The Analytical Writing section challenges you to construct well-reasoned arguments and articulate your ideas clearly under time constraints. This section consists of two tasks: analyzing an issue and evaluating an argument. Below, you’ll find essay templates, scoring criteria, and writing strategies to help you craft compelling responses and achieve a top score.
“Analyze an Issue” Essay Breakdowns:
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Claim: Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s major field of study
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Some people believe it is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public
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Some people believe that the purpose of education is to free the mind and the spirit
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Some people believe that society should try to save every plant and animal species, despite the expense to humans in effort, time, and financial well-being
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People who are the most deeply committed to an idea or policy are also the most critical of it
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The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are only tools of human minds
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There is little justification for society to make extraordinary efforts — especially at a great cost in money and jobs — to save endangered animal or plant species
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Leaders are created by the demands that are placed on them
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People should undertake risky action only after they have carefully considered its consequences
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Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals
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Scientists and other researchers should focus their research on areas that are likely to benefit the greatest number of people
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Learning is primarily a matter of personal discipline; students cannot be motivated by school or college alone
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The main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from people who lived in earlier times
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In order for any work of art — for example, a film, a novel, a poem, or a song — to have merit, it must be understandable to most people
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If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable
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The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones
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Young people should be encouraged to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than seek immediate fame and recognition
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Government officials should rely on their own judgment rather than unquestioningly carry out the will of the people they serve
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Claim: We can usually learn much more from people whose views we share than from those whose views contradict our own
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Educators should teach facts only after their students have studied the ideas, trends, and concepts that help explain those facts
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Educators should find out what students want included in the curriculum and then offer it to them
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Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s field of study
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Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education
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Claim: It is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero
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The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves
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Students should always question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively
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The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries
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Claim: When planning courses, educators should take into account the interests and suggestions of their students
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College students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them rather than the courses that seem most likely to lead to jobs
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It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves
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Society should identify those children who have special talents and provide training for them at an early age to develop their talents
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Governments should not fund any scientific research whose consequences are unclear
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Educational institutions should dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed
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In any situation, progress requires discussion among people who have contrasting points of view
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As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and mysterious
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College students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in that field
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Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities
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Teachers’ salaries should be based on their students’ academic performance
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The best way to teach — whether as an educator, employer, or parent — is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones
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The surest indicator of a great nation is represented not by the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but by the general welfare of its people
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In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important contributions
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The luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals
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The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones
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Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students
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Governments should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development
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Governments should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development