GRE Analytical Writing: The Issue Essay
Master the 30-minute “Analyze an Issue” essay that opens every GRE: what it asks, how it is scored and how to plan a high-scoring response.
Understanding the GRE Writing Section
The GRE Analytical Writing section measures your ability to think critically, articulate and support complex ideas, construct arguments, and sustain a focused, coherent discussion. It is always the first section of the GRE and, since September 22, 2023, consists of a single 30-minute “Analyze an Issue” task. The “Analyze an Argument” task was removed when ETS introduced the shorter test.
Unlike Verbal and Quant, which are scored from 130 to 170, Analytical Writing is scored from 0 to 6 in half-point increments. Your essay is scored on a 6-point holistic scale by a trained rater, together with ETS’s e-rater automated scoring engine, and a single score is reported. You type in a basic ETS word processor with no spell-checker or grammar checker.
The average Analytical Writing score is 3.46 (ETS, test takers July 2022–June 2025). A 4.0 is the 63rd percentile, a 4.5 the 85th and a 5.0 the 93rd. While many graduate programs place less emphasis on the essay than on Verbal and Quant, a low writing score can raise concerns, particularly for programs in the humanities, social sciences, law, and any field where written communication is central to academic success.
The Analyze an Issue Task
The current GRE has one essay. Understanding precisely what it asks is essential for earning a strong score.
Analyze an Issue (30 minutes)
The Issue task presents an opinion, claim, recommendation or policy on a topic of general interest, with instructions on how to respond. You must evaluate the issue, consider its complexities, and develop an argument with reasons and examples to support your view. You are not simply agreeing or disagreeing: strong essays consider other perspectives, acknowledge counterarguments, and explain when the statement would or would not hold true.
The instructions vary by prompt. You may be asked to discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree, to address the most compelling reasons against your position, or to discuss the circumstances under which a recommendation would or would not be advantageous. Read them carefully, because they determine how your essay should be framed.
What Happened to the Argument Essay?
Before September 22, 2023, the GRE had two essays: “Analyze an Issue” and “Analyze an Argument”. The shorter GRE kept only the Issue task, so older prep books and courses that teach the Argument essay are out of date for today’s test.
The critical-reasoning skills behind the old Argument task still matter: spotting unsupported assumptions, weak evidence and alternative explanations helps you on Verbal reading comprehension and lets you rebut counterarguments in your Issue essay.
How the Analytical Writing Section Is Scored
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | Outstanding: Presents an insightful, well-articulated analysis with compelling support. Demonstrates superior facility with the elements of effective writing. |
| 5.0 | Strong: Presents a thoughtful, well-developed analysis with logically sound support. Demonstrates clear control of the elements of effective writing. |
| 4.0 | Adequate: Presents a competent analysis with adequate support. Demonstrates sufficient control of the elements of writing, with some flaws. |
| 3.0 | Limited: Demonstrates some competence in analytical writing but with notable weaknesses in analysis, development, organization, or language use. |
| 2.0 | Seriously Flawed: Demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The response is unclear, disorganized, or provides little relevant analysis. |
| 1.0 | Fundamentally Deficient: Provides little or no evidence of the ability to develop an organized response or analyze the given topic. |
| 0 | Off topic, written in a language other than English, merely copies the prompt, or consists only of keystroke characters. (If you write nothing, ETS reports NS, No Score.) |
Half-point scores such as 4.5 fall between these levels. A score of 4.0 or above is generally considered competitive for most graduate programs (63rd percentile), while programs that emphasize writing may expect 4.5 (85th percentile) or higher. Your Analytical Writing score is not shown on test day; it arrives with your official scores about 8–10 days later.
What the Analytical Writing Section Measures
Critical Thinking
The Issue task requires you to analyze a complex idea at a level that goes beyond surface-level reading: evaluating a claim from several perspectives, weighing its implications, and identifying where it breaks down.
Organized Communication
Strong essays follow a clear structure with a focused thesis, well-developed body paragraphs, logical transitions, and a concluding statement. Raters specifically look for your ability to present your ideas in a sequence that makes your analysis easy to follow and your conclusions persuasive.
Evidence and Support
High-scoring essays use specific, relevant examples to support their analysis, drawn from history, science, current events, literature, or your own reading, experience or observation. Vague, hypothetical examples weaken an otherwise solid essay.
Standard Written English
While occasional minor errors will not lower your score, the ability to write clearly using correct grammar, varied sentence structure, precise vocabulary, and appropriate tone is essential. Persistent errors in mechanics or syntax will lower your score, as they interfere with the clarity and effectiveness of your communication.
Proven Strategies for GRE Analytical Writing
Issue Essay Strategy
Spend the first 3–4 minutes planning. Read the prompt and instructions carefully, decide on your position, and outline 2–3 body paragraphs with specific examples. A clear plan prevents the rambling, unfocused writing that drags scores down. In your introduction, state your position clearly. Each body paragraph should present one main reason supported by a specific example. Acknowledge the opposing view to demonstrate nuanced thinking. Reserve the final 3–4 minutes for proofreading.
Build an Example Bank
Many Issue prompts revolve around the same themes: education, government, technology, science, the arts and leadership. Prepare a small bank of detailed examples for each theme so you can spend test time on analysis rather than searching for evidence. Use the reasoning skills of the old Argument task to anticipate and answer objections to your position.
Time Management
With only 30 minutes for the essay, time management is crucial. Allocate approximately 3–5 minutes for planning, 20–23 minutes for writing, and 3–4 minutes for reviewing and correcting errors. Aim for 4–5 well-developed paragraphs. Longer essays that maintain quality tend to score higher, but a focused, well-supported essay will outscore a rambling one every time.
How to Prepare for the Analytical Writing Section
Even the most confident writers should dedicate specific preparation time to the GRE Analytical Writing section. The tasks require a particular kind of analytical writing that differs from typical academic essays, and understanding the scoring criteria and task requirements can make a significant difference in your score.
ETS publishes the pool of Issue topics from which your test prompt is selected (see its Analyze an Issue task page), and its free POWERPREP practice tests and ScoreItNow! writing service let you practice under real conditions. Reviewing the pool and writing timed essays is one of the most effective preparation strategies. Focus on a repeatable structure you can adapt to any prompt, rather than trying to prepare specific content for each topic.
Dr. Stuart Donnelly provides personalized feedback on practice essays, helping students identify patterns in their writing that may be limiting their scores. His approach focuses on a clear analytical framework for the Issue task, improving the specificity and relevance of supporting examples, and strengthening the logical structure of your argument. Private sessions are available online via Zoom or in person at our office in San Diego.