rate my gre essay

Watch how a non-IITian got 6 MBA admits + $250,000 in scholarships

Free Online GRE AWA Essay Grader

Automatic essay rating software for practice.

  The GRE analytical writing is a small but important component of the test that troubles many international test takers. We’ve had several candidates asking us:

• “How can I rate my GRE AWA essay for practice?”
• “Can I download a free GRE essay e-rater?”

Well, there are a few paid options offered by some test prep companies. But not much out there that’s free and a close approximation of the real deal. So we created this free essay grader for GRE essays.

Conceptualized and developed by Sameer Kamat , the software uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) principles and our understanding of how AWA essays are evaluated. We know it’s far from perfect, since no automated essay grader can accurately do (yet) what the trained human brain can. And it’s definitely not the equivalent of a free ScoreItNow report, if that’s what you wanted.

But we hope it’s better than having no feedback at all on your practice AWA essays during the GRE preparation journey.  

Grade my GRE Essay

There is no software to download. You can use our free online GRE essay immediately. All you need to do is:

• Type or paste your GRE essay in the box below. [Wait for the text box to load. If it’s taking too long, refresh the page.]
• Click on the ‘Check’ button
• Your essay grade along with the breakup across 3 dimensions (Structure, Readability and Coherence) will be displayed.

Here’s a brief introduction to the various sub-topics that our online essay evaluator covers:

Organization: This checks the attributes related to the building blocks of GRE essays i.e. attributes related to the words, sentences and paragraphs in the AWA essay.

Readability: This tests (using industry standard metrics) how easy it is for the reader to grasp what you have written. Try to maintain a balance between the over-simplistic and the hard-to-comprehend approach.

Coherence: This goes into the nuances of natural language processing and evaluates how you have connected the building blocks using the appropriate English language constructs.

This site uses various technologies, as described in our Privacy Policy, for personalization, measuring website use/performance, and targeted advertising, which may include storing and sharing information about your site visit with third parties. By continuing to use this website you consent to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

• GRE 162+ Course
• GRE 10 Points+
• Fundamentals
• GRE 165+ Tutoring
• Free Content
• Free Tests & Events
• Grad School Advice
• GRE Test Dates
• GRE vs GMAT
• Find a Business School go

GRE Essay LiveGrader

You've probably heard about the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) essays on the GRE. They're nothing to fear, but you should know that the way they are graded is different from what you're used to.

The best way to prepare for the GRE essay is to write one and have it graded by an expert, using the same guidelines that are used for the real GRE. GRE Essay LiveGrader sm  helps you to do just that.

LiveGrader   sm  is a tool that we've developed to help you prepare for the GRE. All Princeton Review classroom, online, and tutoring students can submit their GRE essays which will then be graded by one of our GRE experts. Not only will our expert grader score your GRE essays, but he or she will also provide personalized feedback that will help you maximize your score on the AWA portion of the GRE.

Frequently Asked Questions about GRE Essay  LiveGrader sm

How is my gre essay graded.

After you submit your GRE essay, one of our expert graders will score it using the same guidelines that are used for the GRE. Essays will be scored holistically, which means that your GRE essay will be judged as a whole, not just on the basis of particular traits.

Who will grade my GRE essay?

A trained and certified Princeton Review expert grader will grade your GRE essay. Our experienced graders know what makes a strong GRE essay; many have graded thousands of essays.

Do I have to write about a specific topic for my GRE essay?

Yes. The essay "prompts" ask you to write on specific topics; one will ask you to analyze an argument, the other will ask you to analyze an issue. Your GRE essay must address the issues presented in the prompts. GRE essays written on any other topic will receive a score of zero.

How are the GRE essays different from the essays I wrote in school?

Unlike many essays you write in school, you'll only have 30 minutes, and you won't be able to use reference materials. Graders won't be expecting perfection; they will be judging your GRE essay for what it is: a first draft. Furthermore, the person grading your GRE essay will only spend 2–3 minutes evaluating your writing.

When I use  LiveGrader sm , will I receive just a score, or will I get comments too?

Your GRE essay will be given a score ranging from 0–6. LiveGrader will also provide you with personalized feedback. Your report will tell you what worked well on your GRE essay and how you can improve it to earn a higher score on the real GRE AWA.

How do I get my score?

We will e–mail your score and personalized feedback within 3–5 days after you submit your GRE essay. You can also access your score on the website, once it has been posted.

Enrollment Advisor

1-800-2REVIEW (800-273-8439) ext. 1

1-877-LEARN-30

Mon-Fri 9AM-10PM ET

Sat-Sun 9AM-8PM ET

Student Support

1-800-2REVIEW (800-273-8439) ext. 2

Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM ET

Sat-Sun 8:30AM-5PM ET

Partnerships

• Teach or Tutor for Us

College Readiness

International

Advertising

Affiliate/Other

• Enrollment Terms & Conditions
• Accessibility
• Cigna Medical Transparency in Coverage

Register Book

Local Offices: Mon-Fri 9AM-6PM

• SAT Subject Tests

Academic Subjects

• Social Studies

Find the Right College

• College Rankings
• College Advice
• Applying to College
• Financial Aid

School & District Partnerships

• Professional Development
• Advice Articles
• Private Tutoring
• Mobile Apps
• International Offices
• Work for Us
• Affiliate Program
• Partner with Us
• Advertise with Us
• International Partnerships
• Our Guarantees
• Accessibility – Canada

Privacy Policy | CA Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information | Your Opt-Out Rights | Terms of Use | Site Map

©2024 TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University

TPR Education, LLC (doing business as “The Princeton Review”) is controlled by Primavera Holdings Limited, a firm owned by Chinese nationals with a principal place of business in Hong Kong, China.

• Essay Writer
• Paraphraser
• Citation Machine
• AI Detector
• AI Humanizer
• Plagiarism Checker
• 25+ More AI Tools

1200 out of 1500 words used

Quota = 1500 words

Essay Grader

Get high-quality and specific feedback on essays within 90 seconds, reducing grading time by 95% while maintaining accuracy.

