GRE Analytical Writing Scoring

The GRE Analytical Writing section consists of two tasks: Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument. Each task is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, in half-point increments. The scores from both tasks are then averaged to calculate the overall Analytical Writing score, which ranges from 0 to 6.

Marks Weightage for Different Scoring Bands

The marks weightage for different scoring bands in the GRE Analytical Writing section can be understood as follows:

1. Score Band 6 (Excellent)
- A score of 6 indicates outstanding performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates strong critical thinking, logical reasoning, and effective writing skills.
- The response is well-organized, coherent, and exhibits a strong command of language and vocabulary.
- It presents a clear and insightful analysis of the given issue or argument.

2. Score Band 5 (Very Good)
- A score of 5 indicates a very good performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates well-developed ideas, logical reasoning, and effective writing skills.
- The response is well-organized, coherent, and exhibits a good command of language and vocabulary.
- It presents a clear analysis of the given issue or argument with some minor flaws.

3. Score Band 4 (Good)
- A score of 4 indicates a good performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the issue or argument and presents relevant ideas.
- The response is adequately organized and coherent, with some lapses in structure and clarity.
- It exhibits a satisfactory command of language and vocabulary, although there may be occasional errors or imprecise word choices.

4. Score Band 3 (Adequate)
- A score of 3 indicates an adequate performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates some understanding of the issue or argument but lacks depth and clarity.
- The response may be disorganized and lacking coherence, with weak development of ideas.
- It exhibits a limited command of language and vocabulary, with frequent errors and imprecise word choices.

5. Score Band 2 (Limited)
- A score of 2 indicates a limited performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates weak understanding of the issue or argument and lacks coherence and logical reasoning.
- The response is poorly organized and lacks development of ideas.
- It exhibits a weak command of language and vocabulary, with significant errors and inappropriate word choices.

6. Score Band 1 (Fundamentally Deficient)
- A score of 1 indicates a fundamentally deficient performance in both tasks.
- It demonstrates a severe lack of understanding, coherence, and logical reasoning.
- The response is incoherent, disjointed, and lacks any meaningful development of ideas.
- It exhibits a very limited command of language and vocabulary, with numerous errors and inappropriate word choices.

Conclusion

Understanding the marks weightage for different scoring bands in the GRE Analytical Writing section is essential to gauge one's performance. It is important to aim for a higher score to showcase strong critical thinking, logical reasoning, and effective writing skills. Practice, thorough preparation, and seeking guidance from reliable resources like EduRev can help improve performance in this section.