GRE Practice Test: Analytical Writing Sample Essays
What is ‘Analyze the Issue’ in GRE Analytical Writing?
Analyze the Issue is the first task in your GRE test, and you will be given 30 minutes to complete it.
The task entails a brief statement or claim about a particular topic of general interest, such as education, technology, society, government, policy, arts, economics, and ethics.
How to Prepare for GRE Analytical Writing
- Understand the grading system and how your essays will be scored.
- Learn how to develop and support arguments in a balanced manner.
- Read the prompt properly and the question thoroughly.
- Explore the issue in depth, not superficially.
- Form your stance: whether you agree or disagree with the issue.
- Use examples from science, economics, history, entertainment, politics, current affairs, etc., to support your argument.
- Learn how to structure your essays: a clear introduction with the thesis statement, logically flowing body paragraphs, and a conclusion that ties up all the arguments.
- Utilise high-quality learning resources, such as IMS Manya’s test prep resources for the GRE. You can also try ETS’s site for its entire pool of “Analyse an Issue” topics.
Read Also: GRE Preparation 2025: Step-by-Step Guide, Strategy & Study Plan
Template for GRE Analytical Issue Writing Task
Forming a template for ‘Analyze the Issue’ will help you save time and make your essay look more structured to the grader. Here’s a template that will get you a score between 5 and 6.
Introduction
Body Paragraph
Write why you are in support of your stance or your thesis statement.
Illustrate your point with an example from science, history, economics, entertainment, politics, or current affairs.
Second Body Paragraph
Third Body Paragraph
In this paragraph, introduce a contrasting idea. You can present the opposite side of your thesis statement. As in the previous case, use relevant examples to illustrate your point.
Conclusion
Reaffirm your thesis statement with a paragraph that sums up all your arguments. Use words like “therefore,” “Hence,” “In conclusion,” etc.
Read Also: Best GRE Study Material 2025: Free GRE Prep Books
GRE Analytical Writing Tips
There is No Right or Wrong Side
Understand Nuance
Don’t take extreme stances by writing, “I completely disagree” or “I totally agree.” GRE prompts are designed to incite debate and often tread a gray area.
So never use phrases that signify extremes, such as “completely agree,” “strongly disagree,” “staunchly disagree,” “I oppose,” etc.
Always use this structure for GRE issue task: “While X can be true in some cases, I believe Y makes a stronger argument.”
Never Use Generic Examples
Use real-world examples from SHEEP (Science, History, Economics, Entertainment and Politics) for the GRE analytical writing task prep. This gives gravitas to your writing and convinces the raters that you could apply the prompt to real-life situations to support or oppose the issue.
Follow 5-20-5 Rule
Do not start writing immediately as soon as you get the prompt. Instead, break the 30-minute time frame into a 5-20-5 format. Use the first 5 minutes to think and outline your points, 20 minutes to write, and the last 5 minutes to read and rework.
Use Words That Show the Flow of Arguments
While writing, use words as signposts to show where your ideas and arguments are leading. To add new points, use words like “additionally”, “furthermore,” “moreover,” etc.
To show contrast, use “conversely,” “however,” or “nevertheless.” To show conclusion, use “in conclusion”, “ultimately,” “consequently,” etc.
Stick to 500-600 Words
How is the GRE Analytical Writing Scored?
GRE analytical writing is scored on a scale of 0-6, with increments in half points (0.5, 1, 1.5).
A score of 6 is the highest in GRE analytical writing. A score of 0 is given for essays that fail to target the topic, are in a different language or are just the prompt copied and pasted.
It is an independent score, which means it won’t be factored into your Verbal and Quantitative scores.
A human grader and a computerised grader, developed by the ETS, analyse the writing and assign scores.
In step 1, a trained human grader rates the essay based on the official criteria. The e-grader then scores it. If your scores by the human grader and the e-grader are close, then an average score is taken.
If the scores are too diverse, then a second human grader is brought in to recheck the essay. In this case, your final score will be the average of the two scores by the human graders.
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Score
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Performance Description
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6 and 5.5
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Deep, insightful analysis of complex ideas; strong logic and examples; clear focus and organization; precise language and varied sentences; minor errors only.
