GRE A WA Scoring: A Guide for Online Graders

This document provides everything you need to know to offer our students a realistic approximation of the score they can expect on the GREs Analytical Writing section. Your scoring will help our students improve their analytical writing skills and help them attain their best score possible on the actual exam.

GRE ANALYTICAL WRITING

Students taking the GRE complete two tasks (in ETS parlance) as part of the Analytical Writing section, in this order: a 45-minute Present Your Perspective on an Issue task a 30-minute Analyze an Argument task Hereafter, well refer to these as the Issue essay and the Argument essay. The GRE is a computerbased test, and students type their responses. The testing platform is a very crude word-processor, with no spelling or grammar checks.

HOW IT S SCORED
Each essay is distributed to two graders, who give a whole number score on the scale of zero to six scale. Thus, students essays receive a total of four scorestwo for the Issue essay and two for the Argument essay. These scores are averaged to arrive at the reported score. Students receive a single score on a scale of zero to six with half-point increments.
AWA Score 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 0.52.0 Percentile 96 86 71 52 32 17 7 3 1

Source: ETS, How to Interpret and and Use GRE Analytical Writing Scores

The graders are college and university faculty with experience in teaching writing and critical thinking whove read hundreds of responses in training. Of course, if two of these vaunted academics differ in their scores by more than one point for a single response, a third grader is brought in to settle the dispute. Since we dont know that many eight-year olds whove taught writing, we can only assume they use some form of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

TPR GRADING
You will be the one and only expert grader of students essays. Thus, the final score for our students is the average of two scoresone score for the Issue essay and one for the Argument essay. Issue and Argument essays are distributed to graders independently, so its unlikely that you will grade both of a students essays from the same exam. If youre a GRE teacher or a teacher for another test type that involves essays, you undoubtedly have your own view how essays should be written. You will need to broaden your vantage point when you grade essays. In class, we provide students with templates and approaches that produce predictable results. However, approaches that deviate from our in-class advice can also be valid. Evaluate essays according to how well they meet the scoring criteria, not just according to how well they fit what you teach. Holistic grading means that the score you award reflects your judgment of the essay as a whole. While you will take into account how well writers complete the tasks, organize their thoughts, present arguments, and follow the conventions of standard written English, theres no set number of points awarded for each component. Instead, you must weigh all of these factors and decide how they affect the overall quality of the essay. The combination of factors can result in two essays with different strengths and weaknesses receiving the same score. For example, you might award a score of four to an Issue essay that has a clear thesis and structure but offers only limited development of the examples. You might also award a four to an essay that presents outstanding examples but is less well organized or has grammar and usage errors that interfere with your ability to follow the authors argument. Read quickly to get an overall impression of the essay. A good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to three minutes per essay. Shorter essays may take less time , while a longer, intriguing essay make take a bit longer. If you take much longer than three minutes, you risk grading more analytically than is warranted and losing sight of the sum for the parts. Look for the positive, rather than the negative elements of the essay. Focus on the flow of the essay. An awkward construction will be like a pothole; this hurts the flow of the essay, but backing up and driving over it again and again will only heighten its distraction from the overall impression. Upon conclusion, ask yourself whether the student swayed you to her opinion. That will place it in the upper half or lower half. Go with your gut, and dont overanalyze your choice. Narrow your grade by comparing how few potholes you hit versus your absorption in the journey. Consult your Score Chart for quick reference and decide on a final score. Stuck deciding between two adjacent scores? Review the Help for Adjacent Score Anxiety.

GIVING FEEDBACK
You are not an editor, but your job as a grader does require you to help the student improve on his next essay. Good feedback is specific and leaves the student certain what he needs to do to improve. The pre-selected comments offer a broad range of items, from positive to constructive. You must select at least one pre-selected comment for each essay you grade, but we recommend you choose three to five.

Include comments that will help the student improve, but be sure to include at least one which acknowledges what the student did well. If you feel you need more than ten constructive comments, you are better served writing a summary in the Free Comments. Free Comments are also useful for explaining specifically how the student could have improved his or her essay.

HELP FOR ADJACENT SCORE ANXIETY

Deciding between two adjacent scores is often the most difficult part of grading, particularly when the goal is to spend no more than three minutes reading each one. Many graders make the mistake of second-guessing themselves, feeling they are too harsh but then worrying they overcompensated and were too lenient. Stop thinking so much! The more you analyze, the more you are losing the sum for its parts. However, it is useful in your early grader career to be able to pinpoint why you choose the final grade so that your choices are instinctive after a while. Your goal is to make each scoring level like obscenity: youll know it when you see it. Review the depth of the insight. Review vocabulary choices: Did they lessen the precision of the students point? Reflect on how many pot holes you hit. Remember that as scores decline, its more what the student didnt do than what he did wrong. Allow yourself to set the bar high. GRE students include future English and history PhDs, after all, and many (even science geeks!) are outstanding writers. Do not expect perfection: This is a timed essay written under stressful conditions, not a polished application essay. While comparative grading is the rule, dont punish students because they didnt use a fresh example youve never seen before. Youll have read hundreds of essays soon, and its important not to get jaded. Is your only constraint fear of grade inflation? Give it the higher score but consider offering Free Comments to help the student continue to improve. Chances are, your hesitancy is a sign that the essay is missing something, and that would argue for the lower of the two scores. Finally, remember that ETS graders are allowed to differ by one score, as are you. In the end, debating between two adjacent scores is counterproductive. Dos and Donts DO give yourself a stretch break every hour. DONT grade longer than two hours in one sitting, even with breaks. DONT grade when youre in a bad mood. A positive attitude is necessary for holistic grading. DO take length into account. While ETS may dodge the issue by stating that essays too short are unlikely to feature the depth a top score requires, our research indicates a stronger correlation than that. We instruct students to write at least four paragraphs. DONT use length as your primary scoring measure. DONT actively search for grammatical and syntax errors. Errors should affect the score only to the degree that they are severe enough to interfere with the meaning or are so frequent they grow distracting. DONT award half-scores on an essay. DONT score your own students essays.

HOW TO GRADE GRE ESSAYS

Potential graders can be intimidated by how subjective essay grading is. While it may true that one mans meat is another mans poison, blah, blah, blah, we believe Princeton Review graders can master ETSs categories and can approximate scores to match those of ETSs graders (not including those fearsome eight-year olds.) You can also offer insightful feedback to allow students to improve on their next test. To master both of these skills, you will complete these four steps for each task and then review the How-To Guide. Step 1: Understand the task. Step 2: Read the official ETS descriptions of each score. Step 3: Read the sample scored essays to develop a feel for what the scores really mean. Step 4: Complete the Score Chart for reference when you begin grading the set of test essays for the next level of training The How-To Guide will not only help you before you proceed to the next step of training, but it will also be a great resource for you to use once you begin grading on a regular basis .

STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE ESSAY

The AWA is the first section of the GRE. The Issue essay allows students to choose which of two unrelated prompts to address. Here is an example of a pair of prompts , complete with ETSs instructions:
Present your perspective on one of the issues below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views. It is necessary for the entertainment industry to police itself by censoring television programs and popular music lyrics. Children need strict discipline in order to grow successfully to adulthood. Without it, they, and society as a whole, will have no sense of morals and will drift into depression and violence.

All of the prompts are similar in that they feature a broad, provocative pronouncement on a political or social issue which ETS deems relevant. The Issue essay is intended to allow test takers to demonstrate their ability to formulate a cogent argument and support their claims with appropriate evidence. Above all, evaluate Issue essays according to how expertly they express and support a thesis. Alongside evaluating writers abilities organize their thoughts effectively and follow the conventions of standard written English, consider the points below when reading Issue essays. Presentation of the issue The essay should present the issue stated in the prompt. Many test takers simply quote the prompt, and this is less than ideal. A better approach is to paraphrase the issue, and essays that receive scores of three or higher typically do this. Essays that merit a five or six typically go beyond a basic paraphrase. They clarify the meaning of the prompt or define the terms. Explaining and qualifying the prompt allows writers to create a more sophisticated essay. Presentation of position It doesnt matter whether a test taker agrees or disagrees with the prompt; there are no right or wrong answers on the Issue essay. However, the essay should present a clear thesis. An essay that lacks a thesis or wavers between sides fails to complete the task adequately, and you shouldnt

give it a score higher than two. Many test takers wholly agree or disagree with the prompt, which is perfectly acceptable . Essays in the three or four range tend to take this approach. However, test takers are not limited to agreeing or disagreeing unequivocally with the stated claim; some of the strongest essays will support a more limited or qualified claim. Essays that receive scores of five or six usually employ more complex reasoning. The very best essays consider the merits of different positions. They introduce and reject opposing views, explaining why these views are not well founded, or they discuss two sides of an issue and arrive at a synthesis. Presentation of reasons and examples In addition to stating a thesis, writers must explain why their positions are valid and illustrate their reasons with examples. An essay without examples should not receive a score higher than two. Examples can be drawn from multiple sourcespersonal experience, current events, history, literature, etc. You should neither reward nor penalize a writer for the type of example used. Rather, evaluate the examples on specificity, development, and relevance to the thesis. Essays that receive scores of three or four typically offer one or more examples, but the examples are hypothetical or underdeveloped. Essays that receive scores of five or six employ cogent examples that help to build a solid argument for the authors position. You will frequently encounter factual error s in the examples. Writers shouldnt be penalized for small mistakes, but you can take egregious errors into account. Dont sweat it if an essay misstates the date of Guernicas creation by one year. Be more concerned if the essay claims that Benito Mussolini led the Germans in bombing Pearl Harbor during the Civil War. As with grammar and style errors, evaluate the degree to which factual errors interfere with the overall impression of the essay. Bottom line: ETS is looking for cogency (they love that word) in exploring the complexities and implications of the issue, supported by persuasive reasons and/or examples.

