An original GRE "Analyze an Issue" practice prompt on university curriculum requirements — write a timed response, then compare it against three model answers.

বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের পাঠ্যক্রম নিয়ে একটি মৌলিক GRE "Analyze an Issue" অনুশীলন প্রম্পট — সময়বদ্ধ উত্তর লিখুন, তারপর তুলনা করুন।

30min
Timeসময়
1
Taskটাস্ক
0–6
Score Rangeস্কোর সীমা

How to use it: Start the timer, plan for ~5 minutes, then write your essay in the box below. When you're done, open the checklist and the model responses to self-assess.

ব্যবহারের নিয়ম: টাইমার শুরু করুন, পরিকল্পনা করুন, তারপর রচনা লিখুন।

Issue Prompt

"Universities should require all students to study subjects outside their intended major, regardless of how specialized that major is."

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement above and explain your reasoning. In developing your position, consider ways the statement might or might not hold true, and explain how these considerations shape your position.

30:00
Aim for 400–600 words.0 words

Self-Assessment Checklist

লেখা শেষে নিজেই যাচাই করুন — প্রতিটি সঠিক হলে টিক দিন।

0 / 8 checked

Model Responses

Compare your essay against these three model responses, written at different score levels on the official 0-6 rubric.

আপনার রচনাকে বিভিন্ন স্কোর স্তরের এই তিনটি মডেল উত্তরের সাথে তুলনা করুন।

Model Response Score 6

Requiring every student to study outside their major has real value, but treating it as a rigid rule "regardless of how specialized" the major is overlooks the practical constraints that some fields already face — so I agree with the spirit of the statement while rejecting its absolutism.

The case for breadth is strong. A computer science student who takes a single course in ethics or public policy is far better equipped to reason about the societal effects of the algorithms they will eventually build; a business student exposed to a psychology course better understands consumer behavior. Historically, some of the most consequential innovations have come from people who combined expertise in one area with fluency in another — Steve Jobs famously credited a college calligraphy course with shaping the typography of the first Macintosh. A curriculum that forces at least some exposure beyond the major cultivates exactly this kind of cross-pollination.

However, the word "regardless" is where the statement overreaches. Fields like medicine and certain engineering disciplines are bound by demanding accreditation requirements that already consume nearly the entire course load; in many countries, a medical degree already runs five or six years specifically because there is so much required material. Mandating additional outside coursework without adjusting program length would either extend an already long and expensive path to a degree or force the compression of essential technical material — a trade-off that could genuinely harm the competence of future doctors and engineers, which is a serious cost to weigh against the benefits of breadth.

A more defensible position, then, is that universities should require breadth requirements calibrated to the specific demands of each major, rather than applying one uniform rule to all programs. A liberal arts or business student might reasonably take four or five courses outside their major; a medical or highly regulated engineering student might take one or two, integrated efficiently rather than bolted on. This preserves the genuine benefit of interdisciplinary exposure while respecting the reality that not all majors have equal room to accommodate it.

In sum, cross-disciplinary exposure meaningfully improves graduates' judgment and creativity, and most majors have ample room to include it — but a truly well-designed policy would scale the requirement to each field's constraints rather than apply it uniformly regardless of specialization.

Why this scores a 6: Takes a nuanced position that engages directly with the specific wording of the prompt ("regardless") rather than a generic yes/no; uses a specific, verifiable example (Steve Jobs and calligraphy); the counterargument about accreditation-heavy majors is substantial and genuinely reshapes the final position rather than being dismissed; strong transitions and varied, controlled sentence structure throughout. প্রম্পটের নির্দিষ্ট শব্দ ("regardless") নিয়ে সূক্ষ্ম যুক্তি, নির্দিষ্ট উদাহরণ এবং শক্তিশালী বিপরীত যুক্তির কারণে এটি ৬ স্কোর পায়।
Model Response Score 4–5

I mostly agree that universities should require students to study outside their major, because it helps them become more well-rounded and prepares them better for the real world.

One reason is that many jobs today require skills from different fields, not just one. For example, someone working in technology might also need to understand business or communication to succeed. If students only study their major, they might miss out on important skills.

Another reason is that studying different subjects can help students discover new interests they didn't know they had. A student who takes a class outside their major might find a new passion or even change their career path because of it.

On the other hand, some students in very demanding majors like medicine or engineering might not have much extra time for outside classes, since their major already requires a lot of coursework. So the requirement might be harder for them to fulfill.

Overall, I think the benefits of studying outside your major, like becoming more well-rounded, generally outweigh the difficulties, so universities should still require it for most students.

Why this scores a 4–5: The position is clear and logically organized, with a genuine counterargument raised — but the supporting examples remain generic ("someone working in technology," "a student who takes a class") rather than specific and developed, and the counterargument in paragraph 4 is acknowledged but not deeply explored or resolved. Competent and adequately organized, but lacking the precision and depth of a top-scoring response. যুক্তি স্পষ্ট কিন্তু উদাহরণ সাধারণ, তাই এটি ৪-৫ স্কোরের পর্যায়ে থাকে।
Model Response Score 3

I agree universities should make students study other subjects because it is good for them and helps them learn more things in general.

If students only study one subject they will not know about other things and this is not good because the world needs people who know many things not just one thing. Also it is more interesting to study different subjects than only one subject all the time.

Some people might say it is hard for students who have a lot of work already but I think it is still good for them because learning is always good no matter what.

In conclusion I agree that universities should require outside subjects because learning more things is always beneficial for students in university.

Why this scores a 3: A position is stated, but the reasoning stays at the level of restated assertion ("learning is always good") rather than developed analysis, there are no specific examples anywhere in the essay, and the counterargument in paragraph 3 is raised and dismissed in a single clause without real engagement. The conclusion repeats the introduction almost verbatim. This reflects limited, underdeveloped analysis. এই উত্তর ৩ স্কোর পায় কারণ যুক্তি অস্পষ্ট, উদাহরণ নেই এবং উপসংহার ভূমিকার পুনরাবৃত্তি মাত্র।