Can someone review my Issue Essay and Argument Essay? I'm preparing for GRE

[Chandana K]

Issue prompt : A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.

Essay : 

Education plays the key role in shaping a student's future. Hence, the curriculum which is being followed is an important factor. A curriculum defines the set of subjects and the courses of action involved in the teaching of the students. Therefore, the national curriculum is set the same to ensure all the  students have the same basic knowledge till they enter college.

As education is the foundation to shape a student's future career, it needs to be same for all. By having the same national curriculum, we can ensure that all the students have the similar fundamental and base knowledge. Considering there are different curriculum, one including only Science and Social, if a student picks science and the other picks social, both the students tend to have different knowledge from the beginning of a young age. And this, reduces the exposure of the student to any other different subjects involved in a different curriculum. It is more efficient to have the same curriculum to provide the same foundation and base knowledge.

Until a student reaches a certain age, he/she might be unsure of what career path to choose further. Providing the options of different curriculum forces the student to make a choice at a young age, which can lead to wrong decisions affecting the future of their career. If a student is confused between Computer and Biology, there can be a curriculum which provides the fundamental knowledge of both, rather than dividing it into two different curriculum and thereby forcing the student to make a choice. A national curriculum with a variety of subjects can also give the student an insight into the options available, which might be more helpful in picking a course in college. It prevents the limitation of knowledge and scope. The competition level is more fair, when all the students follow the same curriculum. If there are different curriculum with different level of difficulties, it is unfair to pitch these two category of students when considering for college. Therefore, it is better to have the same curriculum to make it more fair.

But if a student is already sure of the path or career he/she wants to focus on, then it can also be efficient to choose the required curriculum instead of having to study everything.

In conclusion, The more effective way of education is to ensure all the students of a nation study the same national curriculum until they enter college.

Argument prompt : 

The following is a memorandum from the business manager of a television station.

"Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increased time to national news and less time to weather and local news. During this period, most of the complaints received from viewers were concerned with our station's coverage of weather and local news. In addition, local businesses that used to advertise during our late-night news program have canceled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our news programs and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should restore the time devoted to weather and local news to its former level."

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

Essay : 

 

The following argument is flawed for numerous reasons. Primarily, the argument is based on the assumption that the reduction in time of devoted to the weather and local news is the cause of more complaints and loss in advertising revenues.

The argument fails to provide any concrete justification to the fact that the complaints were because of the reduced time devoted to weather and local news. For one, there could be problem in the accuracy of the news being delivered and the host of the weather and local news. More significantly, the specifications of the complaint have not been specified. It also does not specify that these complaints led to the decrease in the number of viewers overall. Had the argument provided more information regarding the nature and type of complaints received, then argument could prove that it was due to the reduced time.

Over the period the year, it can also be noticed that the late-night news show the weather and local news. A weather forecast is more effective if shown in the morning, so that the people can plan their day accordingly. And hence the argument can only be proved by elaborating on the complaints.

There is no direct connection between the cancelling of advertisements by the local businesses to the reduced time of the weather and local news. This cancellation can be due to the fact that the news is being forecasted late-night and hence the number an frequency of people viewing these news will be lesser. If the argument provided more insight into the reason for the cancellation, then the argument could further try to prove the cause of this as the reduced time o weather and local news. Also restoring the time to their former level does not give any idea of the initial time devoted and how beneficiary that proved in terms of the number of viewers.

Because the argument makes unwarranted assumptions, it fails to make a convincing case that the complaints and cancelling of the advertisements is due to the reduction of time devoted to the weather and local news.