Analyze an Issue: instruction families and a reasoned qualified position
| English | 中文 | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| policy consequence/ˈpɒlɪsi ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/ | 政策后果 | zhèng cè hòu guǒ |
| qualified thesis/ˈkwɒlɪfaɪd ˈθiːsɪs/ | 有条件的论点 | yǒu tiáo jiàn de lùn diǎn |
A decision before an answer
- A prompt asking about a claim and its reason needs two judgements. Agreeing with the claim does not automatically endorse the supplied reason.
- Your goal: Match an Issue response to its specific instruction rather than a fixed template.
Read the relationship
- The current standard GRE writing measure has one 30-minute Issue task. The issue and the instruction together define the response. Some instructions ask when a statement holds; some ask when a recommendation helps; others ask for the strongest challenge to your position. Identify the requested reasoning action before generating examples. A generic agree/disagree template can omit the central task.
- Address reasons, competing views or policy consequences when requested.
A claim-and-reason task requires:
The claim and its reason are distinct targets for analysis.
Use the defining rule
- A two-view instruction requires engagement with both views, not just a chosen side. A claim-and-reason instruction requires evaluation of the claim and the stated justification separately. The conclusion may be reasonable while its reason is weak, or vice versa. Make the relationship explicit in the thesis and development rather than leaving the reader to infer it.
- Develop a qualified position with explained examples within 30 minutes.
A policy-consequence instruction calls for:
Consequences need a reasoned link to the judgement.
Check the conditions
- For a policy instruction, explain consequences and how they shape your view. Separate intended benefits from plausible unintended costs. Use concrete mechanisms and circumstances: who benefits, what resources are needed, where the recommendation may fail and what limit improves it. Hypothetical examples can illuminate reasoning when labelled as such; unsupported invented statistics should not be presented as measured evidence.
- Develop a qualified position with explained examples within 30 minutes.
Original claim-and-reason case: Claim: universities should let every student replace a laboratory requirement with independent reading. Reason: all meaningful learning comes from books. A qualified thesis might reject universal replacement while accepting reading as preparation. The reason overlooks learning from direct measurement, procedural errors and collaboration. Model development: “In a hypothetical introductory measurement course, a student may correctly describe uncertainty after reading but still misalign an instrument during use. A supervised trial exposes the difference between knowing a rule and applying it. Reading therefore supports the laboratory rather than always replacing it. A student with verified equivalent practical experience could reasonably receive an alternative task, so preserving a laboratory requirement need not mean ignoring individual circumstances.” This evaluates both the recommendation and its reason, gives a mechanism and introduces an explained exception.
A thesis stating conditions and exceptions is a ____ thesis.
The scope is explicit rather than absolute.
Apply the task format
- Use a flexible plan, not a required paragraph count. A suggested practice budget is four minutes to interpret and outline, twenty-three to write and three to revise. Check task fit, development, logical organisation and clear language. An original classroom response is reviewed by a teacher; the local formative checks do not produce an official GRE writing score. Current Issue practice must not be relabelled as the retired Argument task.
- Develop a qualified position with explained examples within 30 minutes.
Do not merely label an example impressive. Explain its connection to the claim, the required instruction and the limits of your conclusion.
Which answer fits this case?
Match an Issue response to its specific instruction rather than a fixed template
All Issue prompts can be answered fully with the same fixed list of paragraphs.
The instruction varies and can require different reasoning actions.
Keep the distinctions
- policy consequence 政策后果 — An intended or unintended result relevant to judging a proposed rule.
- qualified thesis 有条件的论点 — A position stating its limits or conditions rather than making an unsupported absolute claim.
- Match an Issue response to its specific instruction rather than a fixed template.
- Address reasons, competing views or policy consequences when requested.
- Develop a qualified position with explained examples within 30 minutes.
Match each term with its precise meaning in this lesson.
Keep the distinctions stated in the teaching example.
Put this lesson’s reasoning or event sequence in order.
The order follows the stated process; check each stage before the next.