Organization
You can have a groundbreaking idea, but if you don’t present the idea in a clear and
logical way, then the reader will never grasp the point you are trying to make. As
will be discussed later, organizing your thoughts into discrete paragraphs will be
an essential component of achieving a good score on the essays.Sound Reasoning
Remember: these are analytical tasks. To do well, you need to think critically
about the information presented to you and provide arguments and insights that
would not be obvious to someone who only superficially analyzes the information.
As explained later, a large component of your essay-writing process will be the
development of clear and logical arguments.Simplified Scoring Rubrics
Here is a simplified version of the rubric used by the graders to score responses to
the Analyze an Issue task:Analyze an Issue: Scoring
SCORE FOCUS ORGANIZATION CONVENTIONS
0 Does not address the
prompt. Off topic.Incomprehensible. May
merely copy the prompt
without development.Illegible. Nonverbal.
Serious errors make the
paper unreadable. May be
in a foreign language.
1 Mostly irrelevant to the
prompt.Little or no development
of ideas. No evidence of
analysis or organization.Pervasive errors in
grammar, mechanics, and
spelling.
2 Unclear connection to the
prompt.Unfocused and
disorganized.Frequent errors in
sentence structure,
mechanics, and spelling.
3 Limited connection to the
prompt.Rough organization with
weak examples or reasons.Occasional major errors
and frequent minor errors
in conventions of written
English.4 Competent connection to
the prompt.Relevant examples or
reasons develop a logical
position.Occasional minor errors
in conventions of written
English.
5 Clear, focused connection
to the prompt.Thoughtful, appropriate
examples or reasons
develop a consistent,
coherent position.
Connectors are ably used
to mark transitions.Very few errors. Sentence
structure is varied and
vocabulary is advanced.6 Insightful, clever
connection to the prompt.Compelling, convincing
examples or reasons
develop a consistent,
coherent position.
The argument flows
effortlessly and
persuasively.Very few errors. Sentence
structure is varied and
vocabulary is precise, well
chosen, and effective.CHAPTER 3 ■ THE ANALYTICAL WRITING MEASURE 7901-GRE-Test-2018_001-106.indd 79 12/05/17 11:38 am