Currently made up of two sections, the Analytical Writing Assessment, or AWA for short is the essay writing section of the GMAT.
The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) has announced plans to halve the AWA section of the GMAT, removing one of the two essays that currently make up the section in favor of adding a new section titled Integrated Reasoning. However, until June 2012 the GMAT AWA section will remain an hour long and made up of two essay types; analysis of an issue, and analysis of an argument.
In the analysis of an issue section, GMAT test-takers will be required to assess an issue presented in a short piece of text and explain a point of view on the subject. While there is no correct point of view to take, participants with high GMAT AWA scores evaluate differing views, before selecting one that they are effectively able to argue in favor of, if appropriate.
In this question type, test-takers are measured on their ability to explore the complexities of an issue or opinion, and if appropriate, take a position that is informed by their understanding and reasoning of the argument presented.
Planning your argument
Here, test-takers should remember that they are not judged on the point of view that they argue in favor of, rather the effectiveness of their argument. As a result, it can often be beneficial to plan your argument, listing the main pros and cons for each point of view, and select the one that you can most effectively argue, not necessarily the one that you agree with.
Throughout the analysis of an issue essay question, GMAT test-takers should always remember to focus upon analyzing the issue put forward in the sample text. A short essay, containing around four paragraphs that answer the question effectively and concisely will always score more highly than a longer answer, covering the same points, but which is also padded out with irrelevant information. Of course, keeping to the point in your essay will also help save valuable time, allowing you to focus on other areas in your essay.
Finally, GMAT participants on the analysis of an issue AWA question should also leave enough time to proof, and correct their essays. While the occasional grammatical error can be put down to the stress of the exam, repeated errors, or an essay that is confused and difficult to understand will seriously hamper efforts to achieve a high score in the AWA. Always be sure to make the view you are arguing in favor of clear to the reader.
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