GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

Business & Management
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The Analytical Writing Assessment will have topics on which the candidate should compose a passage, or a passage may be provided on which the candidate has to answer the associated questions. Based on the passage, the candidate should formulate his/her answers. The syllabus for this segment is diverse and varied as the subject of the section could be any topic from any field. The principle thought is to zero in on the construction of the response and not the contentions raised in the topic. Keep in mind, that it is not a test of one’s opinion but writing ability. Generally, taking an unbiased stand is the best option in the passage writing.

Argumentative essay
In this segment, you need to dissect the thinking and then present your case. Keep in mind, you will be judged on the basis of logical reasoning used while making the arguments and the assumptions made before presenting the arguments. The better the reasoning for an argument the higher will be the score. In this portion use of correct syntax and a well established flow in arguments will help candidates score higher.

Issue essay
In this segment, you need to compose an article on the issue given to you. The candidate needs to offer a viewpoint in around 600 words. The opinion presented can either support the given statements or the candidate can formulate and present his own opinion. Care must be taken to present the opinion in well a well-structured flow that shows clarity of thought.

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MORE ON ANALYTICAL WRITING ASSESSMENT SECTION
The Analytical Writing Assessment, sometimes known as the “essay” component, aids business schools in evaluating their writing abilities. It is graded independently, and your AWA score is not factored into your 200–800 point total. A human grader and a machine grading system assess your essays, and the two scores are averaged to give you a final mark. If the ratings are considerably different, your essay is read and scored by another human. The number of minutes of this section is 30 mins, and the score ranges between 0-6.
You’ll be given a brief argument to write about, comparable to a paragraph you’d see in a Critical Reasoning question on the Verbal portion. Instead of presenting your own point of view on the issue, you’ll be entrusted with criticizing the author’s thesis and assessing the author’s evidence and logic.
Essay graders consider if you can clearly identify and evaluate aspects of the argument, develop and structure your views intelligently and logically, and connect your arguments with clear transitions when assessing this area.