The GRE Analytical Writing Measure

The GRE Analytical Writing Measure (AWM) is comprised of two essays: a 45-minute“Present Your Perspective on an Issue” and a 30-minute “Analyze an Argument.” Thefirst essay requires that the test taker construct his/her own argument by taking a positionon an issue (students will be able to choose one of two issues from which to write thisessay). The second essay requires the test taker to critique another person’s argument(only one argument prompt will be provided). Each essay in the AWM will be scoredfrom 0 – 6, though students will only receive a single score for both essays; individualessay scores will not be reported.

Present Your Perspective on an IssueFor the Perspective on an Issue Essay, you will be given a choice of two prompts, andasked to give your opinion, in essay form, on one of them. The purpose of this portion ofthe test is to determine how competent you are at writing clear, cohesive essays, as this isan essential skill for most graduate coursework. Your actual opinion on the issue and thecontent are not nearly as important as the organization of the essay and your writingskills.

Your essay will be graded by two readers who will have no knowledge of your identityon a scale of 0-6 in half-point increments.

As practice, let's now write an essay, using the Kaplan Five-Step Method for AnalyticalWriting to guide us. Here's the prompt:

Directions: Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/orexamples to support your views.

"Because people are naturally selfish and lazy, community service should bemandated for all citizens in the United States."

Step 1 – Take the issue apart

The first step towards writing an effective essay is breaking the issue down to itscomponent parts. First, identify the topic of the issue. The topic is the broad subjectmatter. Second, pinpoint the scope, or what specific aspect of the topic you will bedealing with. Next, identify what the conclusion, or main idea, of the prompt is. Then,locate the evidence used to support the conclusion. Finally, think about what assumptionsthe author of the prompt has made. An assumption is a piece of evidence that is notexplicitly stated, but that must be true in order for the argument to hold water.Take a few minutes to break this issue apart yourself, and then compare your answers toours.

Topic – community service in the United States

Scope – whether it should be mandated

Conclusion – community service should be mandated

Evidence – people are naturally lazy and selfish

Assumptions – There are many assumptions that the author has made. Your list maydiffer from ours a little bit, but here are the assumptions that we have identified.• Community service is desirable.• Most people do not perform community service now.• Mandating community service would overcome lazy and selfish propensities.

Step 2 – Select the points you will make

Now that you have broken down the argument to make it more manageable, you canselect the points that you will make.

• What is the argument for mandating community service?

As we said before, the author feels that it must be federally mandated because people aretoo lazy and selfish to perform community service voluntarily.

• What arguments could be marshaled for or against mandating community service?

At this point you should start thinking about outside knowledge. What do you knowabout the issue that could be used in support of the argument? Maybe you’ve studied lawor sociology or psychology or read an article on community service and you can think ofsome great reasons why this program should be implemented. On the flipside, you mightbe able to conjure up some pretty good reasons why it shouldn’t.

Take a side! After a careful preponderance of the evidence, of the pros and cons of thesituation, what do you think? Are you for the plan or against it? Or maybe you believethat the program would be acceptable with some modifications. Decide how you feelabout the issue, and from that point on, don't waver.

Step 3 – OrganizeOnce you’ve weighed all the evidence and taken a side, it’s time to organize the structureof your essay. Think about what the best order for listing and supporting your pieces ofevidence is, and how you’re going to conclude. Take a couple of minutes to decide whatyou want to say in:

• The opening paragraph or introduction

• The middle paragraphs (one point per paragraph)• The final paragraph

Step 4 – Write your essayNow that you’ve done all of the preliminary and organizational work, you’re ready towrite your essay. As you write, keep some things in mind that will make your essay apowerful piece of prose:

• Start out and conclude with strong statements. The beginning and end of youressay are usually what stands out in the graders’ minds, so you want them to be asstrong and clear as possible.

• Be forceful. The more forceful your essay is, the better it will be. There areseveral things that you can do to make your writing compelling.

Avoid the passive voice. Verbs of action carry more weight than the passivevoice does, and that is the impression that you are aiming for.