The text may not be longer than 1800 words

Please enter any content

Please select any grade

Please enter any subject

Please enter any Assignment question

• Check Plagiarism

Answer the prompts

Is this tool useful so far?

We Value Your Feedback

Help us improve your experience by sharing your thoughts and suggestions.

Thank You for Your Feedback!

We're thrilled you had a great experience. Your input helps us keep improving!

Trusted by Thousands, Backed by Results

Join thousands of students and teachers who trust our Essay Grader for precise, fast, and reliable essay feedback.

Essays Graded

and counting

We have 20,000+ active users who trust our tool.

Accuracy Rate

Grades with the same accuracy as a human checker.

Use FREE, No sign up or credit card required.

Essay Grader - Best Essay Checker for Teachers and Students

Our new AI-powered essay grading tool is more than just a grammar checker – it's like having a writing coach right by your side.

Whether you're a teacher or a student, our free AI essay grader gives you detailed feedback that goes beyond just fixing grammar and style. It combines advanced technology with deep analysis to help you assess your writing effectively.

Try AI essay grader for teachers and students free today and see how it can help improve your writing!

TRUSTED BY 100,000+ STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS GLOBALLY AT TOP INSTITUTES, INCLUDING...

How Can an Essay Checker Help Students?

When aiming for a high grade, your writing needs to be top-notch. This means using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, content, and more. With us, you get the best AI essay grader, content improver, plagiarism checker , AI detector - all in one.

And did we emphasize that it's available for free? Here’s all you get:

💯 All in One Tool:

Our tool doesn’t simple grade essays, it gives you the options to improve the content or check its plagiarism and AI% as well. Simple click on the “Improve content”, “Check plagiarism”, or “Check AI%” buttons, according to your needs.

⏱️ Speedy Evaluation

Our AI tool swiftly assesses your writing by comparing it against a detailed rubric including spellings, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, style, coherence, clarity, organization, and content. It offers nearly an instant feedback specific to your academic level and field.

✍️ Unwavering Consistency

When personally proofreading, certain errors or style choices might slip through. However, our tool ensures uniformity throughout. Even if you capitalize a term in one paragraph and forget it in another, our tool will help you out.

🎯 Pinpoint Accuracy

Often, seeking help from a friend or family member leads to overlooking common errors. With our AI-driven essay checker, rest assured that every mistake is spotted and resolved.

📚 Learning Opportunity

Are recurrent mistakes hindering your progress? Our free paper checker identifies common writing errors, assisting you in recognizing and rectifying them. Even errors that escaped your notice are brought to light, allowing you to refine your writing skills.

👍 Academic Integrity

Unlike unethical essay writing services, our free online essay checker empowers you to produce your own work and earn the rightful grade.

🍰 Piece of Cake

Simplifying the process, our essay-checking tool eliminates the overwhelming stress that often accompanies paper writing. Simply write essay, paste or upload it in our tool, and get a detailed evaluation for improvement. The best part? You can get it improved then and there too!

How Can Teachers Benefit From Our Essay Grader?

Our tool helps you do more with less effort, making teaching easier and more impactful for your students. Instead of spending hours on marking essays, you can focus on preparing insightful lectures and study material, because our tool is here to assist you!

With our essay checker teachers can:

💯 Spend Less Time Grading

Embrace efficiency and instant feedback through our advanced tool, meticulously designed to save you time while delivering impartial and fair assessments. Now you can maintain a uniform and objective feedback approach.

🎓 Connect with a Larger Student Base

Effortlessly upload documents in bulk and establish personalized assessment parameters, ensuring a tailored evaluation process. Amplify your influence and connect with a wider range of students.

🏫 Pursue Your Passions

Let AI Grading shoulder the assessment load for you. With its data-driven algorithms and standardized benchmarks, it manages all grading duties, liberating your precious time to focus on what truly drives you: teaching.

🧾 Upload Custom Rubrics

If your assigned assignment, course, or institution has specific criteria for evaluation, you can upload the custom rubric and our tool will check the essays accordingly.

How to Use Our Essay Grading Tool?

Get ready to see how easy it is to use!

Insert Text

Simply paste or upload the text you wish to have reviewed.

Select Academic Grade

Choose which grade are you writing for, because the evaluation is based on your grade.

Add Optional Fields

You can also add your subject, assignment question, or personal rubric for evaluation.

Get Grading Report

Our AI does the rest. It evaluates your essay using recognized grading standards used in schools and universities. You'll get a thorough review without any hassle.

Improve, Check More, or Download

Once you get the detailed evaluation, you can improve the content or check it’s plagiarism and AI%. If not, you can simply download the detailed report.

Try our essay grader free online today and see how it helps you improve your writing!

What Can Be Checked Through PerfectEssayWriter.ai’s Essay Grader?

Our essay checker makes it simple to catch usual writing blunders – like misplaced commas, mixing up "their" and "there," or leaving sentences unfinished.

But there's more to great writing, and many free tools fall short. Here are a few examples of higher-level mistakes that our tool can help you find:

Fluency Issues

For those who speak English as a second language, you might wonder if your wording sounds natural to native speakers. Use our AI essay grading tool to address this concern. It even accommodates various English variations, like converting US English to UK English.

Tricky Plurals

Did you know "thesis" becomes "theses" in plural? "Analysis" turns into "analyses" (also the UK English spelling of "analyzes"). "Genus" becomes "genera." PerfectEssayWriter.ai knows them all!

Grammatical Errors

Leave no room for mistakes. We catch grammar slip-ups, from verb tense inconsistencies to subject-verb agreement issues.

Sentence Structure Issues

Achieve smooth readability. Our Essay Grader highlights problems like awkward sentence structures, enabling you to perfect your flow.

Extra Spaces

Still adding double spaces after periods? Let our paper checker identify and remove excess spaces. It highlights instances within sentences or at paragraph endings.

