The first essay is an opinion about a particular issue followed by specific instructions on how to respond to it. Your task is to evaluate the problem, consider its complexity, and provide arguments with reasons and examples to support your point of view.

The second essay requires you to evaluate the argument provided according to specific instructions. Your job is to consider the logical validity of the argument, and not to agree or disagree with the position stated in it. That is, in this task you only need to analyze the adequacy of the argument without giving your own comments. 

So how can you prepare ? 

1. Know the enemy of the topic by sight 

At first glance, it seems that there are an infinite number of topics and you will never be able to prepare for them all. Just don’t panic! All topics can be grouped:

– Technologies

– Education

– Art

– Cities

— Philosophy

— Government and power

— Intellectual activity

To prepare properly, you need to practice writing essays. If you’re short on time, at least three essays will do the trick. Ideally, it is better to try to write at least one essay on each of the above topics. There is a pool of topics on the official ETS website.

Here are a few:

—  As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. ( Express personal opinion)

— The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones. ((Express personal opinion)

— In surveys Mason City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating and fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational facilities. For years there have been complaints from residents about the quality of the river’s water and the river’s smell. In response, the state has recently announced plans to clean up Mason River. Use of the river for water sports is therefore sure to increase. The city government should for that reason devote more money in this year’s budget to riverside recreational facilities .(Analyze the argument)

— Self-criticism is usually more valuable and accurate than criticism that comes from others (Express personal opinion)

— Claim: Art museums should charge little or no money for admission, and should be as open to the public as possible.

Reason: Artists create their work because they want to show it to an other people, and art museums are the best venue to give artists an audience.” ( Analyze the argument)

1. Understand the instructions 

Each essay is accompanied by specific instructions that follow the prompt and are not written in italics . Be sure to read the instructions and don’t just skim them. In your essay, if you do not clearly answer the question that is asked, your grade will be reduced.

For example, here are two different instructions for an essay where you need to express your opinion.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

As you can see, both instructions begin the same, so if you rush, they can easily be confused.

However, there are still differences: in the first instruction you are asked to express your point of view and express possible objections to it.

Whereas in the second instruction:

provide facts and arguments that will prove the truth or falsity of the statement.

Understanding the difference in instructions is very important, but there is nothing to be afraid of. You don’t have to write completely different texts. Often the difference will be only a few sentences.

1. Allocate your time
   You will have 30 minutes for the task. The smartest way to allocate your time is as follows:

— 3 minutes to read the topic and instructions.

— 20 minutes to write the main part.

— 2 minutes to correct errors and make small adjustments

– 3 minutes, if left, to write the introduction.

This is not a mistake; it is better to leave the introduction at the end. This is not the most important part of the essay. Moreover, if at the beginning you have already stated the main thesis, if there is a lack of time, you can do without a formal introduction.

Of course, it is ideal when there are absolutely all parts of the essay, but if you have to sacrifice some part, then it could be one sentence of the introduction.

Now let’s look at tips on how to prepare for each of the essays.

Essay where you need to express your point of view

1. Think about all the pros and cons

To do this, make a list of statements that either support or refute the thesis. Then choose the side where the statements are more logical and understandable. Remember that you only have a few minutes to write these notes, so you don’t have to write out all the sentences. Write down only the key words.

2. Stick to one point of view

Decide whether you will agree with this thesis or refute it. The main thing is not to get confused yourself and not to confuse the examiner. It doesn’t matter what you really think about it or even if you don’t have any opinion about it! All that matters is that you choose the side that is easiest to support. Don’t forget to add examples and arguments to prove your chosen point of view.

3. Connect all examples and arguments to the thesis 

Arguments justify the truth of the statement, and examples show special cases in which the statement is true.

Explain why each example is important, relate it to the thesis statement, and provide a specific example of each argument that also relates to the thesis statement.

4. Consider a retreat 

The task asks you to choose one side, but at the same time look at both sides of the argument. How to do it? You need to find a thought that contradicts your main idea. You should not completely focus on this thought, you must show that such a thought takes place. Provide one or two cases in which the argument is true. This is the best way to discuss both sides while sticking to your main argument.

To find an escape, go back to your list of pros and cons and focus on one of the points from the cons group.

Ultimately, despite the compromise, it is important that the essay ultimately returns the reader to the original opinion expressed.

An essay that requires you to analyze an argument.

1. Highlight unfounded assumptions 

Your task: to find out what assumptions the author makes and show why they are unfounded. Focus on this task, starting with simply identifying the assumptions in the passage.

By getting your guesses right, you increase your chances of getting a high score.

Usually you can find more than two or even three illogical assumptions in an argument. However, it is not necessary to find everything, one or two statements are enough. You need to point out the most illogical arguments

1. Identify logical fallacies

After you identify baseless arguments, be sure to find out what the illogicality is. Then describe the logical errors that the author makes. There is no need to describe all the inaccuracies; you can limit yourself to two or three main points.

1. Don’t agree with the argument

Your task: agree or disagree with the presented argument. Still, you need to write a whole essay. Your thesis should indicate why the argument is weak due to logical errors.

The whole point of an essay is to find flaws in an argument. Therefore, the thesis should never completely repeat or agree with the presented argument. Firstly, such a scenario is extremely unlikely, and secondly, such an essay will not reflect critical thinking and analysis on your part – this is exactly what the examiner needs.

4. Choose your examples carefully

At this stage, you may have a huge list of six, seven or even eight conclusions. You’ll have to get rid of most of them. You can get a high score for an essay by using only three or four examples from the assignment text.

Choose those that most strongly refute the author’s point of view. Then, referring to these examples, construct your body paragraphs.

When writing the main text, remember that your essay should always have points to prove the main idea.

Remember that in this task you need to structure your essay correctly, focus on the form, not the content. That is why it is not at all necessary to include positive arguments in the essay.

Unlike the Analyze the Problem task, the Analyze Argument task requires you to show only the shortcomings, not the pros and cons.

At first, Analytical Writing seems too difficult, but with practice and taking our advice into account, you can prepare even for such a difficult task. You can find even more essay prompts and sample essays on the ETS website. It will take time and a lot of practice to master these writing assignments.

You’ll do great! 

In the comments, share what you find most difficult when preparing for the written part. And don’t forget to ask questions!