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GRE Analytical Writing: the essay and your writing score

One 30-minute essay, the Analyze an Issue task, decides your GRE writing score, which runs from 0 to 6 in half points. The essay is scored holistically, on its overall quality, with ETS’s e-rater scoring engine as part of the process. You don’t see this score at the end of the test: it comes with your official scores.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What the Issue task asks

You get a short opinion on an issue and instructions for responding. You take a position and support it with reasons and examples. Topics come from the fine arts, humanities, social sciences and physical sciences, and no specialist knowledge is needed. ETS publishes the whole pool of Issue topics your prompt is drawn from.

The second essay, Analyze an Argument, was dropped when the test was shortened on September 22, 2023.

Typing the essay

You write in a basic ETS word processor that lets you insert and delete text, cut and paste, and undo. There’s no spell check or grammar check. ETS says an occasional spelling or grammar slip won’t affect your score, but serious, repeated errors will. Its readers are trained to focus on the reasoning more than the mechanics, which count only when they get in the way of meaning.

What does each GRE writing score mean?

Percentiles are for everyone who tested from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025, when the mean writing score was 3.46. ETS’s scoring guides and score level descriptions have the full wording.

ScoreWhat ETS says the essay does% scoring lower
6 and 5.5Insightful, in-depth analysis, compelling support, precise language, at most minor errors99 (6.0), 98 (5.5)
5 and 4.5Generally thoughtful analysis, well-chosen support, clear language, minor errors93 (5.0), 85 (4.5)
4 and 3.5Competent analysis with relevant support, adequately organized, some errors that affect clarity63 (4.0), 40 (3.5)
3 and 2.5Some competence, but limited analysis, weak organization or errors that cause vagueness16 (3.0), 7 (2.5)
2 and 1.5Serious weaknesses in analysis, organization or language3 (2.0), 1 (1.5)
1 and 0.5Fundamental problems: confusing or irrelevant content, little development1 (1.0)
Verbal and Quant percentiles →

How to practice the GRE essay

For free, read through the Issue topic pool, the scoring guide and ETS’s scored sample essays with reader comments, which also come with POWERPREP Online. Then practice inside 30 minutes, keeping a few minutes at the end to check for obvious errors.

ETS’s paid ScoreItNow! gives instant scores on two essay topics plus six bonus topics, and POWERPREP PLUS tests score your essay too. If you think your real essay was marked too low, you can ask for a score review for a fee.

Official GRE prep →GRE fees →

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Sources: ETS and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.