The analytical writing section of the GRE aims to assess your critical thinking and analytical writing skills through two writing tasks – the issue task and the argument task. Your responses to these tasks are scored on a 6 point scale, from 0-6 in half point increments. Scoring at the higher end of 4.5-6 is desirable for competitive graduate program applications. Getting a high GRE essay score requires understanding how essays are evaluated and applying specific strategies to maximize your scores.
Essay Evaluation Criteria: GRE readers, known as raters, evaluate your essays based on three broad criteria – critical thinking, analysis, and writing skills. Within these, they assess specific elements like idea development, organization, linking of ideas, use of evidence, command over language, variety in vocabulary and sentence structure etc. Your ability to address the assigned task, structure your response in a logical flow and express your ideas fluently and precisely through well-constructed paragraphs will earn you higher scores.
Critical Thinking: This criterion evaluates the depth and complexity of your analysis. Raters look for insightful examination of multifaceted issues from various perspectives, well-reasoned conclusions bolstered by relevant examples and logical sequencing of ideas. High-scoring essays present an original line of thought instead of merely restating the basic demands of the task. They draw nuanced connections between different facets of the topic through organized discussion and inference based on evidence.
Analysis: Your essay’s analytical power comes across through depth of examination, breakdown of key elements, identification of relationships and logical connections between ideas. Top-scoring responses state a clear position, provide a precise rationale supported by well-chosen specifics and consider counterarguments or opposing viewpoints. Descriptive or narrative responses devoid of focused analysis and inferences will not earn high scores even if otherwise well written.
writing Skills: Precision in language, fluency of expression and adherence to standard written English conventions like grammar, punctuation, cohesive flow and variety demonstrate your writing skills. High-scoring essays are not only logically organized but also smoothly written paragraphs without awkward syntax or mistakes. They employ an academic writing style with academic vocabulary suited to the context and make excellent use of transitional elements to link different sections cohesively.
Essay Structure Strategies: Having a thesis-driven structure where you present a clear central position in the introduction, develop it across well-organized body paragraphs with appropriate examples/evidence, and restate your stance in the conclusion will help maximize your analytical writing score. Here are some structural strategies:
Introduction: State the task, define key terms, present a clear one sentence thesis encapsulating your position.
Body paragraphs: Each body paragraph should focus on one analytically developed idea supporting your thesis with specific details/examples. Link paragraphs cohesively using transition words.
Conclusion: Restate your thesis concisely, do not introduce new evidence, draw conclusion and implications of the discussion.
Varied complex sentences, academics vocabulary appropriate to the context.
Correct use of punctuation, spelling, grammar and varied linking expressions like ‘furthermore’, ‘moreover’, ‘however’ etc. enhance fluency.
Topic Development Strategies: Brainstorming different perspectives on the issue/argument prompts, identifying relationships between key elements and questioning assumptions will lead to more thoughtful analysis. Here are some topic development tips:
Discuss all dimensions of a multifaceted issue without oversimplifying.
Consider opposing viewpoints instead of just presenting one side of an argument.
Analyze premises and conclusions separately to assess logic of reasoning.
Draw nuanced connections between ideas using qualifiers like ‘in part’, ‘to some extent’ etc.
Illustrate key points with well-chosen, policy-specific examples.
Take a definitive position while acknowledging limitations and complexities.
Timing Strategies: You have 30 minutes each for the issue and argument tasks. Using time judiciously ensures quality. Here are some timing strategies:
Spend 5-7 minutes analyzing the prompt and brainstorming before writing.
Write the intro in 2-3 minutes to get started.
Allocate roughly 15 minutes for each body paragraph with2-3minutes for conclusion.
Leave last 2-3 minutes to proofread for errors in logic, flow and grammar.
Practice is key to scoring high in the GRE essay section. Analyze sample 6/6 essays, get feedback on your practice essays, and systematically improve your response structure, idea development, vocabulary and fluency over repeated practice to boost your GRE Analytical Writing score. Following these evidence-based strategies will enhance your critical thinking and writing abilities tested in the exam. With focused preparation, you can certainly achieve a GRE AWA score that will support your graduate school applications.