Avoid needless self-reference. Phrases like “I believe”, or “It is my opinionthat” are redundant. The grader already knows that this essay is meant to be areflection of your views. Constantly saying “I believe” sounds like you arequalifying your writing.

Don’t be vague. The more specific you are, the more authoritative yourwriting will be. On the other hand, if your writing is ambivalent, it will beperceived as hedging.

Step 5 – ProofreadOnce you have written your essay, proofread it carefully. You don't want to lose anypoints for typos, silly mistakes, misspellings, or clumsy grammar that could be easilycorrected in a second read.

As a basis of comparison, we have provided examples of essays with rankings of 6 and 4,so you can see how you're coming along.

Benchmark 6 – Outstanding

Community service should not be mandated for all citizens of the United States. Theconcept is not only unreasonable, but also unconstitutional and unenforceable. Althoughin a utopian society, every member would participate in activities that promote thewelfare of others, coercion is an extreme measure that would ultimately proveunsuccessful.

Many Americans do not have the resources requisite for the endeavor. Numerous citizensalready maintain two or more jobs, sometimes working in excess of eighty hours per

week, in addition to their familial and personal obligations. These people lack the time tocomplete even minimal extraneous functions.

Requiring community service would be as unenforceable as it would be unreasonable. Avast expansion of bureaucracy would be necessary in order to track the communityservice activities of all citizens. This expansion of bureaucracy, supposing it is possible,would be counterproductive, as it would draw resources away from, instead of into,communities in need.

Finally, demanding citizens to participate in any activity is unconstitutional. In order toprevent the federal government from becoming dictatorial, the architects of the UnitedStates Constitution carefully delineated the power granted to Congress. The authority torequire any person to take part in any activity was not included in the document, and istherefore not the prerogative of the government.

Mandating community service for all citizens would ultimately prove to be a fruitlessundertaking. Even if it were feasible to circumvent legal issues and to implement such arequirement, the expense involved, and the toll it would demand upon the participants,would only serve to withdraw time and monetary resources from those that the planintends to benefit.

Kaplan’s Grading Commentary:This essay is well-organized and incisively argued. The author introduces and expoundsupon, in a clear, logical manner, three distinct and valid critiques of the plan to mandatecommunity service, and pulls the three critiques together into a coherent analysis of theprompt. The writing is clean, concise, and error-free. Sentence structure is varied, anddiction and vocabulary are strong and expressive.

Benchmark 4 – Adequate

Mandating community service for all of the citizens of the United States is an excellentidea, and one that has been long in coming. This plan should be implemented as soon aspossible in order to benefit the country as a whole, as well as its citizens as individuals.

There is no doubt that the United States needs more volunteer workers. Nearly everyvolunteer organization complains about lack of manpower. Many of these organizationsperform vital functions for society, and therefore need all of the help that they can get. If,as is argued, people are truly selfish and lazy, they must somehow be forced to contributeto society, as most will not do so on their own. However, if their natural proclivities canbe overcome by legislation, their time and efforts will be well-spent helping others, andsociety as a whole will benefit.

The individuals in question will also benefit from the services that they perform. Therewards that they will reap will compensate for the fact that they do not receive monetary

payment for their work. Helping others is a satisfying feeling. An afternoon spent aidingothers is far more pleasing, in the long run, than an afternoon spent watching television orin a shopping mall. If a program serves only to benefit both the participants and societyas a whole, there is no reason not to implement it.

Kaplan’s Grading Commentary:The writer mentions only two valid arguments, and does not develop them fully. Thewriting is not superior. While it is error-free and does conform to the conventions ofstandard English, it is not complex or particularly forceful. Vocabulary is passable, butnot extraordinary. The components of the argument individually, and in tandem, earn thisessay a four.

Analyze an ArgumentFor the Analyze an Argument essay, you will be presented with a short argument toevaluate. Rather than giving your particular opinion on the subject at hand, you aresimply discussing whether the argument is logically composed. The best way to approachthis undertaking is to use the Kaplan Five-Step Method for Analytical Writing. Withpractice, this modus operandi will become second nature to you. Let's start practicingnow, to get you on the road to comfort with the Method. Here's the argument that youwill be analyzing:

Directions: Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.

