About: GMAT, Issue essay
The Issue Essay is the second of two essays that will have to be done for the GMAT. The Argument Essay comes first.
The Issue Essay is often a controversial, multipolar question and here you are allowed (ney, encourgaed) to take sides, you can either agree or disagree with the author’s point of view. It is a statement presented with or without a context.
Always begin the essay by restating the point of view of the author. Do not provide counter arguments, Stick to one position and support it to the best of your abilities.
In preparing your essay, create a grid such as the one below:
| SUCCESS | FAILURE |
|
| FIRST ASSUMPTION |
1 or 2 Examples | 1 or 2 Examples |
| SECOND ASSUMPTION |
1 or 2 Examples | 1 or 2 Examples |
Try to fill as many of the boxes as possible with examples of success and failure for each of the assumptions you have found for the passage. Once you have a diagonal (in red in the table below) of a failure in an assumption and a success in another assumption (or vice versa) than you can start writing, those examples will form the main stream of your essay. In your sub-ultimate paragraph, use one of the examples you have not used in your write up (in blue in the table below) as a counter example used to reinforce your point, in essence, for your “Obamafication”.
| SUCCESS | FAILURE |
|
| FIRST ASSUMPTION |
1 or 2 Examples | 1 or 2 Examples |
| SECOND ASSUMPTION |
1 or 2 Examples | 1 or 2 Examples |
Structure of the Essay
Remember that the GMAT wants to see notions as well as examples, try to find a minimum of 3 flaws 4 is best. Finding the flaw goes back to finding the assumption within the text, remember an assumption is never written in the passage. Try to find a “Disney” ending to your text, recap everything , take up your intro again and restate it finishing by “and they lived happily ever after….”
Below is a recommended structure for the Argument Essay.
Paragraph 1
Step one restate the author’s proposal.
Paragraph 2
Restate a counter proposal to achieve the same ideal.
Paragraph 3
Present another flaw or issue, give a notion or theory, present an example.
Paragraph 4
Present another flaw or issue, give a notion or theory, present an example.
Paragraph N-1
Present a strengthener, do an “Obama” (present the contradicting point followed by a “However”) for example, “It is true that……. however………”
Paragraph N (conclusion)
Create a strong conclusion and then reiterate your position with added emphasis.
The evaluation of the essay is based on the structure, style, and logic. The essay is marked, in a first instance, by a computer and then verified by a human reader. It is marked out of 6 and a good score is considered to be a 4. The score will be sent to you by post about 2 weeks after taking the test. Remember that the essay must be written on a qwerty keyboard, if you use a different keyboard, switch and get used to typing on qwerty.
In terms of timing, it is a short essay so you should manage your time carefully, 30mins is not long to write an essay:
- 8 Mins to read the problem and organise your thoughts on paper
- 20 Mins to write the essay
- 2 Mins to proof read the essay (maybe the most important part)
Alec, my beloved teacher, has always advised me not to spend too much time and energy on the essays, getting a 4 should be your aim, not necessarily a 6. While a 6 would always be nice, if you think too hard about the essays, you will erode your endurance for the rest of the test which is infinitely more important. Get the basic tricks in your mind, type it up, remember to proof read it and then submit it.
After the Argument Essay, the Issue Essay will start directly.
About: GMAT, Issue essay