Repetitive Content

Our AI essay grader free scans for repetition, ensuring your writing stays fresh and engaging without echoing the same ideas.

Unnecessary or Missing Capitalization

Accurate capitalization enhances clarity. Our tool pinpoints instances of improper or missing capitalization, refining your text's professional appearance.

Wordy Content

Trim the excess from your writing. This paper-checking tool identifies wordiness, helping you express ideas concisely and maintain reader engagement.

Provided Rubric Evaluation

If you have specific grading criteria, we've got you covered. Our tool follows your rubric closely, ensuring a customized and comprehensive assessment.

Types of Papers PerfecEssayWriter’s AI Essay Checker Assess

No matter what type of writing you're working on, PerfectEssayWriter.ai adapts to provide the necessary edits and feedback for improvement. Such as:

• Argumentative papers
• Expository essays
• Narrative compositions
• Descriptive essays
• Textual analysis
• Coursework assignments
• Lab reports
• Case studies
• Literature reviews
• Presentations
• Dissertations
• Research papers

Comparing Our AI Grader With Real Grades

In 93% of cases*, our AI grader aligns with human scores!

Graph: A set of essays received scores from professional graders on a 1-10 scale, cross-referenced with rubric criteria for accuracy. The deviation was calculated as score variations. The graph displays overall and individual criteria scores using Smodin's AI Grader's premade criteria. PerfectEssayWriter.ai’s tool matched human scores 93% of the time.

Series of Tools By PerfectEssayWriter.ai to Check Your Essay

• Grammar Checker
• Style and Tone Suggestor
• Readability Analysis Tool
• Sentence Structure Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should it take to grade my essay.

The time it takes to grade your essay with PerfectEssayWriter.ai typically lasts less than 90 seconds, regardless of the length or complexity of your essay. Our grading tool works efficiently to provide timely feedback, ensuring that you receive accurate and insightful evaluations promptly.

Can you guarantee the safety of my personal information?

Yes, we prioritize the safety and confidentiality of your personal information. PerfectEssayWriter.ai adheres to strict privacy protocols and utilizes advanced security measures to safeguard your data. We do not share your information with third parties without your consent, ensuring your privacy is protected at all times.

How does the grader evaluate my essay?

PerfectEssayWriter.ai uses advanced AI algorithms to evaluate your essay comprehensively, covering grammar, punctuation, coherence, organization, clarity, and more. Additionally, you can provide the rubric for assessment based on your specific needs.

Is it cheating to use a paper checker to check my essay for errors?

No, using a paper checker to check your essay for errors is not cheating. It's a tool to help you improve your writing by identifying mistakes and suggesting corrections. It's similar to using a spell checker or grammar tool to polish your work.

Does the essay checker work with British English and American English?

Yes, our essay checker works with both British English and American English. You can choose your preferred language setting to ensure the corrections align with the standards you're aiming for.

Will the essay checker auto-correct my work?

The essay checker will highlight errors and suggest corrections that need to be made in your text. You get to review the suggestions and decide which ones to apply, giving you full control over your writing.

The GRE ® General Test

One test for graduate, business and law school

Select a step to learn more about your GRE ® General Test journey.

Overview of the Analytical Writing Measure

Analytical writing measure.

The Analytical Writing measure of the GRE General Test assesses your critical thinking and analytical writing skills by assessing your ability to:

• articulate and support complex ideas
• construct arguments
• sustain a focused and coherent discussion

It doesn’t assess specific content knowledge.

The Analytical Writing measure consists of a 30-minute “Analyze an Issue”  task . This task presents an opinion on an issue and instructions on how to respond. You’re required to evaluate the issue, consider its complexities and develop an argument with reasons and examples to support your views.

You’ll use a basic word processor developed by ETS to type your essay responses. The word processor contains the following functionalities: insert text, delete text, cut-and-paste and undo the previous action. Tools such as a spellchecker and grammar checker are not available.

Preparing for the Analytical Writing measure

Everyone — even the most practiced and confident of writers — should spend time preparing for the Analytical Writing measure to understand the skills measured and how the tasks are scored. It may also be useful to review the scoring guides, sample topics, scored sample essay responses and rater commentary for each task.

The tasks in the Analytical Writing measure relate to a broad range of subjects — from the fine arts and humanities to the social and physical sciences — but don’t require specific content knowledge. Each task has been tested by actual GRE test takers to ensure that it possesses several important characteristics, including the following:

• GRE test takers, regardless of their field of study or special interests, understood the task and could easily respond to it.
• The task elicited the kinds of complex thinking and persuasive writing that university faculty consider important for success in graduate school.
• The responses were varied in content and in the way the writers developed their ideas.

Published topic pools for the Analytical Writing measure

To help you prepare for the Analytical Writing measure, the GRE Program has published the entire Issue Topic pool (PDF) from which your test tasks will be selected.

Test-taking strategies for the Analytical Writing measure

• Before taking the GRE General Test, review the strategies, sample topics, sample essay responses with rater commentary, and scoring guide for the task. This will give you a deeper understanding of how raters evaluate essays and the elements they're looking for in an essay.
• It is important to budget your time. Within the 30-minute time limit, allow sufficient time to consider the issue and the specific instructions, plan a response, and compose your essay. You want your essay response to be the best possible example of your writing that you can produce under the testing conditions.
• Save a few minutes at the end of the timed task to check for obvious errors. An occasional spelling or grammatical error won’t affect your score, but serious and persistent errors detract from the overall effectiveness of your writing and lower your score accordingly.

• Fill in the attempt code
• Hit Evaluate to rate essay!

Think like the GMAT does!

Preparing for gmat awa, quicksummary™, leadership skills assessment, tweepularity™.

Score Your GRE Essay

The content in this post applies in 2024 to the new, shorter GRE!

How do I score my GRE essay?

Plenty of students want to improve their GRE analytical writing skills, and the only real way to do so is writing, and writing a lot.

