GRE Essay Template and Tips
Updated April 2026. The current GRE Analytical Writing section has one essay: the 30-minute Analyze an Issue task. The old Analyze an Argument task is no longer part of the current GRE General Test.
If you came here looking for a GRE essay template, GRE essay tips, or GRE writing tips, this article will show you how I think about the Issue essay, how to use examples, and how to build a structure you can use on test day.
ETS describes the Issue task as a test of your ability to think critically about a topic of general interest and express your thoughts clearly in writing. You need to take a position, consider complexity, and support your view with reasons and examples.
Table of Contents
- Vince's GRE Issue Essay Template
- Two Things To Do Before You Practice
- GRE Issue Essay Example That Received A Perfect Score
- How To Effectively Choose And Use Examples In The Issue Essay
- Good GRE Essay Example Categories
- How Long Should GRE Essays Be?
- How Do I Improve My Issue Essay Score?
- GRE Writing Tips For Test Day
- A Simple GRE Essay Practice Plan
- Final Issue Essay Thoughts
- GRE Essay Template FAQ
BTW, if you're interested in working with me to help you create a personalized GRE study plan and/or you'd like to learn more about my online GRE tutoring, please take a few minutes fill out our GRE info form to tell me about your situation.
Vince's GRE Issue Essay Template
In this article, I'll talk about my favorite template for writing a high-scoring GRE Issue Essay. These tips will work best for you if you're a good writer; however, anyone can benefit from them. We'll learn how to write a quick introduction, meaty body paragraphs with lots of examples, and a compelling conclusion. Best of all, it's a formula that you can use again and again on lots of different essay prompts, so you don't have to think too hard on test day.
Here is the basic GRE essay template I usually recommend:
- Introduction: Reframe the issue, acknowledge complexity, and state your position.
- Body paragraph 1: Give your first major reason and develop it with a specific example.
- Body paragraph 2: Give your second major reason and develop it with another specific example.
- Body paragraph 3: Address a limitation, exception, complication, or opposing point of view.
- Conclusion: Return to your position and explain why your view is more reasonable than the alternative.
This GRE essay template works because it gives you a reliable structure without forcing you to memorize a fake-sounding essay. Your goal is not to plug random words into a formula. Your goal is to make a clear argument under time pressure.
Two GRE essays on the same prompt, compared
The fastest way to understand GRE essay scoring is to read two responses to the same prompt side by side. Below are two complete essays I wrote on a released Issue topic. Neither is a real student essay and neither carries an official score, because only ETS can assign one. ETS publishes its own scored sample responses with rater commentary, and they are worth reading directly. What these two add is the comparison: same prompt, same time limit, one essay doing the things that earn a high score and one doing the things that keep a competent essay average.
The prompt, from the released ETS Issue pool:
As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. 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.
Essay A
The claim assumes that thinking is a fixed quantity, and that whatever a tool does, a mind stops doing. The history of cognitive tools suggests something less tidy. Technology does not reliably erode the ability to think for oneself. It relocates that ability, usually upward, toward problems the tool cannot yet reach. The real risk is narrower than the prompt allows, and it is worth stating precisely, because the narrow version is true.
Consider navigation. Before satellite mapping, drivers built and maintained detailed mental maps of the cities they lived in, and research on London taxi drivers suggests that effort left physical traces in the brain. Handheld navigation has largely dissolved that skill. Most people I know, myself included, could not draw their own neighborhood accurately. This is a genuine loss, and the prompt is right about it.
But notice what the same drivers now do instead. A delivery dispatcher who once spent the morning sequencing thirty stops by memory now spends it deciding which constraints matter: which customers tolerate a late window, which routes fail in rain, which exceptions justify overriding the software. The cognitive work did not vanish. It moved from recall to judgment, and judgment is the harder of the two. Calculators did the same thing to arithmetic. Students who no longer compute long division by hand are, in the same courses, asked to model situations that would have been unreachable in a curriculum that spent two years on computation.
The strongest version of the opposing case is not about skills at all, and it deserves a direct answer. It is that reliance on tools degrades the disposition to think, not the capacity. When a system returns a confident answer instantly, the user has little occasion to notice that the question was ambiguous, or that the answer is wrong in a way that matters. This is the failure mode worth worrying about, and it is visible now: people accept plausible generated text without checking it, not because they have lost the ability to check, but because nothing in the interaction prompts them to.
