GRE Issue Essay: Practice Sample Prompts

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The GRE Issue Essay will provide a brief quotation on an issue of general interest and instructions on how to respond. You must evaluate the issue and develop an argument with support for your side of the issue. In the GRE Issue Essay, you will be developing your own argument.
The essay scoring for the Analytical Writing sections is holistic, which means that the graders base your score on their overall impression of your essay, rather than deducting specific point values for errors. The scoring scale is from 0 to 6, with 6 being the highest score. Two graders will read and score each essay. If their scores differ by more than one point, a third reader will also score the essay. Although the Analytical Writing section comprises two separate essays, ETS reports a single score that represents the average of your scores for the two essays, rounded up to the nearest half-point.
Try the sample GRE Issue Essay prompts below for practice:


GRE Issue Essay Sample Prompt #1


1. The emergence of the online “blogosphere” and social media has significantly weakened the quality of political discourse in the United States. Reason: When anyone can publish political opinions easily, standards for covering news and political topics will inevitably decline.


Write a response in which you examine your own position on the statement. Explore the extent to which you either agree or disagree with it, and support your reasoning with evidence and/or examples. Be sure to reflect on ways in which the statement might or might not be true, and how this informs your thinking on the subject.


GRE Issue Essay Sample Prompt #2


2. Some people believe it is imperative for individuals living in developed nations to reduce their energy consumption and lead a more sustainable lifestyle, given the evidence for global climate change. Others believe that such drastic lifestyle changes are unwarranted, based on the existing evidence for global climate change.


Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.


GRE Issue Essay Sample Prompt #3


3. So long as they are aware of the dangers involved, adults should not be legally bound to use seat belts.


Write a response in which you 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.



Remember that you’ll have 30 minutes to complete the GRE Issue Essay.
Previous: < What’s tested on the GRE Analytical Writing section
Next: How to structure the GRE Argument Essay >

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