gre issue essay tips

gre issue essay tips

Effective Strategies for Writing a High-Scoring GRE Issue Essay

1. Introduction to the GRE Issue Essay

The GRE Issue Essay is answered in one hour and will allow you to demonstrate that you can analyze complex, philosophical concepts and express your thoughts clearly. The issue essay is basically a prompt to admit all of your knowledge and experiences as evidence to persuade others to a certain point of view. The issue topic is a brief statement that presents a general issue. The instructions will direct you to either agree or disagree with the statement. Your essay must analyze the issue and explain the principles by which you will provide evidence to support your answer. Your task is to show that the claim is true by stressing the relative values of the two points of view. Address the topic’s complexity by examining different viewpoints. Do not let partisanship, ignorance, and resentment affect your task. By “complex,” GRE means that the issue has one or more claims, possibly rival claims, each of which is relevant to the topic. Because of the importance inherent to the issue essay point of view, do not write about personal experiences.

The GRE Issue Essay is a bit of a different beast than the Analysis of an Argument Essay. It stands alone and is not part of the score for the Analytical Writing Section. Instead, it is achieved on a separate scale (on a range of 0-6) from the other section scores. Few students demonstrate the analytical ability and writing proficiency needed to earn a score higher than a 4 in the short time limit of the GMAT. Nonetheless, there are some strategies – based on the descriptions of the score scale – that can help you improve the essay enough to earn a 5 or a 6. To earn a score of 5 or a score of 6 on the GRE Issue Essay, you must demonstrate a near exemplary level of proficient writing. Though you will not have access to readers’ commentaries on your essay responses, you can understand what readers will consider by reading scored essay samples. You should also consider the difference between the Issue essay score scale and the score scale for your Analytical Writing responses. To improve your writing, read and evaluate high-scoring Issue essay responses.

2. Understanding the GRE Issue Task and Scoring Rubric

Specifically, when you are in the Prometric testing center, you will be presented with the following directions: “Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.” You are to indicate your response to the issue by choosing one of two options. The Issue Task is designed to test the analytical writing skills of all examinees, regardless of their major or field of study. This task does not replace the old GRE test essay portion of the test. It is important to understand that using a list or an informal brainstorming technique is not the same as developing your ideas fully beforehand. You should think matters through, consider reasons for and against, and decide what position you will take. Only then will you be truly ready to enter the planning phase.

In the GRE Issue Task, you will be presented with a brief quotation that states or suggests an issue of general interest and is followed by instructions on how to respond to the issue. This passage is called the prompt. You are required to write a brief essay in response to the prompt. The prompt includes directions that you may address from any perspective: your personal experience, knowledge you have gained from your classes or study, or your opinion as to the issue’s significance.

3. Key Components of a Strong GRE Issue Essay

Relevant support is the key to a high score. If you understand the issue (its statements, words, and implications) when you write your essay, your focus on the task will render that language and those implications relevant. When you plan what you’ll write before you begin your essay, you’ll have chosen relevant points. You’ve rehearsed your supporting examples in your mind as you’ve planned your response. These examples should be specific. They should be detailed enough to show why the example is relevant and why it supports a particular point. You’ll want examples that are easily related to your analysis and examples that contribute to the development of the supportive points. The level of detail isn’t an indication of the inadequacy of the mere mention of an example, or a quality of the thought presented in a response. Your aim is to write a good essay.

The high-end response you write for the GRE Issue task will be more focused on an evaluation of specific points than on a generalization about a particular subject. The topic sentence of each paragraph will help you return to the same basic subject when your analysis of a specific aspect of the prompt seems to have narrowed your focus on a topic other than the one raised by the issue. Never wander away from that specific subject or your points, while they may be creative and interesting, will not be relevant. Sticking to the specifics of the task follows from having accomplished that all-important, previous planning of the points that will support a part of the response.

4. Strategies for Developing and Structuring Your Argument

When writing your essay, prepare an outline. This will help you construct issues and explanations. Start with an introduction where you always want to provide your reader with an idea or hypothesis. After the hypothesis, include necessary assumptions which help set the stage for whatever the author is proposing. The author can then go on to construct arguments. Within every chapter, write sub-chapters. This helps the author keep their ideas logically connected. The author can then continue to detail the important implications of their arguments and, by doing that, challenge perceived wisdom. Finally, and very importantly, the author can then list and provide strategies.

Avoid listing your opinion and individual examples strategy. Each reader is trained, after all, in establishing some basis between the general and their argument. Instead, the reader will be interested in the development and sequence of the author’s ideas and how they help construct or advance their arguments. It is crucial to keep in mind that the essay is an exploration of a hypothesis and not a set of policy recommendations. In writing the essay, it is worth remembering that an essay describing any opinion does not help the test-taker and thus serves no purpose.

5. Tips for Effective Revision and Proofreading

Résumé Review: It is important to emphasize how your essay addresses the issue at hand and demonstrates that you have thought about the problem; not only do you need to properly define the terms in the prompt but you should also explain important concepts in your own words before applying them to the problem. This introduction also sets the stage for your conclusion. If the essay is concerned with some policy that should be implemented, the issue or practice should be part of a process and should be presented in its proper context. Your final paragraph should summarize the discussion but it should also analyze the various arguments that were used in terms of their logic and their relation to the main issue. This preparation will also help you craft more concrete introductions to paragraphs and to the essay as a whole.

5. Tips for Effective Revision and Proofreading

The Graduate Record Examination, or GRE, has three components: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and the Analytical Writing Assessment. This test is designed to assess a student’s ability to succeed at a graduate level. The Analytical Writing Assessment portion of the test is based on assessing the examinee’s ability to think critically and to write clearly and succinctly. The two sections in this part are analyze an issue and analyze an argument. In the issue essay, a list of statements, one of which assesses a policy or practice, is presented for the examinee to critique. The most effective way to learn the specific requirements of this assignment is through practice, preparation, and research. Many scores are based upon the ability of the examinee to recognize which features the GRE evaluators prize and properly address these criteria.