That distinction changes what follows. If technology destroyed capacity, the remedy would be to use less of it. If it dulls disposition, the remedy is design and training: systems that expose their uncertainty, and education that treats verification as a skill in its own right. The second remedy is available and the first is not, since no society gives up a tool that works.
So I disagree with the statement as written and agree with a smaller claim inside it. Reliance on technology does not make people unable to think for themselves. It removes the friction that used to force them to, and friction, not capacity, is what has to be deliberately rebuilt.
Essay B
I agree with the statement that relying on technology will cause people to lose the ability to think for themselves. Technology is everywhere in modern society, and as we use it more and more, our thinking skills will decline. There are several reasons why this is true.
First, technology makes things easy. When something is easy, people do not have to work hard at it. For example, students today use calculators for math problems. In the past, students had to solve these problems by hand, which made them better at math. Now that calculators do the work, students do not develop the same skills. The same thing is true of spell check, which means people no longer learn to spell correctly.
Second, the internet gives people instant answers. If someone has a question, they can search for it and find the answer in seconds. This means they never have to figure anything out on their own. Instead of thinking through a problem, they simply look it up. Over time, this habit will make people less able to solve problems independently, because they have never practiced doing it.
Third, technology affects memory. People used to memorize phone numbers and directions. Now our phones store all of this information for us. Because we do not use our memory, it gets weaker, just like a muscle that is not exercised. Studies have shown that people remember less when they know information is stored somewhere else.
Some people might argue that technology actually helps us think by giving us more information. However, having more information is not the same as thinking. A person can have access to everything on the internet and still not know how to evaluate it or use it well. So this argument does not really disprove the statement.
In conclusion, I strongly agree that increasing reliance on technology will cause human thinking ability to deteriorate. Calculators, search engines, and smartphones have all reduced the amount of thinking people do for themselves. If this trend continues, future generations will be even more dependent on technology and even less capable of independent thought.
What separates the two
Essay B is not a bad essay. It is on topic, organized, grammatical, and it finishes. That is exactly why it is worth studying: this is what a competent, well-prepared, average response looks like, and most test takers write closer to B than to A. Six differences do most of the work.
1. B answers the prompt. A interrogates it. B's first sentence agrees and then never revisits the question. A's first sentence identifies the assumption buried in the statement, that thinking is a fixed quantity, and the rest of the essay tests it. The GRE Issue task asks you to discuss the extent to which you agree. "Extent" is an invitation to complicate, and B declines it.
2. A concedes something real. B concedes something safe. B's counterargument paragraph raises an objection it can dismiss in two sentences. A gives the opposing case its strongest form, that reliance degrades disposition rather than capacity, and then has to do actual work to answer it. Graders notice which counterargument you chose. Picking the weak one reads as avoidance.
3. A's examples carry specific weight. B says "students use calculators." A says students who no longer compute long division are asked in the same courses to model problems that were unreachable when curricula spent two years on computation. Same example family, entirely different evidentiary value. The specificity is not decoration; it is what makes the claim checkable.
4. B's structure is a list. A's is an argument. B's paragraphs are interchangeable: first, second, third. Reorder them and nothing breaks. A's paragraphs depend on each other, because the concession in paragraph four forces the reframing in paragraph five. Interchangeable paragraphs are the clearest signal that a writer is filling a template rather than thinking inside it.
5. A ends somewhere different from where it started. B's conclusion restates its introduction in slightly warmer language. A arrives at a distinction it did not have at the outset, between capacity and friction, and that distinction is the essay's actual contribution. An essay that could have written its conclusion before its body has not used the body.
6. B overstates. A qualifies. "Surely," "never," "all of this," "even less capable." B inherits the prompt's absolutism instead of examining it. A says "does not reliably," "usually," "the narrow version is true." Hedging is not weakness here; it is precision, and precision is most of what separates the upper bands.
What to take from this
The template on this page gets you to Essay B reliably, and Essay B is a respectable score. Getting to Essay A is not a matter of better vocabulary or longer paragraphs. It is four habits: find the assumption in the prompt, choose the strongest objection rather than the most convenient one, make one example genuinely specific, and let the essay reach a conclusion it did not begin with. Practise those four on any released prompt and the writing takes care of itself.
