The GRE Writing Assessment is offered separately from the GRE General Test and GRE Subject Tests. It is
available year round at all ETS -authorized computer-based testing centers.
The Writing Assessment substantially expands the range of skills assessed by the GRE General Test
and the GRE Subject Tests, including your ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
examine claims and accompanying evidence support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion control the elements of standard written English
The assessment consists of two analytical writing tasks: a 45-minute "Present Your Perspective on an Issue"
task and a 30-minute "Analyze an Argument" task. The "Issue" task states an opinion on an issue of general
interest and asks test takers to address the issue from any perspective's) they wish,
as long as they provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support their views. The "Argument" task presents a different
challenge: it requires test takers to critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find
it. Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than to agree or disagree
with the position it presents. The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers to construct
their own arguments by making claims and providing evidence supporting their positions on the issue,whereas the other requires them to critique someone else's argument by assessing its claims and evaluating
the evidence it provides. Actual test questions are selected from the published pool of Issue and Argument
Although the GRE Writing Assessment contains two discrete essay-writing tasks, a single combined score is reported because it is more reliable than either task score alone. The score reported will represent the average of the scores for the two essays.
The statements below, for each score level, describe the examinee’s performance on the GRE Writing Assessment—that is, the overall quality of writing demonstrated across both the Issue and the Argument tasks. Because the GRE Writing Assessment assesses "analytical writing," critical thinking skills (the ability to reason, marshal evidence to develop a position, and communicate complex ideas) weigh more heavily than the writer’s control of fine points of grammar or the mechanics of writing (e.g., spelling).
SCORE LEVELS 6 and 5.5
Sustains extremely insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; displays excellent use of language, with effective sentence variety and precise vocabulary; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics with few, if any, errors.
SCORE LEVELS 5 and 4.5
Provides generally insightful analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples; is generally focused and well organized; displays fluent use of language, with generally effective sentence variety and appropriate vocabulary; demonstrates good control of sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics with few, if any, errors.
SCORE LEVELS 4 and 3.5
Provides competent analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately organized; displays sufficient control of language to convey meaning with reasonable clarity; demonstrates satisfactory control of sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics, but may have occasional minor errors.
SCORE LEVELS 3 and 2.5
Displays some competence in analytical writing skills, although the writing is flawed in at least one of the following ways: limited analysis, development, or organization; weak control of language, sometimes resulting in vagueness or lack of clarity; or numerous errors in sentence structure, grammar, usage, or mechanics.
SCORE LEVELS 2 and 1.5
Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing skills. The writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: lack of analysis, development, or organization; serious and frequent problems in the use of language; or numerous intrusive errors in sentence structure, grammar, usage, or mechanics—that is, errors that seriously interfere with meaning.
SCORE LEVELS 1 and .5
Displays fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing skills, resulting in incoherence. The writing is fundamentally flawed in at least one of the following ways: content that is confused or mostly irrelevant to the assignments; little or no development; or severe and pervasive errors—that is, errors that result in incoherence.
SCORE LEVEL 0
The examinee’s performance cannot be evaluated because the responses do not address any part of the assignments, are merely attempts to copy the assignments, are in a foreign language, or display only indecipherable text or no text whatsoever
