2.3 Issue Essay: Timing, Planning & Drafting Process

2.3 Issue Essay: Timing, Planning & Drafting Process

Quick Answer: In the 30-minute Issue task, spend roughly 5 minutes planning, 22 minutes drafting, and 3 minutes proofreading. A two-minute scratch outline beats a 30-minute free-write every time — and because the ETS word processor has no spellchecker, the proofread matters.

The 30-Minute Budget

The single biggest tactical mistake on the Issue essay is starting to type immediately. Test takers who type from sentence one almost always run out of time, write a wandering body, and never reach a conclusion. Use a time budget that protects planning and proofreading:

If you fall behind, protect the proofread. Dropping a body paragraph costs you a point, but dropping the proofread can cost you a half-point when mechanical errors pile up into the 'frequent errors' band of the rubric.

The Planning Step

On the scratch paper provided at the test center, build a four-line outline before you write a single sentence of prose:

• Thesis: agree, because R1 and R2
• R1: ________ ex: ________
• R2: ________ ex: ________
• Concession: objection = ________ reply = ________

This outline takes 3-5 minutes and prevents the two most common structural failures: forgetting your thesis by paragraph two, and writing two body paragraphs that say the same thing. If you cannot fill in the blank for an example, switch your reason — do not commit to a reason you cannot illustrate.

Decode the Instruction

Every Issue prompt ends with a specific instruction. The verb in that instruction changes the task. Common verbs include:

• 'Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree' — take a position on a claim.
• 'Consider ways in which the claim might or might not hold' — test the claim's scope.
• 'Address the most compelling reasons that could be used to challenge your position' — build a concession into the plan.
• 'Describe circumstances in which the statement would be more or less beneficial' — discuss scope via cases.

Re-read the instruction after you finish your outline. If your outline does not actually answer the instruction, rewrite the outline — it is cheaper than rewriting the essay.

Drafting in Order

Draft in the order the reader will read:

1. Introduction with thesis
2. Body 1
3. Body 2
4. Concession
5. Conclusion

Do not write the introduction last because you 'want to set it up properly.' A missing introduction is the single most damaging thing that can happen to your essay in the last 90 seconds, and it happens to test takers who save the intro for the end.

The First 60 Seconds of the Draft

The first sentence of your introduction should restate the issue in your own words. The second should signal your position. The third should be your thesis. Example:

'The prompt asks whether universities should require every student to take at least one creative-arts course. I agree, with one qualification: the requirement should apply only to introductory courses that do not assume prior preparation. Two reasons support this position: arts exposure builds creative problem-solving, and the requirement pushes back against over-specialization.'

That is roughly 60 words in three sentences. It is also a complete roadmap. The grader knows your thesis, your reasons, and the structure of the essay before reading any body paragraph.

Pacing Traps

Three pacing traps account for most unfinished essays:

• The perfect first sentence — Spending 4 minutes polishing the opening. The opening matters less than the body. Write a competent opening and move on.
• The runaway example — Telling the full story of a single example in 200 words. Examples should be 50-80 words. If you cannot tell the example in 80 words, cut the detail that does not serve the thesis.
• The missing concession — Running out of time before the concession paragraph. If you feel time pressure, write a one-sentence concession inside your conclusion rather than skipping it entirely.

The Three-Minute Proofread

Because the ETS word processor has no spellchecker and no grammar checker, the proofread is the only chance to catch mechanical errors. Read your essay top-to-bottom, looking specifically for:

• Subject-verb agreement (the most common error under time pressure)
• Dropped words — small words like 'a,' 'the,' 'is' disappear when you type fast
• Verb tense consistency
• Sentence fragments and run-ons

A 3-minute proofread will not transform a 3.0 essay into a 5.0, but it reliably lifts a 3.5 to a 4.0 by clearing the mechanical errors that drag scores into the 'frequent errors' band of the rubric.

What to Do When You Have 5 Minutes Left

If you have 5 minutes left and no conclusion, do not try to write the perfect ending. Write a 3-sentence conclusion: restate the thesis in different words, summarize the two reasons, and extend one small step. Three sentences in 3 minutes beats a half-finished sentence when time runs out.

If you have 5 minutes left and a complete essay, spend all 5 minutes proofreading. Most 4.0 and 4.5 essays live or die on mechanical errors that a careful read would catch.

Scratch Paper Discipline

The test center provides scratch paper. Use it for:

• The four-line outline
• A list of candidate examples if your first choices do not come to mind
• A 'parking lot' for ideas that occur to you mid-draft — write them down so you do not lose the thread

Do not use scratch paper to draft the essay in longhand. There is not enough time to write the essay twice, and the typing transfer step eats the proofreading window you need at the end.