How do you use evidence from the passages in your GED essay?

Pick a few relevant, specific pieces of evidence from both passages, and use each one to back up your claim.^[1][2][3] Bring each piece in with a phrase that names its source, and give it as a short quote or in your own words.^[4][5] Then explain why it helps your point.^[6] Keep the quotes short and your explanation long: GED warns that if too much of your essay is copied from the passages, you may get a 0.^[6]

This post is about putting evidence into your essay. To decide which side the evidence supports better in the first place, see our post on which argument is better supported.

What GED asks for

GED's answer guidelines tell you to support your points with several pieces of evidence taken from the passages.^[1] For the top score on Trait 1, Creation of Arguments and Use of Evidence, an essay backs up its argument with relevant, specific evidence drawn from the texts.^[2]

• Relevant means the evidence connects to the point you are making.
• Specific means it gives exact details, such as a number or a clear example, instead of a general idea.

Use both passages. One common reason for low essay scores is writing about only one of the passages instead of both.^[3]

Evidence also needs a job to do. The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC) says a fact turns into evidence when it is tied to a larger claim or argument.^[7] So start from your thesis, the main claim of your essay. Our post on writing a GED thesis statement shows how to build one.

Quote it, or put it in your own words

You can bring evidence in two ways. You can quote the writer's exact words, or you can paraphrase, which means putting a passage into your own words.^[5]

Quoting

GED encourages you to cite specific evidence from the passages, in phrases and even whole sentences.^[6] How much should you quote? UNC answers: "As few words as possible."^[8]

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab adds that a quotation must match the original exactly, and that it uses only a narrow piece of the source.^[5] A quote is the right choice when the writer's exact words matter: their word choice, their tone, or the way they use one word.^[7]

Put quoted words in quotation marks, so your reader can tell the writer's words from yours. That is a general writing habit, not a GED rule.

Paraphrasing

We found no GED advice on paraphrasing, for or against, so the tip here comes from a university writing center, not from GED. UNC suggests paraphrasing for information that readers are unlikely to doubt.^[7] Either way, name the writer, so your reader knows where the point comes from.

Do not copy long stretches

GED warns about this. If too much of your essay is copied from the passages, you may get a 0.^[6] Copied text helps your score only if you fully explain how it shows a point.^[6]

We found no GED number for how many quotes or words you may use, and no line for how much is too much. So keep each quote to the few words you need, and let your own words do most of the work.

Introduce, cite, explain

The Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan teaches a three-step method called ICE: Introduce, Cite, Explain. Its first step is to introduce every quote with an introductory phrase.^[4] Here is how we suggest using the three steps on the GED essay:

1. Introduce. Lead in with a phrase that names the writer or the passage. GED's simple structure for the essay suggests phrases like "stated", "in the text" and "for example" to introduce each reference to the text.^[6]
2. Cite. Give the evidence itself, as a short quote in quotation marks or in your own words.
3. Explain. Say why the evidence you chose helps you make your point.^[6]

UNC compares your own words around a quote to bread that helps readers digest it.^[8] We call it a quote sandwich: your lead-in on top, the evidence in the middle, and your explanation underneath. Without the bread, a quote just sits there.

As a general rule, UNC says you should have at least as much analysis as evidence.^[7] Analysis here means your own explanation. So if you quote one sentence, write at least one sentence, and often two, about what it shows.

A weak and a stronger example

The example below is made up. Picture two letters on one question: should a city make its buses free to ride?

• The first writer, the city's transit planner, says yes. She writes: "During the one-year trial, the number of riders on our two free routes went up by 40 percent."
• The second writer, a local shop owner, says no. He predicts that free buses would be too crowded, but he gives no numbers.

Say your thesis is that the planner's side is better supported, because it rests on a real trial. Here are two ways to use her evidence:

• Weak: "During the one-year trial, the number of riders on our two free routes went up by 40 percent." Free buses are a good idea.
• Stronger: The transit planner backs her side with results, not guesses. She reports that when the city made two routes free for a year, the number of people riding them "went up by 40 percent." That number comes from a real test in the same city, so it shows what free buses actually did there. The shop owner only predicts crowding, and he offers no figures to support that worry. This difference is why the planner's case is better supported.

The weak version drops the quote in with no lead-in, so the reader has to guess who said it. Its only comment is an opinion on the issue, which does not explain the evidence at all.

The stronger version follows the three steps. It names the writer first. It quotes only the five words that matter. Then it explains, in more words than it quotes, why the number supports the thesis, and it points to the weak spot in the other letter too. You could also put her number in your own words: she reports a 40 percent rise in riders on the two free routes.

Practice it

On your next practice essay, check each body paragraph. Does every piece of evidence have a lead-in? Does your essay use evidence from both passages? Is there at least as much of your own explanation as quoted words?

On OpenEssayMe you can write practice essays and get feedback on each of the three traits, to improve your writing one essay at a time. For the whole test, see our GED RLA test guide.