GRE Analytical Writing Sample Essays

GRE^® Essay Sections

This Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) portion is made up of two parts:

1. Issue essays
2. Argument essays

It is aimed at measuring the following:

1. Communicate intricate thoughts distinctly and effectually
2. Back notions with appropriate explanations and illustrations
3. Scrutinize claims and supplementary proof
4. Maintain a well-focused, articulate argument
5. Command the components of standard written English

The structure of the GRE^® essay has been designed to test your ability to write a cogent thesis statement that you must defend over the course of several paragraphs.

1. You are allocated a time limit of 30 minutes to complete each section. The is the first section and the structure of the test does not allow you to skip it and come back to it later.
2. The GRE^® Essay expects you to analyze your critical thinking abilities.
3. This allocated topic is usually a statement that is rather broad in nature.
4. You will be evaluated for your capabilities to reason analytically and to debate the given topic from your perspective.
5. You will need to support your viewpoint with appropriate instances and substantiation and structure your answer according to the precise guidelines that will be associated with the task.
6. It is difficult to understand the requirements of this task without first going through relevant GRE^® sample essays.

How to use this Guide for AWA Passage Writing?

What is the difference between the Issue and Argument essays?

ETS provides brief information about an issue of common interest and tells the test taker to evaluate and analyze it. The candidate is required to essentially develop a sound argument for the issue and support it with examples.

ETS Essay Pool for Issue Essays (1 to 10):

The GRE^® Issue essay is similar in structure to the classic 5-paragraph short essay. You can go through the following links for familiarizing yourself with GRE^® sample essays pertaining to the Issue task.

1. GRE^® Issue Essay-1: "We learn through direct experience; to accept a theory without experiencing it is to learn nothing at all."
2. GRE^® Issue Essay-2: "Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places."
3. GRE^® Issue Essay-3: "People are too quick to take action; instead, they should stop to think of the possible consequences of what they might do."
4. GRE^® Issue Essay-4: "It is possible to pass laws that control or place limits on people's behavior, but legislation cannot reform human nature. Laws cannot change what is in people's hearts and minds."
5. GRE^® Issue Essay-5: "Success in any realm of life comes more often from taking chances or risks than from careful and cautious planning."
6. GRE^® Issue Essay-6: "Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways."
7. GRE^® Issue Essay-7: "It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the details may be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the enterprise and unique perception of an individual."
8. GRE^® Issue Essay-8: "The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes."
9. GRE^® Issue Essay-9: "If people disregard the great works of the past, it is because these works no longer answer the needs of the present."
10. GRE^® Issue Essay-10: "As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and more mysterious."

The GRE^® Argument Essay asks you to change perspective from the one you had for the Issue Essay. Your essay should be about 5-6 paragraphs in which you will criticize an argument, describe how it could be improved, and reiterate that it is overall weak and unconvincing.

ETS Essay Pool for Argument Essays (1 to 10):

Take a look at the following sample argument essay topics:

