Analytical Writing Section in GRE General

Analytical Writing is one of the most sought after sections of GRE. Although the score of this section is not added in the overall score still it is mandatory for the GRE aspirants to perform well in this section. A basic word processing program is used to write essays here. No spell check facility is available in this word program and only features like insert, delete, cut, paste and undo are available.

The analytical section is divided into two parts: issue task and argument task. A six point scale is used for evaluation of this section. This section aims to check the critical thinking ability and complex problem solving ability of the aspirant. Evaluators judge the ability of the aspirant to respond to the different tasks allotted.

1. Issue Task:
   Thirty minutes are allotted to this part of the section, where the aspirant is supposed to write on a selected topic. It judges the aspirant on the ability to support an idea with suitable examples. The topics for this task are selected from a variety of questions available on the ETS website.

   Sample Issue Task Problem:

   All students of a nation study the same curriculum until they enter college.

   Explain the situation, giving suitable reasons to demonstrate your agreement or disagreement with the issue problem. Use suitable examples to validate your view point. You can use specific circumstances to support your points.

2. Argument Task:
   In this task, thirty minutes are allotted to the aspirant to write an essay about the argument provided in the task. A passage in which some arguments are provided, is allotted to the aspirant. The aspirant is then required to check for the logical soundness of the passage by providing suitable evidences. The overall ability of the aspirant of analyzing and understanding the arguments is judged by this task.

   Sample Argument Task Problem:
   Below is a memorandum from the business manager of a known television station:

   “Over the past few years, our late-night news programs have devoted increased time to national news and less time to the weather and local news. During this period, most of the complaints received from the viewers were concerned with our station’s less coverage of the weather and local news. In addition, local businesses that once used to advertise during our late-night news program have also canceled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our station and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should restore the time, we used to devote to the weather and local news.”

   In response to the above argument, check the logical soundness and validation of the article. Use suitable examples to strengthen your argument.

Point Scale/Score:
A six point scale is used for evaluating the analytical section of GRE, in which a score of 5.5-6.0 is considered to be the best to apply for all graduate schools.