STEP 2: ETS SCORING GUIDE FOR THE ISSUE ESSAY

Reading through the official ETS Scoring Guide doesnt necessarily tell you what the scores mean. However, you still need to read it to develop your grader spidey sense of what the scores mean. As you read, pay attention to the modifiers: Note that they are superlative in 6, positive in 5, relatively absent in 4, negative in 3, and extremely negative in 2 and 1. Score: 6 A 6 paper presents a cogent, well-articulated analysis of the complexities of the issue and conveys meaning skillfully. A typical paper in this category presents an insightful position on the issue develops the position with compelling reasons and/or persuasive examples sustains a well-focused, well-organized analysis, connecting ideas logically expresses ideas fluently and precisely, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety demonstrates facility with the conventions (i.e., grammar, usage, and mechanics) of standard written English but may have minor errors Score: 5 A 5 paper presents a generally thoughtful, well-developed analysis of the complexities of the issue and conveys meaning clearly. A typical paper in this category presents a well-considered position on the issue develops the position with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples is focused and generally well-organized, connecting ideas appropriately expresses ideas clearly and well, using appropriate vocabulary and sentence variety

demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor errors

Score: 4 A 4 paper presents a competent analysis of the issue and conveys meaning adequately. A typical paper in this category presents a clear position on the issue develops the position on the issue with relevant reasons and/or examples is adequately focused and organized expresses ideas with reasonable clarity generally demonstrates control of the conventions of standard written E nglish but may have some errors Score: 3 A 3 paper demonstrates some competence in its analysis of the issue and in conveying meaning but is obviously flawed. A typical paper in this category exhibits ONE OR MORE of the following characteristics: is vague or limited in presenting or developing a position on the issue is weak in the use of relevant reasons or examples is poorly focused and/or poorly organized has problems in language and sentence structure that result in a lack of clarity contains occasiona l major errors or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that can interfere with meaning Score: 2 A 2 paper demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing. A typical paper in this category exhibits ONE OR MORE of the following characteristics: is unclear or seriously limited in presenting or developing a position on the issue provides few, if any, relevant reasons or examples is unfocused and/or disorganized has serious problems in the use of language and sentence structure that frequently interfere with meaning contains serious errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that frequently obscure meaning Score: 1 A 1 paper demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. A typical paper in this category exhibits ONE or MORE of the following characteristics: provides little or no evidence of the ability to understand and analyze the issue provides little or no evidence of the ability to develop an organized response has severe problems in language and sentence structure that persistently interfere with meaning contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that result in incoherence Score: 0 Off topic, (i.e., provides no evidence of an attempt to respond to the assigned topic), in a foreign language, merely copies the topic, consists of only keystroke characters, or is illegible, or non verbal. (Editors note: we assume the latter comments refer to the pencil-based test, offered in some countries abroad. But we have a soft spot for the stressed out test taker who draws a pretty picture as a response.) Score: NS Blank (not even a pretty picture)

Bottom Line : The top-half scores are judged on what the essays feature, while the bottom-half scores are judged on what the essays lack. A 6 is great, a 5 good, a 4 adequate, a 3 flawed, a 2 seriously weak, and a 1 fundamentally deficient.

STEP 3: THE SAMPLE SCORED ISSUE ESSAYS

Now that youve read the official scoring guidelines, read the following sample scored essays. As you read Return to the guidelines often, checking out those modifiers again. Try to pinpoint why the 5 wasnt a 6, why the 4 wasnt a 5 nor a 3, etc . If you would like to read more scored essays for practice, consult Practicing to Take the GRE: 10th Edition or www.gre.org.
Prompt: Science is meaningless without religion. Or

The true test of the greatness of a work of art is its ability to be understood by the masses.
Score: 1
400 years ago Glilloe was errested by the catholic church. Glileo had just published his theory about the sun as the center of the universe. Galileo's theory was something that the Catholic church could not tollerate because it challanged the religious theory of Genesis. Today we all know the truth, and the truth is that science is based on facts, observations and research while religion tries to explain our world by the unnatural force, which called God. The history of science is full of conflicts between religion and science. religions consideres science as a threat. Therefore, many years scientist were hunted by religious people because they were the enemies of God, likr Glileo and Darvin.

Standard: Essays need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Free: You need to develop clearly your stance on the issue as well as clarify what the issue is to begin with. While Galileo could be a compelling example for your opinion, we never know what that opinion is. You will also need additional examples to explore the issue in the length and depth required for a top-half score. The spelling and grammar errors were significant enough to hinder the readers comprehension.
the topic issue given is a cntroversal one.on one hand it talks that the issue should be readable by the folk,then its said to be a great one.the ability to understand depenps on many criterias so i dont think the art should be degraded because of thein ability to interpret it. i belive that the capablity of understanding depends on the intelluct of the people ,how much they are awre of the current situation.for example if an art work on the significance of the envirnmental pollution is being painted.it becomes clearly understood by the person who is aware of the matter. another cause of the disablity to understand the art can also be the be the lack of creativity or imagination.they won't feel it appretiable.he may not able to understand it.for example ,the great potrait of monolisa can just be viewed as a potrait of a women lived omewhere in the past,there is no necessity that the person should find any speciality in it thus goes the thinking of the people ,so i dont think so the art is said "to be hailed if and only if it gives a clear picture to the viewers",it can be great the way it is.

Standard: Essays need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Free: The spelling and grammatical errors made comprehension extremely difficult. You do state your thesis, but lack examples and depth to give the issue the analysis needed for a top-half score.

Score: 2 Science is not meaningless without religion, because the two are not reliant on eachother. They are two different aspects of human life. In years past, science has tried to discredit religion because religion is based on faith. Science tries to discredit God for his healing power, because it has foung earthly cures for its diseases. Science tries to find a biomedical answer for every ailment or "deficiency" that it can, but it serves the human need to gain knowledge. Religion serves a different ppurpose; the human need for spirituality. Human need to have a sense of hope when all else is failing. The thought of a higher power being there to guide you through hard times relieves the pressure of the world, as well as provides us with the feeling we are never alone. Religion even goes further to fill the void of the unexplainable. Science is meaningful without religion because the two do not compliment eachother. Science has attempted to discredit religion in the past, however, religion is still an important need in human life because it fills the need to be spirtual. Science will continue to be meaningful with or without religion, because humans need to gain knowledge. Standard: Essays need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Reduce the number of grammar and spelling errors. Free: You state your opinion on the issue clearly, but fail to develop it. Use examples to back up your point, and relate them back to your thesis.
The ability to measure the greatness of a work of art is a contentious issue. Many would argue that the work needs to be easily understood by many people in order to reach the level of greatness, while others maintain that the masses and their ability to decode a work of art is meaningless in this decision. I believe the latter, that a piece of artwork can achieve greatness whether many people are able to see this or not. Take for example the artist Picasso and his work. During his lifetime, Picasso was incredibly poor because he could not sell his paintings, and was considered a failure. After his death, people began to appreciate his ingenuity and style. Today his paintings are worth incredible amounts of money, the same paintings that people once considered very poor. Does this mean that the paintings were not great while Picasso was alive? No, becasue they are the same works of art that are hanging on people's walls today. The issue was that the masses were unable to appreciate and understand Picasso's paintings while he was alive. Further support of the above argument is that the masses are fickle. We have all heard about the stories of ancient Rome, one day the people swore allegiance to one, the next day they were calling for his head. While society may not be as brutal these days, we still are a very volatile group as far as the masses are concerned. We love our president one day because he has done something wonderful, and then we find out a secret of his past, and the next day we are calling for an impeachment. What one day people consider poor artwork, the next they are calling modern art. This is why we cannot rely on the masses to deem whether a work is great or not. We must rely on experts, and know that greatness is innate.

Standard: Make your essay longer by expanding on key points. Explain your examples in more depth. Always write a conclusion. Free: Your essay would have benefited from additional examples, and a deeper exploration of what greatness means. Politics as an example to prove your point could be very effective to prove your point, but you need clearer transition words to connect the dots from art to politics and the eye of the beholder. As it is, the inclusion of politics as the only other example shifts the focus too much from your thesis . You need additional examples and a conclusion. Score: 3

I disagree with the claim that science is meaningless without religion. That is a proposterous idea and lacks in any sort of foundation of evidence. I think that science and religion are incompatible and are both independently meaningful due to a variety of reasons. Science and religion are especially highlighted as separate entities upon analysis of the differences between their associating philosphies. Science is grounded in theories of reason and logic, while religion relies on faith and belief. Science focuses on proofs and facts, while religion encompasses proverbs and stories. The list could go on indefinitely of the polarizing contrasts between science and religion. From my experience, many science-oriented intellectuals are atheist or non-religious. The very nature of religion requests a folllower to believe without knowing facts and truths; a scientist needs more justification to an idea than this. The only similarity between science and religion indeed ends up emphasizing the fact that the two systems of thought cannot be reconciled: they are both forms of storytelling and therefore do not tell the same story. Both science and religion are methods of explanation; humans have utilized these two ideas to describe the world, how it was created, and the purpose of such creation. Science does not need religion to stand on its own. It tells a story about Earth and its evolving inhabitants, and scholars need not have a concept of religion to understand the tenets of the scientific approach. Religious persons also have used their stories to explain the ways of the world and this method employs supernatural science instead of physical science. They are independent. In conclusion, due to the very nature of science and religion and the systems of thought that correlate with each, these two theories can not be related. They are important means of explanation to their respective followers, and will remain so.