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5 and 4.5
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Thoughtful analysis; logical support and examples; generally clear and organized; good vocabulary and sentence control; few minor errors.
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4 and 3.5
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Adequate analysis following directions; relevant support; fair organisation and clarity; some sentence or grammar mistakes may affect meaning.
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3 and 2.5
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Limited analysis or weak development; poor organisation; frequent language errors cause vagueness or confusion.
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2 and 1.5
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Serious flaws in analysis, development, or structure; unclear response; frequent errors that obscure meaning.
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1 and 0.5
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Very poor writing; unclear or irrelevant content; little development; severe, consistent errors.
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| 0 |
Off-topic, copied, in another language, or unreadable.
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NS
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No response written.
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Common topics for the GRE “Analyse an Issue” task
The common topics prepared for issue tasks are a mix of subjects that revolve around general interest, social debates, ethical issues, and such.
In this section of the GRE, you are expected to critically analyse an issue that will be expressed in the form of a claim or a statement. You are required to take a stance and support your position with relevant examples and evidence.
Here are some sample topics for the GRE Analyse the Issue section: Education, social issues, government and politics, arts and culture, ethics and morality, and economics and business.
GRE Issue Task Essay Example Prompts
- Governments should focus on solving today’s problems, rather than those in the future.
- College students should pursue subjects that interest them, rather than those that are likely to lead to a job.
- Politicians should seek common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals.
- Leaders are shaped by the expectations placed upon them.
- The human mind is superior to machines because human minds created them.
- People who are most deeply committed to an idea are also likely to be deeply critical of it.
- Knowing about the past cannot help people make important decisions today.
- The best way to understand contemporary culture is to analyse the trends of the youth.
- Should education assessment focus on understanding concepts rather than memorisation of facts?
- Is the primary goal of education to prepare students for the workforce or encourage intellectual curiosity for its own sake?
GRE Analytical Writing Sample Essay for Analyse the Issue (Example)
| “The greatness of a leader is determined more by the demands of the times than by the leader’s own innate abilities or character.” |
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Whether leaders are products of their times or due to their own innate nature is a classical conundrum. It questions whether the circumstances are the reason why a leader becomes great, or if it is his innate ability to do great things. While it’s plausible that the demands of the times can shape a leader, it also takes a great human being to rise to the occasion and address these demands, and that’s my opinion.
I believe that the circumstances merely shape a leader who is already poised to lead. They go on to magnify the leadership qualities that are already present in the person. First, one should understand the argument that the prompt puts forth. Times can create the very situation that demands a leader to step into the role, but it is a person’s innate qualities that dictate what kind of leader he will become. Franklin D Roosevelt rose to power during the Great Depression and World War II. To say that he is simply shaped by the times he lived in is a great disservice to his leadership. While the situations created opportune moments for a leader like him to rise, it was Roosevelt’s innate qualities, like optimism, political acumen, and communication, that turned him into an instrument of change during dire times. If not for these virtues, any other person would have faltered. However, this is not to say that the reverse is never the case. Sometimes, a leader may not realise their own strengths until a time comes when they are forced to reckon with them. In such situations, a person may be forced to adapt to situations, making him the leader that the times demand. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president leading the country’s resistance against Russia, was previously an actor and comedian. These roles have nothing to do with his rise as a national hero. In this case, it is the times that shaped him into a leader, building the morale of his countrymen in times of war. If not for the times, he would have been just another actor-turned-politician who may have led a lacklustre tenure. Then there’s the case that overlaps both arguments: a person whose innate qualities are so powerful that they create the demands instead of simply responding to them. A visionary like Steve Jobs knew that in a market saturated with flip phones and BlackBerrys, there was no room for a new player. It was his disruptive vision that created the juggernaut known as the iPhone. By focusing on design, he convinced the times that owning an iPhone is a necessary step towards maintaining a particular lifestyle. He didn’t fit into the mould of his time; he was an iconoclast who built a new one. Jobs is an outlier who created the times, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, the prompt suggests that leadership is a direct result of the times. The times may set the stage for the emergence of a leader, but it is the person themselves who decides what kind of leader they become.
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