But there is a catch-22 here: how do you improve your writing if you aren’t a good writer? How can you identify places to improve if you don’t know what needs improvement? How can you identify an error if you commit the error? These are all valid concerns, but trust me, you just need to start writing.

But we won’t send you out to sea without a life vest. We now have an essay rubric that breaks down the four aspects of writing that count towards your score—Quality of Ideas, Organization, Writing Style, and Grammar and Usage.

If you don’t know what those are now, you will soon. Each column represents one aspect of writing and each row represents a level from 0 to 6. Each cell of the rubric describes a specific aspect of writing at a specific level.

Download the Magoosh Essay Rubric (you can also download the printable PDF by clicking the image below) and get started!

How to Use the GRE Essay Grading Rubric

After completing the essay, you’ll need to check the four aspects of your writing. Even better, ask a friend to look over the essay and provide you a score. Give each aspect of your essay a score ranging from zero to six.

Total all four scores and find the average. Now you have a sense of your writing score. Round scores up as follows: Round a score of 4.25 to 4.5 and a score of 3.75 to 4.

Of course evaluating your own writing will be hard if you don’t know what to look for, but this is a perfect time to improve and practice. Taking a break between writing your essay and evaluating it will help to give you a more objective eye. Also, reading the essay aloud will help you to hear errors.

You can also access Magoosh’s Expert AI Tutor to grade your AW essays and get actionable feedback to improve your score with a Magoosh Premium Plan .

Quality of Ideas

This category evaluates the “meat” of your essay – the ideas that form your main argument. On the GRE you will be asked to evaluate and respond to an issue. You aren’t being judged on your expertise of the subject matter, but on your ability to make a sustained, well thought out argument. You’re showing your ability to deal with nuance and complexity while also articulating your own view of the issue.

Giving your essay a grade of 3.0 in this category would mean that it has only built a vague or partial argument about the issue. You’d only have a few examples or examples that are too simple or typical. An essay that’s achieving a 5.0 in this category would have developed much stronger examples and lines of reasoning. The quality of the examples would strengthen the overall argument. These are some things to ask yourself when grading this component of your essay:

• Are the ideas creative, compelling, and relevant?
• Did you use an expected, typical example?
• Did you talk about two sides of the issue or just one?
• Were you attacking the major components of the argument or just the minor ones?
• Were the reasons feasible, believable, and relevant to the topic?

Organization

Organization is one of the most important parts of any piece of writing – some would say the most important part. An essay can have a great argument and examples, but if it’s poorly organized the reader will never find them. The key to taking your reader on a journey, and convincing them of your point, is building your writing logically step-by-step.

An essay that does this just ok, meaning a 3.0 score, would have some organization, but it would be poor. It wouldn’t make sense to the reader how ideas are connecting, or building on each other. And evidence wouldn’t match the ideas it is meant to support. A good essay, a 5.0, would feature a solid organization that builds progressively from idea to idea. Ask yourself these questions to evaluate this part of your essay:

• Is there an introduction and conclusion?
• Does the response flow from paragraph to paragraph?
• Are there a lot of structure words to guide the reader, such as “for example,” “first,” or “further”?
• Is it easy to find the main idea of a paragraph and determine what the specific details supporting that idea are?
• Is it easy to understand the development of an idea and how it relates to the passage as a whole?

Writing Style

We’ve talked about your ideas and how you organize them, now it’s time to discuss how you express those ideas. Writing style is actually pretty simple – it’s just evaluating how well your sentences flow. Are you choosing the right words? Is there variation in your vocabulary and sentence structure to make your writing easy and pleasing to read?

A 3.0 essay will have sentences that have repeating structure. Think back-to-back sentences that start with the same words. Sentences will repeatedly be too long and wordy. And the essay will feature multiple instances of words being chosen imprecisely. A 5.0 essay on the other hand will have a clear sense of personal style. Sentences will show variety and a good command of vocabulary will be displayed. Here are questions to guide your evaluation of this section:

• Are there a mix of short sentences and long sentences?
• Are there a variety of sentence structures—simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex?
• Are the same words often repeated or are there a lot of synonyms and rephrasing?
• Are the sentences easy to read?
• Can the reader understand the ideas in a sentence?
• Do readers have to re-read a sentence multiple times to understand it?

Grammar and Usage

Finally, your essay needs to be grammatically correct. This can be challenging for test takers as most of us are used to writing with some form of grammar check. Make sure to really pay attention to this aspect of your writing as you practice.You want to make sure words are spelled correctly, the rules of grammar are followed, and that you are using correct punctuation.

A middle-of-the-road 3.0 essay will feature some major flaws and many more minor flaws. You’ll see a two point improvement by showing a strong control of the rules of grammar in mechanics and usage, even with a few minor flaws. Here are your questions to guide you through this final section:

• Are there misspelled words?
• Are the lists and comparisons parallel in structure?
• Are there any subject-verb agreement errors or pronoun-antecedent errors?
• Are there any run-on sentences or sentence fragments?
• Are commas, dashes, and semi-colons used correctly?
• Are there any modification problems—dangling modifiers or ambiguous ones?

Go to the Source

All the information that you see in our rubric is based on information published by ETS. If you need sample essays at different score levels or want to read more about the AWA and how it is graded, I highly recommend reading through An Introduction to the Analytical Writing Section of the GRE .

This is a long document and contains a lot of detail. If you want to see the different scoring level descriptions used to create our rubric, here they are:

• Score Level Descriptions
• GRE Scoring Guide – Analyze an Issue
• GRE Scoring Guide – Analyze an Argument

I recommend taking the time to become familiar with the difference between a “3” essay and a “4” essay. To truly become a better self-grader, or to even become a better grader for someone else, you need to become more familiar with the particular grading requirements of ETS.

