The GRE® "two views" Issue prompts, and how to answer them

What a two-views prompt looks like

Most GRE® Issue prompts give you one statement to evaluate. A two-views prompt gives you two. It usually opens with some people believe one thing, and others believe another.

The task instruction is fixed. You are asked to discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position, explain your reasoning, and, in developing and supporting your position, address both of the views presented.

ETS lists this as one of six instruction types used with Issue topics, alongside agree-or-disagree with a statement, a recommendation, a claim, a claim and its reason, and a policy. In the Issue topic pool ETS currently publishes, 21 of the 159 topics use the two-views instruction, so it is a real possibility on test day.

What the instruction actually demands

The phrase more closely aligns is your permission to be nuanced. You do not have to accept one view completely and reject the other. You do have to say which one is closer to your own position, and why.

The phrase address both of the views is a requirement, not a suggestion. An essay that argues brilliantly for view A and never engages view B has not done the task. ETS's scoring guide repeatedly ties scores to addressing the specific task directions, so skipping half of them costs you.

ETS also warns that some topics appear in several versions with different instructions. Read the instruction line on test day even if the statements look familiar.

Pick a side, but give the other side a fair hearing on the page.

Common traps

The first trap is the split decision. Writing that both views have merit and stopping there does not say which view is closer to yours. Middle positions are fine, but name which way you lean.

The second trap is the straw man. If you describe the other view in a weak form, a rater can see you have not really addressed it. Give its best reason, then respond.

The third trap is treating the two views as unrelated. They usually disagree about one underlying question, such as who bears a cost or what a practice is for. Name that question and your essay becomes an analysis rather than two summaries.

A planning template for 30 minutes

Minutes 1 to 5, plan. Write one line naming the underlying question the views disagree about. Write your answer: which view is closer, and one condition that would change your mind. List one strong reason and example for your view and the best reason for the other view.

Introduction: state the disagreement in your own words and your position, including the condition. Two or three sentences is enough.

Body 1 and 2: develop your view with reasons and specific examples, explaining why each example supports the reason.

Body 3: present the other view at its strongest, then explain what it gets right and why it does not overturn your position, or how it limits it.

Conclusion: restate your qualified position in a fresh sentence. Save your last few minutes to reread for sentences a reader could misunderstand.

Four practice prompts (Hopper Labs originals)

The prompts below were written by Hopper Labs for practice, in the style of the two-views instruction. They are not ETS prompts and are not from the ETS topic pool. Use each with the standard instruction: discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position, explain your reasoning, and address both views.

Practice prompt 1. Some people believe that cities should give priority to public transit over private cars when deciding how to use street space. Others believe that street space should serve whatever form of travel most residents actually choose.

Practice prompt 2. Some people believe that a scientist's first duty is to share findings as quickly as possible. Others believe that a scientist's first duty is to be certain before sharing anything at all.

Practice prompt 3. Some people believe that employers should judge job applicants mainly on demonstrated skills rather than on degrees. Others believe that degrees remain the fairest signal of what an applicant can do.

Practice prompt 4. Some people believe that communities preserve their character best by protecting older buildings. Others believe that a community's character lives in its people, and that buildings should give way when needs change.

How to use these prompts

Write each one timed, in 30 minutes, with spell check off. Then check two things before anything else: did you clearly say which view is closer to yours, and did the other view get at least one full paragraph in its strongest form?

You can write these prompts in Hopper Labs Essay Practice and get a practice grade and rubric report across response to the prompt, reasoning, evidence, organization and clarity. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser, so your essay stays on your device. The practice grade comes from an on-device model and is not an official or predicted GRE score. Try it in Essay Practice.

GRE® is a registered trademark of ETS. This article and Hopper Labs Essay Practice are not endorsed or approved by ETS.