GRE essay grader for the AWA
Practise the Analyze an Issue essay and get an instant estimate against the official rubric, scored across the five things readers actually look for, with specific notes on what to fix — then read on for the full 0–6 descriptors and percentile table.
Universities should require every student to take a range of courses outside their major field of study.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous, and explain how those examples shape your view.
An expert estimate against the official rubric, not an official ETS score. ETS scores with a human reader plus the e-rater engine.
Your estimated score and rubric breakdown will appear here.
Practising a specific prompt? Browse all 30 Issue prompts below.
The Analyze an Issue prompt library.
30 original Issue prompts in the official GRE style, grouped by theme. Pick one, write under timing, and get an instant rubric-based estimate.
Education
Universities should require every student to take a range of course…
PractiseThe primary purpose of education should be to prepare students for…
PractiseStudents learn more from teachers who challenge their assumptions t…
PractiseSchools should place greater emphasis on teaching students how to m…
PractiseSchools should require students to demonstrate mastery of a subject…
PractiseGovernment & policy
Governments should focus their funding on basic scientific research…
PractiseA nation's leaders should prioritize long-term environmental protec…
PractisePublic officials should base important policy decisions on the judg…
PractiseGovernments should provide financial support to the arts only when…
PractiseTechnology
As societies rely more heavily on technology, people inevitably los…
PractiseThe spread of digital communication has weakened, rather than stren…
PractiseGovernments should regulate emerging technologies before they are w…
PractiseSociety should prioritize the development of automation technologie…
PractiseSociety & culture
To understand a society, we should study the works of its most cele…
PractiseA society's progress is best measured by how it treats its least po…
PractisePeople are shaped more by the communities they belong to than by th…
PractiseA society's traditions should be preserved even when they conflict…
PractiseScience & research
Work & leadership
People accomplish more when they pursue work they are passionate ab…
PractiseThe most effective leaders are those who are willing to admit their…
PractiseOrganizations function best when they encourage cooperation rather…
PractiseAn organization's success depends more on the character of its lead…
PractiseSome people believe that effective leaders should make difficult de…
PractiseEthics & the individual
It is sometimes necessary for individuals to break established rule…
PractisePeople should value the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, even…
PractiseSome people believe we learn the most from our failures; others bel…
PractiseIndividuals should prioritize their own conscience over the expecta…
PractiseAn individual's moral character is better revealed by how they act…
PractiseGRE analytical writing examples, scored.
Three short, original GRE essay examples at different bands, each with a note on why it scored where it did. These are illustrative excerpts written to show the difference between bands, not real ETS essays. Read them to calibrate your own writing, then draft your response above.
Outstanding response
Responding to: "Technology makes people lose the ability to think for themselves."
The claim that technology inevitably erodes independent thought mistakes a tool for its use. The printing press, the calculator, and the search engine each drew the same alarm, yet each freed human attention for higher-order work rather than ending it. What technology changes is not whether we think but what we must think about: a navigator relieved of route-memorisation is free to reason about where to go and why. The word that undoes the claim is "inevitably," for the outcome turns entirely on how a tool is taught and used.
Why it scored a 6: It takes a clear, nuanced position in the first two sentences, controls a precise vocabulary, and immediately targets the prompt's weakest word. The reasoning is developed with parallel historical examples rather than asserted, and the sentences vary in length and structure. This is the insight and fluent control a 6 rewards.
Adequate response
Responding to: "Leaders should prioritize the environment even when it slows growth."
I agree that leaders should protect the environment because the damage we do can be permanent. When a forest is cut down or a river polluted, it is very hard to bring it back, so the short-term money is not worth it. Economic growth is important too, and some countries need it to help poor people. But in the long run a ruined environment will hurt the economy anyway, so protecting it is a smart choice for leaders to make.
Why it scored a 4: The position is clear and there is a relevant reason (irreversibility) with a gesture at the other side. But the support stays general, the examples are hypothetical rather than specific, and the language is competent but plain, with some repetition. That combination of a defensible but under-developed argument is squarely a 4.
Limited response
Responding to: "Organizations function best when they encourage cooperation over competition."
Cooperation is a good thing for organizations. When people cooperate they can get more things done and everyone is happy. Competition can be bad because people fight and do not help each other. In my opinion companies should make their workers cooperate more. This will make the company better and more successful in many different ways that are good for everyone involved.