Grading your AWA essay is not just useful for predicting your test day score. Critically, It’s an essential component of learning how to write better. When you receive feedback and act on it, you are building your writing muscles. This is an essential part of the test prep journey and critical for the work you’ll do in graduate school. Use this rubric to grade your own essay and see where you need to improve. Or get a Magoosh Premium Plan today to access our AI Expert Tutor that will grade your essay and give pointers on how to improve your score.

Note: Some students might wonder why the rubric is for the GRE and GMAT. Both test evaluate essays in the same way, so the rubric will work for either test.

At UC Santa Cruz, Kevin Rocci began a decade of teaching and tutoring with the Stevenson College Junior Fellow and Writing Assistance programs . He has worked with adults and kids, tutoring the GRE, GMAT, and SAT at Kaplan and teaching English as a Second Language in the JET Programme and at the Intercultural Institute of California . At Magoosh, he expanded beyond teaching, building and managing teams, like Student Help and Content. When he’s not Magooshing, you can find him spinning his toddler in circles. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter .

View all posts

More from Magoosh

Leave a Comment

Please leave any questions or suggestions in the comments, we try our best to respond within a few days! Your email address will not be published.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

27 responses to “Score Your GRE Essay”

Thanks for the rubric, Kevin! I think at my current level, I can manage a 5 on the GRE. Trying to push it further to maybe hit that 5.5 (hopefully 6) mark!

Good luck, and keep up the hard work!

Tiny typo, where “their” should be “there:”

“Writing Style:

Are there a mix of short sentences and long sentences? Are their a variety of sentence structures—simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex?”

AHHH! Thanks for letting me know. I’ve fixed it. 🙂

Can you please share a website or link where I could find a pool of AWA topics to practice?

Thanks, Ishani

You don’t need to look anywhere except at the official website! 🙂 https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool and https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool are your resources.

I need to know Is there any website where it can evaluate my essays on issue and argument tasks?

Hi Praveen,

Yes, I would check out this blog post that will help you with this!

i want to know that from where i can get lots of samples of Issue and Argument essay. And another thing that i’d like to ask that after finishing Magoosh GRE vocabulary flashcards apps from where i should continue to learn words. However, is reading Manhattan GRE books good for both verbal and quantitative section?

Hello! Thank you for a very thorough explanation on GRE AWA scoring and tips!

Just wanted to point out that the link to “An Introduction to the Analytical Writing Section of the GRE” doesn’t work properly; although can be found easily on ETS website 🙂

Glad to hear that the post helps! 😀

And thank you for letting us know about that link not working. I changed the URL, so it should work now! 😀

Dear Chris, Please could you tell me as to how can we get our essays graded.

Hi Shashi! 😀

If you’d like to get your essays graded (but not by us), this post will help with that:

How to Get Your AWA Practice Essays Graded

Hope that helps! 😀

I’d love to download the pdf, but the links don’t seem to be working…?

Hi Cornelia, Can you give it a try again? I just tried it and it worked for me. I am using a Chrome browser on a Mac. Let me know if you are still having trouble. 😀

I have consistently scored 4.0 in the AW section in the past three tests. I want to improve my score and would like to score between 4.5 to 5.0. To let you know haven’t got help from anyone beside Princeton’s GRE practice material or/and GRE AW instructions.

Do you have any special program to assist me?

Congrats on your score of 4.0! That’s admirable and something to be proud of! 😀

If you are looking to push your score to the 5.0 level, you’ll most likely need to work on creating more sophisticated responses and eliminating errors from your writing. You’ll need to do this with lots and lots of practice! 😀 I recommend that you work through the AWA prompts listed on the ETS website. Here are the links:

https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool

You should spend time learning these prompts and writing essays for these prompts since they might appear on the test. Outline your ideas, work on examples, and practice writing balanced responses to each prompt. From there, you can use this post to evaluate your writing and look for ways to improve. 😀

I hope this helps!

Happy Studying!

Hi Kevin! Thanks for the great tips. Above, you mentioned the Hemmingway App. Do you recommend purchasing this product to help improve my writing for the AWA? The product is $6.99.

I am glad you liked the post! 😀 You probably don’t need to purchase the app. You can use the web version to help you evaluate the writing. But if you think it is a great app and you really like it, you could purchase the desktop version to support the people who built it. 😀

Thanks in advance for your help.

Question: do we have to worry about the difference between the Issue Task questions that ask about “field of inquiry” vs “field of endeavor”? I’m unclear as to what the difference between these are, but I’m wondering whether I should even worry about what the differences are. I appreciate your input.

Hi Clare! Happy to help! 🙂 The difference between those terms are very small. I would not worry too much about the language. Both refer to similar activities—either asking questions or trying to reach a goal. Usually, though, asking the questions, inquiring, is meant to reach some goal. So the difference is slight, and ultimately, won’t affect the essay you write. 😀 I hope that helps.

I took the GRE and met the requirements for the program at my school for verbal and quantitative, but I needed 4 on the writing and I only got a 3.5. I figured the writing part would be the easiest, so I barely prepared for it! The second time I took it I just focused on studying for the writing part. I went through and read the entire pool of questions on the ETS website and timed myself and practiced writing different essays. I was so upset when I got my score back and it was even worse than the first time, I got a 3! Now I’m freaking out. Any advice?

Hi Jane! Thanks for reading! 😀

I am sorry to hear that you are still struggling with the writing section. That’s frustrating, especially if you went through the whole pool of essays! That’s a lot of work you put in. Without seeing your essay, I have to make some assumptions about why you are falling in the 3 range. Either you are not writing enough and not coming up with enough detail, or you are committing a lot stylistic and grammatical errors, or you are not organizing and completing your essay. Does any of this sound like your essays that you wrote on the test?

I think the best thing to do would be to look at the sample essays that ETS provides and study the difference between a 3 essay and a 4, 5, and 6, essay. This will give you a sense of what you need to do in your own writing to boost your scores. Here are links to the sample essays from ETS:

List of AWA Issue Sample Responses LIst of AWA Argument Sample Responses

I hope that this helps! 😀 Happy studying!

