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How to Write a CCOT Essay

Last Updated: March 31, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been viewed 161,072 times.

The Continuity and Change-Over-Time (CCOT) essay is a type that is commonly used on the AP World History exam, but you may be asked to write one for other settings or courses. Basically, it asks you to think about how a particular subject has developed or altered over time, as well as to consider what about it has stayed the same. Writing one is a piece of cake if you practice, organize your thoughts before you start writing, and keep the basic requirements of this essay type in mind as you work.

Gathering the Information you Need

• For example, a prompt might ask you to “Evaluate the extent of continuity and change in the lives of European immigrants in the United States between 1876 and 1918."

• A thesis might look something like “While the United States maintained its position as a manufacturing superpower in the first five decades after WWII, over time its focus shifted from the production of traditional goods to the creation of innovative electronics.”
• Your thesis must specifically mention the time period. [2] X Research source
• Be as direct as possible about the continuity and change over time.

• Jot down the basic facts you know about the topic, as well as any key details that stick out in your mind. Build your essay around these concrete details.
• For example, if your topic asks you to consider the development of manufacturing in the United States after WWII, start by writing down what you know about industries during that time period. If you know particular details about developments in the auto industry, you might work with those above all.

• For instance, if you are writing about changes and continuities in manufacturing after WWII, you might argue that the Vietnam War and the fuel crisis of the 1970s decisively changed the shape of American industries.
• Create a timeline of events to sort out your historical information in order and help identify the turning point.

• Continuing with the manufacturing example, your might keep in mind that the fuel crisis of the 1970s led to a rise in imported, fuel-efficient cars, which impacted the auto industry in the United States.

Organizing and Writing Your Essay

• Create an outline to serve as the framework for your essay.
• For example, you might have a first paragraph that establishes your thesis and the conditions at the start of the time period. This could be followed by two paragraphs on changes that occurred over time. Finally, the essay could close with a paragraph on what stayed the same.

• Be selective and organize your thoughts. Don’t just dump out everything you know about a subject.
• Stay in the place and time relevant to the prompt. If a prompt asks you to think about the development of manufacturing in the United States, your evidence shouldn’t be based on examples from manufacturing in China.
• On the other hand, don’t forget to explain the global significance of your topic. For instance, at some point in your essay, you might note that changes in manufacturing in the United States led to an increasing rise in imported home goods manufactured in China.

• If you get stuck, go back to the notes/ideas you had about the turning point, since this can show you exactly what changed, when, and why.

Preparing for the Exam

• 1 point for having an acceptable thesis
• Up to 2 points for addressing all parts of the question
• Up to 2 points for effectively using appropriate historical evidence
• 1 point for explaining the changes in terms of world history and global contexts
• 1 point for analyzing the process of continuity and change over time

• For example, including several relevant examples of changes and continuities will help you earn points in the Expanded Core.
• You cannot earn points in the Expanded Core unless your essay already covers all aspects of the Basic Core.

• Don’t use evidence from the wrong time period. Using the example of Captain Cook won’t help you if the essay asks you to examine continuities and changes in work exploration between 1400 and 1700.
• Avoid vagueness of dates. Don’t write an essay that discusses “exploration before the eighteenth century.” Instead, tell your readers that your essay will discuss changes and continuities from 1492 (Columbus’ first voyage) to Hudson’s voyage of 1609-1611.
• Don’t just dump as many facts as possible into your essay. Organize and analyze all information you include, making sure it is relevant.

Community Q&A

• If you are writing a CCOT essay for a class, always ask your teacher for advice. He or she may have specific expectations for the essay that may differ from these general guidelines. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you can't spell a word, choose another one. Although spelling mistakes and grammar errors would not deduct points, poor spelling can cast a shadow on the rest of your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Avoid cursive, especially if your handwriting is messy, as it may be harder for the AP essay readers. Don't have too many scribbles on the paper, for they may make it harder for the grader to read. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Keep an eye on your time. You do not want to spend too much time on this one essay, running out of time on the rest. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Other wikiHows

• ↑ http://www.utdallas.edu/apsi/documents/cone-2016.pdf
• ↑ http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/0024122010/899891/AP_World_History_Essay_Writers_HB.pdf
• ↑ https://gibaulthistory.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/possible-ccot-essay-structures.pdf
• ↑ http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/40896.html
• ↑ https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/apcentral/ap15_world_history_q3.pdf
• ↑ http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/6.2/cohen.html

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How to Write a CCOT (Continuity and Change Over Time) Essay

Basically, CCOT stands for continuity and change-over-time, so in this type of task, you have to explore the dynamics of a particular subject and explain how it transformed over time. 

