There are three types of essays that you will write. DBQ's, CC's, and CCOT's are not as intimidating as they seem. If I could give you one piece of advice then it would be to befriend the Guatemala paper. It will help you on all three papers to get a seven and even go on to expanded core. You will spend most of the year writing Document Based Question essays (DBQ) most of the year. You will write cultural comparison (CC) and changes and continuities over time (CCOT) essays towards the end of the year.