GED Essay Writing Guide

What is the GED RLA “Extended Response”

Question?
The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) section of the GED includes an
Extended Response essay question. You will only have 45 minutes to complete
this essay, so it is important to familiarize yourself with the nature of the prompt.
Read through this guide to become more familiar with the prompt and how to
write the best response possible.

If you follow the strategies and the template provided in this guide, you will

be able to produce a high-scoring essay in the time allotted!

GED Essay Overview
Since the GED Exam is administered on a computer, you will type your essay
into a text box. You will first be presented with two Stimulus Passages and then
you will be given an essay prompt. The Stimulus Passages will each have 4–5
short paragraphs that introduce an issue and take a stance on that issue, with
one passage opposing the other. You will then be given the following prompt:

In your response, analyze both positions presented in the article to determine

which one is best supported. Use relevant and specific evidence from the article
to support your response. Type your response in the box below. You should
expect to spend up to 45 minutes in planning, drafting, and editing your
response.

Pro Tip: Remember that the 45 minutes includes the time you take to read the
Stimulus Passages. Read the passages thoroughly, but quickly, and make note
of any specific points that stand out to you so that you can easily reference them
as you formulate your argument.
GED Essay Strategy
In order to maximize your 45 minutes, it’s important to decide ahead of time how
much time you will spend on each step. We recommend following the guide
below, but you should write some practice responses with a timer nearby to get a
good understanding of how our guide can best serve you. Make sure you do not
hand-write your practice essays, as it is always best to recreate test conditions
as closely as possible when preparing.

Follow this strategy when writing your GED Essay:

Step 1 – Read and Analyze the Stimulus Passages (5 Minutes).
Start by reading both of the passages. Make sure you understand the issue and
the position that each passage is taking. Try to ignore your own personal feelings
on the topic as you read. Ultimately, your job is to explain why one of the sides
is better supported; it is fine to completely disagree with the side you defend, so
long as you adequately support your stance. You are not writing about who you
agree with, you are writing about who supports their argument best.
Step 2 – Select Your Position and Outline Your Ideas (5 Minutes).
Ask yourself: which side seems like it has more supporting details and/or
examples? Your task with this essay is similar to that of a teacher grading an
essay. It doesn’t matter if you agree with the position; it matters that the writer
supported their position well.

Remember, “better-supported” does not necessarily mean “right.” You are not
required to argue in favor of one of the positions; you only need to explain why
one position is better-supported than the other position.
Passage 1: argues that school lunches should be 100% vegetarian in order to
improve the health of students and to tackle the obesity epidemic in schools. This
passage provides:
 statistics showing that vegetables are good for children.
Passage 2: argues that animal protein is crucial for superior athletic
performance and sustained energy levels in children. This passage provides:
 quotes from a doctor who says that protein from meat keeps children alert
in classes after lunchtime.
 scientific research that supports this claim.
 statistics from counties that switched to vegetarian lunches which show
that test scores dropped after adopting vegetarian lunches.
Which side is “best supported?” Which side should you choose for your essay? If
you said, Passage 2, you are correct. Even if you are a vegetarian, you should
be able to see that there is more supporting evidence in the passages for the
“pro-meat” side. You will not receive a bad score if you choose to support the
side that has less evidence, but it makes your task harder.

You should spend approximately 5 minutes deciding your position and outlining
your essay. You can simply type your outline at the top of the text box (and
delete it after you finish your essay). We will discuss more specifics about how to
outline our essay in the “Template” below!

Step 3 – Write your Essay (30 Minutes).

At this point, approximately 10 minutes will have gone by. You have read the
passages and outlined your position. Now, simply start with paragraph 1, and
follow the outline you created. Remember to stop periodically and refer back to
your outline at the top. Most GED Extended Response essays are between 4–7
paragraphs and each paragraph is composed of 3–7 sentences. We suggest that
you aim for 6 paragraphs; doing so ensures that your argument is complete.

As you will see in the Template below, it’s okay if some paragraphs are shorter
than others! Don’t feel like you have to write sentences to fill up space; always
write with purpose. Once you’ve made your point in a given paragraph, add a
concluding sentence and move on. You should spend approximately 30 minutes
on your essay.

Step 4 – Read Everything Over At Least Once (5 Minutes).

Proofreading can make a good essay great, and a great essay stellar, so don’t
forget that you will need at least 5 minutes at the end to thoroughly read through
what you have written. Go back to the outline and review your notes. Does the
essay you wrote follow the outline? Is it well-organized? If you’re happy that you
didn’t stray from your plan, delete your outline notes. This is very important! If
you do not delete your notes, scorers will think it is part of your response and
take points off.

If you have extra time, look for spelling and grammar errors. Do your verb tenses
agree? Did you accidentally leave off the “s” on a plural noun? How are the
transitions between paragraphs? Does the essay “flow?” Remember, you can re-
type any sentences you dislike, and you can add additional sentences for clarity.
This is a timed response, so it does not have to be perfect, but if you have the
time to fix mistakes you’ll only be helping your chances.

