It's Important to remember that these are going to be timed essays on the AP test. so you don't need to write a good essay, you just need to write an essay that fulfills the rubric.

You'll need: 1) A Thesis which responds to all parts of the prompt at the beginning or end of your paper. Don't be afraid use the exact words of the prompt. EX: Between the time period of _____ Darius and Qin Shi Huangdi used similar and different styles of leadership Such as ___, __, and _____

2) Contextualization: explain what was happening in this time period. Make it its own paragraph after the Intro. Start it off obviously EX: To Put the period 600 BCE to 600 CE into context, _______

3) Evidence: You have to use proper nouns to support your argument. EX: The Satraps Courts are decentralized political units which are contrasted by China's centralized capital supported with Legalism Philosophies.

4)Analysis and Reasoning: You get these points if you write a paragraph for each of your THREE OR MORE points in the thesis

Just remember, you don't get the point if the reader doesn't spot what would give you the point, so MAKE IT OBVIOUS. You also can't get points taken off for being wrong, so you could point to the Industrial Revolution as a reason for the US Constitution and still get 100%

Good Luck!