Tài liệu GRE Writing Assessment pptx

Writing
Assessment
Introducing a powerful new way to
enhance admissions
decision making
mportant news for the
graduate community!
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Gives admissions committees
important evidence of
competencies deemed essential
for graduate school success
Serves as a reliable index of
candidates’ ability to articulate
their own ideas about complex
issues and arguments rather
than choose answers from a
multiple-choice format
Provides a common yardstick
for assessing graduate-level
writing skills — an effective way
to compare the qualifications
of applicants from diverse
educational programs
Contributes meaningful information
that can help differentiate among
candidates who present
otherwise similar credentials
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articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
examine claims and accompanying evidence
support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
control the elements of standard written English
A reliable indicator of candidate proficiency
in critical thinking and analytical writing
Graduate schools are now able to receive valuable information that can
be factored into admissions decisions: applicants’ scores on the
GRE Writing Assessment. Since October 1999, examinees have had
the opportunity to demonstrate, in a controlled testing situation, the
kinds of high-level thinking and writing skills generally recognized
as essential for success in many graduate programs. The GRE
Writing Assessment substantially expands the range of skills
assessed by the GRE General Test and Subject Tests, including
the applicant’s ability to
The GRE Writing Assessment
is offered as a separate test,
independent of the GRE General
and Subject Tests. It is available
year-round at all ETS-authorized
computer-based testing (CBT)
centers worldwide.
Graduate Record
Examinations
®
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To learn more,
visit the GRE Web site at
www.gre.org/writing.html
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A
&
Q
Writing
Assessment
her writing samples and personal statement, or it may
reveal strengths not displayed in these other materials.
By requiring the GRE Writing Assessment, you will be
better able to identify those applicants best prepared to
meet the writing demands of your program without
requiring extra instructional support.
In what other ways can our graduate
department use the information provided
by these test scores?
The scores can be used to identify students who might
need special help in developing the analytical writing
skills they need to succeed in your program. In
addition, the assessment can be used in conjunction
with the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL
®
) — which includes a writing
section — or the Test of Written English (TWE
®

) to
provide a more complete picture of an international
student’s writing abilities, including higher-level
thinking and analytical writing skills.
Adding the GRE Writing Assessment to your admissions
requirements emphasizes that critical thinking and
analytical writing are important in your graduate program
and in professional life.
What can you tell us about the validity of
this assessment?
In creating this new assessment for the GRE Board,
Educational Testing Service (ETS
®
) followed a
rigorous test development process that was guided by
faculty committees representing different academic
institutions, disciplines, and cultural perspectives.
A national advisory committee explored and field
tested many different kinds of writing tasks to identify
those that provided the best evidence of skills that
contribute to successful graduate work. Academic
and technical advisers reviewed writing research
and several years’ worth of field-test data from studies
Why did the GRE Board introduce this
new assessment?
The GRE Board has been concerned about deficiencies in
the writing skills of graduate students. It believes that an
assessment of critical thinking and analytical writing will
be useful in the admissions process because it will help
determine an applicant’s ability to do graduate-level writing.

What is the assessment like?
The assessment consists of two analytical writing
tasks: a 45-minute “Present Your Perspective on an
Issue” task and a 30-minute “Analyze an Argument”
task. The “Issue” task states an opinion on an issue
of general interest and asks test takers to address the
issue from any perspective(s) they wish, so long as they
provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and
support their views. The “Argument” task presents a
different challenge: it requires test takers to critique an
argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it.
Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness
of the argument rather than to agree or disagree with the
position it presents. The two tasks are complementary
in that one requires test takers to construct their own
arguments by making claims and providing evidence
supporting their positions on the issue, whereas the
other requires them to critique someone else’s argument
by assessing its claims and evaluating the evidence it
provides. Sample topics for both tasks are presented in
the shaded area on the next page.
How does the information provided
by this assessment help us make
admissions decisions?
The assessment gives an admissions committee a reliable
indicator of an applicant’s competencies in a range of
higher-level thinking and writing skills associated with
graduate studies. This indicator can support your
impression of the student’s abilities as evidenced in his or
ா

Sample Screen Directions
and Sample Topics
Sample Argument Task:
Analysis of an Argument
Directions: Discuss how well
reasoned you find this argument.
Sample Topic: Six months ago the
region of Forestville increased the
speed limit for vehicles traveling on
the region’s highways by ten miles
per hour. Since that change took
effect, the number of automobile
accidents in that region has
increased by 15 percent. But the
speed limit in Elmsford, a region
neighboring Forestville, remained
unchanged, and automobile
accidents declined slightly during
the same six-month period.
Therefore, if the citizens of
Forestville want to reduce the
number of automobile accidents on
the region’s highways, they should
campaign to reduce Forestville’s
speed limit to what it was before
the increase.
Sample Issue Task:
Present Your Perspective on an
Issue
Directions: Present your perspective

