In this video, you will come across an effective structure for forming an Argument on the AWA Section. This is an important video from the viewpoint of attempting the AWA Section on GMAT.
An Effective Structure for AWA Argument on GMAT
An Effective Structure for AWA Arguments on the GMAT
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT consists of two essays. In the first, the student must analyze an argument and, in the second, the student must analyze an issue. Many GMAT-aspirants do not pay too much attention to the AWA section, believing it to be of minimal importance, compared to the quant and verbal sections. However, performing well in the AWA is no less vital to securing a good GMAT score. In this short article, we will cover an effective structure that you can use for your AWA argument.
The Structure
Your first paragraph must clearly suggest what the paragraph's conclusion is and that it is not convincing. This is very important, as it more or less forms the core of your argument. The next 4-6 paragraphs should clearly point out a flaw in the reasoning, with each paragraph focusing on a single flaw. Each paragraph must clearly explain why you do not find the argument convincing.
In the second to last paragraph, mention everything that you think could have been done to make the paragraph more convincing. Doing so will give the essay a more mature air, making it seem more like a dialogue than a monologue. The final paragraph should reiterate that the paragraph is not convincing in its given state.
Sample Template
The following is a template that you can use on the GMAT, for your AWA questions. We have made it quite complex so that it cannot simply be copied by all students.
The aforementioned argument, in asserting that____ appears, at first glance, to be fairly convincing. However, upon further examination of the argument and its underlying structure, a number of flaws become evident. Among the most pivotal shortcomings of the argument are its inability to address, or even acknowledge, its assumptions and lack of information to substantiate its claims.
Para 2: First of all,... (flaw)
Para 3: Secondly,... (flaw)
Para 4: Further,... (flaw)
Para 5: Moreover, ...(flaw)
Para 6: What all could have been done to make the argument convincing.
The argument, in its current stare, contains a considerable number of defects, the most blatant of which have been discussed above. Had the argument managed to address the aforementioned concerns, both its persuasive ability and its apparent legitimacy would have been greatly reinforced, perhaps to such an extent that it would have been difficult to refute. However, as it stands, one must conclude that that the argument is simply a hasty generalization, filled with overreaching assumptions and deficiencies in the information.
Now that you have read the template, please understand what it is doing. In the first paragraph, it is clearly suggesting that the paragraph is not convincing. Thereafter, in the next four to five paragraphs, it is pointing out one flaw each, per paragraph. Then there is one paragraph about what all could have been done to make the argument more convincing. Finally, in the concluding paragraph, it is re-stating that the paragraph is not convincing.
This article has deliberately been kept brief; for a more elaborate explanation, please refer to Experts' Global's Stage One videos.