Two Things To Do Before You Practice
First, here are two to-dos for you:
Action item #1: Read all sample essays and commentary in The Official Guide, as well as those in the Verbal Practice book. These are great models for your writing since you can see what the ETS graders reward. Pay very close attention to the grader commentary.
Action item #2: Read and brainstorm two official Issue Essay prompts every time you study.
Bonus: learn more new words with my GRE vocabulary flashcards app!
Ok, assuming you've gotten started on the above, I want to give you some insight about what you need to do to get a 6.
GRE Issue Essay Example That Received A Perfect Score
You may notice that many Issue Essay prompts make statements that are difficult to fully support. The example and response I want to use first is this one about technology on the GRE's website. Go ahead and read the prompt, then read the "6" response just below it. Now, let's think about its statement:
As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.
Notice that this statement, like many Issue statements, would be difficult to agree with 100% of the time. Good responses will acknowledge the complexity of the issue and respond in an insightful way to that complexity. This response does that partly by discussing the reasoning that might be used by someone who agrees with the statement, in paragraph 2:
The statement attempts to bridge these dramatic changes to a reduction in the ability for humans to think for themselves. The assumption is that an increased reliance on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve previous quandaries. Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without a car, computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical worker would need to find alternate methods of transport, information processing and communication.
Technology short circuits this thinking by making the problems obsolete.
Good writers often begin this way: they talk about their opponents' views, then respond with their own. This provides context and a framework for their argument. Writing a persuasive essay without addressing the reasoning of other points-of-view is like pretending your point-of-view exists in a vacuum with no one to challenge it.
Now let's look at a paragraph that continues to acknowledge the complexity of the issue in an insightful way, in paragraph 3:
However, this reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity that marks the human species. The prior examples reveal that technology allows for convenience. The car, computer and phone all release additional time for people to live more efficiently. This efficiency does not preclude the need for humans to think for themselves. In fact, technology frees humanity to not only tackle new problems, but may itself create new issues that did not exist without technology.
For example, the proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need for fuel conservation on a global scale. With increasing energy demands from emerging markets, global warming becomes a concern inconceivable to the horse-and-buggy generation. Likewise dependence on oil has created nation-states that are not dependent on taxation, allowing ruling parties to oppress minority groups such as women.
Solutions to these complex problems require the unfettered imaginations of maverick scientists and politicians.
I like this paragraph a lot because not only does the author make an insightful point that technology gives people more time to think, but that technology itself creates problems that require thinking. This is a step up from what I think the average writer might do: just cite an example of technology that helps us think or that we need to think to use. Now, you don't always need this level of insight, but it's a good example of what might separate a 6 from a 5.
Compelling reasoning and depth of thought are rewarded.
I also like that this essay creates a critical context with the first paragraph, defining the scope of what it's going to discuss. It's the one I most talk about if a higher-scoring student wants some kind of GRE issue essay template, too. It's nice to have a go-to structure when you've only got 29 minutes and 37 seconds and the clock is relentlessly ticking...
Another example I like in the Verbal Reasoning Practice Book is the 6 essay response to a prompt about "People should obey just laws and disobey unjust laws". The author spends some time questioning the context to apply "just": i.e., what is more important, being just to the individual or just to society? The author also questions how to define "just": if a society is brainwashed, can "just" have any meaning? I like this approach, since, again, it acknowledges the complexity and complications of forming a position on that issue.
How To Effectively Choose And Use Examples In The Issue Essay
Many of my students find it difficult at first to think of relevant examples to support the arguments they make when writing the GRE issue essay. In this section, I’ll give you one of my favorite GRE essay tips: how to choose strong examples.
Again, just so we have some context, here’s a sample Issue essay prompt:
Employees at all levels of a corporation should be involved in that corporation’s short and long term goal planning.
Now, one trap I want you to avoid falling into is thinking you have to have specialized knowledge of the topic. You might say to yourself that you’ve never worked for a corporation and that you don’t know how corporations typically plan. The good news is that you can still write a good essay about the topic using what you do know.
For example, let’s say you mostly agree with the statement and wanted to think of an example you could use. You could use an example from real life: perhaps you could talk about how employees at Google are encouraged to use 20% of their time to work on projects they think will benefit the company.
Even if you couldn’t think of a real life example, you might use a hypothetical example and talk about how if an airline asked all employees about its plans for the future, flight attendants might provide unique insights into what customers like and don’t like.