1. GRE^® Argument Essay-1: "Seven years ago, homeowners in nearby Brookville community adopted a set of restrictions on how the community's yards should be landscaped and what colors the exteriors of homes should be painted. Since then, average property values have tripled in Brookville. In order to raise property values in Deerhaven Acres, we should adopt our own set of restrictions on landscaping and house painting."
2. GRE^® Argument Essay-2: "Of the two leading real estate firms in our town, Adams Realty, and Fitch Realty, Adams is clearly superior. Adams has 40 real estate agents. In contrast, Fitch has 25, many of whom work only part-time. Moreover, Adams' revenue last year was twice as high as that of Fitch and included home sales that averaged $168,000, compared to Fitch's $144,000. Homes listed with Adams sell faster as well: ten years ago, I listed my home with Fitch and it took more than four months to sell; last year when I sold another home, I listed it with Adams, and it took only one month. Thus, if you want to sell your home quickly and at a good price, you should use Adams."
3. GRE^® Argument Essay-3: "A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise. Currently, the nearest jazz club is 65 miles away; thus, our proposed club, the C Note, would have the local market all to itself. Plus, jazz is extremely popular in Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe's jazz festival last summer, several well-known jazz musicians live in Monroe, and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is 'Jazz Nightly,' which airs every weeknight. Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment. It is clear that the C Note cannot help but make money."
4. GRE^® Argument Essay-4: "Mesa Foods, a manufacturer of snack foods that currently markets its products within a relatively small region of the country, has strong growth potential. Mesa enjoyed a 20 percent increase in profits last year, and its best-selling product, Diabolique Salsa, has had increased sales over each of the past three years. Since Omni Inc. is interested in reaching 14-to-25-year-olds, the age group that consumes the most snack food, we should buy Mesa Foods, and concentrate in particular on marketing Diabolique Salsa throughout the country."
5. GRE^® Argument Essay-5: "During the past year, Alta Manufacturing had thirty percent more on-the-job accidents than nearby Panoply Industries, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts believe that a significant contributing factor in many on-the-job accidents is fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Alta and thereby increase productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one hour so that our employees will get adequate amounts of sleep."
6. GRE^® Argument Essay-6: "Previous experience has shown that our stores are most profitable in areas where residents are highly concerned with leading healthy lives. We should, therefore, build our next new store in Plainsville, which has many such residents. Plainsville merchants report that sales of running shoes and exercise clothing are at all-time highs. The local health club, which nearly closed five years ago due to lack of business, has more members than ever, and the weight training and aerobics classes are always full. We can even anticipate a new generation of customers: Plainsville's schoolchildren are required to participate in a 'fitness for life' program, which emphasizes the benefits of regular exercise at an early age."
7. GRE^® Argument Essay-7: “In Megalopolis, the number of law school graduates who went to work for large, corporate firms declined by 15 percent over the last three years, whereas an increasing number of graduates took jobs at small, general practice firms. Even though large firms usually offer much higher salaries, law school graduates are choosing to work for smaller firms most likely because they experience greater job satisfaction at smaller firms. In a survey of first-year students at a leading law school, most agreed with the statement that earning a high salary was less important to them than job satisfaction. This finding suggests that the large, corporate firms of Megalopolis will need to offer graduates more benefits and incentives and reduce the number of hours they must work.”
8. GRE^® Argument Essay-8: "Given that the number of people in our country with some form of arthritis is expected to rise from 40 million to 60 million over the next twenty years, pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs for the treatment of arthritis should be very profitable. Many analysts believe that in ten years Becton Pharmaceuticals, which makes Xenon, the best-selling drug treatment for arthritis, will be the most profitable pharmaceutical company. But the patent on Xenon expires in three years, and other companies will then be able to produce a cheaper version of the drug. Thus, it is more likely that in ten years the most profitable pharmaceutical company will be Perkins Pharmaceuticals, the maker of a new drug called Xylan, which clinical studies show is preferred over Xenon by seven out of ten patients suffering from the most extreme cases of arthritis."
9. GRE^® Argument Essay-9: "In the next mayoral election, residents of Clearview should vote for Ann Green, who is a member of the Good Earth Coalition, rather than for Frank Braun, a member of the Clearview town council, because the current members are not protecting our environment. For example, during the past year, the number of factories in Clearview has doubled, air pollution levels have increased, and the local hospital has treated 25 percent more patients with respiratory illnesses. If we elect Ann Green, the environmental problems in Clearview will certainly be solved."
10. GRE^® Argument Essay-10: "Two years ago, our consultants predicted that West Egg's landfill, which is used for garbage disposal, would be completely filled within five years. During the past two years, however, town residents have been recycling twice as much aluminum and paper as they did in previous years. Next month the amount of material recycled should further increase since charges for garbage pickup will double. Furthermore, over ninety percent of the respondents to a recent survey said that they would do more recycling in the future. Because of our residents' strong commitment to recycling, the available space in our landfill should last for considerably longer than predicted."

The topic assigned here is: “As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.”