Standard: Good overall organization. Use strong, well-developed examples. Leave a little time to proofread Free: Your essay was clear in its organization and your thesis, but you need examples to back up your point and develop your insight more fully. In addition, some of your longer, complex sentences read awkwardly; edit them to be shorter, simpler sentences when you proofread.
The issue of one's ability to determine the greatness of a work of art is a convoluted and political one. One the one hand, great art is art that can be appreciated by the masses . On the other hand, one's ability to understand the complexities of great art can only be understood by art historians. However, in the final analysis I believe that the true test of the greatness of a work of art lies in its ability to arouse attention from an eclectic group of individuals. One reason for my belief is that for a work of art to be great it has to be understood by members of all classes of the social ladder. No distinction can be made between who and who cannot appreciate and understand art. Not only would excluding views of specific social groups be unjust but also be detrimental to the creation of new aesthetical techniques. Another reason for my belief is that for a work of art to be great is has to be universally understood. The art piece must contain feelings or elements shared by various individuals to succeed. A great piece can be complex while still contain simple elements. For all these reasons, I believe that the greatness of a work of art lies in ability to be appreciated by all faucets of the social ladder . Art historians may have an upper hand on understanding certain aesthetical qualities but they do not necessarily form the same opinions as do individuals fom mass society. Thus, the greatness of a work of art would not be complete if its meaning was just left up to an esoteric group.

Standard: Spelling errors compromise comprehension. Your essay was well organized. Free: Your thesis is clear, but you need examples to prove your point. Your organization was clear, with obvious transition words at the beginning of each paragraph. Score: 4
Science and religion occupy two different realms in the lives of humans. While both are used by various people to understand the human condition on earth, they are not so related as to be able

to say that one is meaningless without the other. Science and religion serve two separate functions: science strives to understand how our universe came to exist and why it works as it does, while religion is primarily concerned with the role of man on earth and the meaning of human life. Sometimes, the different natures of these two disciplines even come in conflict with each other, clearly debunking the claim that they rely on each other to be meaningful. Religion plays no definite role in science, and vise versa. The two have had to co-exist for hundreds of years now, but science does not rely on religious doctrine or practices, nor does religion gain validity with the help of science. Science is the study of how and why things work as they do, performed through experimentation of tangible and observable evidence. Religion is based on faith in an intangible god and the doctrines he or she preaches. Hence, the vary nature of science and religion, the methods in which they are practiced and shared, make them incompatible. Consequently, the meaning of one does not rely on the other. Furthermore, for centuries science and religion have been in conflict with one another, often so much so that we could call them enemies. In numerous instances, religious doctrine or moral belief has branded a new scientific idea or practice with blasphemous or immoral label. For example, the Roman Catholic Church forbid Galileo to publish his Copernican ideas in the seventeenth century about the Earth's orbit around the sun, instead of the other way around. Although Galileo was right, the Church held such claims as preposterous because the Bible said God created the Earth as the center of the Universe. Another, more modern example of the conflict between science and religion is the current issue over stem cell research. Scientists argue that the ability to perform research on stem cells from human fertilized embryos could change the face of medicine. However, religious groups, particularly Christian groups in this country, feel that a fertilized embryo is a human being and therefore has the right to life. Creating such embryos in order to perform research on them, these religious groups feel, is not only unethical, but also murder. This argument continues today and has reached the highest levels of our national government in hopes of reaching a resolution. It is true that some people find meaning of all things, including life, through religion. However, those who do not ascribe to a particular religious faith or practice are still perfectly capable of pursuing scientific truth and knowledge through research. Although the result of each practice is different, there is a personal truth or meaning of life to be found through either science or religion. Human nature instinctively pursues the answers to questions such as, 'Why are we here?' or 'How did we get here and what is our function?' While both science and religion attempt to understand such conundrums, they take very different approaches to examining these questions and draw their own conclusions based on their methods of research.

Standard: Good examples! Free: Overall, your essay was strong, with a clear thesis and good organization. Your examples were strong, and tied back to your thesis. You could use an additional, one however; your last two paragraphs rambled and then your conclusion consisted of a last sentence that felt tacked on in a rush. Write a stronger conclusion that restates your points and expands on them.
Many different definitions of "great art" exist today. One contention is that, "the true test of the greatness of a work of art is its ability to be understood by the masses." By appealing to the masses, art has the unique ability to capture its audience and inspire them with beauty or appal them with pain. Whether it be through a protest song, a piece of theatrical satire, or a painting depicting the horrors of war, art that appeals to the masses can generate controversy and action, thus impacting the world in greater ways than had the masses not understood the piece. But it is not this understanding that creates the greatness. Rather it is this popular understanding that allows for the greatness to be appreciated by many, instead of only a few. Art can be great without being fully understood. In some instances it is the very knowledge of the audience that they could never create or fully understand such a piece that makes it great in their minds . Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" and Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" are both examples of art that is readily understood by the masses and still considered great because of the powerful message it sends. Popular music is a way in our modern world that artists can speak to people and can convey their message very simply and clearly to young and old, rich and poor alike. The

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fact that such songs, like the ever popular protest song "What's Going On?", are understood and loved by many enhances, but does not create their greatness. The same could be said of Picasso's famed "Guernica" which depicts the horrors of the bombing of the small Spanish town. The tremendous painting can be understood as 'great' on many levels, only one of which is the fact that it speaks to and is understoof by many. It is also considered great as an example of the Cubist movement in art, as it showcases the talents of its creator to the world. Yet, art can still be considered great even if it is not easily understood. Some would contend that art is great because of that fact, that great art is meant only for the elite, while others would hold that it is great in spite of that fact, based on its artisitic and stylistic merits. In any case, the fact remains that there is and has always been great art that was not understood by the masses in its time, and some of which may never be easily understood by many, but can nonetheless be appreciated. One more recent example that comes to mind is the art of painter Jackson Pollack. Pollack remains a polarizing figure to many who don't understand or appreciate his technique, yet his art would still likely be considered great for the very vision and uniqueness it embodies. It is not whether or not art is understood by the masses that creates its greatness. Greatness is innate within works of art, encompassing much more than simply popular taste and comprehension. Vision, style, artistic talent, unique contributions, and perhaps even some degree of popularity all play a part in determining what is defined as "great" art . To say that only artists who are easily understood by the masses are worthy or our attention would be to deprive humanity of the masterpieces of the misunderstood, many of whom have been and continue to be visionaries in their own times.

Essays in the three or four range tend to take this approach. Overall length is good. Explain how your antithesis paragraph/example disagrees with the prompt. Your essay lacks a synthesis. Take time to brainstorm and outline before you write. Free: Your main thesis isnt clear or consistent; you definition of what makes art great when it isnt appreciated by the masses seems to shift. Overall, well-written and well-organized, but lacks focus. Score: 5
If one stays current with the various news of the day, one cannot help but witness the seemingly ongoing antagonism between science and religion. Specifically, the interlocuters on scientific side tout a view of Western science that developed during the Renaissance, through the Enlightenment, and into the present day, whereas those on the religious side mainly argue from a the dominant Western religious system of Christianity. In broad and general strokes the advocates of a scientific view of life may certainly assert that, "True and pure science must be without the unverifiable biases of religion to discover truth within the natural realm." Conversely, those with a religious view of life may counter, "True and pure religion goes beyond science and seeks the truth of the supernatural realm." Obviously, there seems an impasse in these viewpoints. However, there is a third view point, that often gets overlooked in the volley between the materialists and spiritualists, and that is that both science and religion together provide the a fullness of meaning to human beings. In this view science is meaningless without religion, but religion is meaningless without science. When one considers the split in science and religion, from Darrow and Bryants tangle at the Scopes' trial in the 1920's to the current debate on stem cell research today, one must ask where did this debate begin. One could trace the roots of science v. religion to the Renaissance and the explosion of classical knowledge that once again found a voice in what had become Western Christendom. Yet this rebirth of classical learning was predicated upon the advances in medieval Scholastic theology and philosophy, which brought to the fore both inductive investigation and systematized method. In other words, although science began to come into its own through the efforts of those such as da Vinci, its foundations were shared with much of what had been happening in the religious realm. Of course these foundations were not clear not readily recognized, as one can see in the famous case of Galilleo and the controversy of a geocentric v. heliocentric galaxy. Yet although this instance is a regrettable one, there existed many scientific thinkers in and around this period

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who in fact were in accord with religious principles as well as scientific ones. For example the father of modern genentics was Gregory Mendel who was a monk, as well as scientist/mathematician Roger Bacon, who was a Franciscan Brother. Through the efforts of these men one can see that science and religion do not have to necessarily be at opposite ends to advance and mutually cooperate with each other. Unfortunately, the march of science and religion did not follow the trajectory of Mendel or Bacon in accord with religious convictions but rather of the Galilleo v. the Church, where there was clear hostility. This hostility continued to develop through the Enlightenment and to present modernity with the increasing command of the material world through science and technology and the decreasing reliance on religion as a necessary part of human life. Yet, here it must be asked that if science can increasingly divulge the secrets of the material world, will it ever be able to give answers to fundamental human realities such as love, beauty, and justice. The answer is no, and this is where religion works along side science, helping humanity to not only uncover the mysteries of the material world but the inner mysteries inherent in all human life.