Thank you for this wonderful post. I have a question: Does a major difference in the Issue grading and the Argument grading affect the overall score in any way? I find the Argument essay easier and easy to score a 4/5, the issue is not always easy and expecting a 2/3 on average. Is the overall score always the average of the two, irrespective of the score difference?

Happy to help! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed this post. 🙂

According to ETS, your writing score is the average of the scores for your two essays. This is what they say: “The scores given for the two tasks are then averaged for a final reported score.” So two readers graders will read and grade each essay, and then the scores are averaged to give you a Writing Score. 🙂

Does that make sense? Let me know if I can be more clear. 🙂

Thank you. I’d like to incorporate more writing into my daily GRE schedule. Any thoughts on how to do that constructively?

Hi Dan, happy to help! 🙂

First, I definitely recommend working through the Issue and Argument Essay prompts on the ETS website. These are all the possible prompts that you will see on the test, so the more familiar you are with them, the more prepared you will be for the essay part of the test.

–https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool –https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool

With those in hand, the best way to practice is just start writing. The more timed writing you do, the better your essay will be and the more that you’ll be able to write on test day.

I know that writing an entire essay everyday might be too much to take on, so I recommend simplifying it. I would suggest two times a week writing a complete argument and issue essay, but the rest of the time, shorten your time limit and only write part of the essay. For example, set a timer for 10 minutes and try to brainstorm and then write 2 strong body paragraphs of an issue essay. Or set a timer for 5 minutes and try to outline an essay and write the introduction. In this way, you become familiar with the different prompts and practice timed writing without committing to a full essay.

Lastly, I recommend looking at some of our other articles on the AWA section. There are sample essays and other great tips and strategies that I am sure you will find useful. 🙂

–https://magoosh.com/gre/category/writing/

I hope that his helps! Let me know how it goes. 🙂

Testimonials

Free Resources

PrepScholar GRE Prep

Gre prep online guides and tips, how is the gre essay scored.

Your GRE Writing score is a kind of cyborg measurement that averages together both human and machine ratings and melds them into an Analytical Writing score on a scale of 0-6. But how does a human grade the essay? Is the computer grader trustworthy?

In this article, we’ll explain the details of the GRE essay scoring process and the rubrics used by the human graders to derive your two essay scores.

Feature image credit: Seems Legit – panel 3 of 6 /used under CC BY-SA 4.0 /Cropped and resized from original.

GRE Writing Scores: A Roadmap

The GRE essay scoring process is a little complicated because it involves both human and computer graders . Each essay (analyze an issue and analyze an argument) is first graded by a trained human grader on a scale of 1-6. The scale used for essay scoring is holistic, which means you won’t automatically get points off after a certain number of errors. Instead, you’ll be graded on the overall quality of your essays.

Your essay is next sent through the e-rater , which is described on the GRE website as “a computerized program developed by ETS that is capable of identifying essay features related to writing proficiency.” The e-rater program likely grades essays on quantifiable metrics like level of vocabulary difficulty, sentence structure, length of essay (word count and number of paragraphs), and so on. Because it’s pretty difficult to write a program that can judge an essay based on content, it’s possible you could fool the e-rater with a long off-topic essay that uses high-level vocabulary.

But that’s where the human essay graders come in. If the human and computer graders “closely agree,” then the average of their two scores is the score you receive for that essay task. However, if the two scores do not “closely agree, ” then a second human is brought in to grade and the final score is the average of the two human-assigned scores . So if you tried to sneak an off-topic essay by the e-rater, it would be caught by the human grader and a second human grader would be brought in. Even if the human grader scored your essay way higher than the e-rater, you’d still end up with two human graders.

After both of your essays have been scored by e-rater and human grader(s), your overall GRE Writing score is then calculated. To get this number, your scores on the Issue and Argument task are averaged together to give you a final Analytical Writing score on a scale of 0-6 (with 0.5 increments). For instance, if you got a 4/6 on the Issues essay but a 5/6 on the Argument essay, your total GRE Analytical Writing score would be 4.5.

Quick side note: we've created the world's leading online GRE prep program that adapts to you and your strengths and weaknesses. Not sure what to study? Confused by how to improve your score? We give you minute by minute guide.

You don't NEED a prep program to get a great GRE score. But we believe PrepScholar is the best GRE prep program available right now , especially if you find it hard to organize your study schedule and don't know what to study .

Click here to learn how you can improve your GRE score by 7 points, guaranteed .

GRE Essay Scoring: Issue Task

The Analyze an Issue task on GRE Writing asks test takers to read a statement about an issue, take a position, and develop and support that position with evidence and reasoning. For your essay to score highly, you’ll need a clear thesis statement presenting your point of view and multiple examples that back up your claims . How well you accomplish this task dictates how well you’ll do on the Issue essay.

Fortunately, ETS is very up front about what specific benchmarks Issue essays need to meet to reach each score level. Below, I’ve listed the descriptions for 6-, 4-, and 2-scoring Issue essays.

As the above table shows, the holistic GRE Writing score is arrived at by assessing an essay’s quality across many different dimensions: analysis, ideas, development, support, organization, vocabulary & sentence structure. The guiding principle that is used to differentiate between different score levels across all areas, however, is precision .

The more precise you are in formulating an opinion on the issue, in developing and supporting your thinking, in organizing your thinking, and in choosing your words to convey your thinking, the better GRE Writing score you’ll get.

GRE Essay Scoring: Argument Task

The GRE argumentative essay task requires test takers to read an argument and analyze it. The specifics of how this analysis should be done varies from task to task (read more about the eight different kinds of argumentative essay prompts in this article ), but basically you’ll have to evaluate the position or recommendation put forward and decide whether or not it’s reasonable .

Below are the different characteristics of essays scoring a 6, 4, or 2 on the Argument task . As you go through, you may notice some similarities between it and the rubric for the Issue task.

