The scoring for the Analytical Writing Measure is holistic, which means that the graders base your score on an overall impression of each essay, rather than adding a specific point value for each idea you express or deducting points for errors. A holistic score emphasizes the interrelationship of content, organization, and syntax and represents the unified effect of these combined elements.
One human grader and one computer program score each essay, and their scores are averaged. If their scores differ by a certain margin, a second human grader will also score the essay, and the two human scores will be averaged. Keep in mind that because your essay is being scored by a human who is reading fairly quickly and by a computer algorithm, it is important to write in a clear and well-organized way, staying on topic, constructing each paragraph around a main point, and using language correctly.
You will receive your essay score, along with your official score report, within 10 to 15 days of your test date. The schools to which you apply will receive the same score report plus the essays themselves.
The scoring scale is from 0 to 6, with 6 being the highest score. Although the Analytical Writing Measure comprises two separate essays, ETS reports a single score that represents the average of your scores for the two essays, rounded up to the nearest half point. As you can see from the table, about three-fourths of test takers (76%) score between a 3.0 and 5.0, meaning that scores above and below this range are uncommon.
| Score | Percent of Test Takers with a Lower Score |
| 6.0 | 99 |
| 5.5 | 98 |
| 5.0 | 92 |
| 4.5 | 82 |
| 4.0 | 59 |
| 3.5 | 41 |
| 3.0 | 17 |
| 2.5 | 7 |
| 2.0 | 2 |
| 1.5 | 1 |
| 1.0 | — |
| 0.5 | — |
| 0 | — |
Each of the two essays requires different reasoning and presentation, so each has slightly different scoring criteria. However, the following rubric will give you a general idea of the guidelines graders have in mind when they score Analytical Writing essays.
To be scored, your essay must be typed into the computer before time is up. You may outline your essay on the scratch paper you will be given, or you may outline it on the computer. If you use the computer to type your outline, be sure to delete every part of the outline before submitting the essay.
Before the Analytical Writing Measure, you will be given a brief tutorial on how to use the word processing program. Don’t worry. The GRE’s word processor is simple and easy to use; the only functions are insert text, delete text, cut text, paste text, and undo. You’ll be well acquainted with these commands by the time you start writing. Do not write anything on your scratch paper during the tutorial, as doing so is against test policy and can result in disciplinary action. You may start writing on the scratch paper once the timed Writing section begins.
When you practice writing essays, turn off any auto-edit functions your word processor or browser has, including spell check, grammar check, and autocorrect/autocomplete. The GRE’s word processor doesn’t have these functions, so you will get more realistic practice if you do not use them.