Why it scored a 3: There is a position, but it is thinly supported and mostly restates the prompt in different words. Claims are asserted without reasons or examples, the other side is dismissed rather than engaged, and phrasing is vague and repetitive. Unclear development plus filler is what pulls a response down to a 3.
Want the full 0–6 descriptors these examples are graded against? They are in the rubric table below. To try one of these prompts yourself, pick from the prompt library.
How the estimate is produced
The grader reads your essay against the official ETS holistic descriptors for scores 0–6, treating it as a timed 30-minute first draft — an occasional slip does not lower the score, only severe and persistent problems do.
On the real GRE, Analytical Writing is one **Analyze an Issue** task, scored **0–6 in half-point steps** and reported separately from the 260–340 total. The official essay score is the average of one trained human reader and the **e-rater** engine; if the two disagree by more than a point, a second human reader adjudicates.
This is an **expert estimate, not an official ETS score**, and it does not replicate the e-rater engine. Use it to practise and to see which dimension is dragging you down. See our editorial standards for how the grader is calibrated.
The 0–6 rubric, band by band
Readers score holistically against these descriptors. The version below is paraphrased from the official ETS scoring guide.
| Score | Label | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Outstanding | Insightful, well-developed position; compelling, fully-developed reasons and examples; tight organisation; fluent, precise language with sentence variety. |
| 5 | Strong | Clear, well-considered position; logically sound and well-chosen support; clear organisation; good control of language with few errors. |
| 4 | Adequate | Competent position with relevant support; generally organised; satisfactory control of language; some errors that do not impede meaning. |
| 3 | Limited | Position is unclear or thinly supported; weak organisation; frequent errors that occasionally obscure meaning. |
| 2 | Seriously flawed | Little clear analysis or development; serious organisation problems; frequent serious language errors that interfere with meaning. |
| 1 | Fundamentally deficient | Little evidence of the ability to analyse or develop an argument; severe and persistent writing errors. |
| 0 | Unscorable | Off-topic, not in English, copied prompt, or blank. |
What each AWA score is worth in percentiles
AWA percentiles are steep in the middle: a single half-point near the mean (3.44) moves you a long way.
| AWA score | Percentile |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 99 |
| 5.5 | 98 |
| 5.0 | 93 |
| 4.5 | 85 |
| 4.0 | 63 |
| 3.5 | 43 |
| 3.0 | 17 |
| 2.5 | 8 |
| 2.0 | 3 |
| 1.5 | 1 |
Notice the jump from **4.0 (63rd) to 4.5 (85th)** is the highest-leverage half-point on the scale. If you are sitting at a 4.0, that is the most valuable place to put your effort. Convert any Verbal or Quant score to its percentile too with the percentile calculator.
What's a good AWA score for admissions
Most programs treat AWA as a threshold to clear, not a number to maximise — but the threshold varies by field.
| Program type | Comfortable AWA | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most graduate programs | 4.0+ | Clears the bar; signals you can write at graduate level |
| Humanities & social sciences | 4.5–5.0+ | Writing is central; AWA is read more closely |
| STEM & quantitative fields | 3.5–4.0+ | Weighed less, but a low AWA still raises flags |
| MBA via the GRE | 4.5+ | Business schools value clear, structured argument |
A surprisingly low AWA next to a strong Verbal can read as a red flag (it can prompt questions about authorship). Clearing your field's range matters more than chasing a 6. For the full picture, see what is a good GRE score.
The five things readers reward
The grader scores the same five dimensions a human reader weighs. Strengthening the weakest one is the fastest way up.
- **A clear position.** State where you stand on the issue early and unambiguously, then hold it.
- **Developed reasons and examples.** Specific, relevant support beats a list of generic ones; depth beats breadth.
- **Engagement with complexity.** Acknowledge the strongest counter-view and answer it — this is what separates a 5 from a 4.
- **Organisation.** A logical line from introduction to conclusion, with paragraphs that each do one job.
- **Language control.** Varied sentences and precise word choice; a few errors are fine, persistent ones are not.
Practise the underlying reading and reasoning with our Verbal practice, then sit the essay inside a full section-adaptive mock to rehearse it under real 30-minute timing.
GRE AWA FAQ.
Related tools and guides.
Rehearse it under real timing.
Write the Analyze an Issue essay inside a free, full-length, section-adaptive mock and get an estimate the moment you finish.