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Written Communication eClass 1

Welcome to the first eClass of PassGAMSATs Written Communication Program.


I would like to thank you for joining us.
This is an exciting program that will cover many areas of GAMSAT
essay writing. Before we begin, make sure you have our free
eBook How To Pass The GAMSAT. There you will find powerful
information about the essay section which will ADD to the skills
you develop in this program. Go to www.passgamsat.com to
subscribe.

After completing our complete essay program you will know how to:

Boost Your Section 2 Score

Write The Kind Of Essays The Markers Like

Have Increased Confidence In Your Writing Ability

Have The Ability To Write Under Exam Conditions

Improve Your GAMSAT Essay Writing Skills

Learn To Write GAMSAT Style Essays

The Ability To Write In The Given Amount Of Time

Overcome Writers Block Under Pressure

Extra Motivation To Write And Practice Essays

Write Essays You Are Happy With

Learn To Organise Your Ideas

Be In The Top 10% Of Candidates Who Are Actually Preparing Properly For This
Section And See The Results.

And Much Much More

So lets get right into it and begin this program with the first module!
In short, writing is a way of thinking.
The quality of your writing depends on the quality of the thinking you do about your topic or
your assignment. Thus, as you prepare for the GAMSATs timed essay writing, it is critical to
understand the entirety of the writing process, as a few minutes spent charting your ideas,
planning your essays structure, and proofreading what you wrote will lead to a sharper,

more successful essay.


This could give you the extra markers make the difference between getting an university
this year or not.
Writing consists not only of the act of essay writing itself,
but also of:

The pre-writing (brainstorming and generation of


ideas)

Planning (outlining and creation of ones thesis, or


argument)

The writing

Proofreading

When writing two essays within 1 hour, time is of the essence, of course. Thus,
appreciating how to work efficiently through each step of the writing process will
lead to a clearer, more effective essay.
The writing process is often treated as a linear one that, if followed step-by-step,
will lead to a successfully written product. Although some writers may write this
way, most devise their own ways of generating ideas and writing, usually from
their own experiences of what works for them.
You plan the content and organisation of your paper or assignment during this
first phase. In the writing phase, you implement your plan, working out the details
and fine-tuning your thoughts. In proofreading, you review what you have written
and consider how and where your writing can be improved.
Sometimes, these phases are quite distinct and separate, but for most students,
they seldom have clear boundaries. They overlap in a recursive fashion rather
than fall in place as an orderly sequence of steps, one neatly following from the
other. When you write shorter essays, especially timed essays like these you are
preparing for, you may plan, write, and revise as you go along. In most cases,
you may revise your plan, your organisation, and your content on your way to the
finish.

Keeping in mind the two categories of topics of essays in this programsociocultural


issues (essay A) and personal/social issues (essay B)the process of writing should focus
on the quality of the thinking about a topic and the control of language demonstrated in its
development.
This means that different writing styles are needed for each task. The sociocultural
essay prompt requires an argumentative and analytical style of writing, while the personal
and social prompt requires a less formal, reflective style of writing.
Further modules in this program offer techniques for developing this exact kind of
writing needed.
Regardless of the type of essay, the same criteria are used to assess what you
write. Two main categories of assessment are used, as follows:
(1) Thought and Content (the quality of what is said)

What is made of and developed from the task

The kinds of thought and feeling offered in


response to the task

(2) Organisation and Expression (the quality of the


structure developed and the language used)

The shape and form of the piece

The effectiveness and fluency of the language

These are very broad outlines of what is required.


A more specific rubric, develop from these criteria, will be used to mark the
practice essays you submit as part of this program. You will get that rubric for
each essay you write.
Thus you will receive feedback which will help you develop the writing skills
needed for the GAMSAT. Remember that the GAMSAT is not like any other
essay exam. Specific things need to be performed in these essays which are
different for your usual university essays. This will be covered as the program goes on.
So lets get into the first two essays.

ESSAYS 1 & 2
With this module, you would have received two set of quotations along with
instructions which precede them. This is exactly what the GAMSAT section 2
looks like. The essay instructions are given, followed by two set of 5 quotations.
In this first module, lets begin by seeing where you are right now. After writing
these two essays, the feedback will show you what level you are on at the moment.
Spend a bit more than 1 hour on the first two essays. It is your first time
so you need to be kind to yourself.
However, remember to keep it to 3 hand written pages max, we are not writing a thesis.
There is not enough time in the GAMSAT to write more than that. So we dont want you to
get into the habit of writing too much.
As you begin to write your first two practice essays, try to implement the initial
general tips that are discussed below.
Read all the instructions and quotations.
It's all there to help you. Every essay assignment contains a series of quotations, usually
from a specific author or book. Be sure to read each one carefully. Don't ignore this
important information in your rush to start writing.
Imagine that you are talking to the author of each quotation
about the issue he or
she raises.

What would you say to him or her?

Would you argue or agree?

What other ideas or examples would you bring up?

Answering these questions will help you develop your own


point of view. Do this in the reading time.
Don't oversimplify.

Developing your point of view does not mean coming up with as many examples as you can.
Sometimes students cut a great example short to move on to something else, and end up
oversimplifying. Take the time to really explain an example; that's the best way to fully
develop your point of view.
An essay with one or two thoughtful, well-developed reasons or examples is more likely to
get a higher score than an essay with three short, simplistic examples.
There's nothing wrong with "I."
You are asked to develop your point of view on the issue, not give a straight report of the
facts. This is your opinion, so feel free to use "I," and give examples that are meaningful to
you, even ones from your personal life or experiences.
This is especially important for essay B.
Essay A is more formal and I would not be as appropriate, however there are no hard and
fast rules. Of course you need to support your ideas appropriately, and show that you can
use language well, but remember: the essay is an opportunity for you to say what you think
about an important issue that's relevant to your life. So relax and be yourself, and you will
do just fine.
Time Management.
This writing test gives you 1 hour to read and think about the issue in the prompts for 2
essays, and to plan and write your essay. When asked to write a timed essay, most writers
find it useful to do some planning before they start writing, and to do a final check of the
essay when it is finished. It is unlikely that you will have time to draft, revise, and recopy
your essay. Therefore, taking a few minutes
to plan your essay is a much better strategy
than writing a first draft with the intent to
copy it over for a final draft.

Since taking a timed writing exam puts you


in the situation of having a limited amount of
time to create a focused, organised, well

supported essay, you better have a clear plan of how you will use your allotted time before
beginning the exam.
PassGAMSATs suggested breakdown of time for the 2 GAMSAT essays in 1 hour:
PREWRITING: target of the Reading Time + 8-10 minutes
(1) Read the prompt carefully, circling key words.
(2) Cluster or list to determine your main supporting points and strongest evidence; be sure
you have a working thesis and topic sentences.
WRITING: target of 40-45 minutes
(4) Write your essay following the outline.
(5) Skip lines in case you want to make some changes when you're proofreading after you
complete the essay.
PROOFREADING: target of 5-6 minutes
(6) Proofread your essay carefully, adding missed evidence, catching misspellings, putting
in left-out words, revising confusing sentences, and joining sentences where appropriate.
Considering that pre-writing will make or break a timed essay, the next module
focuses on how to use the pre-writing phase most effectively.

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