GED Essay Template

In the four-part strategy above, you read about the importance of planning and
making an outline for the position you selected. Your outline should follow this
general format:

 Paragraph 1 — Introduction
 Paragraph 2 — Body Paragraph
 Paragraph 3 — Body Paragraph
 Paragraph 4 — Body Paragraph
 Paragraph 5 — Body Paragraph
 Paragraph 6 — Conclusion
Paragraph 1 — Introduction
The introduction and conclusion are short paragraphs that “bookend” your
essay. Your introduction should:
  introduce the topic from the passage,
 explain both sides (showing that you understood what you read),
 and make a claim that one side is better supported and thus, more
convincing (this should be the final sentence of the introduction).
Below is a possible template for the introductory paragraph. When you are
writing your essay, you can write a very similar introductory paragraph while
replacing the underlined portions to fit the prompt that you are answering:

Lately, the issue of school lunches has generated a lot of debate. Some people
arguefor vegetarian options, claiming that they are healthier. Others believe that
children need meat, arguing that protein is important. The two opposing
passages highlight the importance of this issue, however, the passage that
argues that children need meat is more credible, since it is much better-
supported with research, statistics, and facts.

Paragraphs 2–5 — Body Paragraphs

The real strength of your essay lies in your body paragraphs. Each body
paragraph must introduce and describe one reason why the position you chose is
better-supported. There will be 4 reasons in total (if you follow the 6-paragraph
format). Look for some of these common ready-made arguments when reviewing
the passages:

Authority figure — Does the passage quote a reputable figure with specialized
knowledge, such as a doctor, scientist, or other expert? Does the reference lend
credibility to the overall argument?
History — Does the passage explain a historical event or a precedent to back up
its claim?
Statistics — Does the passage provide any numbers or data? Does the data
help the author’s position?
Logical reasoning — Is there a strong element of logic or “common-sense” to
the argument, and is it presented in a clear, cohesive manner?
Ethics — Is a moral argument made? Does the author insist his or her position is
correct because it is the “morally right” thing to do?
Emotion — Does the author appeal to the reader’s feelings? Does the argument
evoke an emotional response?
Reasonable Assumptions — Does the author rely on assumptions to draw any
conclusions? Are the assumptions reasonable?
Forceful Vocabulary — Does the author’s word choice add weight and
importance to the argument?
Not all of these will be present in every passage, but you will only need 4, and it
is likely that at least 2–3 of these will be used in each argument. If the passage
you choose only has 2 or 3 of the above supports, consider writing more than
one paragraph about each, using different support. Let’s look at how we can
“plug” four of these examples into our thesis from above:

However, the passage that argues Position X is more credible, since it is much
better-supported with emotional appeal, historical precedent, the inclusion of an
expert’s opinion, and forceful vocabulary.

When you outline your GED Essay, pre-write your thesis and decide on which
four forms of support you will discuss to prove that your passage is better-
supported. This will help you organize of the rest of your essay. Now that we
have chosen our four examples, we can make a more specific outline:

 Paragraph 1 — Introduction (why Position X is better-supported)

 Paragraph 2 — Emotional Appeal
 Paragraph 3 — Historical Precedent
 Paragraph 4 — Authority Figure’s Opinion
 Paragraph 5 — Forceful Vocabulary
 Paragraph 6 — Conclusion (why Position Y is not well supported)
Let’s look at how we can “plug” some of these ready-made arguments into a
body paragraph:

The primary reason why the X position is better supported is because it

uses clear logical reasoning to present its argument in a cohesive, persuasive
manner. The position opens with a clear thesis, stating (insert a quote or a
paraphrased piece of evidence from the passage). The writer then logically
moves from broad to specific detail backing up the thesis. By summarizing her
argument at the end, she highlights her sound logic, and provides a clear, well-
organized, and logical structure to her argument.

Notice how this body paragraph introduces the example in the first sentence
(“logical reasoning”), and then cites 3 specific examples from the passage that
employ this logical reasoning. The final sentence reiterates and emphasizes the
overall idea of the paragraph. This paragraph is only 5 sentences (if you include
a quote), yet it does a great job (1) introducing the superiority of the argued
position, (2) giving examples from the passage to support a specific idea, and (3)
concluding the paragraph.

In each body paragraph, you must defend your assertion that ONE position is
better-supported with at least one specific reference showing this support. If you
choose, “authority figures” as an example, but there is only 1 authority figure
mentioned in the passage, it’s okay to spend the entire body paragraph
discussing that one figure. You do not need to make up anything that is not in the
passage—in fact, you shouldn’t!

Paragraph 6 — Conclusion
Finally, let’s look at how we can structure the conclusion:

In conclusion, due to its emotional appeals, historical precedents, inclusion of an

authority’s opinion, and forceful vocabulary, the X position is better-supported
and much more convincing than the Y position. Though there is some evidence
provided in Passage Y, it is weak and vague. For example, (insert 1 or 2
examples from Passage Y that are weak). As presented, the X position is much
stronger than its counterpart because it is much better-supported and
significantly more convincing.

GED Essay Scoring

Three separate scorers will grade your response based on each of the three
traits of your essay: (1) Analysis of Arguments and Use of Evidence, (2)
Development of Ideas and Structure, and (3) Clarity and Command of Standard
English. Notice that if you follow the strategy and template provided above, all of
these traits will be accounted for, and you won’t have to worry about them on

Test Day!