17/09/2008 | MBA Admissions Advice, MBA Applications
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GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

By: Kaplan

The first section you will see on the GMAT is the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), or essay section. You have one hour in which to write two essays, both of which are in response to a prompt. One essay type is called Analysis of an Issue, where you are asked to present your perspective on an issue; and the other type is called Analysis of an Argument, where you are asked to critique an argument.

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The AWA does not test you on specific subject knowledge, but rather on your ability to communicate your thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely, and express yourself in an effective manner.

Analysis of an Issue Essay
The Analysis of an Issue task presents a broad general issue with several facets—sometimes two points of view are given and other times you will see only one explicitly stated. Your task is to explore the complexities of the issue, form an opinion, and then express your views on the issue clearly and convincingly.

There is no "correct" answer, and therefore it doesn't matter which side of the argument you advocate as you will not be graded on the position you take.  What matters is that you develop an opinion, provide some concrete examples to support your ideas and make them clear to the reader, all the while expressing yourself in grammatically correct English.  You may draw your reasons and your examples from your own personal experience, but be sure to avoid conjecture.

Analysis of an Argument Essay

The Analysis of an Argument task presents a short passage of text which makes an assertion or states a point of view and then tries to support it.  The argument may be a proposal to improve the performance of a commercial enterprise, for example, or may relate to an educational policy.  You are not expected to have expertise in the area in question.  Your task is to critique the structure of the argument and explain how persuasive or unpersuasive you find it. You are not supposed to give your opinion and argue it in this essay, and doing so will cost you points.

When you see the argument, you should ask the following:

1. What's the conclusion? 
2. What evidence is used to support the conclusion? 
3. What assumptions does the writer make in moving from evidence to conclusion? 
4. Is the argument persuasive? 
5. What would make the argument stronger or weaker?

Scoring

The essays in the AWA are scored holistically, taking into account elements such as content, organization of ideas, and use of language.  A high-scoring essay is strong in the following ways:

1. The essay has followed the instructions in the question.  This sounds really obvious but you must be sure to meet the requirements of the task in hand clearly and concisely.
2. The essay draws a clear conclusion and uses persuasive evidence and sound reason to support its major points.
3. The essay is well organized.  You should state your position and then maintain it – clearly!  Be sure to keep your points cohesive and thoughtfully ordered.
4. The essay uses language well.  Be sure to use appropriate vocabulary, avoiding slang, jargon and repetition.  Although you will not be heavily penalised for a small number of spelling or grammar mistakes, be sure to read your work thoroughly to avoid excessive errors and to ensure it flows well.

What is the “E-rater”?
 

GMAT essays are graded twice – once by a human grader, and once by an automatic grader called the “E-rater”.  The E-rate is a computerized system designed to calculate an essay’s score based on over fifty quantifiable characteristics.  

In the majority of cases, the human grader and the E-rater will give an essay identical or adjacent grades.  In any case where they differ by two or more points, a second human grader is called in to make the final decision.

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