Continuity and Change Over
Time Essay
AP World History
What is the CCOT Essay?
• An essay discussing specialties that changed and
stayed the same in your life between two time periods
(age 5 to age 14)
• The CCOT deals specifically with analysis of
continuities and changes over time
• The CCOT question requires analysis of process and
explanation of the cause with specific examples
The Question
• The Question Prompt: What significant changes took place in your life
from the age of 5 until the present time in any three specialty areas listed
below and what significant historical context led to that change (or
continuity) in your life.
• Education
• friends
• responsibility
• religious life
• family
• athletics
• another topic of your choosing
The Purpose
• To evaluate your ability to analyze historical changes and continuities
of your life and ability to gauge your analysis of global processes
What you need to do.
• Change
• Recognize it as it occurs in your history.
• Identify & Understand the causes of change.
• Continuity
• Recognize factors which remain the same throughout an entire period.
• Identify and understand factors which allow this to continue.
The “Change”
• Must discuss (utilizing concrete detail) and analyze
changes that occurred relevant to the questions.
• And, of course, correct information.
The “Continuity”
• The questions also asks you to address continuities, generally these
are patterns or cultural tendencies that remain stagnant for years and
years.
• For example: Think of the role of women, religions, philosophies, or conflict
between the social classes.
• It very important to remember that you need to have concrete details
to back up your continuity.
Starting and Ending Point
• In order to get complete credit for the CCOT, you need to
address the starting point.
• In order to analyze changes, you must discuss what it was like
before.
• However, pay attention to time period.
• Given the question, your essay may require:
• Starting point, Transition, and Ending condition or
• Starting point and Ending condition.
• Meaning that Outline/Pre-Write is essential.
Good and Bad Changes
• You must identify the change and make it clear why that
change occurred.
• Bad:
• Prior to 1948 the Jewish people had no homeland. In 1948, Israel was
established.
• Good:
• In the Early 20th century, few people saw a need for the establishment
of an independent Jewish state. However, once the world realized the
massive genocide of Jews that took place during World War II, support
for the establishment of Israel began to grow.
Fundamentals of the CCOT Essay
• Thesis should define areas of change and areas of
continuity.
• Establish time period boundaries & address entire
period.
• This can be done in two sentences.
• Address both continuity and change!
• Everyone forgets to do continuity.
• Analyze the cause of changes.
• Use the word “because” a lot.
• Discuss “global context”.
• Connect to world processes and change.
Helpful Hints
• Draw a timeline to help connect the era and events you will
talk about.
• We will be use a chart in class to also help, but you will not
have the chart for the exam.
• Identify what the situation was at the beginning of the era,
also know as a baseline.
• Cite a fact about this.
• Identify what the situation was at the end of the era.
• Cite a fact about this.
• Try to explain the process of change.
• How and why did it happen?
Ways to Think about the CCOT
• You can think about the CCOT as discussing whether change
outweighs continuity, or vice versa.
• You can think about the CCOT as focusing on the cause and/or effects
of a primary change in the era.
• You can think about the CCOT as covering two or three chapters from
the textbook.
• Think about how the situation changes.
Common Triggers for Change
• Consider that change happens unevenly in places and overtime.
• Often speeding up & slowing down.
• Are there steps to the change?
• Intermediate points between the beginning & end of
period are important.
Historical Context
• Remember that changes and continuities in a particular region do not
happen in a vacuum.
• Use varying scope.
• Global trends vs. regional vs. local
• Don’t be afraid to note exceptions to a trend.