Again, as with the Issue task, the main dimension that separates different score points for the GRE Argument task is level of precision . Instead of being judged on precision in formulating an opinion on an issue, your essay will be judged on precision in analyzing and explaining your analysis of the given argument. Similar to the Issues essay, however, high-scoring Argument essays will still need to demonstrate precision in ideas, development, support, organization, and vocabulary.

How Are GRE Writing Scores Evaluated by Grad Schools?

Now that you understand how the GRE essay scoring works, the question becomes how much grad schools care about GRE Writing scores. The near-unanimous answer, based on the number of schools and programs I researched, seems to be a resounding “not much.”

If schools really want applicants to have specific test scores, they’ll list GRE Writing score cutoffs on their websites (more about what a good GRE Writing score is here ). For the most part, though, as long as you get a 4.0 or above, you’ll be fine, even for the most competitive programs. Find out more about how your GRE score plays into graduate school admissions here .

What’s Next?

Want to learn more about how scoring works on the GRE? Try our complete guide to GRE scoring . If you took the old GRE, you can follow our instructions to learn how to convert your old GRE score to its equivalent new GRE score .

Hoping for more essay-specific scoring advice? We tell you how to get a perfect six on the Issue and Argument essays here .

Need some quick tips to boost your GRE Writing score? Then you should be sure to read our collection of the best strategies and tips to improve your score here .

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Laura Staffaroni

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel and fulfill their college and grad school dreams. View all posts by Laura Staffaroni

Guidance from our top admission experts — for free!

• Admit Finder

Discover Past Admits, Gauge Your Chances!

• Shortlist Builder

Personalized University Picks, Just a Click Away.

• Course Finder

Navigate Global Courses Tailored for You

• Scholarship Finder

Unlock Funding Opportunities Worldwide.

Get tailored study abroad advice.

Sign in for exclusive content!

Planning to study abroad?

Build your target shortlist and see your odds of getting into top schools with Ambitio's AI shortlist builder!

Heading Out Already?

Our Ivy League mentors and top admission experts can help with personalized tips to get you into your dream school

6 minutes read

A Comprehensive Guide to GRE AWA Essays: Tips and Sample Essays

Dirghayu Kaushik

20 August 2024

When it comes to the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), many test-takers understandably focus on the quantitative and verbal sections, which contribute to the overall score. However, it’s crucial not to underestimate the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. Though it doesn’t impact your composite GRE score, the AWA section evaluates your essay writing abilities – a skill that’s invaluable in graduate studies and beyond.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve deep into the GRE AWA section, providing you with expert tips, sample essays, and valuable insights to help you excel. Whether you’re preparing for the GRE exam or looking to enhance your essay writing skills, this guide has you covered.

Worried about the cost of Studying Abroad?

Sign up to access 25 game-changing scholarships that could cover your costs.

• Understanding the GRE AWA Section

Before we dive into the tips and sample essays, let’s understand the structure of the GRE AWA section.

AWA Section Overview

The GRE AWA section consists of two tasks:

1. The Argument Essay

In the Argument Essay, you are presented with an argument, and your task is to critically evaluate it. You need to assess the reasoning behind the argument, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and provide a well-reasoned response. This task assesses your ability to analyze and critique complex arguments effectively.

2. The Issue Essay

The Issue Essay presents you with a general statement or claim, and your objective is to develop your perspective on the given issue. You must present a clear, well-structured essay that articulates your position, supports it with evidence and examples, and addresses potential counterarguments. This task evaluates your ability to express your thoughts coherently and persuasively.

Now, let’s move on to essential tips for acing these AWA tasks.

Stuck on How to Pick Your Ideal College?

Sign up to access your tailored shortlist and simplify finding your ideal college.

• Tips for Excelling in GRE AWA Essays

1. Understand the Task

Before you start writing, carefully read the instructions for each essay task. Understand what is expected of you in terms of analysis and argumentation for the Argument Essay and presenting your viewpoint for the Issue Essay.

2. Structure Your Essays

Both essays should follow a clear structure:

Introduction

• Start with a concise introduction that introduces the topic and provides a clear thesis statement for your essay.

Body Paragraphs

• In the body paragraphs, present your arguments and supporting evidence.
• For the Argument Essay, discuss the argument’s flaws and strengths.
• In the Issue Essay, provide reasons and examples to support your perspective.

Counterarguments

• Acknowledge potential counterarguments and address them logically and persuasively.
• Summarize your main points and restate your thesis in the conclusion.

3. Use Concrete Examples

In both essays, use real-world examples and evidence to bolster your arguments. Provide specific instances that illustrate your points, making your essay more convincing.

4. Proofread and Edit

Allocate time to review and edit your essays. Check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. A well-edited essay is more likely to convey your ideas effectively.

5. Manage Your Time

During the GRE exam, time management is crucial. Practice writing essays within the allocated time frame to ensure you can complete both tasks.

6. Practice Regularly

To improve your essay writing skills, practice regularly. Write essays on various topics to become comfortable with different subject matter.

Now, let’s explore some sample essays for both the Argument and Issue tasks to gain a better understanding of effective essay writing.

See how Successful Applications Look Like!

Access 350K+ profiles of students who got in. See what you can improve in your own application!

• Sample Argument Essay

Prompt : The following appeared in a memo from the marketing director of Orion Books.

“The Grand Tour, a travel guidebook series on European cities, has sold fewer copies this year than ever before. Perhaps it’s time to discontinue this series. After all, we have several other travel guidebook series that are selling well. It seems that The Grand Tour is no longer of interest to our readers.”

Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion.

Sample Response :

In the memo from the marketing director of Orion Books, the argument is made that The Grand Tour, a travel guidebook series on European cities, should be discontinued due to declining sales. While the argument has some merit, it suffers from several critical flaws that undermine its validity.