Standard: Your essay was well written. Explain how your antithesis paragraph/example disagrees with the prompt. Free: Overall, this is a strong essay. To get to a six, you need to deve lop your antithesis example as strongly as you did your thesis examples. Also, you need a stronger conclusion that is clearly separate from the antithesis that restates and synthesizes your opinion.
The question of whether the true test of the greatness of a work of art is its ability to be understood by the masses is difficult to answer. Many believe that if art cannot be understood by its audience, it is not accessible and therefore cannot be appreciated as "great." However, a good test of whether or not a work of art is "great" - a test that time has proven true - is not whether the masses can understand the work of art, but whether they enjoy the work of art. A work of art that can be enjoyed by masses - whether or not they intellectually understand i t - will more likely go down in history as a "great" work of art. Two examples which prove that enjoyment, not understanding, is more essential for works of art to be "great" are the poems of Emily Dickinson and the surrealist paintings of Salvador Dali. Emily Dickinson is currently one of the most popular and well-known American poets. Her works are studied in high schools and included in anthologies of famous poetry. She commonly wrote short poems, with a handful of words per line. Despite the short appearance of her poems, the poems are surprisingly complex . Her diction and syntax can prompt a reader to spend hours meditating on a poem, and seeking logical connections between apparently disparate verses . She wrote a number of "riddle" poems, in whi ch she mysteriously describes an unnamed object. Frequently, her descriptions are so oblique that it is nearly impossible to guess the object she describes without having done prior research into her life and the current events surrounding the poem. However, even if readers do not guess the item she's describing and thereby do not fully understand her poem, he or she can still enjoy her writing. She uses uncommon words in interesting combinations, and is fond of using verbs as nouns, and nouns as verbs. Her rhythms and meter are carefully constructed and her rhymes can be very amusing. As a result, even if a reader does not understand her riddle poem, he or she can still appreciate the high level at which it was crafted. The reader can still enjoy Dickinson's amusing, creative descriptions, and the imaginative way she chooses to construct her sentences. If the ability to be understood is part of the true test of a "great" work of art, Dickinson would have become one of America's most-loved writers. Another example of unquestionably "great" art that does not need to be understood to be appreciated is the work of Salvador Dali. Dali painted surrealist landscapes, in which clocks are limply folded in half and draped over benches or tree branches, or in which what appears to be, from a distance, a woman's face, turns out to be - upon closer inspection - a series of whirling, painted eggs. The tension in Dali's work arises from the fact that his painting is at once acutely realistic and impossible - hence the description "surreal," or "above reality." These paintings look so much like the world around us and yet trouble our minds because of their impossible

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depictions . We cannot understand the scenes that are depicted, because we have never seen a clock limply folded in half over a tree branch. We cannot fully understand a painting depiciting something imaginary the same way we can understand a painting of something real, like an oak tree. But Dali is enormously popular. Thousands of people travel every year to Dali's town of Figures, Spain, to visit the home that he turned into a museum of his work. His paintings are instantly recognizable to the masses because they have been reproduced so many times . Even if someone cannot name Dali, he or she will most likely say that the painting or painting style looks familiar. There is no question that Dali's work has been accepted as "great" and that it has been enjoyed by the masses in America and beyond. His work is impossible to fully understand but it is easy to appreciate, as with Dickinson's writing, the fine details of the paintings. Dali's striking color palattes appeal to many people, and his choice of images surprises and amuses his viewers. He was very skilled at drawing and painting realistically, to the point where the detail almost matches that of a photograph. As noted before, this realism increases the tension in his work and makes it more thought-provoking, and thereby more enjoyable Like Dickinson, Dali's . wonderful technical skill - in this case as a painter and sketcher - makes his work more accessible and enjoyable, to the point where his enigmatic images become widely accepted as "great" works of art. Understanding can be part of art appreciation, but the true test of time-honored art is, as these examples have demonstrated, not the level at which the masses understand art but the degree to which the masses appreciate and enjoy art. Individuals with a high level of technical skill - as a writer, as a musician, as a painter, as a sculptor - can create works that arouse joy in readers or viewers, even though those readers or viewers cannot intellectually understand the works. This is what allows art to supercede the boundaries of culture, of society, of time period or era, and be honored throughout the decades and all over the world .

Standard: Good introduction. Good conclusion. Your essay was well organized. Free: Overall, this is a very strong essay. Your main weakness is a seeming contradiction of your own point in final sentence of the Emily Dickinson example . Youd done a great job telling us why she couldnt be fully understood but why she was widely appreciated, and then conclude that had we understood her, she would have been considered a great artist. Score: 6
Science and religion have often been at loggerheads throughout history. Some have even argued that science, without religion, is devoid of meaning. Others point out that religion has often stood in the way of scientific inquiry and discovery, and the acceptance of sound experimental evidence as truth. Both points of view may be true: science can stand alone but, in some cases may require religion to make sense of its findings. Some definitions are in order before the discussion carried on fruitfully. First, when we talk about science, are we talking about the results of experimental and theoretical inquiry, or the process and method of gathering the results. My definition of science will include both. Second, let us think of religion as a set of beliefs that people use to attach meaning to what they see in the world, rather than an institution. There are countless examples in history where religious beliefs have gotten in the way of the acceptance of scientific results and the practice of science. Th e discoveries of Galileo and Darwin were villified initially by many who saw their claims as antithetical to established religious doctrine. Some may argue that stem cell research is also falling prey to religious thought that has not quite caught up to science. In all these cases, the scientific discoveries carried meaning on their own, without any help from religion. Indeed, religious belief can be seen as preventing the acceptance of this meaning. Furthermore, many scientific concepts, relating to mechanical/tangible things such as electricity and magnetism theory, Newtonian mechanics, calculus, statistics, to name a few, have no real attachment to any kind of religious thought or any "deep" questions about humanity. In all of these cases, science needs no help from religion in order for its fruits to have meaning.

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Where the situation may change is with some aspects of "deep" science, an example being theoretical physics. Religion has much to offer science in, say, the search for the origin of the universe, relativity, or super string theory - mind boggling quests even for the most accomplished physicist. In these cases, interpretation of the results of inquiry will certainly be influenced by the way individuals view the world - i.e., our religion will matter greatly interpreting our science. This sort of thinking is not new. In his book, "The Tao of Physics," Fritjof Capra uses eastern religious thought to interpret deep physics. This is but one example of a burgeoning literature looking at science from the lens of religions. Further, the quest to understand such things as the origin of the universe using scientific methods can be seen as "religious" as well. Not only that, but the inherent limitations of the scientific method, implied by the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle and chaos theory, suggest a limit to human inquiry. Perhaps, beyond a certain level of knowledge, many of our scientific results will be impossible to decipher. In such a hypothetical event, religious thinking can help provide meaning to those things we do not know. Indeed, this has been the major role of religion throughout the history of mankind Ultimately, human beings will want to know why certain properties of biology and physics are the way they are. The "why question" motivates the need for a system of beliefs in which people can make sense of their surroundings. Hence, religion will matter as scientific inquiry gets more intense. However, this is not to say science cannot stand alone. Indeed, many discoveries which do not invoke such "deep" questions are often put in jeopardy in religious thought, which acts to quell acceptance of new lines of thought.

Standard: Your essay was well organized.. Your essay was well written. Free: This is a very strong essay, with a cogent analysis of the issue. Leave a little time to proofread though so you can catch the typos and tweak some awkward construction in some of your longer, complex sentences.
A message can encapsulate an idea. By definition it is not an extended discourse or tractate, but a relatively short statement expressing the senders thoughts. Those concise thoughts expressed in a message, however, can represent a deeper sentiment or more complex idea. Given that ideas, though novel and important, can circulate for a long time before finding a receptive audience, it is often the way that message is delivered that has the most impact whether it is through books, protests, or novel means of expressing an old idea. Particularly when it comes to ideas of great import and of global consequence, that message is lost without a way to effectively deliver it. The message itself is often dependent on how it is publicized, and not the reverse. It can therefore be stated that while the message may be of great importance, it is secondary to the method by which it is delivered, for it is utterly dependent on that method. One of the most famous messages ever sent was: Watson, come quick! While the message itself was of some urgency, the method by which it was broadcast is of even greater importance, for it is the first words spoken on the then recently invented telephone. Alexander Graham Bell, in preparing to try out this new device, had accidentally burnt himself and called out for his assistant. Bells cry was immediately picked up and communicated through the wire. While this is a unique and extreme example of when a message is ancillary to the way it was delivered, history is replete with other notable instances. The father of the protestant movement, Martin Luther, was a 15th century radical religious reformer. It was his assertion that the individual should be able to have access to the biblical text and decipher its meaning for him or herself. According to this German minister, it was not for the Catholic Church to filter its meaning for the masses. By translating it into the vernacular, he believed, all supplicants would come to the same understanding and interpretation. The Church was largely able to ignore Martin Luthers challenge to the Vaticans hegemony until he took the bold step of nailing his 95 theses to the door of a Catholic Church. The points were a summation of his ideasa messagethat was meant to shake the complacency of the Catholic authorities. This dramatic attack on the wood door of a Wirttenberg Cathedral was effective. It was a catalyst for the Reformation which eventually overturned the universal control the Church held over Europe and enabled the spread of Protestantism.

