In GRE Issue Essay a candidate would have to state their opinion regarding a prompt and give relevant arguments for or against the same in the written format. The GRE Issue Essay not only analyses the level of critical and rational thinking but also examines candidate’s capability to express their opinion in writing. The topic for GRE Analyse an Issue is ‘Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s major field of study’. A model answer for writing the same has been given below.

While penning down a GRE Issue Essay, the candidates must be careful to segregate the entire essay into five distinct paragraphs. This is the standard form of GRE Issue Essay. Candidates have the liberty of choosing from 4-6 paragraphs. The structure for drafting a GRE Issue Essay has been stated in the following points:

Introduction: In this paragraph, the candidates are expected to mention the given issue and at the same time, state their position for the same. The candidates are free to also provide a brief discussion on the points that would be focused while writing the essay.
Body Paragraph 1: In this paragraph, the candidates are expected to write the most solid reason for their opinion on this issue. They must be able to back up their reason with the most suitable examples, preferably from the real world, and examine the same from a logical point of view. This paragraph should be penned down in such a manner that it completely backs up the opinion of the candidate on the GRE AWA issue. However, the candidates must be mindful not to divert from the given issue and mention only the most relevant points.
Body Paragraph 2: The structure of the second paragraph is analogous to body paragraph 1. This paragraph should comprise another reason with the most suitable real-world examples. The candidates must examine these reasons in a logical fashion. The examples will help the reader understand the examples better.
Final Paragraph: In this paragraph, the candidates must clearly mention a counter-argument regarding the GRE Analyse an Issue essay. This can be done using a very relevant third reason and real-world examples. Thus, the candidates must try their best to convince all the readers that their opinion regarding the given issue is absolutely accurate.
Conclusion: in the last paragraph, the candidates must try to summarize the entire essay for their readers. This can be a mirror image of the introduction. Candidates can mention the important points and restate their opinion once again.

On the basis of the above-mentioned structure for drafting a GRE Issue Essay, the candidates must also follow the strategies mentioned below:

• It is important for the candidates to pick a side and maintain it while writing the given issue. Under no circumstances should the candidates argue for both sides of a given issue like GRE Analyse an Argument.
• The candidates must be careful not to divert from the given issue. They must always provide a relevant and rational reason and real-world examples while discussing the given topic.
• The candidates are advised to use strong and analytical statements in order to prevent any misunderstanding.
• The candidates must, under all circumstances, avoid writing the given issue in the first person. It can only be used if the candidate is providing an example from their personal experiences.
• The candidates must be careful to identify and provide a counter argument in the second last paragraph of their essay. This would help them present their opinions in a stronger manner.

Read More GRE Issue Samples

Topic: Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s major field of study

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Model Answer

The given statement claims “Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student’s major field of study”. In order to expand the knowledge, it is absolutely necessary for all the students to be well acquainted with other academic fields. The knowledge of any student must not, in any way, be restricted to their own fields of study. However, the universities should not impose any sort of pressure upon the students to study subjects from other disciplines. The students should be free to decide whether they want to expand their vision and knowledge by studying subjects from other academic disciplines. I do not agree with the fact that universities should require students to take courses outside of their field of study.

The students spend only a short duration of time in the universities. During this period, all the students are expected to attain maximum possible knowledge regarding their respective fields of study. They are also expected to become professionals in their field of study in the future. In such a situation, it is not justified to force any student to study a subject that will serve minimum relevance in the career of any student. For example, there is no point in forcing a medical student to study history. Undoubtedly, the knowledge of history would enhance the vision of the student in general. However, it would serve no real purpose and relevance during the student’s career as a medical professional.

All the students studying at the university level have the same aptitude of liking for all the subjects. Therefore, the students at the university level might not be comfortable while studying a particular subject from other academic disciplines. Some students might struggle to study the subjects from different academic disciplines. In a situation, the knowledge of the students in their respective fields might get hampered. For example, a student studying Biology at the university level might find it very difficult to study Mathematics. If the student is forced to study Mathematics, it might happen that he spends more time studying mathematics than his actual field of study – Biology. This might ultimately hamper the education of the student.

It is not warranted on the part of the universities to force the students to take up courses from other academic fields. This is because not only do such subjects have little relevance for the students in the real world but also it might hamper their knowledge. For\ example, there is no point in forcing an engineering student to study English. Since, at the university level the latter subject would have little relevance for the student in real life. Moreover, the student will only be wasting very precious moments of his time and career on a worthless subject. It would be more practical on the part of universities to encourage students to take up additional courses. These might be in subjects that are closely related to their respective field of study. For example, a history student might enrol themselves in some foreign language course since it would benefit the career of the student in the future.

In conclusion, taking up additional courses in other academic disciplines can definitely make a student more educated and knowledgeable. However, it is important to understand that the students should not, under any circumstances, be forced to take up subjects from other academic disciplines. They should, instead, be given the choice to select a subject depending upon his liking and capabilities.