1. The essay on this specific issue prompts the author to take a position instead of deterring their ability to reason about how technology will stimulate the human race to reach greater goals in life.
2. The sample essay looks at a number of possible avenues by which it strikes the right chord with the GRE^® essay rubric criteria to attain that perfect score.
3. The primary rubric criteria are the way in which the author adopts an insightful and clear stance on the given issue in the essay.
4. Over the entire course of the essay, the author articulates his or her position about the possibilities of embracing new technology as opposed to being fearful of it.
5. This thought culminates as the conclusion for the piece.
   • Paragraph 1: The author recognizes the fact that “technology has revolutionized the world.”
   • Paragraph 2: The author elucidates the thinking behind the declaration in the prompt - “The assumption is that an increased reliance on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve previous quandaries”.
   • Paragraph 3: The author refutes the rationale that was deliberated in paragraph 2, writing that “reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity that marks the human species.”
   • Paragraph 4: The author progresses with her counterclaim one step further, stating that “technology frees the human imagination.”
   • Paragraph 5: The author additionally cultivates the notion from Paragraph 4, stating “By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved.”
   • Paragraph 6: This final paragraph successfully ends the essay with a fully expressed thesis that also computes to what went before: “There is no need to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful posture to the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human imagination.”
   • The author’s clear-cut rationalizations of her opinion and logic augment the lucidity of her position, while the nuanced content of the position itself establishes perception into the issue.

The topic assigned here is: “The best way for a society to prepare its young people for leadership in government, industry, or other fields is by instilling in them a sense of cooperation, not competition.”

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

1. The author of this sample Issue essay has decided on a position on the issue by siding with the cooperation and not competition which is the preferred value to inculcate in young adults in preparation for government
2. The last line of the first paragraph “I would have to agree that the best way to prepare young people for leadership roles is to instill in them a sense of cooperation,” makes a clear declaration that absolutely fulfills the first part of the criteria.
3. The conclusion, particularly the last two sentences reiterates this stance.
4. Just being clear on your stance alone will not help you achieve that perfect score as you need to complement it with demonstrable insights into the core issue.
5. In the second part, the author takes on a two-pronged approach in order to answer the essay question as opposed to just clarifying how cooperativeness spearheads optimistic results in government, industry, and other fields and competitiveness results in negative consequences.
6. In the opening and closing paragraphs, the author makes this position even more categorical.
7. The following rubric criteria deal with how successfully the author fosters his standpoint with examples and reasoning, for example, by reviewing the downsides of competition.
8. Opening with general perceptions of human behaviors at school and the office to present his argument, the author then deftly segues into precise instances of competitiveness gone bad.
9. Each illustration is used by the author to drive his point down deeper with a final round off that competitiveness can help people only up to a certain point, but the price is that it is also “damaging and in due course quite disparaging.”
10. The logical interlinking of notions through paragraphs is the third parameter that makes this a perfectly scoring essay.
11. The manner in which the paragraphs are connected, the core focus still remains on the issue.
12. The author’s skill of using accurate language to communicate precise meaning epitomizes the author’s grasp of the language.

The topic assigned here is: “In surveys, Mason City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating, and fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational facilities. For years there have been complaints from residents about the quality of the river’s water and the river’s smell. In response, the state has recently announced plans to clean up Mason River. The use of the river for water sports is therefore sure to increase. The city government should for that reason devote more money in this year’s budget to riverside recreational facilities.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted.”

1. • The outcome of the survey is binding and demonstrative.
   • The explanation of why Mason River is not being used is by reason of its smell and contamination.
   • Getting rid of the contamination in the river will help free you from the smell thus leading to more residents using it.
2. The author recognizes the supposition that complaints point to countless people wanting to use the river and scrutinizes it by interpretation across potential situations other than the one exhibited in the prompt.
3. The understanding comes from the information that the exact opportunities deliberated by the author are exceedingly believable alternative clarifications for the facts that would transform the validity of the prompt’s assumption.
4. The outcome of her assessment concludes that there are unsatisfactory data to back the theory that Mason River is not used due to its smell and contamination.
5. The author of this sample GRE^® essay accomplishes the prerequisites of a textbook scoring Argument essay is by delivering wide-ranging support for each of her key points.
6. All through the essay, the author is able to illuminate accurately why every single assumption made is challenging by sourcing instances that exactly validate her argument.
7. What makes this sample Argument essay achieve a perfect score is how it has been organized logically, with clear transitions between ideas.
8. The author of this GRE^® essay sample is able to meet the first part of this requirement with a simple five-paragraph organizational structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each assumption discussed, and a conclusion.
9. Additionally, an Argument essay must be detailed and actual in its argument of notions, with minimum errors that the author successfully met with using purposeful language to efficiently and clearly get her point across.