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On a global scale, perhaps one of the most common messages any nation tries to send to another is about its sovereignty- -particularly when one nation is occupied by another. Again, history is replete with nations who attempted to free themselves from the yoke of occupiers Israel under the Assyrians, India under the Brittish, the American colonies, Hungary, Poland, Sweden (during WWII), and many other sovereign lands over the centuries. The desire to cast off a conquering nation is not a new one. In fact, it is as old as history itself. However, the way that message -- that desire for freedom-- is expressed is often what makes a struggle for independence notable. Gandhi was the first, among other national and community leaders, to adopt the practice of non-violent resistance. It was an effective tool that succeeded in attracting international support and sympathy for India as it tried to free itself from British rule. What nation can hold the moral high ground when it is shooting and arresting citizens that are acting peaceably? The message Gandhi was communicating was not new but the method was. In 1948 India gained its independence from England. Martin Luther King adopted and adapted this same philosophy of passive resistance to promote the cause of equal rights for African-American citizens in the United States. But his method and cause was furthered by the advent of television. Again, while the idea of civil rights was not novel, the way that message was delivered was indeed remarkable. Peaceful protests, sit-ins, disregard for Jim Crow laws, and rallies were all employed with great effectiveness to call attention to the very important concept of civil liberties. The fact the television also broadcast scenes of non-violent citizens being attacked by police dogs and water canons further served to underline the urgency of the movement and to bring its message into the homes of many Americans. The message that all citizens deserve equal rights was dramatically enhanced by both the method and medium through which it was delivered. From anthems and symbols to tele vision and the internet there are many powerful and effective means through which to communicate a message. Most recently, the democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean employed the internet with great success to broadcast his platform and to collect donations. The director Michael Moores message as documented in Farenheight 9/11 may or may not be important, depending on ones political perspective, however the fact that he choose to broadcast his opinions about the President through a powerfully directed cinematic screed further serves to highlight the power and primacy of how a message is delivered. Without an effective way to deliver a message, the message itself could easily get lost or be ignored. It can therefore be asserted unequivocally that, yes, the way a message is delivered is often more important than the message itself.

Standard: Be careful: you used incorrect facts in examples. Free: Your essay is well organized and well written; you developed your thesis very well with your examples (Sweden was neutral during WWII and never invaded; you may be thinking of Norway).

STEP 4: THE ISSUE ESSAY SCORE CHART

Yes, we could have provided the right answers to this chart. The point is there are no right answers; you need to develop a sense of what each score means, and our paraphrasing ETSs descriptions just gives you more words to read. Just like we tell our students that making their own flashcards is much better than pre-printed ones, it will be much more beneficial if you complete this yourself. The goal is for you to articulate what the scores mean to you after completing the first two steps. You can quote the distinctive modifiers from the scoring guidelines, paraphrase in your own words, or identify the relevant points from the scored essays. For e.g., under Organization for a 6 you might write rhetorical questions set up really smooth segues, while under Reasons/Examples for a 4 you might write listed reasons, but didnt explain how they proved the point. A word of caution: the easiest way to lose sight of how to distinguish between adjacent scores and develop graders block is to over-analyze. Thats why we chose not to paraphrase the

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guidelines any further than our concise Bottom Line. If you feel graders block already, skip this step and consult the Adjacent Score Anxiety section in the How To Guide to see if that helps.

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Score 6

Thesis

Examples/Reasons

Organization

Style/SWE

OK, time for Rinse and Repeat, as we do the same thing for the Argument Essay.

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STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING THE ARGUMENT ESSAY

Instead of asking for an opinion on a topic, the Argument essay asks test takers to critique someone elses argument. Unlike the Issue essay, the Argument essay offers only one prompt. Here is an example of a prompt, complete with ETSs instructions:
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. The director of the International Health Foundation recently released this announcement. A new medical test that allows the early detection of a particular disease will prevent the deaths of people all over the world who would otherwise die from the disease. The test has been extremely effective in allowing doctors to diagnose the disease 6 months to a year before it would have been spotted by conventional means . As soon as we can institute this test as routine procedure in hospitals around the world, the death rate from this disease will plummet.

All of the prompts feature a decisive conclusion or recommendation based on certain evidence. Many feature dorky ETS fictional names for companies and countries such as Rifco Computer Company and Myria. The Argument essay is intended to allow test takers to demonstrate their critical thinking and analytical writing skills . Students should NOT present their own opinion; their task is to critique the line of reasoning and the evidence supporting it and suggest ways in which the argument could be strengthened. Evaluate how well Argument responses complete the tasks below. Identify the conclusion and premises of the argument You shouldnt need to refer to the prompt to get the gist of the argument. Writers should paraphrase and identify the components of the argument. Identify and discuss flaws in the reasoning Flaws are descriptions of whats wrong with an arguments reasoning. Argument prompts contain at least two major flaws and frequently have other minor flaws. The flaws frequently involve: unwarranted leaps from the specific to the general or from the general to the specific. questionable comparisons. use of samples that may not be representative faulty interpretation of percentages, averages, or other statistics. confusion of correlation with causality. failure to consider alternative causes or factors. Flaws are closely related to assumptions. Assumptions are unstated premises; assumptions are what is necessary to link the premises to the conclusion and make the reasoning valid. In addition to pointing out an arguments flaws, test takers should discuss the nature of these flaws and explain why the assumptions are problematic. Evaluate soundness Strong essays go a step beyond discussion of flaws and consider how additional information would affect the conclusion and/or how the argument could be made more sound. They should explain what additional evidence would be needed to evaluate the truth of the assumptions of suggest how additional evidence would strengthen or weaken the argument. The best essays usually offer a prescription for how to make reasoning more sound. Bottom Line: ETS is looking for a cogent (yes, that word again), well-articulated response featuring insightful analysis of the argument.

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STEP 2: ETS SCORING GUIDE FOR THE ARGUMENT ESSAY

Once again, focus on those modifiers. Also, note how the descriptions for the same scores differ from those of the Issue Essay. Score: 6 A 6 paper presents a cogent, well-articulated critique of the argument and conveys meaning skillfully. A typical paper in this category clearly identifies important features of the argument and analyzes them insightfully develops ideas cogently, organizes them logically, and connects them with clear transitions effectively supports the main points of the critique demonstrates control of language, including appropriate word choice and sentence variety demonstrates facility with the conventions (i.e., grammar, usage, and mechanics) of standard written English but may have minor errors Score: 5 A 5 paper presents a generally thoughtful, well-developed critique of the argument and conveys meaning clearly. A typical paper in this category clearly identifies important features of the argument and analyzes them in a generally perceptive way develops ideas clearly, organizes them logically, and connects them with appropriate transitions sensibly supports the main points of the critique demonstrates control of language, including appropriate word choice and sentence variety demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor errors Score: 4 A 4 paper presents a competent critique of the issue and conveys meaning adequately. A typical paper in this category identifies important features of the argument and analyzes them in a generally perceptive way develops ideas satisfactorily but may not connect them with transitions supports the main points of the critique demonstrates sufficient control of language to express ideas with reasonable clarity generally demonstrates control of the conventions of standard written English but may have some errors Score: 3 A 3 paper demonstrates some competence in its critique of the argument and in conveying meaning but is obviously flawed. A typical paper in this category exhibits ONE OR MORE of the following characteristics does not identify or analyze most of the important features of the argument, although some analysis of the argument is present mainly analyzes tangential or irrelevant matters, or reasons poorly is limited in the logical development and organization of ideas offers support of little relevance and value for points of the critique lacks clarity contains occasional major errors or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that can interfere with meaning Score: 2

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A 2 paper demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing. A typical paper in this category exhibits ONE OR MORE of the following characteristics: does not present a critique based on logical analysis, but may instead present the writers own views on the subject does not develop ideas, or is disorganized and illogical provides little, if any, relevant or reasonable support has serious problems in the use of language and sentence structure that frequently interfere with meaning contains serious errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that frequently obscure meaning Score: 1 A 1 paper demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. A typical paper in this category exhibits MORE THAN ONE of the following characteristics: provides little or no evidence of the ability to understand and analyze the argument provides little or no evidence of the ability to develop an organized response has severe problems in language and sentence structure that persistently interfere with meaning contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that result in incoherence Score: 0 Off topic, (i.e., provides no evidence of an attempt to respond to the assigned topic), in a foreign language, merely copies the topic, consists of only keystroke characters, or is illegible, or non verbal. NS Blank Bottom Line: Essays that receive scores of three to six critique the argument, with increasing levels of skill, but an essay that receives a one or two treats the prompt like an Issue essay and/or fails to analyze the reasoning. Note that essay that receives a score of one, unlike an Issue essay, is marked by more than one of the problems listed above. A six is cogent (aha!), a five thoughtful, a four competent, a three flawed, a two seriously weak (and missing the task) and a one fundamentally deficient .

STEP 3: THE SAMPLE SCORED ARGUMENT ESSAYS

Now that youve read the official scoring guidelines, read the following sample scored essays. As you read return to the guideline often, checking out those modifiers again. try to pinpoint why the 5 wasnt a 6, why the 4 wasnt a 5 nor a 3, etc. if you would like to read more, consult Practicing to Take the GRE: 10th Edition or www.gre.org.
Prompt: A movie producer sent the following memo to the head of the movie studio. "We need to increase the funding for the movie Working Title by 10% in order to ensure a quality product. As you know, we are working with a first-time director, whose only previous experience has been shooting commercials for a shampoo company. Since the advertising business is notoriously wasteful, it stands to reason that our director will expect to be able to shoot take after take, without concern for how much time is being spent on any one scene. In addition, while we have saved money by hiring relatively inexperienced assistant producers and directors, this savings in salary will undoubtedly translate to gr eater expenditures in paying the actors and unionized crew
Comment: Some of these are on the Sun- Beem prompt. It needs to be included.