Firstly, the marketing director assumes that declining sales of The Grand Tour are solely due to a lack of interest from readers. This assumption fails to consider other factors that may have contributed to the decline in sales, such as changes in marketing strategies, competition from other guidebook series, or external economic factors like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the argument overlooks the possibility that The Grand Tour could be revamped or marketed differently to rekindle reader interest. Instead of immediately discontinuing the series, a more prudent approach would be to explore ways to address the issues that have led to declining sales.

Furthermore, the argument relies on the sales performance of other travel guidebook series as evidence for discontinuing The Grand Tour. However, the marketing director provides no data or analysis to demonstrate a direct correlation between the success of other series and the need to discontinue The Grand Tour. It’s entirely possible that different guidebook series cater to distinct audiences with varying preferences.

In conclusion, the argument to discontinue The Grand Tour is not well-reasoned. It makes unsupported assumptions about the reasons behind declining sales and fails to explore alternative solutions to address the issue. To make a more informed decision, a comprehensive analysis of sales data and reader preferences should be conducted.

Start Your University Applications with Ambitio Pro!

Get Ambitio Pro!

Begin your journey to top universities with Ambitio Pro. Our premium platform offers you tools and support needed to craft standout applications.

Unlock Advanced Features for a More Comprehensive Application Experience!

Start your Journey today

• Sample Issue Essay

Prompt : “ The widespread use of the internet has given people access to more information than ever before. Some people argue that this access has had a positive impact on society, while others believe it has created new problems and exacerbated existing ones. In your opinion, has the widespread use of the internet on balance had a positive or negative impact on society? Use reasons and examples to support your position.”

The widespread use of the internet has undeniably had a profound impact on society, and assessing whether this impact is positive or negative requires a nuanced examination of its various aspects.

On the positive side, the internet has democratized access to information. People now have the ability to educate themselves on a wide range of topics, from academic subjects to practical skills, with a few clicks. This democratization of knowledge has empowered individuals and facilitated lifelong learning.

Moreover, the internet has revolutionized communication. It enables people to connect with others globally, fostering cross-cultural understanding and collaboration. Social media platforms, for instance, have played a role in raising awareness about social issues and facilitating movements for positive change.

However, the internet’s influence is not without its drawbacks. One major concern is the proliferation of misinformation and fake news. The ease with which false information can spread online can lead to societal divisions and misunderstandings.

Privacy is another pressing issue. The internet has made it increasingly challenging to protect personal data, leading to concerns about surveillance and the misuse of information.

In conclusion, the impact of the internet on society is multifaceted. While it has undoubtedly brought about positive changes in terms of information accessibility and global connectivity, it also poses challenges related to misinformation and privacy. Whether the overall impact is positive or negative depends on how society addresses these challenges and harnesses the benefits of the digital age.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored the GRE AWA section, including its structure and essential tips for success. We’ve also provided sample essays for both the Argument and Issue tasks to illustrate effective essay-writing techniques.

Remember that practice, critical thinking, and effective communication are key to excelling in the GRE AWA section. As you prepare for the GRE exam, use this guide as a valuable resource to enhance your essay writing skills and perform your best on test day. Good luck!

• FAQs about GRE AWA Essays

What is the GRE AWA section?

The GRE AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment) section is a component of the GRE exam that evaluates your essay writing skills. It consists of two tasks: the Argument Essay and the Issue Essay.

How important is the GRE AWA section in the GRE exam?

While the AWA section doesn’t contribute to your overall GRE score, it’s still important as some graduate programs consider it during admissions. A strong AWA score can strengthen your application.

What is the format of the GRE AWA essays?

The AWA section includes an Argument Essay and an Issue Essay. In the Argument Essay, you analyze an argument’s reasoning, while in the Issue Essay, you present your perspective on a given issue.

What are some key tips for GRE AWA success?

1) Practice writing essays regularly to improve your skills. 2) Focus on structure: Have a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. 3) Use evidence and examples to support your arguments. 4) Proofread and edit your essays for clarity and grammar.

Can you provide GRE AWA sample essays?

Yes, in the blog, we’ve included sample essays to help you understand the essay structure and content better.

How can I prepare for the GRE AWA section?

To prepare effectively, practice writing essays on various topics. Review sample essays and seek feedback from peers or mentors.

Are there specific GRE essay topics I should be prepared for?

The topics for GRE essays vary, but our blog covers common themes and provides guidance on how to approach them.

Is critical thinking important in GRE AWA essays?

Yes, critical thinking plays a significant role in AWA essays. You need to analyze arguments, identify flaws, and present logical and well-reasoned responses.

Can you explain the difference between the Argument Essay and the Issue Essay?

Certainly! The Argument Essay assesses your ability to critique an argument, while the Issue Essay evaluates your capacity to express and support your own viewpoint on an issue.

How can I improve my GRE AWA score?

Consistent practice, attention to essay structure, and using relevant examples can significantly improve your GRE AWA score.

Spread the Word!

Share across your social media if you found it helpful

Table of Contents

• • Understanding the GRE AWA Section
• • Tips for Excelling in GRE AWA Essays
• • Sample Argument Essay
• • Sample Issue Essay
• • Conclusion
• • FAQs about GRE AWA Essays

Build your profile to get into top colleges

Phone Number

What level are you targetting

Almost there!

Just enter your OTP, and your planner will be on its way!

Code sent on

Resend OTP (30s)

Your Handbook Is Waiting on WhatsApp!

Please have a look, and always feel free to reach out for any detailed guidance

Click here to download

Meanwhile check out your dashboard to access various tools to help you in your study abroad journey

Related Blogs

Strategies for Writing an Effective Application Essay

What Are The Harvard University GRE Score And IELTS Score Requirements For Admission?

Harvard MBA GRE Scores 2025

Find your Dream school now⭐️

Welcome! Let's Land Your Dream Admit.

Let us make sure you get into the best!

• 2024 Winter
• 2024 Spring
• 2024 Summer

Enter verification code

Code was sent to

• Our Experts

Connect with us on our social media