The topic assigned here is: “According to a recent report from our marketing department, during the past year, fewer people attended Super Screen-produced movies than in any other year. And yet the percentage of positive reviews by movie reviewers about specific Super Screen movies actually increased during the past year. Clearly, the contents of these reviews are not reaching enough of our prospective viewers. Thus, the problem lies not with the quality of our movies but with the public’s lack of awareness that movies of good quality are available. Super Screen should, therefore, allocate a greater share of its budget next year to reaching the public through advertising.”

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.”

1. The first aspect of the essay examines how it successfully the content recognizes and assesses the portions of the argument that bears a close resemblance to the demands of the task.
2. As part of the conclusion, there are many queries that Super Screen is answerable to prior to making use of this advertising director’s plan.
3. There is a need to closely look into the actual numbers for viewership and positive reviews and ascertain the relationship that their target audience has with movie reviewers and establish how their target audience feels about their movies.
4. The author strikes on the three key points that should be taking into consideration prior to reaching an agreement with the advertising director’s plan: viewer and review numbers, audience reactions to reviews, and whether or not reviews are a useful metric by which to measure movie success.
5. An example that the author puts forward in relation to a particular argument can be found in the third paragraph of this GRE^® essay sample.
6. The paragraph begins by asserting the question that requires an answer – “What the number of positive reviews was and how it compared to pass reviews?”
7. Subsequently, post this preliminary recognition of the question, the author also justifies how responding this question would have an influence on the effectiveness of the recommendation: “If the increase in positive reviews was from 1% to 2%, allocating more money to advertising to emphasize this fact is likely to have less impact than if the money were instead budgeted towards improving film quality.”
8. The author of the GRE^® essay sample fulfills the requirement of sustaining every question she elevates the argument in the prompt by presenting how its reaction would shape the recommendation.
9. The author has also developed and connected notions in a clear and logical fashion.
10. The organization of this GRE^® argument essay sample facilitates in accomplishing this by steering the author’s views into an introduction, four body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
11. A perfect-scoring Argument essay must make use of complex and precise language, with few errors that the author of this essay has achieved.

Just like your verbal and Quant sections, you need tons of practice to master the essay section too. Go through these GRE^® sample AWA and response essays that will help test your ability.

Essay Response Score 6

The statement linking technology negatively with free thinking plays on the recent human experience over the past century. Surely there has been no time in history where the lived lives of people have changed more dramatically. A quick reflection on a typical day reveals how technology has revolutionized the world. Most people commute to work in an automobile that runs on an internal combustion engine. During the workday, chances are high that the employee will interact with a computer that processes the information on silicon bridges that are .09 microns wide. Upon leaving home, family members will be reached through wireless networks that utilize satellites orbiting the earth. Each of these common occurrences could have been inconceivable at the turn of the 19th century.

The statement attempts to bridge these dramatic changes to a reduction in the ability for humans to think for themselves. The assumption is that increased reliance on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve previous quandaries. Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without a car, computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical worker would need to find alternate methods of transport, information processing, and communication. Technology short circuits this thinking by making the problems obsolete.

However, this reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity that marks the human species. The prior examples reveal that technology allows for convenience. The car, computer, and phone all release additional time for people to live more efficiently. This efficiency does not preclude the need for humans to think for themselves. In fact, technology frees humanity to not only tackle new problems but may itself create new issues that did not exist without technology. For example, the proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need for fuel conservation on a global scale. With increasing energy demands from emerging markets, global warming becomes a concern inconceivable to the horse-and-buggy generation. Likewise, dependence on oil has created nation-states that are not dependent on taxation, allowing ruling parties to oppress minority groups such as women. Solutions to these complex problems require the unfettered imaginations of maverick scientists and politicians.

In contrast to the statement, we can even see how technology frees the human imagination. Consider how the digital revolution and the advent of the internet have allowed for an unprecedented exchange of ideas. WebMD, a popular internet portal for medical information, permits patients to self-research symptoms for a more informed doctor visit. This exercise opens pathways of thinking that were previously closed off to the medical layman. With increased interdisciplinary interactions, inspiration can arrive from the most surprising corners. Jeffrey Sachs, one of the architects of the UN Millenium Development Goals, based his ideas on emergency care triage techniques. The unlikely marriage of economics and medicine has healed tense, hyperinflation environments from South America to Eastern Europe.