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overtime for the extra hours they will spend on the set waiting for the assistant directors and producers to arrange things. If we dont get this extra money, the movie is virtually assured to be a failure. Or

Prompt: The regional brand manager sent the following memo to the national brand manager
for Sun-Beem Facial Cleanser. We need to institute a huge publicity campaign for the launch of Sun-Beems improved formula. Without an enormous media blitz, including television, radio, internet, and magazine ads, potential new customers will not be aware of our product. And previous customers will not be aware that Sun-Beems new, non-carcinogenic formula is on the shelves. The best way to combat the negative publicity Sun-Beems old formula received is to fight fire with fire, by using the medias insatiable interest in any new news about Sun-Beem to sell the new formula. This will erase the negative connotations in the minds of former customers, and will ensure that Sun-Beem is once again the best-selling facial cleanser on the market.

Score: 1
Our new director should understand that the people being employed for this film project are highly skilled and valued members of a crew whose time should not be wasted on obsessivecompulsive directing behaviors. The gravity of project and the exposure that the directors and producers will receive upon its completion will inspire all involved to respect the importance of the deadlines that have been generated in advance for specific reasons. Some of which have been the consideration of the financial resources at hand. There are no guarantees of the success or failure of a project and the framework that has been but in place should be followed in order to complete the film at all.

Standard: Discuss the reasoning, not the issue. Take the position that the argument is badly reasoned. Explain how to strengthen or weaken the argument. Free: This is an argument essay, not Issue . You shouldnt offer your own opinion on the topic, but instead discuss why the argument is not well supported and show how what the producer needs to do to strengthen it.
Sure an enormous media blitz will be good for the campaign of the new formula, but to fight fire with fire the managers of the Sun-Beem Facial Cleanser will have to think something other than the norm, will have to think outside of the box . Have the new non-carcinogenic formula been tested? If the new formula had carcinogenic negative results, the test results will make renew believers out of the non-believers. The company should also set up presentation of the productscustomers will be running towards the free product samples. The managers should also consider doing new packaging for the new formula: new colors, new designs, the works. After all, consumers are not only will be buying the new formula but also the packaging.

Standard: Essays need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Paraphrase the arguments conclusion and premises in your introduction. Discuss the reasoning, not the issue. You missed the causal assumption in the argument. Free: Some of the questions you raised could have been used to reveal the flaws in the managers argument. You need to raise them in the context of critiquing the argument, not in addressing the issue, however. Score: 2
When writing a persuasive argument, the goal is to istill confidence in the point that is being brought across, not to creat further doubt. The goal of the memo above is stated very clearly in first and last lines; in order to insure a quality product, a 10% increase in funding is required. This

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is the only correct feature about this argument. The problem is that the words in between these two lines do not support that request. To begin with, "first-time director," "inexperienced assistant producers," and "paying the actors and unionized crew overtime," not only do not provide support for the argument, but they actually undermine the entire point of the statement. It becomes a lack of concern that support for why the increase needs to be 10% versus some other number since the general support for why a budget increase is needed at all, is nonexistant. While the lack of a supportive argument is the primary problem with this memo, it is also the word usage that does not allow this argument to achieve its persuasive goal. "Notoriously," "stands to reason," and "undoubtedly," are all words and phrases that are not the reassuring and affirmitive ones that a persuasive arguement needs to succeed. Instead they question the knowledge of the writer's insight into the issue, which leads to a failed argumentative essay. Without solid supportive evidence and appropriate language usage, a persuasive argument is bound to fail. While there are other textbook part s and techniques for succesful presuasive arguments, these are the two most important ones, in which the above memo failed and will not likely result in the favored result.

Standard: State the flaws in the argument more clearly. Explain why the authors reasoning is faulty. Discuss one assumption in each paragraph. Explain how to strengthen or weaken the argument. Free: You missed most of the main flaws in the argument and therefore couldnt analyze it in the depth required.
This statement seems to be logically flawed in many ways. Firstly, it is morally questionable that the regional manager does not seem to be too concerned by the fact that the previous product was carcinogenic. There seemed to be no consideration for the fact that some people could have gotten cancer or even died from using their products. Even though there is a new formula, there is still no confidence in the fact that the new one is healthier. Secondly, he seems to assume that the way to combat the negative publicity the product had received was to increase advertisment. He does not think it will be better to assure customers of the safety of the product, but he is assuming that all people do is watch TV and buy things, even the ones that causes cancer. He seems to have too much faith in the power of the media. Increasing publicity about the new product might not erase the negative connotations in the minds of former customers and he is sure it will. It will most likely resurrect previous concerns and issues about the carcinogenic effects of the previous pruduct. Also, since Sun-Beem is not the only facial cleansing product on the market, it would be better if they addressed the safety issues involved in using it, and trying to get people more confident in the product, rather than trying to sell it. It does not necessarily follow that more publicity will raise the sales and make the product a best-selling facial cleanser. Fightint 'fire with fire' does not enure more sales, it does mean more money for the media industry, and more expenditures for the Sun-Beem company.

Standard: Discuss the reasoning, not the issue. State the flaws in the argument more clearly. Make your essay longer by expanding on key points. Free: You mention the managers assumption, but you fail to explain why they are faulty, and instead seem to argue back with opinions of your own. Be careful: this isnt the Issue essay, and you want to stick to exploring why it is flawed and not offer your own opinions. You also need to list what the manager needs to do to strengthen his argument instead of suggesting an alternative thesis. Score: 3
The argument that the movie will fail if extra money is not received holds no merit. It makes several assumptions that do not support the argument.

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First, the argument assumes that the movie will be better if they have more money to spend on it. Many things are not considered. The actors and actresses, the characters, the plot , the scences, and the length have a great impact on how successful the movie will be. It does not matter if you have a lot of money to spend because there is more to a "good" movie than the money that was spent to make it. For example, if the scences of the movie are very dry and there is no comedy, action, or drama, the movie can still be a failure. Second, the assumption that the director will not pay attention to the time spent on each scence is ridiculous. Since the director only has experience shooting a shampoo commercial, it can be safe to say that he/she will be very meticulous and cautious when shooting his/her first movie. If the director knows that there is a tight budget, he/she may spend more time and effort in shooting one or two takes compared to five or six. Finally, the assumption that the assistant directors and produc ers will slow up the process due to inexperience is not supported. These individuals could possibly perform very well if guided by a director that knows what they are supposed to do. Also, if they are assisted by a crew that is willing to work hard and get the job done, the assistant directors and producers may be able to produce better results and work towards making a "good" movie. The assumptions that more money will make a prosperous movie, the director will work in an untimely and therefore costl y fashion, and that the assistant directors and producers will slow up the process do not support the conclusion. If more details were given regarding what the money will be spent on, the argument may have been stronger. Moreover, if it had been previously shown that the director disregards the time and shoots take after take, the argument would have been even stronger. Also, if the director had more experience, the inexperienced assistant directors and producers may have been seen as a disadvantage.

Standard: Good overall organization. State the flaws in the argument more clearly. Explain why the authors reasoning is faulty. Free: Be careful; you made some assumptions of your own in attacking the argument (that the director will be meticulous shooting his/her first movie). Flip it instead to point out the producer didnt know either way; dont offer as proof that the producer is wrong. Spend more time telling us why the assumptions are faulty. You also did not address all of the producers assumptions. Score: 3
The regional brand manager's memo to the national brand manager for Sun-Beem Facial Cleanser argues that the only way to make Sun-Beem's improved formula a popular and bestselling product is to implement an enormous media blitz. He states that an extensive media publicity campaign is the only way that new customers will become aware of Sun-Beem as a product, and the only way that old customers will become aware of the product's new formula. However, this statement assumes that it is only through the media that people are aware of a new product. However, people may become aware of products by seeing them on the shelf, talking to friends/family about the matter, or even asking for their dermatologist's advice. Seconly, the regional manager assumes that a publicity campaign is enough to erase the negative connotations associated with Sun-Beem's previous formula. Since the new formula is now anti carcinogenic, it is safe to assume that the previous formula was carcinogenic, and that is what created the negative connotations associated with Sun-Beem. However, in thinking that the advertising campaign will turn Sun-Beem's new formula into the best-selling facial cleanser, the regional manager is perhaps naively ignoring the fact that the new publicity campaign is likely to bring up the issue of Sun-Beem's original carcinogenic formula. Upon hearing this, new and old customer might stay away from the product altogether. Thus the regional manager's suggestion for a huge multi -media publicity campaign for SunBeem's new formula rests this argument on several faulty assumptions. It would be more convincing if the manager had stated how effective advertising campaigns are on changing people's opinions of products, the effect publicity has on enticing customers to try new products, and the fact that the new formula is better not only than the old one, but also of the leading product now. Lastly, it would perhaps be most beneficial to change the name of the product, so as to avoid any of the old carcinogenic connotations associated with it.

