the May 2027 AP exams, including AP World History: Modern. The good news? The AP World History course content is not being overhauled. The same historical periods, themes, skills, and learning objectives remain in place. The changes are happening in the free-response section, which includes the SAQ, LEQ, and DBQ formats.
What Is Changing on the AP World History Exam in 2027?
1. All SAQs Will Now Include Source Material
One of the biggest changes is that all short-answer questions will include a source. Students will still answer three SAQs, but they will no longer choose between options. They will be required to answer all three.
The new SAQ structure will be:
- SAQ 1: 1 or more secondary text sources
- SAQ 2: Primary text source
- SAQ 3: Primary or secondary non-text source, such as an image, chart, map, or visual source
Each SAQ will focus on a different historical period.
For teachers, this means students will need even more regular practice with reading, interpreting, and responding to sources quickly. The SAQ is no longer just a place for content recall. I will be updating my SAQ Bell Ringers to reflect these changes.
2. The LEQ Will Be Required, Not a Choice Between Prompts
The Long Essay Question is also changing. Instead of students choosing between multiple LEQ prompts, they will receive one required LEQ prompt. College Board describes the updated LEQ as a broader prompt that allows students to develop a historically defensible thesis, describe context, use at least two pieces of evidence, and demonstrate complex understanding.
The new LEQ will also include a brief introductory statement to help orient students and suggest possible areas of analysis.
This is an important shift. Students will still need to know how to write a strong thesis, contextualize, support an argument with evidence, and demonstrate complexity. But they will also need practice responding to broader prompts where they choose the evidence and line of reasoning they know best.
3. The DBQ Will Cover a Wider Chronological Range
The DBQ is also being adjusted. College Board states that the document-based question will now cover a wider chronological range, allowing students to use evidence from across the course.
This does not mean the DBQ rubric is changing. Students will still need to build an argument using documents, outside evidence, sourcing, contextualization, and complexity. But it does mean students may need more practice thinking across larger time periods instead of treating each unit as completely separate.
Look for updates to my FRQ Bundle soon!
How I’m Updating My AP World History Curriculum
Because of these changes, I am updating my AP World History curriculum to reflect the new 2027 exam format while still keeping the strong CED alignment teachers already rely on.
Here is what I’m focusing on:
More Source-Based SAQ Practice
Since all SAQs will now include source material, I am revising and adding SAQ practice that includes:
- Primary text sources
- Secondary text sources
- Maps, charts, images, and other non-text sources
- Short, manageable prompts that help students practice AP-style reasoning
- Teacher answer keys that model clear, concise responses
The goal is to help students get used to interpreting a source and connecting it to historical developments quickly.
Updated LEQ Practice
Since students will now receive one required LEQ instead of choosing between multiple prompts, I am updating LEQ practice to help students respond to broader prompts with more confidence.
This includes more practice with:
- Building a defensible thesis
- Choosing strong evidence
- Creating a clear line of reasoning
- Using historical reasoning processes like comparison, causation, and continuity and change
- Writing under timed conditions
More Cross-Unit Review and Chronological Thinking
Because the DBQ may cover a wider chronological range, I am also strengthening cross-unit connections throughout the curriculum. Students need to see how Unit 1 connects to Unit 2, how Units 3 and 4 overlap, how industrialization connects to imperialism, and how the twentieth century builds on earlier global patterns.
This means more review activities, writing prompts, and guided notes that encourage students to think across time rather than treating each unit as isolated.
Maintaining the Same Strong CED Alignment
Even with the exam changes, the course framework itself remains the foundation. My curriculum will continue to be aligned to the AP World History: Modern CED, including the required historical developments, learning objectives, themes, and skills.
The biggest updates will be about exam preparation and skill practice, not rewriting the entire course from scratch.
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