The following letter to the editor was published in a Parent-Teacher Associationnewsletter:

Advanced mathematics, such as geometry, trigonometry, and calculus should nolonger be required courses for high school students. Students at the high school levelneed to be constantly stimulated by their studies. In order for them to be stimulated,their studies must consist of topics that are of personal relevance to their own lives.Furthermore, the lessons should reflect subject matter that will be of use to thestudents in their adult lives. Dropping advanced mathematics courses from thecurriculum will therefore improve the quality of the education that today's highschool students are receiving.

Step 1 – Take the issue apart

In order to get a handle on what can be an intimidating writing task, it is essential tobreak the argument down. This will help you to have a clearer idea of what you aredealing with, and how to best approach it. Step One of the Kaplan Five-Step Method is a

great way to do just that. By asking yourself a few key questions, you help yourself to geta grip on the task.

First, identify the topic and scope. The topic is the subject of discussion, and the scope isthe range of discussion on that topic. Then, locate the argument's conclusion, or the mainpoint that the author seeks to establish. After that, pin down what evidence the authoruses to plead his case. Finally, pinpoint any assumptions that the author has made inconstructing the argument. An assumption is a piece of evidence that is not explicitlystated, but something that must be true for the argument to make sense. Try doing this onyour own for the argument above. Then, you can compare our answers to these questionsto your own to see how you did.

Topic – high school education

Scope – whether advanced mathematics should be required coursework for high schoolstudents

Conclusion – advanced mathematics should not be required for high school students

Evidence• High school students need to be stimulated.• To be stimulated, coursework must reflect students' lives.• Studies should reflect subjects that will be of use to students in their adult lives.

Assumptions – There are many assumptions that the author has made. Here is the list thatwe have come up with, which will hopefully be similar to your own.• Mathematics is not relevant to students' lives.• Mathematics will not be of use to students in adulthood.• Stimulating or useful coursework is essential to quality education.

By now, you should have a pretty tight grip on the subject at hand, so you can move on tothe second of the five steps.

Step 2 – Select the points you will make

The second step of the Kaplan Method is to select the points that you want to make inyour essay. The points that you should be considering should be strongly linked to theauthor's assumptions. Are they valid? Can they stand on their own, or do they needsubstantiating?

Decide which ones you find to be most worthy of consideration, and which you think youcould argue most convincingly. Think about how you would make your case in dealingwith each of the assumptions. Jot down your ideas in shorthand for easy reference.

Step 3 – OrganizeHow do you want to organize the essay? Which points would you like to bring up first,and what do you want to leave until later on? Jot down quickly what you would like tosay in your:• Introduction• Middle paragraphs (one point per paragraph)• Conclusion

Step 4 – Write your essayOnce you have completed organizing your thoughts, you are ready to write your essay.Keep in mind as you are doing so that conforming to the standards of written English isjust as important as the analysis that you have conducted. You don't want to lose pointsoff of an incisive scrutiny because you are not giving enough attention to the writingitself. In addition to all of the grammar rules, there are a few ways to make your essaymore effective. Try to use forceful language. Avoid any structures, such as the passivevoice, and needless self-reference that detract from the power of your writing. Also, makesure that introductory and concluding statements, which are most notable in the graders'minds, are particularly strong.

Step 5 – ProofreadMany people do not leave time at the end for revision, but it is absolutely essential to theprocess. When you write rapidly, you risk making minor mistakes of the sort that can beeasily spotted and fixed during a final rereading. Picking up on typos and other suchfaults can often make the difference between a "4" and a "5", or a "5" and a "6", so besure that you give yourself a few minutes at the closing stages of the task to proofread.

As a basis of comparison, we have provided examples of essays with rankings of 6 and 4,so you can see how you’re coming along.

