1.4 Part III: The Enduring Issues Essay
Key Takeaways
- An enduring issue is a broad challenge or problem that societies have grappled with across many places and long stretches of time - examples include power, conflict, human rights, trade/economic interdependence, technology, and scarcity.
- The essay is scored on a 0-5 rubric and you must use evidence from at least three of the five provided documents PLUS relevant outside information.
- A top response identifies one enduring issue, argues why it is significant, and explains how it has endured and changed over time, supported by specific document and outside evidence.
- Lead with a clear thesis that names the enduring issue, then organize the body by document evidence showing the issue across different eras or regions.
- Because the 0-5 essay score is multiplied (by 3) in the conversion, a strong essay is worth roughly 15 raw points - never leave Part III blank or unfinished.
What an Enduring Issue Is
An enduring issue is a broad challenge or problem that societies have faced again and again, across many places and long periods of time. It is not a single event - it is a recurring theme that 'endures.' Part III gives you five documents and asks you to find one enduring issue running through them, then build an essay around it.
Common enduring issues that appear repeatedly in Global II:
| Enduring issue | What it captures | Sample Global II evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Power / authority | Who rules and how power is gained, used, or limited | Absolute monarchs, Enlightenment limits on power, totalitarian states |
| Conflict | War and violent struggle over land, ideology, or resources | World Wars, Cold War proxy wars, decolonization struggles |
| Human rights | Protection or violation of people's basic dignity | The Holocaust, apartheid, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| Trade / economic interdependence | Exchange and the inequality it can create | Industrial-era global trade, OPEC, the WTO and globalization |
| Impact of technology | How new tools reshape societies | Industrial machinery, communication networks, weapons of mass destruction |
| Scarcity | Competition over limited resources | Resource-driven imperialism, the Irish potato famine, environmental limits |
Choose an issue that at least three documents clearly support - breadth across the documents matters more than picking the 'fanciest' theme.
The 0-5 Rubric (What Each Score Means)
NYSED scores the essay on a 0-5 holistic rubric. A high-scoring (5) response generally:
- Identifies and clearly defines an enduring issue raised by the documents.
- Argues that the issue is significant and explains how it has endured (persisted across time/place) and how it has changed.
- Uses evidence from at least three of the five documents.
- Incorporates relevant outside information beyond the documents.
- Is well developed, organized, and supported, with a clear thesis.
Middle scores (3) typically identify an issue and use some documents but stay general, thinly defined, or light on outside information. Low scores (1-2) barely address the task, misidentify the issue, or rely on a single document. A 0 is off-topic, blank, or merely copies documents. Two non-negotiables for a passing-quality essay: at least three documents AND outside information. Miss either and the score is capped low.
Thesis and Structure
Use a clear, repeatable structure so you never run out of time figuring out the shape:
Introduction
- Define an enduring issue in one or two sentences.
- State a thesis that names the issue and previews that it is significant and has endured/changed over time.
Body (2-3 paragraphs)
- Each paragraph develops the issue using specific documents (cite them as the prompt directs) and outside information.
- Organize by time or place to show the issue recurring across eras or regions - this is how you prove it 'endured.'
- Explicitly state how the issue changed as well as how it persisted.
Conclusion
- Restate why the issue is significant and how it endured and changed - tie the documents together rather than introducing a new idea.
Tip: Outside information means accurate, relevant facts NOT found in the documents - a named leader, event, treaty, or movement you bring from your own knowledge. Plan to weave in at least two solid pieces.
Why the Essay Decides Pass/Fail
The enduring issues essay's 0-5 score is weighted (multiplied by 3) before raw scores are summed, so a 5/5 essay is worth roughly 15 raw points - more than half the value of the entire 28-question Part I. The practical consequences:
- Never leave Part III blank. Even a rough essay that defines an issue and uses three documents can earn 2-3 points (worth 6-9 weighted), often the margin between failing and a scale 65.
- Budget 60-70 minutes for it and protect that time when planning Part I and II pacing.
- Outline first. Spend 5 minutes choosing the issue and tagging which documents support it before writing; a focused 4-paragraph essay beats a sprawling unfinished one.
A student who writes a complete, document-grounded enduring issues essay has done the single most valuable thing on the exam.
Which of the following best fits the definition of an 'enduring issue' on the Global II Regents?
A student writes an enduring issues essay that names a clear issue and a thesis but quotes only two of the five documents and includes no outside information. What is the most likely scoring outcome?