AP World History Exam- Is it common for students to not even attempt the essay questions?

My teacher said that if you just put random events and dates, you will get some credit. He said that they just like it that you know the names of things- they don't even have to be about the topic. He showed us an essay that was an 8 and it was a comparison one. It was comparing like China and Russia I think. The essay did not say anything at all about Russia. It was 100% about China. And it still got an 8