Benchmark 6 – Outstanding

At first blush, it would seem, according to the logic of the author of the letter, thatshelving advanced mathematics requirements for high school students would be aforegone conclusion. However, the reasoning behind the argument is specious. Theauthor of the letter makes several assumptions, which may or may not be true. In order tosubstantiate the assertion, more information about the conjectures of the author isnecessary.

The first rationale the author gives for abandoning advanced mathematics requirements isthat high school students must be stimulated by their studies. There is no evidence,however, that high school students are not enthused by math. This may have been theexperience of the author, but it is not necessarily that of the students. Being that the letter

was published in a Parent-Teacher Association newsletter, it is probable that the writerwas either a parent or an instructor, and therefore not of the same generation as thestudents in question. Consequently, the attitude that the writer holds towards mathematicsmay in fact be diametrically opposed to that of the students. In order to support the claim,more information, perhaps in the form of a survey, would be needed to gauge moreaccurately the interests of the students.

Another notion the author incorporates into the case against compulsory mathematicsprograms is that coursework must reflect topics that will be of use to the students in theiradult lives. The author, however, has not offered any data to support the contention thatadvanced mathematics will not be of use to the students in their careers. Given thetechnologically advanced society into which the students will be graduating, there is noreason to believe that advanced mathematics will not play a significant role in their adultlives.

Finally, the author seems to be under the impression that the quality of one's education isbased solely on whether it imparts skills that could be used later in life. As such, he or shediscounts the notion that knowledge can be valuable for its own sake. Chances are thatthe students will make few allusions during their professional career to any particularnovel that they read in high school, but this does not necessarily mean educators shouldeliminate literature from the curriculum. If we were to extend the author's appeal to allsubjects that may not result in concrete occupational skills, secondary education would bereduced to vocational seminars. Though the utility of the coursework would be increased,students would lose the opportunity to receive a well-rounded, multifaceted education,which is just as valuable as occupational skills.

The author's argument against obliging high school students to take advancedmathematics courses is greatly weakened by the use of unsubstantiated claims. If theauthor was able to unearth statistics in his or her favor regarding student interests and thefunction of mathematics in various professional fields, the contentions made in the letterwould be strengthened. However, the argument would still be vulnerable as it implies thatany course that does not promote occupational development is inherently out of place in ahigh school environment, which is a highly questionable proposition.

Kaplan’s Grading Commentary:This essay typifies a "6", as it demonstrates both the author's analytical and writing skills.The author has identified three critical flaws in the logic of the letter. Each of these pointsis argued in a clear, incisive manner. The writer of this essay displays a strong commandof written English, with eloquent vocabulary, meticulous grammar, and forcefulexpressiveness.

Benchmark 4 – Adequate

The claim that advanced mathematics should be dropped from the high school curriculumcannot stand on its own two feet, as it is presented in the letter to the editor. Theargument is missing crucial evidence, which would need to be provided in order tostrengthen its logic.

The first problematic aspect of the letter's reasoning is that it says that coursework mustbe interesting to students. It does not however, prove that students are not stimulated bymathematics. They may very well be. If the author wishes to use the stimulation factor insupport of his argument he should provide some sort of data that coincides with hisreasoning.

The author also contends that coursework should prove to be useful in the adult lives ofthe students, and then provides no evidence to the contrary. Many careers, such asarchitecture, physics and the like are highly dependent upon mathematics. Furthermore,the ability to think in the logical manner that mathematics requires is a skill that carriesover well into most other disciplines.

This letter's line of reasoning is fundamentally lacking. It seems to be highly biased –based on the personal experience of the author, who was probably not stimulated bymathematics and probably does not use mathematics in his own career. However, he hasprovided no objective data that support his claims. Since he has not offered any evidenceto support the assumptions he has made, we can not follow at face value hisrecommendation.

Kaplan’s Grading Commentary:This essay is adequate. The writer's command of the conventions of writing isunproblematic, as the essay is overall smooth, clear, and free from errors, although it isnot extraordinary. However, it is not particularly incisively argued. The writer brings uptwo legitimate critiques of the logic of the letter, but fails to develop them enough to beup to par with a typical "5" essay.