One strategy I like to recommend is to instead of thinking of what the perfect GRE issue essay examples might be, think about what you know well and see if it could fit. This will encourage you to choose examples you know well, making it easier to write insightfully about them. It might be a good idea to make a list of your personal “go-to” topics, things you can easily talk or write about. You’ll find that you can use many of them for many essays. Don’t let the first thing that comes to mind box you in.
Essay topics are designed so that almost anyone can write about them.
For example, I love reading The Economist. Since I read it every week, I usually have been thinking about some current events that I can apply to many Issue topics. Also, reading like this builds up a storehouse of information that you can dip into, making it increasingly likely you'll be inspired when a random topic pops up on the screen.
Good GRE Essay Example Categories
Since the GRE Issue essay can be about almost anything, it helps to have a few example categories ready before test day. These do not need to be fancy. They just need to be flexible enough that you can use them to support an argument.
- Current events: useful if you read publications like The Economist, The Atlantic, The New York Times, or The Wall Street Journal.
- History: useful for prompts about leadership, technology, progress, education, government, or social change.
- Business: useful for prompts about corporations, planning, competition, innovation, and incentives.
- Science and technology: useful for prompts about progress, unintended consequences, expertise, and ethics.
- Education: useful for prompts about learning, standards, creativity, conformity, and public policy.
- Personal experience: useful if the experience is specific, relevant, and explained well.
- Hypothetical examples: useful when you cannot think of a real example, as long as the hypothetical is plausible.
The important thing is not whether your example is famous. The important thing is whether you can explain exactly how it supports your argument.
How Long Should GRE Essays Be?
In general, the more you write, the better. 500-600 words is a good goal for most people, but write more if you can!
Good writers tend to illustrate and explain well, which equals more words. If your essay paragraphs seem short, try explaining why more and writing more detailed “for example” sentences. Your reader will find your argument more compelling.
The GRE Analytical Writing score ranges from 0 to 6 in half-point increments. ETS describes top-scoring Issue essays as well organized, insightful, supported with compelling reasons or persuasive examples, and written with effective vocabulary and sentence variety.
How Do I Improve My Issue Essay Score?
Remember, the GRE issue essay examples you choose matter, but they must be used skillfully. Practice brainstorming lots of different essay prompts from the ETS website to get used to coming up with examples that you can use to support your point of view.
Improving your score generally will mean improving one of these five grading criteria:
- How compelling is your argument?
- The examples that support your point
- Organization / transitions
- Using standard written English
- Word count
In my experience, the GRE's analytical writing assessment is the one part of the test that students tend to under-prepare for. No matter how you prepare for the essay, make sure that you at least write a few before you actually take the real GRE.
P.S. I can help you with your essays, but I will charge you for my time. If you don't want to work with me personally, you can ask for feedback on Reddit (r/GRE). It's the most popular and active GRE forum I know of.
(Reddit is nerdy but also useful.)
GRE Writing Tips For Test Day
Here are the GRE writing tips I’d most want you to remember on test day:
1. Read the specific instructions
The Issue statement matters, but the instructions matter too. Some prompts ask you to discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree. Others ask you to address both views, consider consequences, or address challenges to your position. Do the task you were actually given.
2. Take a real position
You do not have to be extreme, but you do need a position. “There are many sides to this issue” is not enough. A good GRE essay can be qualified and nuanced while still making a clear argument.
3. Acknowledge complexity
Many GRE prompts are broad because ETS wants to see whether you can handle complexity. Acknowledge where the other side has a point. Explain when your position is strongest and when it might need limits.
4. Use examples you can explain
A famous example is not automatically a good example. A simple example that you can explain clearly is often better than a prestigious example you barely understand.
5. Explain why your examples matter
Do not just drop in an example and move on. After the example, explain how it supports your position and why it matters for the prompt.
6. Save time to proofread
The ETS word processor does not include spellcheck or grammar check. Leave a couple of minutes at the end to fix obvious errors, especially missing words, repeated words, sentence fragments, and punctuation mistakes that affect clarity.
7. Practice the template before test day
A GRE essay template only helps if you have practiced using it. Before your real GRE, write at least a few complete timed Issue essays using the same basic structure.
