This is an example of how to practice writing a GRE Essay -- Use Specific Examples when you attack and mention particular parts

This is the first student to send in an outline for an essay topic.   WELL DONE.

Notice how the student addressed a good attack ....



TOPIC 1

Essay Topic Outline #1

A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.

Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.

Requiring a nation to implement a standardized, homogeneous curriculum would be disadvantageous to the students, damaging to educators and educational institutions, and would create a plethora of political problems in every facet of the creation process. A national curriculum would overlook the wide array of communities and regions each school serves, as well as the great disparity between every students’ individual needs, goals, and intellectual abilities. Teachers would no longer need to be creative or customize coursework in the classroom, and the need for nontraditional institutions, such as charter schools, private schools, and religious schools would be eliminated if a standardized curriculum was implemented. In addition, there would be much controversy and governmental strife over the contents of a national curriculum, leaving room for it to become a politicized agenda pushed by whichever political party was currently in power. Although I do believe some minimum standards should be set for a nation’s pre-college curriculum, creating a uniform educational agenda would not be effective or beneficial.   

HERE ARE MY COMMENTS
 in the curriculum essay, you might want to include some positive points (to acknowledge the good intentions of the idea) before you rip out its throat.  You did such a good job attacking the national curriculum....   could you give at least one positive point about a national curriculum?

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Here is a second essay.


TOPIC 2

Essay Topic Outline #2

Laws should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.

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

The statement “laws should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places” is a naïve, erroneous suggestion that severely ignores the reality of the legal process. Although laws are meticulously crafted and constructed with the purpose of leaving no ambiguity in the language, there is an immense amount of flexibility in every aspect of how the law is applied. From law enforcement deciding to file charges, to state attorneys deciding to prosecute, and finally with judges determining a sentence, there is already ample amount of flexibility in the legal system to account for the circumstances, times, and places of a situation. This flexibility can be beneficial, but it can also lead to discrimination, bias, and unfair application of the law. Providing ambiguity in legal statutes would increase the potential for laws to be applied inequitably.

  HERE ARE MY COMMENTS

I particularly like how you took the second topic and introduced the concept of AMBIGUITY.  the word "flexible " sounds so positive ... but you looked at the dark side of being too flexible.  

That is an example of how to answer this type of question

if you had these topics, what would be the next step to building the essay?

what would you include?

steve

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The student took the feedback, and look at the FABULOUS essay that she produced.  I have HIGHLIGHTED in RED the points where she made some Positive points, and in BLUE where she gave GOOD DETAILS.

Essay Topic Outline #1

A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.

Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.

NOTE IN PURPLE:  The central point of the attack

Requiring a nation to implement a standardized, homogeneous curriculum would be disadvantageous to the students, damaging to educators and educational institutions, and would create a plethora of political problems in every facet of the creation process. A national curriculum would overlook the wide array of communities and regions each school serves, as well as the great disparity between every students’ individual needs, goals, and intellectual abilities. Teachers would no longer need to be creative or customize coursework in the classroom, and the need for nontraditional institutions, such as charter schools, private schools, and religious schools would be eliminated if a standardized curriculum was implemented. In addition, there would be much controversy and governmental strife over the contents of a national curriculum, leaving room for it to become a politicized agenda pushed by whichever political party was currently in power. Despite the problems a national curriculum would create, it is necessary that minimum standards be set in order to ensure the pre-college curriculum properly prepares our students for the post-secondary school world. Therefore, instituting a basic level of curriculum standards would be valuable, but creating a uniform educational agenda would not be effective or beneficial.

The most detrimental aspect of a standardized national curriculum is how it fails to acknowledge the myriad, distinct needs of every student and every school. A students’ curriculum should be customized to consider their individual needs, goals, and intellectual capabilities. If implemented, students would only learn what the curriculum dictates, not what best suits their abilities and their pace. A national curriculum also does not account for the vast regional and cultural differences that influence how a school serves its community. For instance, in some communities, schools utilize technical programs and career classes as a means to prepare students for the workforce and to encourage potential drop-outs. In other communities, AP classes and IB programs are highly sought after to prepare students for post-secondary education. A national curriculum would overlook the unique needs of each student, school, and community.

A standardized curriculum would adversely affect our teachers, nontraditional school, and specialized programs. Teachers’ ability to construct creative, customized coursework that best suits their students would be almost entirely eradicated. This concept also applies to nontraditional schools, which were created to provide a unique educational experience, distinct from the typical curriculum; if implemented, these institutions would be obsolete. The loss of creative freedom from our educators and institutions is another adverse effect of a national curriculum.

The final negative consequence of instituting a national curriculum is the political problems it would create. In the United States, every major education policy has been hotly debated and faced countless criticisms; this is evident in the “Common Core” initiative, standardized testing, and the “Blue Ribbon” program. State governments also tend to influence their own educational agendas, which is illustrated by the wide disparities in each states’ sex-ed programs and evolution curriculums. With the current partisan political culture of United States, it is clear that creating, approving, and implementing a national education curriculum would be very problematic.

THE ORANGE HIGHLIGHT shows that she gave the reader a signal word to show that there are several points

 Instituting a uniform curriculum may not be the most effective policy, but this proposal exposes the need for a minimum level of national education standards. It is deplorable how inequitable our education system is, and we need to implement a policy that standardizes the education quality and content. It is unacceptable that some students leave the education system without knowing how to read or passing basic arithmetic classes. This proposal correctly identifies the problem at hand; that the government desperately needs to set fundamental standards. However, we need to leave room for creativity and individuality for our students, teachers, and schools. Although we cannot guarantee every student will receive the same quality of education, we should be able to ensure that each student will leave the school system equipped with the basic knowledge and skills needed to survive in the work force or in university. Unfortunately, it is difficult to conceptualize a solution to our education issue that is not just as problematic. In conclusion, implementing a national curriculum would not be a beneficial or effective policy, but it does acknowledge a fundamental flaw in the education system.  

NOTE:  I like the signal word "In conclusion."