on the issue below, using relevant
reasons and/or examples to support
your views.
Sample Topic: “In our time,
specialists of all kinds are highly
overrated. We need more
generalists — people who can
provide broad perspectives.”
conducted in preparation for this assessment. (Visit the GRE Web site at
www.gre.org/writing.html or send an e-mail inquiry to
for additional information about GRE Writing Assessment research.) All
writing topics have passed stringent reviews for fairness and, in national
field-test trials, proved accessible and appropriate for entry-level graduate
students across many disciplines and various cultural groups. Reader training
and scoring procedures were designed to ensure scoring accuracy, fairness, and
reliability, and to enhance the overall validity of the assessment.
How should we evaluate whether to require or recommend
Writing Assessment scores?
The GRE Program has released information that helps score users evaluate
the appropriate use of the Writing Assessment score. You can obtain this
information on the GRE Web site at www.gre.org/writing.html or send
e-mail inquiries to
How is the assessment different from the verbal section on
the GRE General Test?
The GRE Writing Assessment is performance based; candidates must organize
and articulate their own ideas as they discuss a complex issue and explain the
logical soundness of an argument they have just read.
Should our department require a TOEFL writing test and/
or the GRE Writing Assessment?
The TOEFL and GRE writing measures are quite different, by design. The

TOEFL test writing prompts and scoring criteria emphasize rhetorical and
syntactic competence, whereas the GRE Writing Assessment emphasizes
critical thinking and analytical writing. And, although both the TOEFL and
GRE programs report essay scores on a 6-point scale, the scores are not at
all comparable. Each institution or department must make its own decisions
about requiring a TOEFL test and/or the GRE Writing Assessment. To help
you determine which test may be applicable to your department, you may
find it helpful to review the sample prompts and scoring guides for each test
and note the differences in the criteria indicated for each scoring level.
How is the test administered?
The GRE Writing Assessment is delivered on computer at ETS-authorized
computer-based test centers. The option to handwrite the essays is not
available at CBT centers. Test takers who choose to handwrite essays must
take the test on a paper-based test date published in the GRE Information
and Registration Bulletin.
A word-processing tutorial specific to this assessment is included in test
preparation materials and also precedes the actual timed test. For the Issue
task, the test taker chooses one of two essay topics randomly selected by
Are test preparation materials available?
Yes. GRE publications explain the goals, content, format, and
other characteristics of the Writing Assessment. Materials
include the complete set of directions for both tasks; the entire
pool of topics, which test takers can review prior to the test;
Issue and Argument scoring criteria; samples of scored essays
with readers’ commentaries; and the word-processing tutorial
specific to the assessment. The complete list of topics for both
tasks is also available on the GRE Web site at www.gre.org/
writing.html.
GRE POWERPREP
®

Software Version 2.0, sent free of charge to
Writing Assessment registrants, includes test preparation for both
the GRE General Test and the Writing Assessment. POWERPREP
provides candidates with advice on how to write effective essays
for the Issue and Argument tasks. It lets users practice writing
essays under simulated GRE testing conditions, with the same
GRE word processing and testing tools that appear on the test.
The free POWERPREP can also be downloaded from the GRE
Web site at www.gre.org/codelst.html.
When can an applicant take the test?
The test is given year-round at all ETS-authorized
computer-based testing centers worldwide. It is a separate
test, offered independently of the GRE General Test and
GRE Subject Tests.
What is the test fee?
The test fee is $50 for individuals testing in the United States,
U.S. Territories, and Puerto Rico, and $60 for individuals
testing in all other locations.
The issue of cost has been seriously considered by the GRE
Board and the various committees and advisers who helped
in the development of the test. Guiding their decisions were
issues of fairness, reliability, and validity — all of which are
affected by the types and number of writing tasks, the amount
of time students have to perform those tasks, and the quality
of the scoring process. The test fee was established based on
a careful analysis of the operating expenses of developing,
administering, and scoring the new assessment.
computer from the Issue list. The Argument task does
not present a choice of topics; instead, the test taker is
presented with a single topic randomly selected by

computer from the Argument list. More than 100 topics
have been developed for each writing task, and both topic
lists are widely published.
How are the essays scored?
Each essay is scored on a 6-point holistic scale according
to the criteria published in GRE scoring guides. In
holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on
the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to
the assigned task and the writing situation. Essay scoring
is performed by college and university faculty
experienced in teaching writing or writing-intensive
courses. All GRE readers have undergone careful
training, passed stringent GRE qualifying tests, and
demonstrated that they are able to maintain a high degree
of scoring accuracy.
Scoring and monitoring procedures were designed for
fairness and objectivity: all essays are scored by two
readers; essays are randomly distributed to the readers;
all identifying information about the test takers is
concealed from the readers; and readers do not know
what other scores an essay may have received. The
scoring procedure requires identical or adjacent scores
from two readers; any other score combination will be
adjudicated by a third GRE reader.
How are scores reported?
A single analytical writing score is reported on the
same 6-point scale. This score represents the average
of the scores for the two essays. Because of the scoring
process, test takers do not receive their scores at the test
center. Scores are sent to institutions and test takers

within 10 to 15 days. Institutions are provided with
brief descriptions of the writing abilities evidenced at
particular score levels.
Copyright © 2001 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. The terms and conditions contained in
this publication are subject to change. EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, ETS, the ETS logos,
GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS, GRE, POWERPREP, TOEFL, and TWE, are registered trademarks
of Educational Testing Service.
For additional information:
www.gre.org/writing.html
E-mail:
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