The Writing Assessment
measures your ability to
The assessment
consists of two analytical writing tasks: a 45-minute "Present Your Perspective
on an Issue" task and a 30-minute "Analyze an Argument" task. The "Issue" task
states an
opinion on an issue of general interest and asks test takers to address the issue from any
perspective(s) they wish, as long as they provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and
support their views. The "Argument" task presents a different challenge: it requires test
takers to
critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it. Test takers are asked to
consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than to agree or disagree with the position
it presents. The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers to construct their
own arguments by making claims and providing evidence supporting their positions on the
issue, whereas the other requires them to critique someone else's argument by assessing its
claims and evaluating the evidence it provides.
How
the Essays are Graded
Your essays are
graded by a college professor who likely works in an English department. This
evaluator will assign your essay a grade from 0 to 6. A computer program will then assign a
grade as well. If there is a difference of more than one point between the two grades, then a
second human reader will grade your essay and your score will be the average of the two
humans' scores. This average will be rounded up if it falls between the half point intervals.
The following 4
qualities are examined by the graders under a holistic view of your essays:
-
Critique of the
argument or analysis of the issue
- Ideas developed in a rational, persuasive
manner with relevant examples
- Organization
- Grammar and syntax
Due to the economics
of this test, the graders are not given much time to spend on each essay.
It is estimated that they spend an average of 2 minutes per essay. As you will see below, this
impacts the strategies that you can employ on the AWA.
The
Overall Importance of the Writing Assessment
Quite simply, the
AWA is not given the same importance by the admissions committees as the
verbal and quantitative scores. This written assessment is simply another way, in addition to the
admissions essays and interview, for the business school to assess your communication skills.
As a result, we recommend that you spend more time preparing for the verbal and quantitative
sections of the GMAT.
Managing
Your Time
You will have 30
minutes for each section. Before you begin writing we suggest that you spend
3 to 5 minutes preparing a rough outline on your scrap paper of how you intend to attack your
essay. Consider this your "brainstorming" time and just throw as many ideas down on the paper
as you can. At the end of this 3 to 5 minutes, look at what you have written. Scratch out
anything you now know you do not want to include. Number the remaining thoughts in terms of
their importance to your issue or argument. Congratulations, you now have a logical outline
around which to structure your essays!
You should spend
only the next 20 to 22 minutes actually writing the essay.
We suggest you
try to finish writing the essay with 5 minutes remaining on the GMAT CAT's
clock. At this point, close your eyes, stretch, and try to re-read your essays with fresh eyes.
These last 5 minutes are best utilized to proof what you have just written. Here's what you
should be looking for:
Giving
Your Essays the Proper Structure
You will only be
using approximately 20 of the allotted 30 minutes towards actually writing
your essays. As a result, you will probably only be able to write about 350 words which
translates into 5 or 6 paragraphs. Since this must include an introduction and conclusion, you
will have 3 or 4 paragraphs in which to express 3 or 4 ideas.
This is the winning
formula. Express a few ideas (take the top ones developed during your initial
brainstorming session) in a few interesting sentences. Keep the essay structure simple.
Remember, you only have a short amount of time to write the essay and the graders have an
even shorter amount of time to evaluate them. You certainly don't want to confuse the graders.
As a result, you
will be best served by using an introductory paragraph that explains what you
are going to say in the essay. You then want to develop your 3 or 4 ideas in their own separate
paragraphs. Make sure your opinions are clearly stated. This is probably the most common
mistake made on the writing portion of the GMAT exam. Because the AWA topics are not
extremely controversial, you should not worry about offending the grader with your opinions
and analysis. Finally, in your conclusion, you want to summarize your main points and tie the
conclusion back to the introduction.
This is not always
a good structure to follow in writing -- and particularly your admissions
essays -- but it works extremely well for the AWA.
Other General Tips for the GMAT's AWA
Your grader will
spend an average of 2 minutes reading and grading your essay. As a result,
clever metaphors and the like will not be noticed or appreciated. You need to seem smart to
make the critical first impression to achieve a high score on this writing assessment. The
following tips were conceived with just this objective given the inherent structure of the grading
process:
Use transitions
generously. Phrases like "for example", "consequently", or "first, second,
...
lastly" will help the reader follow your essay's structure more easily. Words such as "because",
"consequently", and "however" can also be used to demonstrate your analytical abilities.
You
should favor the use of these words because they are very succinct and very difficult for your
time-pressed grader to miss.
Be specific.
One of the key criteria the graders consider is your ability to present clear and
persuasive arguments and ideas. Many times, writers tend to be vague when pressed for time.
Do not let this happen to you. Please note, however, that it is OK to acknowledge the
limitations of your arguments and concede the validity of the opposing point of view. This
should be done once or twice in the body only of the essay. Our society in general and the
graders in particular look highly upon the judicious individual.
Do not use big
words just for the sake of using them. Despite the popular myths to the
contrary, this is really not a test section designed to judge your vocabulary. Your grader will
form the first impression -- which is the only impression he or she will be able to form in 2
minutes -- that you simply used the big words to mask the weaknesses in your analysis.
Grammar is important.
Once again, there is a natural bias towards grammar. If an essay is
grammatically incorrect, most people -- graders included -- will conclude that the essay's logic,
structure, etc are also incorrect. Do not allow this natural bias to hamper your essay grade.
Vary the length
of your sentences. This will make your essay easier for the grader to read.
It also signals that you are a smart and effective writer as well.
The Analysis of an Argument Essay
You will be given
a one-paragraph argument to critique. You are not supposed to give your
own opinion on the subject. Instead you are supposed to find fault with the argument's
reasoning.
Think of some thoughtful
and perceptive analyses to include during your brainstorming session.
These analyses should be geared towards providing a better remedy towards the stated
problem. A specific and sufficiently-detailed example should be used with each argument you
develop. As stated above, you should have 3 to 4 paragraphs in the body of the essay. Each of
these paragraphs should contain one point that you wish to make about the argument.
The graders like
to seek specifics used in your essay. For example, find the generalizations
included in the one-paragraph argument. (We guarantee this will not be difficult to do.)
The Analysis of an Issues Essay
You will be given
a one-paragraph reading that will contain some pros and cons on an issue.
You will be asked to select the position with which you agree. The graders will have no
preference towards which position you ultimately decide to support.
During your initial
5 minutes of brainstorming and outlining, try to come up with points for each
side of the argument. If you do this, you will be certain that you do select the position you can
best support. As above with the arguments essay, be sure to include a specific example for
each point you wish to make in the body of this essay.
We encourage you
to acknowledge the issue's complexity of the issue in your introduction. It is
a good practice to concede 1 or 2 points to the other position in the body of the essay. (This
will not make you appear indecisive to the graders. Recall what we stated about the judicious
test taker above.)
Be careful with
your language on this essay. Many test takers make the mistake of adopting
language about which position "you" or the test grader should adopt. The test grader will
react
far more favorably to a persuasive argument that does not require him or her to take any
immediate action.
1. readin'
