A GRE Issue essay is a section of the GRE in which candidates will be asked to read a topic. They will need to craft a written argument for or against the opinion. The purpose of a GRE Issue essay is to analyze the critical thinking ability of the candidates and their skill in expressing their ideas through writing. The candidates are required to present their ideas in the form of a well-structured and well-planned essay, expressing their arguments in a precise manner. The position a candidate takes on any particular topic doesn’t matter. What matters is the way the argument is presented. A model GRE issue essay on the topic, Government Officials Should Rely on Their Own Judgement Rather Than Unquestioningly Carry Out The Will of The People They Serve Gre Issue Essay, is given below.

A typical GRE issue essay is divided into 5 paragraphs. It is on the candidate if they want to increase or decrease one paragraph. The essay should contain 4-6 paragraphs. This standard form of essay with 5 paragraphs has been mentioned below.

Introduction: In the introduction, candidates need to clearly state the issue assigned to them and the position their essay will be taking on the topic. Candidates can also state points and examples that will be expanded later in the body paragraphs.
Body Paragraph 1: This must state the strongest reason in favor of the position the candidate is taking in the GRE AWA essay with supporting examples and logical analysis. This paragraph must be relevant to the topic at hand and fully support the thesis. Students should use real life examples for the readers so that they can relate to the topic.
Body Paragraph 2: Body paragraph 2 must contain the second supporting reason supported by examples and logical analysis. The examples should be backed by explanations and analysis. Multiple scenarios can be stated in this paragraph.
Final Paragraph: This paragraph deals with the counterargument to the position the candidate is taking. Candidates should bring up relevant points to the counterargument and explain how the position they are taking is right. The final paragraph should contain a counterargument as the topic of GRE Analyse an Issue essay. This will help to strengthen the point that the candidate is supporting.
Conclusion: Candidates should remind the readers of the topic of the issue essay and once again state the reasons why their viewpoint is correct. The conclusion should have a brief summary of the whole essay. It can also be a mirror image of the introduction.

Based on the points mentioned about the structure, candidates can use the following strategies in writing a GRE issue essay. The topic government officials should rely on their own judgment rather than unquestioningly carry out the will of the people they serve sample answers will follow below strategies.

• Avoid neutrality. Candidates should keep in mind that they are being scored on their ability to analyze an issue and argue their position. A tendency to argue on both sides of the issue like GRE Analyse an Argument will weaken the argument and negatively affect the score of the candidates.
• Choose a position to take on the topic and stick to it throughout the essay.
• Give proper examples and reasons, ensuring relevance and specificity to the real world.
• Keep the statements strong and declarative. Use active language and cause and effect statements whenever possible.
• Conclude the essay by identifying the strong points in the opposing opinions and refuting them with two to three sentences.
• A perfect GRE issue essay makes sense logically. It is precise about the issue and the author’s stand on the issue. It includes examples that support the author’s viewpoints and flows smoothly from idea to idea.

Read More GRE Issue Samples

Topic: Government officials should rely on their own judgment rather than unquestioningly carry out the will of the people they serve GRE issue essay.

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

Model Answer

Government management functions like policy-making and budgetary control are important for the balanced development of any society. This is particularly true in the modern age of massive technological and economic changes and the increasing effects of globalization. Day by day, governments and public organizations are adapting to the rapidly changing world around them to deliver new values for people. To state that they should discard the will of the people and solely rely on their own judgment is a rather simplistic view on a complex topic. I believe that they should be intelligent enough to understand the needs of the people and take a call. The will of the people is the only factor on which their judgment is based.

Government officials should be competent and intelligent to judge whether the policies and changes they implement would improve the living standards of people. However, when they completely ignore the will of the people, the government can become analogous and authoritarian. Officials can become focused on maintaining their position of power rather than the welfare of the people. Many examples can be seen throughout history. During Stalin’s regime, he implemented five-year plans for the industrial advancement of the USSR. That, however, came at the cost of an enormous human toll, as the focus of the plans was bolstering the economy and keeping Stalin’s regime in power. Also, it needs to be emphasized that the responsibility of any government is to cater to the needs of people, not to implement what they think is best. Officials should be focused on the welfare of people rather than the perks their positions of power get them. When the needs of people are acknowledged and they feel like their voices are being heard, they tend to be more reasonable and show support and cooperation.

To further shed light on the viewpoint expressed in the essay, the term consensus democracy needs to be explained. In simple terms, it means the application of consensus decision-making to the process of legislation in a democracy. That is, government institutions ought to give primacy to their inhabitants' requests and demands. Therefore, when the policies are made they will be supported by the majority. People play the role of, primarily, spectators and, secondarily, that of the consulted parties. The term demonstrates that only when the voices of the people are heard. They are used as a significant resource for planning the policies and strategies of the government.

The supporters of the statement that government officials should be making the decisions only based on their knowledge and experience bring up some points constantly to support their opinion. Mainly, the fact that sometimes what the people want may not be the best course of action. A recent example is the Covid-19 pandemic where governments had to make some tough choices despite the dissatisfaction of the people. In such times, government officials must indeed exercise their best judgment and give people what they need rather than what they want. But it should be remembered that situations like that don’t happen often. Completely ignoring people’s ideas is unjustifiable and can have rather unpleasant consequences in the long run. When officials ignore what the people are saying constantly, it can lead to people turning against the government. This might also lead to a tense political climate, sometimes even an uprising. A harmonious relationship between the government and its people is essential for any society to flourish. That cannot be accomplished if the will of people is ignored.

In conclusion, what is needed is a balance between the experience and judgment of the government officials. The balance of the demands of people rather than one side having all the power in the decision-making process is important. Otherwise, governments can turn corrupt and authoritarian and, in extreme situations, lead to violence and uprisings.