The new GRE AWA format changed everything about the Analytical Writing section. Since September 2023, the GRE requires only one essay instead of two, cutting the AWA from 60 minutes down to 30 minutes. This guide covers exactly what changed, how scoring works on the updated format, and the strategies you need to write a high-scoring Issue Essay in half the time.
The biggest change to the new GRE AWA format is the complete removal of the Analyze an Argument essay. Before September 22, 2023, every test-taker wrote two essays (Issue + Argument) in 60 minutes. The Argument task required critiquing logical reasoning in a passage -- identifying assumptions, fallacies, and alternative explanations.
That task is now gone entirely. ETS discontinued it as part of a broader effort to shorten the GRE. The AWA now consists of a single Analyze an Issue essay in 30 minutes. You no longer need to practice identifying logical fallacies or unstated assumptions. The Issue essay is always the first section of the test, so you start the GRE with your essay before moving to Verbal and Quantitative.
The AWA changes were part of a larger overhaul that cut the entire test from 3 hours 45 minutes to 1 hour 58 minutes. The unscored experimental section and 10-minute break were both removed. Verbal and Quantitative questions per section dropped from 40 to 27, and score delivery improved from 10-15 days to 8-10 days.
| Feature | Old GRE (Before Sept 2023) | New GRE (Sept 2023+) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Essays | 2 (Issue + Argument) | 1 (Issue only) |
| AWA Time | 60 minutes (30 min each) | 30 minutes |
| Essay Types | Analyze an Issue + Analyze an Argument | Analyze an Issue only |
| Total Test Duration | 3 hours 45 minutes | 1 hour 58 minutes |
| Scheduled Break | 10-minute break | No break |
| Score Delivery | 10-15 calendar days | 8-10 calendar days |
| Scoring Scale | 0-6 (averaged from both essays) | 0-6 (single essay) |
| Experimental Section | Included (unscored) | Removed |
GRE AWA Preparation Checklist
The ETS published pool of 150+ Issue topics clusters into four broad categories. Knowing these categories lets you prepare versatile examples that cover any prompt you may encounter on test day.
The GRE Issue essay only format presents you with a brief statement or claim about a broad topic, followed by specific instructions on how to respond. Your job is to evaluate the statement, consider its complexities, and develop a well-reasoned essay that supports your position with relevant examples and evidence. The task does not require specialized content knowledge -- topics span education, technology, the arts, government, and philosophy, accessible to test-takers from any background.
One detail many students overlook is that there are six different sets of instructions that may follow the topic statement. Some ask you to agree or disagree with the claim. Others ask you to discuss the extent to which you agree and under what circumstances the statement might or might not hold true. Reading the specific instructions carefully is essential because they shape how you should structure your argument.
ETS publishes the complete pool of over 150 Issue topics on its official website, and every prompt you may encounter on test day is drawn from this published list. This is a significant advantage: you can review every possible prompt before your exam. You do not need to write practice essays for all 150+ topics, but read through the pool and mentally sketch out how you would approach each one. Building a versatile bank of examples allows you to adapt quickly to any prompt on test day.
Format Breakdown: Old GRE vs New GRE AWA
You receive the following GRE Issue prompt: "Educational institutions have a responsibility to dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed." Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.
This outline gives you a clear thesis, three distinct paragraphs with concrete angles, and a counterargument -- the exact structure graders reward with scores of 4.5 and above.
The GRE AWA scoring rubric uses a holistic 0 to 6 scale in half-point increments. The average score is 3.5 (42nd percentile). For competitive graduate programs, aim for 4.5 or higher (83rd percentile). Scores of 2 or below indicate serious flaws and may trigger automatic application rejection at many schools.
The AWA score is reported separately and is not included in the 260 to 340 composite GRE score. While it carries less weight than Verbal and Quantitative scores at most programs, many universities specify minimum AWA cutoffs. Some programs, especially MBA programs, weight the AWA more heavily as a verification of authentic writing ability in the AI era.
| AWA Score | Percentile Rank | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 99th | Outstanding -- extremely rare, exceptional analytical writing |
| 5.5 | 97th | Strong -- well-developed analysis with sophisticated style |
| 5.0 | 93rd | Strong -- clear, well-supported arguments with good examples |
| 4.5 | 83rd | Above average -- solid analysis, competitive for top programs |
| 4.0 | 60th | Adequate -- meets requirements for most graduate programs |
| 3.5 | 42nd | Average -- basic competence, may fall below some program cutoffs |
| 3.0 | 18th | Below average -- limited analysis with weak development |
| 2.5 | 8th | Weak -- serious deficiencies in reasoning and writing |
| 2.0 | 3rd | Very weak -- may trigger application rejection at many schools |
Your essay is scored through a dual-grading system. A trained human rater and an AI system called e-rater each score your essay independently. If both scores are close (within one point), your final AWA score is their average. If they diverge significantly, a second human rater replaces the e-rater. This means both traditional writing quality and structural consistency matter -- the human evaluates depth of analysis while the e-rater rewards clear organization and grammatical accuracy.
With only 30 minutes, the most effective allocation follows a 5-20-5 pattern: 5 minutes planning, 20 minutes writing, 5 minutes proofreading. During the planning phase, read the prompt twice, brainstorm 2-3 examples, and write a quick outline with your thesis and topic sentences for each paragraph.
The 20-minute writing phase should follow your outline closely: introduction (2 minutes), each body paragraph (5 minutes each), and conclusion (3 minutes). If you fall behind on one paragraph, keep it shorter rather than sacrificing your conclusion. A complete essay with a brief conclusion always scores higher than an incomplete essay with one brilliantly developed paragraph.
The biggest format-change mistake is preparing for the wrong essay type. Students who studied with older prep books still practice Argument essays that no longer appear on the test. Every minute spent on Argument-style analysis (identifying logical fallacies, unstated assumptions) is wasted preparation time. Focus exclusively on Issue essay practice -- taking a position and supporting it with examples.
Another common error is underestimating the importance of your single essay. On the old GRE, a weak performance on one essay could be offset by a strong second essay because both scores were averaged. Now your entire AWA score rests on one 30-minute performance. This raises the stakes and makes it critical to have a practiced, reliable approach rather than hoping for a favorable prompt.
Students also misjudge their pacing because they practiced under the old 60-minute format. Writing two essays in an hour gave a rhythm of draft-write-draft-write. The new format demands a single, focused burst: outline once, write once, proofread once. If your practice sessions still follow the old two-essay pattern, switch to timed 30-minute single-essay drills immediately.