The GRE Issue essay assesses the students' critical thinking abilities and ability to convey ideas and thoughts in writing. Candidates must be able to deliver the essay in a well-structured and well-planned manner, giving exact opinions and arguments, for the topic issue. ‘Some people believe it is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public. Others believe that the public has a right to be fully informed’ is the topic to the GRE analyze an issue. We have provided the model answer below.

The GRE candidates must follow a structure for the GRE Issue Essay. They can include 4-6 paragraphs. The given structure below has 5 paragraphs for their GRE issue essay. Candidates have the liberty to choose.

Introduction: Candidates must first describe the subject that has been presented to them, followed by the stance that the essay will take. Furthermore, candidates should consider offering specific reasoning and examples for the GRE AWA essay.
Body Paragraph 1: The most compelling rationale should be expressed first, followed by supporting instances and logical analysis. This reasoning paragraph should adequately support the thesis and be related to the issue. It is very important to stick to one side of the argument throughout the essay.
Body Paragraph 2: The second supporting rationale should be provided, accompanied by examples and logical analysis. Providing real life examples will have much impact on the reader. They will be able to relate the example with everyday life.
Final Paragraph: The last paragraph should address the counterargument offered as the topic of the GRE Analyse an Issue essay. Candidates must demonstrate that their point of view is valid and the counterargument is incorrect using a third example and rationale.
Conclusion: The conclusion should remind the reader of the topic of the Issue Essay. It should give the reasoning and instances that demonstrate the candidates' points of view are right. The conclusion provides the synopsis of the full essay.

Based on the structure of the GRE Issue essay, “Some people believe it is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public. Others believe that the public has a right to be fully informed” strategies have been mentioned below:

• Choosing a side and sticking to it throughout the essay, as opposed to the GRE Analyse an Argument in which the author's stated remark must be criticized
• While stating explanations and examples, provide relevancy and specificity to the real world. This will help the reader understand and relate to the examples.
• It is critical to make powerful declarative claims using active language as well as cause and effect statements. Every example should have enough reasonable justification to prove the point.
• It is critical to identify your opposing viewpoint and then refute it in two to three phases in order to end the essay on a strong note. The counterargument will establish your point of view in a more strong and effective manner.
• The conclusion provides the paraphrasing of the whole essay. Candidates can also include their final opinion in the conclusion.

Read More GRE Issue Samples

Topic: Some people believe it is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public. Others believe that the public has a right to be fully informed.

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

Model Answer

This is an extremely contentious and debatable topic due to the many controversies that have developed and have come into light in the long history of politics. I believe that the information that has been discussed among politicians during their various meetings has to come into the limelight. These decisions have been judged by the conscience of the common people rather than restricting the information. However, there are occasions when it is important to keep some facts from the public for the sake of the public's well being and interest. But this does not give them the right to withhold essential and vital information from the public. I believe that holding information from the public is not the correct way and is sometimes unnecessary.

Maintaining transparency in information prohibits politicians from engaging in unethical actions such as corruption, cheating the public, tax evasion etc. This gives the politicians a lot of leeway since the information is maintained and held within their grasp. This gives them the confidence to further indulge in various malpractices that end up ruining the ethical and social structure of our democratic system. We often see this occur even at the lowest level of our government, where we see corruption happening on a daily basis. Finally, the common man is the one who has inadequate knowledge of government procedures, which leads to unfavorable outcomes.

We have also seen the adverse effects that can occur because of withholding information in various scenarios throughout history. The most recent being of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. During the earlier stages of the pandemic, most of the governments had withheld information regarding the spread of the virus. This was clearly done to prevent mass panic and make sure that none of the hospitals and other medical facilities are not overrun. But this in the end turned out to be one of the major factors that led to the rapid spread of the virus. The public had little to no information on how to tackle the situation that they were faced with. This led to the ever rising death toll that is still on the rise till date.

However, there may be instances when it is prudent to restrict information and prevent it from spreading to other regions of the country in order to maintain peace and unity. For example, during a conflict, it is quite important for the government to conceal defensive methods and state secrets from the public. The general public should not have access to such material. There may be certain members of society who are spying for the adversary. They can leak information to the enemy which will end up in grave consequences for both the government and public together. But these situations are extremely rare and do not tend to occur often. We often see that in the majority of instances that occur, both political and army leaders are required to make their plans known to the public.

Political leaders must not keep information from the public for many reasons. They might be combating corrupt practices, prevention of adverse outcomes, and the leaders' responsibility to serve the public. There are, however, some significant circumstances where leaders must keep the knowledge to themselves to prevent national panic. This will also protect the predominant national security. Overall, making the facts available to the public will foster mutual understanding between leaders and citizens, guiding them towards a successful future ahead.