GRE Writing Prompts: Your Complete Guide to the Analytical Writing Section

The Analyze an Issue task presents you with a statement about a topic of general interest and asks you to develop your position on that issue. You’re not being asked to simply agree or disagree—you need to evaluate the complexities of the issue, consider different perspectives, and support your position with relevant reasons and examples.

Each prompt consists of two parts: an issue statement (the opinion or claim you’ll respond to) and specific task instructions (telling you exactly how to respond). While the issue statements cover broad topics accessible to anyone, the task instructions vary and must be followed precisely.

The Seven Categories of GRE Essay Topics

Based on analysis of the official ETS prompt pool, GRE writing prompts typically fall into seven broad categories:

1. Education: Teaching methods, curriculum design, the purpose of formal education, and student-teacher relationships
2. Technology and Society: Impact of technological advancement, human-machine relationships, innovation versus tradition
3. Government and Politics: Role of government, policy decisions, civic responsibility, leadership qualities
4. Arts and Culture: Value of art in society, preservation of culture, creativity, and expression
5. Intellectual Endeavors: Scientific research, academic pursuits, knowledge, and its applications
6. Cities and Communities: Urban development, community responsibility, societal organization
7. Philosophical: Human nature, ethics and morality, abstract concepts about society and individuals

Below you’ll find 25 authentic GRE essay prompts organized by category. These are drawn directly from the official ETS pool, giving you realistic practice material. Remember, one of these—or something very similar—could appear on your actual test day.

Education Prompts

1.“A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation.

2.“Teachers’ salaries should be based on the academic performance of their students.”

Task: Describe specific circumstances in which adopting this recommendation would or would not be advantageous.

3.“Some people believe that the purpose of education is to free the mind and the spirit. Others believe that formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free.”

Task: Discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position.

4.“The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

5.“All parents should be required to volunteer time to their children’s schools.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this recommendation.

Technology and Society Prompts

1.“The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are only tools of human minds.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

2.“As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and mysterious.”

Task: Consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.

3.“Claim: Researchers should not limit their investigations to only those areas in which they expect to discover something that has an immediate, practical application.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim.

4.“Technological advances have made our lives more complicated than before.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

5.“In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim.

Government and Society Prompts

1.“Governments should focus on public health and education instead of arts and culture.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation.

2.“Some people claim that the goal of politics should be the pursuit of an ideal. Others argue that the goal should be finding common ground and reaching reasonable compromise.”

Task: Discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position.

3.“Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities.”

Task: Discuss the possible consequences of implementing this policy.

4.“There is little justification for society to make extraordinary efforts—especially at great cost in money and jobs—to save endangered animal or plant species.”

Task: Consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.

5.“Leaders are created by the demands that are placed on them.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

Arts and Culture Prompts

1.“The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

2.“A nation’s well-being depends on the creativity and originality of its inhabitants.”

Task: Consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.

3.“The well-being of a society is enhanced when many of its people question authority.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim.

Philosophical Prompts

1.“Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

2.“It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves.”

Task: Consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.

3.“Claim: When planning courses, educators should take into account the interests and suggestions of their students. Reason: Students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in what they are studying.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which it is based.

4.“If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.

5.“College students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them rather than the courses that seem most likely to lead to jobs.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation.

6.“Claim: Imagination is a more valuable asset than experience. Reason: People who lack experience are free to imagine what is possible without the constraints of established habits and attitudes.”

Task: Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason.

Understanding how your essay will be scored is crucial for effective preparation. The GRE Analytical Writing section uses a holistic scoring approach, meaning raters evaluate your essay’s overall quality rather than checking off individual criteria.

The Scoring Process

Each essay receives two independent scores. One score comes from a trained human reader, and the other comes from an ETS-developed computer program called e-rater. If the human and computer scores are close, the average becomes your final score. If they differ significantly, a second human reader evaluates the essay, and the two human scores are averaged.

Score Level Descriptions

• Score 6 (Outstanding): Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis; develops ideas with logically compelling reasons and persuasive examples; demonstrates superior facility with language
• Score 5 (Strong): Provides generally thoughtful analysis; supports main points with sound reasoning and well-chosen examples; demonstrates strong command of language
• Score 4 (Adequate): Presents a competent analysis with relevant support; demonstrates adequate control of language ,though may have some errors
• Score 3 (Limited): Shows some competence but with notable weaknesses; reasoning may be flawed or limited
• Score 2 (Seriously Flawed): Demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing; unclear or limited analysis
• Score 1 (Fundamentally Deficient): Provides little evidence of understanding the task or the ability to develop an organized response

What’s Considered a Good GRE Writing Score?

According to ETS data from the 2023-2024 testing year, the average Analytical Writing score is approximately 3.5 out of 6. Here’s how different scores stack up:

• Score of 5.0 or higher: Places you in roughly the top 10% of test-takers
• Score of 4.5: Puts you around the 80th percentile—competitive for most programs
• Score of 4.0: Around the 60th percentile—average to above-average
• Score of 3.5: Near the 50th percentile—the statistical average

The score you should aim for depends heavily on your target programs. Humanities and social science programs typically expect higher writing scores (4.5+), while STEM programs may be more forgiving (3.5-4.0 is often acceptable). Always research your specific programs’ expectations.

For detailed guidance on whether the GRE is even necessary for your goals, check out our resource on whether you need a GRE score for a master’s degree.

Success on the GRE Analytical Writing section comes from preparation, practice, and strategy. Here’s how to approach the section effectively.

Before Test Day

1. Review the entire prompt pool. ETS publishes all possible Issue topics in a downloadable PDF on its website. While there are too many to write practice essays for each one, reading through them helps you understand the types of issues you’ll encounter.
2. Develop a consistent essay structure. Most successful essays follow a clear format: introduction with thesis, 2-3 body paragraphs with examples, and a conclusion. Find a structure that works for you and practice it until it becomes second nature.
3. Build a bank of versatile examples. Draw from history, science, literature, current events, and personal experience. The best examples can be adapted to support multiple types of arguments.
4. Practice under timed conditions. Thirty minutes go fast. Write at least 5-10 practice essays under strict time limits to build your speed and comfort with the pressure.
5. Get feedback on your writing. ETS offers ScoreItNow!, a $20 service that provides computer-scored feedback on practice essays. You can also compare your essays to the scored samples ETS provides.

During the Test

• Read the prompt twice. Pay close attention to the specific task instructions—they tell you exactly what the raters are looking for.
• Spend 3-5 minutes planning. Jot down your thesis, main points, and examples before you start writing. This upfront investment saves time and improves coherence.
• Take a clear position. Raters are looking for a defensible stance, not fence-sitting. You can acknowledge complexity while still committing to a position.
• Use specific examples. Vague generalizations weaken your argument. Concrete examples from history, science, literature, or current events strengthen it.
• Save 2-3 minutes to proofread. Since there’s no spellcheck, you’ll need to catch errors yourself. A few typos won’t hurt you, but pervasive errors will lower your score.

For comprehensive test-preparation strategies, visit our GRE prep guide with detailed study tips and resources.