In fact, its purpose is to evaluate students' ability to analyze historical changes that shaped social, political, technological, and economic developments or affected global processes. 

Generally, the CCOT essay is a type of writing required at the Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) examination. However, you might be asked to complete a CCOT essay in other settings and disciplines. 

You can think about CCOT in different ways. For example, you may discuss in your essay whether change outweighs continuity or focus on the cause and effects of a primary change in a certain era.

How to Write a CCOT Essay

• Formulate your thesis statement 

Simply put, a thesis statement is a summary of your essay argument. As for a COOT essay, you must refer to both continuity and change, so you can follow the next formula when creating a thesis:

Over the time period between (x) and (y) in (location), (continuity)x3, remained constant in (topic), while there were significant changes in (topic) such as (change)x3.  

Usually, it’s fine to make your thesis not longer than one sentence. But note that you should include at least two continuities and two changes to your statement as well as to mention a specific time period. 

• Write down ideas and identify concepts 

Before you start writing an essay at APUSH (AP United States History) exam, jot down some basic facts about the topic, relying on your own knowledge only, since you won’t be provided with any information sources. First, determine what you can write about and then build your essay around it. 

Even though you have to focus on a particular location and timeframe, you should also consider the situation in the rest of the world in that period. There is no need to go deep into detail about other locations, but it would be great to describe how some world events influenced your topic. 

• Create an outline and find evidence 

You can organize your essay in many different ways since there is no right or wrong. However, it is more preferable to organize your paper so that it emphasizes changes first. If you discuss the changes before the continuities, you will be able to come across your arguments more clearly. In fact, this is the most common approach for outline creation. 

It's essential to include a few specific examples in each paragraph. Make your examples rich in detail and relevant to the time and place mentioned in the essay prompt. Also, think about the significance of your topic in the global context. 

• Explain the cause of change 

To get a high score in the AP World History exam, you should not just clearly state what changed about the topic but also analyze a historical situation. In other words, it's important to go beyond the basics and explain both the process and causes of changes. You can also describe if the change happened unevenly in different places or over time and mention intermediate points in a certain period. 

Approaches to Address the Topic

Using this approach, you should first add a topic sentence, then provide a baseline, next explain the cause of change or context, give evidence, summarize the change, describe its status and significance at the endpoint. 

According to this approach, you need to base body paragraphs around sub-periods. So after adding a topic sentence, you need to describe the characteristics of a historical situation, tell about the events and processes that changed or stayed the same, and then explain the cause of changes and their significance during a certain period.

Use writing formulas 

To write body paragraphs, you can follow the next formulas. 

Statement (sentence #1)

During the time period (… to …), (events in the world context) caused (topic/theme) to stay constant because (reasons). 

As you see, you must think about what was going on in the world causing the continuity and cover the historical development of an event. Note that the global context must be relevant to the topic. 

Analysis of continuity (sentences #2, #3, #4)

One continuity that took place in (topic/theme) was (…). The reason for it is (analysis). An example of this would be (specific evidence). 

• Changes  

Statement  (sentence #1) 

During the time period (…), (event in the world context) caused things to change in (topic/theme) because (reasons).  

One change that occurred in (topic/theme) was (…). The reason for it is (analysis). An example of this would be (specific evidence). 

In your conclusion, you should make some more global connections and explain why it's important to discuss the essay topic today. You can also predict how it will move forward in history and whether it will undergo further changes or stay the same.

Learn More About Scoring

Typically, you can earn 1 point for having a good thesis, up to 2 points for addressing the question, up to 2 points for using accurate evidence, 1 point for illustrating the changes in terms of global contexts and 1 point for analyzing the process of continuity and change over a period of time. 

You can also get up to 2 additional points for excellence if you go above and beyond in analyzing your topic. 

Wrapping Up 

Hopefully, this article gave you a better understanding of how to write a CCOT essay for AP World History. Summing up, you should first define areas of change and continuity in your thesis, and then establish time period boundaries that you will address. Next, analyze the cause of changes and address continuity. It's also important to discuss the global context of the historical situation and connect it to world processes and change.

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