GRE Sample Essay 9

The analytical writing section is an important part of the GRE Exam pattern. During the 30-minute test, you will get a prompt or topic to write on. To perform well in this exam, you need to do writing practice regularly. Recently, ETS removed a section in the Analytical writing section. Now, students will face "Analyze an Issue" task only.

Claim: Major policy decisions should always be left to politicians and other government experts.

Reason: Politicians and other government experts are more informed and thus have better judgment and perspective than do members of the general public.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

Response for GRE Sample Essay 9

The aforesaid claim is quite debatable. Although it is true that politicians and governmental experts are aware of the know-how of making a policy process and constitutional procedures. The policy is implemented on the general public, so they must be made a part of the decision making process. If the general public is in collaboration with the government in policy formation, this will make the system more transparent and efficient. 

We all live in a democratic system. A democratic system is for the people, by the people & of the people. Thus public’s say in policies which affect the masses is necessary. It is not always true that politicians are aware of the local issues that people are facing. Only the wearer knows where the shoe hurts. The government might implement a policy which is impractical at the ground level. 

For example, a politician decides online registration of documents in a place with no internet access. The decision is made to reduce hassles of the people. But when implemented, it results in people going to far off places to get their documents registered. The locals of that place have to face such avoidable hassles due to the ignorance of the politician. If local public's opinion were taken into account, then such inconvenience could have been avoided. 

Further, politicians don't always work in the best interests of people. It is seen in many developed country that politicians’ decisions are impacted by industrialists for their own benefits. Such decisions impact the livelihood of hundreds of people in a very dreadful way. If public views are incorporated then such decisions can be avoided thus resulting in a transparent and efficient governance.

If policies are decided mostly by the government without considering public opinion, people tend to lose confidence in the government. For example, there were some decisions like building a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport which led to millions of pounds spent on that project. That runway lay unused causing a huge waste of funds. This amount could have been used for other purpose. If public opinion was taken into account such ineffective policymaking could have been easily avoided. 

Riots can be avoided in certain cases if public opinion is considered prior to implementation of certain policies. In a case, it was seen that setting up of industries in rural areas resulted in the loss of agricultural land leading to unemployment. Since the masses were unhappy it led to riots resulting in loss of public property. In such cases, public opinion becomes necessary. 

Public views also help in improvement in areas which were not brought into government attention previously. Public opinion could also help set a particular pace for reform. Some governments like the Australian & British governments have set a timetable which decides the pace of policy according to public opinion. 

Thus adding informed citizen's views leads to more effective and legitimate policymaking. Legitimacy depends on a strong link between public opinion, policies, and public office holders a.k.a. politicians. The strong link helps more people put their faith in the government system. If governments collaborate with the citizens, policies implemented will help in the growth of the country exponentially. Hence bilateral decision making is more beneficial for society than unilateral decisions by the government.

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GRE Essay Score

This article scores a 5 because:

The analysis is well-structured and shows a cogent flow of points to be analyzed. The lack of information about a patient’s medical history is an important observation that shows good analytical competence. The main idea of the analysis is well-articulated and is put forth coherently. 

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