This last example provides the most hope in how technology actually provides hope for the future of humanity. By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved. Consider how the late 20th century witnessed the complete elimination of smallpox. This disease had ravaged the human race since prehistorical days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, free-thinking humans dared to imagine a world free of smallpox. Using technology, battle plans were drawn out, and smallpox was systematically targeted and eradicated.

Technology will always mark the human experience, from the discovery of fire to the implementation of nanotechnology. Given the history of the human race, there will be no limit to the number of problems, both new and old, for us to tackle. There is no need to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful posture to the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human imagination.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 6
• The instances are convincing, have been developed with careful thought are logically aligned and well supported.
• The transitions within ideas and paragraphs are smooth.
• With a complex and varied sentence structure, the essay adheres to all standard norms of written English, i.e., grammar, usage, and mechanics.
• Even though there are periodic errors visible, the essay still meets all the requirements thus attaining 6 which is the top GRE^® score for analytical writing.

Essay response score 5

Surely many of us have expressed the following sentiment, or some variation on it, during our daily commutes to work: "People are getting so stupid these days!" Surrounded as we are by striding and strident automatons with cell phones glued to their ears, PDA's gripped in their palms, and omniscient, omnipresent CNN gleaming in their eyeballs, it's tempting to believe that technology has isolated and infantilized us, essentially transforming us into dependent, conformist morons best equipped to sideswipe one another in our SUV's.

Furthermore, hanging around with the younger, pre-commute generation, whom tech-savviness seems to have rendered lethal, is even less reassuring. With "Teen People" style trends shooting through the air from tiger-striped PDA to zebra-striped PDA, and with the latest starlet gossip zipping from juicy Blackberry to teeny, turbo-charged cell phone, technology seems to support young people's worst tendencies to follow the crowd. Indeed, they have seemingly evolved into intergalactic conformity police. After all, today's tech-aided teens are, courtesy of authentic, hands-on video games, literally trained to kill; courtesy of chat and instant text messaging, they have their own language; they even have tiny cameras to efficiently photo-document your fashion blunders! Is this adolescence, or paparazzi terrorist training camp?

With all this evidence, it's easy to believe that tech trends and the incorporation of technological wizardry into our everyday lives have served mostly to enforce conformity, promote dependence, heighten consumerism and materialism, and generally create a culture that values self-absorption and personal entitlement over cooperation and collaboration. However, I argue that we are merely in the inchoate stages of learning to live with technology while still loving one another. After all, even given the examples provided earlier in this essay, it seems clear that technology hasn't impaired our thinking and problem-solving capacities. Certainly it has incapacitated our behavior and manners; certainly, our values have taken a severe blow. However, we are inarguably more efficient in our badness these days. We're effective worker bees of ineffectiveness!

If technology has so increased our sense of self-efficacy that we can become veritable agents of the awful, virtual CEO's of selfishness, certainly it can be beneficial. Harnessed correctly, technology can improve our ability to think and act for ourselves. The first challenge is to figure out how to provide technology users with some direly-needed direction.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 5
• The strengths and weaknesses of this essay are clearly evident in the language used.
• While some of the flowery representations do have a powerful impact, at times the descriptions are awkwardly placed, with the comparisons often being stressed.
• The author has used complex vocabulary and syntax consistently – “Surrounded as we are by striding and strident automatons with cell phones glued to their ears, PDA's gripped in their palms, and omniscient, omnipresent CNN gleaming in their eyeballs, it's tempting to believe..."
• Too much reliance on abstractions in the essay has not borne the desired effect as it lacks appropriate reasoning.
• On the whole, the essay demonstrates credible ideas with examples with thoughtful analysis, taking an overall complex approach to the issue, thus earning a score 5.

Essay Response Score 4

In all actuality, I think it is more probable that our bodies will surely deteriorate long before our minds do in any significant amount. Who can't say that technology has made us lazier, but that's the keyword, lazy, not stupid? The ever-increasing amount of technology that we incorporate into our daily lives makes people think and learn every day, possibly more than ever before. Our abilities to think, learn, philosophize, etc. may even reach limits never dreamed of before by average people. Using technology to solve problems will continue to help us realize our potential as a human race.

If you think about it, using technology to solve more complicating problems gives humans a chance to expand their thinking and learning, opening up whole new worlds for many people. Many of these people are glad for the chance to expand their horizons by learning more, going to new places, and trying new things. If it wasn't for the invention of new technological devices, I wouldn't be sitting at this computer trying to philosophize about technology. It would be extremely hard for children in many poorer countries to learn and think for themselves without the invention of the internet. Think what an impact the printing press, a technologically superior machines at the time, had on the ability of the human race to learn and think.

