GRE argument essay: Honor code system

Roytor · June 5, 2014, 6:39am

Several years ago, Groveton College adopted an honor code, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton’s honor code replaced a system in which teachers closely monitored students. Under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without. Such evidence suggests that all colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton’s. This change is sure to result in a dramatic decline in cheating among college students.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

While it may seem logical at first glance that the honor code system implemented at Groveton College can help prevent the students from cheating, there are several questions need to be answered in the recommendation in order to prove for the validity.

First of all, the author stating after replacing the teacher monitored student system with the honor code system, the reported cases decreased every year and less than the number of cases that were reported during the teacher monitored student system. However, the author did not mention about how many of total student in each year. The number of students each year might be different. Therefore, it is impossible to effectively compare both systems with the number of cases reported. In the other hand, providing the cases reported in percentage can simply help the comparing possible.

Moreover, even the cases reported is decreased, it might not be the result of implementing the honor code system in place of the teacher monitored system. The students might reluctant to report the case of their friends or they might feel unsafe to report as it may cause conflicts between them. Hence, in such case, the decreasing in number of reported cases could not represent the actual cheating case in the college. 

Finally, according to the result survey, there was no sufficient statistical information given, to be specific, how many students joined the survey, how many of total student at the Groveton College and how the examples were selected to join the survey. Without these information provided, the survey result does not represent the fact whether the students would less likely to cheat with the honor code system implemented.

In conclusion, the recommendation stating that using the honor code system could help reduce the cheating case of the students would not be sure as there are several points to be clarified. The percentage of student cheating cases each year should be provided. How can the author confident that the students will report every case they found without reluctance. The statistical information should be given in order to advocate the survey result showing that the students tend not to cheat with the honor code system.

Luschen · June 6, 2014, 1:06pm

Hi, I thought your essay was pretty good. Your writing is generally clear, but you do have a lot of mistakes in usage and some missing words here and there. Try to use more transitions to make your writing flow better and sound less choppy.

Your arguments were valid I think. One additional argument you could make is that the survey question seemed flawed. Maybe students felt they could get away with cheating under the honor code system, so they lied in the survey to prevent the system from changing. These students would have a definite incentive to lie, which would invalidate the survey results. Also, maybe the rate of cheating was going down before the change was implemented and the trend simply continued, without the new policy really playing a role at all.

Roytor:

Several years ago, Groveton College adopted an honor code, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton’s honor code replaced a system in which teachers closely monitored students. Under that system, teachers reported an average of thirty cases of cheating per year. The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey, a majority of Groveton students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without. Such evidence suggests that all colleges and universities should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton’s. This change is sure to result in a dramatic decline in cheating among college students.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

While it may seem logical at first glance that the honor code system implemented at Groveton College can[has] help[ed] prevent the students from cheating, there are several questions [that] need to be answered in[about] the recommendation in order to prove [its] for the validity.
First of all, the author stat[es that] after replacing the teacher[-]monitored student system {this phrase is not very clear} with the honor code system, the reported cases decreased every year {it didn't say they decreased every year, just that the number 5 years later was lower} and less than the number of cases that were reported during the teacher[-]monitored [s]student[/s] system. However, the author did not mention [s]about[/s] how many [s]of[/s] total student[s there were] in each year. The number of students each year might be different. Therefore, it is impossible to effectively compare both systems with the number of cases reported. In the other hand, providing the cases reported in percentage can simply help [make] the compari[son] possible.

Moreover, even [though] the cases reported[s] is[/s] decreased, it might not be the result of implementing the honor code system in place of the teacher monitored system. The students might [have been] reluctant to report the case[s ] of their friends or they might feel unsafe to report [at all] as it may cause conflicts between them. Hence, in such case[s ], the decreasing [s]in[/s] number of reported cases could not represent the actual cheating case[s ] in the college. 

Finally, according to the [s]result [/s]survey['s results], there was no[t ] sufficient statistical information given[:] to be specific, how many students joined the survey, how many [s]of[/s] total student[s were] at the Groveton College and how the [s]examples[/s][sample students] were selected to join the survey. Without th[is]information provided, the survey result does not represent the fact [of] whether the students would [be] less likely to cheat with the honor code system implemented.

In conclusion, the recommendation stating that using the honor code system could help reduce the cheating case[s ] of the students would not be sure as there are several points to be clarified. The percentage of student cheating cases each year should be provided. [In addition, ]How can the author [be] confident that the students will report every case they found without reluctance[?] [Finally] The statistical information should be given in order to advocate the survey result showing that the students tend not to cheat with the honor code system.