GRE Essays 100 Pieces. ISSUE Section

Author: Qian Kunqiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: In recent years, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has discovered that although most Chinese students score very high on the GRE, their writing skills are relatively low, leading to many difficulties in their studies in the United States and causing significant for professors. As a result, they began to believe that GRE scores do not fully represent a student's English proficiency. In light of this, starting from October 2002, the Educational Testing Service made the Analytical Writing section mandatory in the GRE exam. The Analytical Writing section of the GRE exam consists of two parts: one is a 45-minute "Issue" section. This part often presents a widely discussed phenomenon or raises a common issue, such as: "Progress in ideas is achieved through debate between people with different viewpoints," and then asks candidates to state their opinions on such an issue. Candidates can express their views from any angle, propose their own perspectives, and provide evidence to support their arguments. The other is a 30-minute "Argument" section. The question types in this section are somewhat similar to the single-question logical reasoning section in the past. The questions often provide a claim, supporting evidence for the claim, and a relatively complete line of reasoning. The writing requirement asks candidates not only to express support or opposition to a certain viewpoint but also to conduct an in-depth analysis of the logical relationships of the issue, which means analyzing the claim, the evidence, and the reasoning process to propose their own judgments and justifications. These questions will pose greater challenges to candidates. The "Issue" and "Argument" sections are complementary to each other. The first question requires candidates to state their own views; the second question requires candidates to critique others' arguments. Such questions can test how candidates clearly articulate a complex issue, present their views in a standardized and fluent manner, and provide supporting evidence; they can also effectively assess candidates' "argumentation (logic) and reasoning (reasoning)" skills. After the GRE essay became a mandatory section, it had a significant impact on Chinese candidates. Although most Chinese candidates can barely score 4.0–4.5 on the TOEFL essay (with only a few scoring 5.0 or above), it is extremely difficult to achieve the same score of 4.0 or above on the GRE essay unless candidates receive outstanding and effective guidance and training. It has been proven that the number of GRE candidates sharply declined after October 2002 (with exam registration already full before this date), and overall scores dropped significantly. Many Chinese candidates fell into the "minefield" of the essay section. However, dialectical philosophy tells us that even the worst things have positive aspects. Using an English proverb, "On man's meat is another man's poison," we can reverse its meaning and apply it as "A majority's poison is the minority's meat." The introduction of the GRE essay exam has eliminated countless potential competitors for a portion of the top Chinese students. It can be predicted that a very small number of excellent essay writers will face a smooth path in their future applications, as long as their application materials are well-prepared. Only those with sharp eyes can seize the opportunity, and only those who seize the opportunity can win the victory. This is all you need to remember.