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Standard: Save minor flaws for the second or third body paragraph. State the flaws in the argument more clearly. Free: You need to discuss the flaws in the managers assumptions in much greater depth. Some of the points you bring up in your conclusion should have been brought up earlier and explored fully in their own paragraph. Pointing out that the publicity could backfire was very good; you need more of that sort of insight in the rest of the essay. Score: 4
The argument that the movie Working Title will fail if spending is not increased by ten percent is not entirely logically convincing, since it ignores certain crutial assumptions. First, the movie producer, who sent the memo, implies that the director, who has only previously shot shampoo commercials, will waste money by shooting take after take since such behavior is acceptable in the commercial producing industry . This logic is faulty since the movie producer does not know how the director works. Just becuase most commercial producers shoot take after take does not mean that this director works the same way. Even if he did shoot take after take while producing commercials, he may well understand that this is not acceptiable while producing the movie Working Title. Second, the movie producer assumes that since relatively inexperienced assistant producers and directors have been hired, due to their inexperience they will take more time than that which is considered normal while arranging things. This in turn, the author assumes, will translate into having to pay the actors overtime. Yet, the author of the memo does not take into consideration what type of decisions will have to be made. Perhaps the decisions will just involve behind the scenes details that will not requi re actors to stand around waiting. Furthermore, if the entirety of this extra ten percent in the budget goes towards paying the actors for overtime, this in no way can translate into automatically increasing the success of the movie. Also, it is important to consider some of the components of what might make this movie successfull. If the script is poorly written, no amount of money is going to change that. And what if the actors that have been hired are simply bad at what they do. Money that is spend making up for the wasteful habbits of the producers and directors is not going to some how inadvertantly increase the quality of the actor's performance. Finally, the success of the movie is also largely dependent opinion. The movie may in fact turn out to be a high quality, well produced product but the public may not be ready for or interested in its content.Thus, the argument is not completely sound. The evidence in support of the conclusion that the movie will fail if spending does not increase by ten percent does little to prove that conclusion, since it does not address the assumptions already raised. Ultimately, the argument might have been strengthened if the author could have shown that the staff was indeed going to be wasteful in their decision making, if these reckless decisions would indeed translated into having to pay the actors for overtime, and if the success of the moive was not also dependent on other crutial factors such as the quality of the script and actors, and the positive reception from the public.

Standard: You missed the statistical assumption in the argument. Reduce the number of grammar and spelling errors. Explain how to strengthen or weaken the argument Free: Your exploration of the producers assumptions is solid, particularly your suggestions of how the impact of those assumptions could be different than the producers conclusions. However, you need to discuss his assumption about the 10% figure.
The argument that Sun-Beem facial cleanser should invest in a huge publicity campaign to promote their new non-carcinogenic formula in order to reinstate their market dominance contains many logical fallacies that greatly weaken the effectiveness of the argument. The regional manager fails to recognize that customers may not trust the advertisements that are being distributed or that new customers have access to television, radio, internet, and magazines. It is assumed that the media will still be interested in a story surrounding Sun-Beem cleanser, and it is

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assumed that by just combating the negative connotations involved with the cleanser that it will automatically become the best selling cleanser again. In order to confidently state that Sun-Beem needs to institute a huge publicity campaign to sell its product, the regional manager must support the assumptions that are made. One of the major assumptions of this argument is that the people observing the ads will have trust in them, and will therefore want to buy the product. From the stated argument it is clear that Sun-Beem facial cleanser has been dangerous in the past by causing cancer. It is assumed that the ads will be written in such a way that people will feel that they need the product. However, there is no support as to why the consumers should now trust that Sun-Beem is producing a safe product. The argument could be made much stronger if the author described how the company has prepared to approach the public to show that they have true concern for their health, and are not just trying to sell a product for profit. The author also assumes that the media will still be interested in news concerning Sun-Beem facial cleanser. The media may have moved on to other stories that it deems more important, and thus the expected exposure will not be available. Furthermore, it is ignored that the media tends to lean towards reporting bad news because that is what makes more money in that business. Thus, news that a harmful product is now safe is not necessarily of interest. The author could strengthen the arguement by stating that seve ral media sources have been contacted and are in fact interested in reporting such a story. One final major assumption made in this argument is that by simply combating the negative connotations associated with Sun-Beem, that will be enough to make the cleanser the best selling again. It is not recognized that customers may have found a harmless product that they like better or that only negative thoughts are keeping people from buying Sun-Beem. It may be that the new formula just does not work very well. The argument would be more plausible if the author clearly esablished the new formula as effective as the old formula, but safer. A cancer causing product is not going to be easily erased from the minds of consumers so proof of its safety is critical in building a sound srgument promoting an ad campaign. Thus, the argument suggesting an intense media blitz to sell the new formula of Sun-Beem facial cleanser is extremely weak, and contains numerous assumptions that are not supported. In order for this author to strengthen the argument it is necessary to provide evidence to gain the trust of the consumer, to ensure true media interest, and to recognize that negative connotations such as cancer cannot be erased without proof of the safety of the product. If these assumptions are addressed the regional manager has a much better chance of convincing his superiors that an ad campaign is necessary to sell the new product.

Standard: Good overall organization. Reduce the number of grammar and spelling errors. You missed the causal assumption in the argument. Free: You need to address the authors assumptions that a media blitz will translate to sales beyond pointing out that consumers may still not trust the company. Score: 5
The argument that this movie's budget should be increased by 10% due to inexperience production staff is not convincing since it ignores a few critical facts. First, this movie producer assumes that the first-time director will waste money because he has shot advertising commercials . This statement generally ignores the director's training in other films or education and background in film study. Also, this producer's point assumes that the director will waste money simply because the advertising industry is "notoriously wasteful", ignoring the director's subjective financial concerns and without any evidence that he may or may not shoot "take after take." This claim is not backed up by solid evidence from the producer-such as previous working experience with the director. The claim is also flimsy because this producer assumes the advertising industry is generally wasteful. He offers no evidence to support this claim, and does not offer any information about the environment in which the director worked. Therefore, his broad assumption regarding the advertising business is a weak foundation for his following statement about the director's assumed activity on the set.

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Secondly, the producer assumes that the inexperienced assistant producers and directors will spend extra hours arranging things on the set, which will mean greater expenditures in salaries for actors and unionized crew. As with his comments regarding the inexperienced director, the producer's argument lacks evidence that these assistants will take more time due to their lack of experience on a set. The producer offers no concrete evidence to support his claim that these assistants would be a liability to the production in any way. His memo does not state that he has had any prior experience with these assistants, or has any knowledge of their past work history and ability to handle tasks while on the set. His generalization of arranging "things" is another statement which lacks clarity-- the producer does not directly state which tasks might prove to be time-consuming for the inexperienced employees. Also, his argument jumps to a unfair conclusion by stating that their supposed inexperience would translate into greater expenditures for the film otherwise. For example, the producer does not consider that these assistants might lack film experience, but may be more driven to get the job done than veteran directors who have been working in the field for many years. Finally, the producer's claim that the budget should be increased by 10% is without foundation. Not only does the producer fail to effectively demonstrate why the film's budget should be increased, he does not support the arbitrary figure of 10% in his memo. If the producer believes the movie studio should increase the film's budget by 10%, there must be evidence to support not only why this should be done, but how this amount would be beneficial to its production. The producer does not offer any information about this percentage, and the film studio would have no idea how it's amount was decided upon, or why a 10% increase in spending would create a "quality product". In conclusion, the producer's argument to increase this film's budget is incomplete. His assumptions about the inexperience of his employees, the advertising industry, and generali zed 10% figure do not offer enough support to demonstrate that this film would be a "failure" without a budget increase. The producer's claims are unfounded and based in opinion. His argument would have been strengthened by true evidence of the director and assistants' inexperience or lack of financial concern. His claims might have also been buoyed by some financial backing for the amount of 10%. Ultimately, the producer's argument is without merit due to his assumptions and lack of supporting evidence.

Standard: Good job of discussing the faulty assumptions. Free: Very well organized; you hit the major assumptions and arranged them in the strongest order. Well-written and well-argued. To get to a six, you need to spend more time discussing how the argument could have been strengthened. Score: 6
The regional brand manager of Sun-Beem facial cleanser concludes that the product can regain its former glory in the facial cleansing market through intense media publicity that will erase consumer doubts about its quality. Although this is a novel idea, the regional brand manager makes several false assumptions in his conclusion. First, he assumes a media campaign is enough to repair past damage. Second, the regional brand manager assumes consumers are willing to negate their loyalties to another brand. Third, he assumes customers are all forgiving of past indescresions. The extensive media publicity which the regional brand manager proposes for the re-launch of Sun-Beem, will no doubt be costly. He appears to want the product advertised in nearly every conceivable forum available, but the regional brand manager fails to assess the value of target advertising. Perhaps those who buy Sun-Beem are middle aged women who do not typically access the internet. This would deem Sun-Beem's internet advertising ineffective and a waste of valuable monetary resources. If Sun-Beem is typically used by white collar professional men, advertising the product in Good Housekeeping would also be a huge mistake. If the regional brand manager wants to advertise, he cannot simply assume that by launching a massive media campaign, the majority of people who will view an advertisement will buy the product. Advertising is a very focused and target oriented initiative which must be carefully planned and executed. Also, even if Sun-beem does advertise, there is no indication that advertising is the best or most