Right now we are seeing a golden age of technology, using it all the time during our everyday lives. When we get up there's instant coffee and the microwave and all these great things that help us get ready for our day. But we aren't allowing our minds to deteriorate by using them, we are only making things easier for ourselves and saving time for other important things in our days. Going off to school or work in our cars instead of a horse and buggy. Think of the brainpower and genius that was used to come up with that single invention that has changed the way we move across this globe.Using technology to solve our continually more complicated problems as a human race is definitely a good thing. Our ability to think for ourselves isn't deteriorating, it's continuing to grow, moving on to higher though functions and more ingenious ideas. The ability to use what technology we have is an example.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 4
• Developing a clear position, the author presents appropriate reasons to hold true and explain in support of the issue.
• The point on technology usage is supported with relevant concepts that show how it enables users to access data and information and their potential that users would not normally have access to.
• The ‘golden age’ point has also been appropriately supported by the basic description of our technologically saturated social condition.
• Paragraph 3 on coffee pots to the benefits of technology to cars does showcase that the overall development and organization of this essay does live through the rare bouts of misdirection.
• The essay seamless flows from one idea to another but often only scratching the surface level of the core issue rather than probing in-depth.
• Taking the analysis further, the author creates a marked distinction between the essay and the level 3 response that supports the idea of technology advancing to help progress human thinking abilities, drawing an intelligent parallel between the promise of the modern sophisticated technology (computer) and the actual "impact" of equally "promising" and pervasive technologies of the past (printing press).
• The reason why this essay has received a score of 4 as the language meets the expectations and the author has demonstrated a satisfactory control over it.
• Overall, the mistakes are minor in nature and do not really hinder with the clarity of the notions being presented.

Essay Response Score 3

There is no current proof that advancing technology will deteriorate the ability of humans to think. On the contrary, advancements in technology had advanced our vast knowledge in many fields, opening opportunities for further understanding and achievement. For example, the problem of debilitating illnesses and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease is slowing being solved by the technological advancements in stem cell research. The future ability to grow new brain cells and the possibility to reverse the onset of Alzheimer's is now becoming a reality. This shows our initiative as humans to better our health demonstrates the greater ability of humans to think.

One aspect where the ability of humans may initially be seen as an example of deteriorating minds is the use of the internet and cell phones. In the past humans had to seek out information in many different environments and aspects of life. Now humans can sit in a chair and type anything into a computer and get an answer. Our reliance on this type of technology can be detrimental if not regulated and regularly substituted for other information sources such as human interactions and hands-on learning. I think if humans understand that we should not have such a reliance on computer technology, that we as a species will advance further by utilizing the opportunity of computer technology as well as the other sources of information outside of a computer. Supplementing our knowledge with internet access is surely a way for technology to solve problems while continually advancing the human race.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 3
• The author has been able to transcend beyond the superficial strata of the core issue.
• Two core points are visibly evident in the writing:
  • How technology has advanced overall human know-how in multiple domains and the way forward is to supplement the usage to “surely a way for technology to solve problems while continually advancing the human race."
  • However, the author has failed to offer sufficient evidence to support this point.
  • Point two is where the author has created an outline by citing the need for regulation/supplementation and cautions of the flipside of depending on technology heavily which is vague and restrictive - "Our reliance ... can be detrimental. If humans understand that we should not have such a reliance ... we will advance further."
• Much of the second paragraph is filled with loosely connected generalizations which need more groundwork.
• Some minor language errors are also present in this essay. However, the author’s meaning and implications are clear, thus earning this essay a score of 3.

Essay Response Score 2

In recent centuries, humans have developed the technology very rapidly, and you may accept some merit of it, and you may see a distortion in society that occurred by it. To be lazy for humans in some meaning is one of the fashion issues in these days. There are many symptoms and reasons for it. However, I can not agree with the statement that technology makes humans be reluctant to think thoroughly.

Of course, you can see the phenomena of human laziness along with developed technology in some places. However, they would happen in specific conditions, not general. What makes human to be laze of thinking is not merely technology, but the tendency of humans that they treat them as a magic stick and a black box. Not understanding the aims and theory of them courses the disapproval problems.

