Can someone who gets a 5.5 or 6 on writing help?

[zipzap]

Hi All,

 

First, I am not an English native speaker, so this might put me on disadvantage. However, I write quite a lot and I believe I did pretty well on actual tests. I took GRE FOUR times, with all writing sections ended 4.5. I sense that there is something consistent (wrong) in my writing that prevents me from improving it, and I do not know what that is even though I studied thoroughly what criteria they are looking at. 

 

So I am hoping that someone who gets really good writing scores could help me out here. I am hoping to read your practice essays if you are willing to share, or you have any suggestions, all welcome!

 

Thanks guys!

[alyoshakaramazov]

I got a 5.0 out of 6 and have much experience working with ESL students in my university's writing center. Shoot me a DM if you wish to speak more thoroughly.

[ERR_Alpha]

I got a 5.5. I really think it depends on who reads your paper. I write very straight forward (scientically) and thoroughly. Also make sure you follow the directions! A lot of people lose points here.

[Roren]

I got a 6.0.  I agree with Alpha, everyone has a different style.  I don't really have any practice essays on hand, but if you'd like to private message me I wouldn't mind trying to help in any way I can!

[DHumeDominates]

I got a 5.5. I don't know what to tell you regarding the "issue" essay. I think the GRE General Test should do away with it, as the prompts sometimes require background knowledge (albeit not extensive) in certain disciplines. There's really no way to prepare for the issue essay, in my view anyway. The "analyze an argument" essay is much easier. What I do is read the text carefully and jot down (on the screen, not on the sketch paper) all of the flaws in the argument (e.g., baseless premises, fallacious inferences, otherwise questionable moves). Then I methodically expand on them until there's a fair amount of material on the screen. Finally, I add a conclusion and an introduction. One piece of advice is to make your conclusion somewhat pithy or provocative. Don't just recapitulate what you say in the body of the text. Apparently, the scorers like to see writers bring everything together in creative ways, not just by rehashing everything that's already been said. Good luck!

[Calamari2013]

I've got a 5.5 and like yourself I am not an English native speaker. Actually I did not get the chance to write a single practice essay as I put in all my prep time in the other two sections. the morning before the exam I spent about half an hour in total reading on the structure of the Argument essays. Btw, for this I used the Manhattan Guide to writing essays and found it very good. Anyway, I think background knowledge is particularly important for Issue essays. As the previous post pointed out, it's impossible to prepare for the Issue essay as if it were an exam. It takes a relatively long time to accumulate knowledge and this knowledge is essential to do well because the more relevant examples you can employ in your Issue essay on the exam day, the better your score tends to be. Of course, apart from good examples, one also needs to have a solid, clear structure, to connect ideas and make the paragraphs flow from start to end. I believe some people naturally find it easier while others need sustained practice. But it can be done. If I were you, I would go about it systematically ( check the Manhattan guide, their suggestions are generally helpful). If you write a practice essay and need feedback, send me a PM. Good luck.