A Simple GRE Essay Practice Plan
Here is a simple way to practice GRE writing without turning it into a giant project:
- Read the ETS Issue task overview and scoring guide. Learn what the test is actually asking for.
- Read several sample essays with commentary. Pay attention to why the stronger essays are stronger.
- Make a list of go-to examples. Include history, current events, books, business, technology, education, and personal examples.
- Brainstorm 10 prompts. For each one, write a thesis and 2 or 3 possible examples.
- Write 3 untimed essays. Focus on structure, development, and examples.
- Write 3 timed essays. Give yourself exactly 30 minutes.
- Review each essay. Ask whether your position is clear, your examples are developed, and your paragraphs are easy to follow.
If you only have time for a little GRE essay prep, at least practice brainstorming examples and writing timed outlines. The essay becomes much less scary once you have a repeatable process.
Final Issue Essay Thoughts
Check out all the 6 responses in the ETS books. These will give you more ideas about what the highest-scoring essays do. Just keep in mind that these are paradigms of "6" responses. You don't always have to be that good to earn a strong score.
Again, I think one of the most valuable things you can do is to find an essay structure you like and create your own issue essay template out of it, so you have a "go-to" structure on test day.
If you enjoyed this free guide, check out Vince's other free GRE resources.
And, speaking of writing stuff, our graduate school admissions essay expert, Lauren Hammond, can help you write your personal statement!
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GRE Essay Template FAQ
What is the best GRE essay template?
A strong GRE essay template has an introduction with a clear thesis, two body paragraphs with well-developed examples, one paragraph that handles complexity or an opposing view, and a conclusion. The template should guide your thinking without making your writing sound mechanical.
How many GRE essays are there now?
The current GRE has one Analytical Writing essay: the 30-minute Analyze an Issue task. The old Analyze an Argument task is no longer part of the current GRE General Test.
What are the best GRE essay tips?
The best GRE essay tips are to read the instructions carefully, take a clear position, acknowledge complexity, use examples you can explain well, connect each example back to your argument, and leave a few minutes to proofread.
How long should my GRE essay be?
For most students, 500 to 600 words is a good goal. Longer can be better if the essay remains relevant, organized, and clear. Length alone will not save a weak argument.
Can I use personal examples on the GRE essay?
Yes. You can use examples from reading, personal experience, observations, academic studies, work, current events, or hypothetical situations. The key is to explain the example well and connect it to your argument.
Do I need historical examples for the GRE essay?
No. Historical examples can be useful, but they are not required. A specific, well-explained hypothetical or personal example can be stronger than a famous historical example you barely understand.
How do I improve my GRE writing score?
Read official ETS sample essays, learn the scoring guide, brainstorm official Issue prompts, write several timed practice essays, and get feedback. Focus on argument, examples, organization, language, and development.
Should I memorize a GRE essay template?
You should know your structure before test day, but do not memorize a word-for-word essay. Memorize the job of each paragraph instead: introduce, support, support, qualify, conclude.
Does the GRE essay have spellcheck?
No. The ETS word processor has basic functions such as insert text, delete text, cut-and-paste, and undo, but no spellchecker or grammar checker. Save a few minutes to proofread.
What score should I aim for on GRE Analytical Writing?
That depends on your programs, but many students are fine with a 4.0 or above. More writing-heavy graduate programs may care more. Check the expectations of your target programs if you are unsure.
How long should a GRE essay be?
There is no official length requirement, and length is not scored. In practice, responses in the upper bands tend to run 450 to 650 words, because developing a position with real examples and answering a serious objection takes that much room. Write to the argument rather than to a word count. An essay that reaches 700 words by repeating itself scores worse than one that makes its case in 500.
Is the GRE essay hard?
It is less hard than most people expect, and the reason is that the bar is set by the average response rather than by good writing generally. Most test takers produce something like Essay B above: organized, on topic, and shallow. You do not need to write well by literary standards to score above that. You need to complicate the prompt, choose a strong objection, and be specific once. Those are learnable in a few practice sessions.
How do you write a GRE issue essay?
Read the prompt for its hidden assumption, then decide how far you actually agree rather than picking a side wholesale. Open by naming the assumption. Spend the middle developing two or three specific examples and one genuine counterargument. Close on a distinction you arrived at rather than a restatement of your introduction. The five-part template above gives you the shape; the comparison between Essay A and Essay B shows what the shape is worth when it is filled well.