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effective way to repair a damaged reputation. If people don't buy the product, advertising costs would errode any profit margins. The regional brand manager wants Sun-Beem to regain its former glory as the best-selling facial cleanser. He clearly indicates that customers have been lost in the past due to a bad formula. It is wrong for the regional brand manager to assume that the customers which have been lost have not become more loyal to another brand they have discovered. Perhaps people who stopped using Sun-Beem did so because a friend suggested a product they might like better. In fact, many customers may have stopped purchasing Sun -Beem not because of the formula, but because of personal, unrelated reasons. It is naive and false for Sun-Beem to assume that it can regain market share simply because it has the desire to do so. Customers must be willing to purchase a given product, and it must offer them something others don't. Finally, the Sun-Beem regional brand manager falsely hopes to capture not only lost customers but new ones, under the assumption that those who buy Sun-Beem will be forgiving of the product's past failures. The manager should realize that customers are not so naive or forgiving. When it comes to spending money, people want to purchase products which present value to them as a consumer. There is no reason customers should trust Sun-Beem simply because the company claims to have a new and improved product. In order for Sun-Beem to repair its reputation, it must prove its worthiness as a facial cleanser, and this is not achieved by wanting customer loyalty and therefore gaining it. The regional brand manager failed to examine more appropriate alternatives for Sun-Beem's re-entry into the facial cleansing market. Advertising definitely should be more focused and targeted. It might be beneficial for Sun-Beem to have its product evaluated by an independent panel of dermatologists, thereby reaffirming reputation if the results of the pannel are favorable. Also, perhaps free samples would entice some people to make a purchase. The regional brand manager's biggest failure is in not understanding Sun-Beem's customer base, both in terms of advertising and assessing willingness to make a purchase. A better, more cohesive strategy should be developed to ensure Sun-Beem's successful industry re -launch.

Standard: Discuss one assumption in each paragraph. Reduce the number of grammar and spelling errors. Use transition words to begin each paragraph. Tie topic sentences to the prompt. Free: Your essay will be strengthened by clear organization. Separate each major assumption into its own paragraph. Avoid your own definitive statements about how the cleanser can regain its reputation and stick to what and how the manager didnt support his own argument.

Step 4: The Argument Essay Score Chart Same drill. In addition to helping you develop your grader spidey sense, this will also help cement how fundamentally different the two tasks are and how ETS displays subtle differences in expectations for certain scores compared to the same scores on an Issue essay. (For e.g., compare the 4s and the expectation for transitions.)

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Score 6

Critique/Analysis

Support

Organization

Style/SWE

You are now ready to proceed to the next level of training. Use instructions below to learn how to use the grading software.

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HOW TO GUIDE
Basic Approach to Holistic Grading
Try to read quickly, for an overall impression of the essay. A good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to three minutes per essay. Shorter essays may take less, while a longer, intriguing essay make take a bit longer. Disclaimers aside, if you take much longer than three minutes, you risk grading more analytically than is warranted and losing sight of the sum for the parts. Look for the positive, rather than the negative elements of the essay. Arriving at the final score is a process of addition, not a process of reduction. Focus on the flow of the essay. An awkward construction will be like a pothole; this hurts the flow of the essay, but backing up and driving over it again and again will only heighten its distraction from the overall impression. Upon conclusion, ask yourself whether the student swayed you to her opinion. That will place it in the upper half or lower half. Go with your gut, and dont overanalyze your choice. Narrow your grade by comparing how few potholes you hit versus your absorption in the journey. Consult your Score Chart for quick reference and decide on a final score. Stuck deciding between two adjacent scores? Review the Help for Adjacent Score Anxiety.

Giving Feedback

You are not an editor, but your job as a grader does require you to help the student improve on his next essay. Good feedback is specific and leaves the student certain what he needs to do to improve. The pre-selected comments offer a broad range of items that may satisfy your needs, from positive to constructive. You must select at least one pre-selected comment for each essay you grade, but we recommend you choose at least 35. Your first concern should be comments that will help the student improve, but be sure to include at least one which acknowledges what the student did well. If you feel you need more than 10 constructive comments, you are better served writing a summary in the Free Comments. Free Comments are also useful for writing the student specifically how she could have used her examples differently, or used the assumption in the argument, etc.

Help for Adjacent Score Anxiety

Deciding between two adjacent scores is often the most difficult part of grading, particularly when the goal is to spend no more than three minutes reading each one. Many graders also make the mistake of second-guessing themselves, feeling they are too harsh but then worrying they overcompensated and were too lenient.

Stop thinking so much! The more you analyze, the more you are losing the sum for its parts. However, it is useful in your early grader career to be able to pinpoint why you choose the final grade so that your choices are instinctive after a while. Your goal is to make each scoring level like obscenity: youll know it when you see it. Review the depth of the insight. Review vocabulary choices: did they lessen the precision of the students point? Reflect on how many pot holes you hit. Remember that as scores decline, its more what the student didnt do than what he did wrong. Allow yourself to set the bar high. GRE students include future English and history PhDs after all, and many (even science geeks!) are outstanding writers. Do not expect perfection: This is still a timed essay written under stressful conditions, not a polished application essay. While comparative grading is the rule, dont punish students because they didnt use a fresh example youve never seen before. Youll have read hundreds of essays soon, and its important not to get jaded. Is your only constraint fear of grade inflation? Give it the higher score but consider offering Free Comments to help the student continue to improve. Chances are, your hesitancy is a sign that the essay is missing something, and that would argue for the lower of the two scores. Finally, remember that ETS graders are allowed to differ by one score, as are you. In the end, debating between two adjacent scores is counter-productive.

Dos and Donts

DO give yourself a stretch break after 30-35 minutes. DONT grade longer than two hours in one sitting, even with breaks. DONT grade when youre in a bad mood. Trust us, a positive attitude is necessary for holistic grading. DO take length into account. While ETS may dodge the issue by stating that essays too short are unlikely to feature the depth a top score requires, our research indicates a stronger correlation than that. We instruct students to write at least four paragraphs. DONT use length as your primary scoring measure, however. DONT actively search for grammatical and syntax errors. What matters is if they are severe enough to interfere with the meaning, or so frequent they grow distracting. Think of them as tacky billboards and potholes, respectively, distracting you from the joy of your drive. Dont drive around looking for them. DONT award half-scores on an essay. DONT score your own students essays.

You are now ready to proceed to the next level of training. Use instructions below to learn how to use the grading software.

Grader Training Instructions

In order to become certified to grade new topics, you must first complete the Training process: 1. Review the Essay Scoring Guide for the Test Type you will be training for (SAT, GMAT, etc...). 2. Certify that you have read the required materials by clicking on the box at the bottom of the screen that reads I have read the related material and am ready to take the training. 3. You must grade a minimum number of essays and give them correct scores. The training process is the same as when you are grading actual student essays, except that you cannot cancel grading an essay. Once you start grading the training essays, you will NOT be able to stop grading essays until you have completed the test. There may be up to ten test essays, so allow yourself enough time.

Begin grading by clicking on the Forward button in the lower right hand corner of
the screen. If you successfully complete the training, you will be invited to begin grading essays or go back and qualify for other topics.

If you are unsuccessful, you will be invited to go back and train for another topic.

Topic Certification Grading

The grading page for the certification process is the same as the page for scoring student essays, except a "Cancel Grading" button is not present. You must complete the certification test in one sitting. You should have already read the Essay Scoring Guide for guidance on how to properly evaluate an essay.

Near the top of the screen an abbreviated version of the topic is visible, along with an "Expand" link.

To view the "Directions," "Full Topic," and "Assignment" that were given to the student, click on the Expand link.

In the middle of the screen is the essay and at the bottom of the screen are the grading tools:

Select the overall grade from the Grade pull-down menu. Graders can enter pre-selected Comments and "Free Comments." On the right hand side is a timer. If you havent finished after 15 minutes, you will be logged out and the fail the certification. Once all sections have been filled out, click on the "Submit All" button in the lower right hand corner, and you will be taken to the confirmation page where a summary will be displayed before the score is finalized. Each essay must receive an overall grade and at least one pre-selected comment in order for the score to be valid.

The confirmation page gives you a chance to review all your selections before submitting the scores. Once you are sure of your choices, click on the Confirm button in the lower right hand corner to submit the score and continue to the next essay.

Essay Grading
Now that you are certified, you are ready to begin grading essays. To begin, click on one of the topics that you are certified to score under the Grade section. In the example below you could click on we appreciate things once weve lost them.

This will bring you to the main Essay Grading page. This is the page where graders evaluate essays that have been submitted. Near the top of the screen the test type and an abbreviated version of the topic are visible, along with an Expand link.

To view the Directions, Full Topic, and Assignment that were given to the student, click on the Expand link.

Immediately below this will be the name of the student, the city, state/territory, and country.

In the middle of the screen will be the student's essay, along with formatting options so that you can choose the view you find most suitable.

At the bottom of the screen are the grading tools:

Select the overall grade from the "Grade" pull-down menu. Zero represents an unreadable essay and you will not be compe nsated for reading these essays. If you give an essay a grade of zero you will need to enter "Free Comments" explaining why it was ungradeable. You can also enter pre-selected Comments, and Free Comments. In order for the score to be valid, each essay must receive an overall grade and at least one pre-selected comment. On the right hand side is a timer. After 15 minutes you will be logged out, and the essay will be returned to the queue. Once all sections have been filled out, click on the Submit All button in the lower right hand corner and you will be taken to the confirmation page where a summary will be displayed before the score is finalized. There is also a "Cancel Grading" button in the lower left hand corner if needed.

Hitting the Submit ALL button brings up the Confirm Score page where all the grading information is displayed before being submitted. After making sure everything is correct, click the Confirm button in the lower right hand corner to finalize the score. If you need to return to the essay, click the Edit button in the lower left hand corner.