The most important thing to use thechnology, regardless of the new or old, is to comprehend the fundamental idea of them and to adapt suit tech to tasks in need. Even if you recognize a method as an all-mighty and it is extremely over-spec to your needs, you can not see the result you want. In this procedure, humans have to consider as long as possible to acquire adequate functions. Therefore, humans can not escape from using their brains.

In addition, the technology as it does not vain automatically is created by humans. Thus, the more developed tech and the more you want a convenient life, the more you think and emit your creativity to breakthrough some banal method sarcastically.

Consequently, if you are not passive to the new tech, but offensive to it, you would not lose your ability to think deeply. Furthermore, you may improve your ability by adopting it.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 2
• This essay is no better than a score 2 simply because of the language used.
• Serious errors in grammar, only specific moments of clarity, sentence mechanics and usage of terms minus meanings contribute to this.
• If one were to overlook the obvious flaws, the author has made an effort to respond to the prompt - "I can not agree with the statement that the technology makes humans be reluctant to thinking thoroughly."
• However, the author has not been successful in his assertion of - "Not understanding the aims and theory of them [technology] courses the disapproval problems" and "The most important thing to use the technology ... is to comprehend the fundamental idea of them."
• Overall, the essay presents a badly inconsistent but not essentially lacking in an endeavor to produce and sustain its statements.

Essay Response Score 1

Humans have invented machines but they have forgotten it and have started everything technically so clearly their thinking process is deteriorating.

• Rater Commentary for Essay Response — Score 1
• The author’s manner of using significant terms from the prompt "technically" (technologically), "humans," "thinking" (think) and "deteriorating" (deteriorate) clearly demonstrates that the essay is topic and offers evidence of understanding.
• It also shows the author’s inability to create an appropriate response that is in adherence to the instructions and guidelines provided - ("Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement above and explain your reasoning for the position you take."
• The language used also demonstrates that the essay is no better than a level 1 as the sentences formed are not coherent.

Go over these fundamental pointers that should help you get that perfect score on your four GRE^® essays.

1. Go over these fundamental pointers that should help you get that perfect score on your four GRE^® essays.
   • The common factor in all perfect-scoring GRE^® sample essays is an introduction and a conclusion.
   • Ideally, you need to introduce the core ideas in the first few lines, not necessarily a paragraph and ensure that you wrap them up at the end of the essay.
2. State Your Position Clearly
   • It is imperative that the author states their position on the issue clearly.
   • While you may scrape through a vague standpoint in an Argument essay and still score a 4.0, the same approach will not work in an Issue essay where you may just get a 3.0.
   • Regardless of the essay type or prompt, in order to get that perfect score, you will need to include a statement that clarifies your position and the extent to which you agree or disagree with it.
3. Be Specific in Your Support
   • From the sample essays and their analysis, one aspect that is clearly identifiable is the need for the author to concentrate on relevant support for any claims or statements being made.
   • It is always more persuasive if the essay demonstrates claims that have been backed up by sufficient evidence than just making general points.
   • Therefore, going backward, if you are unable to find sufficient support for your arguments, then in all probability, that is a sign that you need to rethink your position or draw inspiration from another part of the argument that will withstand critique.
4. Explain Your Support Clearly
   • The communication of your notions and ideas and the support that you provide transcends polished writing, perfectly worded or spelt essays.
   • Issues that have been clearly-explained with compelling examples, evaluations and assessments by cutting through the heart of the argument is bound to get a higher score in comparison to imprecise essays that have been skillfully crafted.
5. Use Transitions
   • A key factor in any of the essays getting a high score is a seamless and smooth transition of ideas between paragraphs that have been linked at multiple levels.
   • Even ideas within paragraphs should have linguistic transition levels.
6. Stay Organized
   • All of the GRE^® essay samples adhere to the basic standard five paragraph routine that includes an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
   • The ETS website states, “You are free to organize and develop your response in any way you think will enable you to effectively communicate your ideas about the issue.”
   • But having your essay organized across these five paragraph formats it will save you the time of having to figure out a new organizational strategy for every essay you write.
   • And the more consistently you stick to a simple (but clear) organizational structure, the faster you’ll get at it until organizing your thoughts logically comes as second-nature.

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