How to ace the AWA in GRE

Are you planning to appear the GRE but are worried about the AWA section? Well, here’s a guide to help you out!

As you probably might know, the GRE analytical writing is all about your language skill which includes 2 sections: Issue and Arguments. Both of these sections include 1 topic each and as a reader, you are expected to put down your perspective on them. Both these sections are expected to be completed before attempting the other two sections.

Issues mainly consist of topics of general interest. You will have to then pick one side and write an essay supporting your side as per the given instruction. Arguments include topics that can have divergent perspectives. You will have to write a cogent answer and exhibit your writing skills. 

Now that we know what AWA consists of letting us see how this section can be achieved.

Writing has to come only through practice. You will need to grab on to certain habits and strictly follow them in your essays. Here are some of the GRE prep tips from Inspirus Education, premiere GRE test prep institute which you can follow to ace your AWA section.

 

  • Keep it direct:

 

You need to remove all the fillers and keep your points very direct. You will be given a certain word count within which you need to prove your point right. Keep your paragraphs short and to the point and always try and fill more useful and readable content. You need to differentiate what is important and what is not. Ultimately your points matter and not how much you have written.

 

  • Do proofread:

 

Save a little time for this step. You will need to finish your work and proofread if there are any mistakes or any more points that you can add. Sometimes writing gets better when you go through your writing again and again. So, keep a couple of minutes aside before you submit to go through what you have written and only click on submit when you feel completely confident about it. 

 

  • Follow a format:

 

Any writing first needs an introduction followed by a body or the actual matter and then a conclusion. You cannot ignore any of it. Your opening can be a couple of lines what you want to describe. Later as we discussed will be your body of the essay. In the end, it is all about giving a satisfactory conclusion. All of this put together will give your essay and if done right then will give you an excellent score in your AWA.

 

  • Do not use Slangs:

 

Writing includes a certain level of sophistication. Slangs are completely improper and considered inappropriate. You are writing the essays to display your skills in the language. You need to remember it is a formal essay and you are not allowed to use terms like “you know”, “awesome”, “cool”, etc. 

 

  • Keep your thesis at the right place:

 

Remember the person evaluating your essay might spend just a couple of minutes on each of the essays. So make sure you mention your points at the right spot that is at the end of your introduction or the first thing in the paragraph; where you place your matter is very crucial. So, think what you would do as a reader and follow the same.

 

  • Keep it in a third-person view:

 

A statement will make you surrender to it when you feel you are the person reading it. That approach embraces the reader and makes them believe what is written. When you write something trying to put in your belief, it makes the reader think twice about if he/she agrees with it or not. Hence it is best to follow a third-person view based writing and a great way to score well.

 

  • Keep your sentences short:

 

We all do that. We get carried away writing what we feel and forget that our sentences are taking the reader from one point to a different point within a sentence. You need to keep your sentences short and just get done with what you have to say. If there are a lot of things to say then use strong transitions instead. Use phrases like “firstly” and “secondly” to keep your writing going but split into two different positions. When your writing is easy, reading also gets easy and it is important to follow this principle.

 

  • Avoid Questions: 

 

Stay away from using questions in your essay. Your essay is about expressing your views and not an interaction. A question sounds good when it is a speech. But when you are putting it down on the paper especially when it is the introduction and conclusion of your essay do not use questions! Once you follow this step you will get to know how dominant your essay becomes.

These are some of the tips for you to ace your AWA. Writing is something just as simple as speech. What you should keep in mind is that it needs a better structure and a bit of creativity. Hence along with a lot of practice and implementing what you have read above you will be able to write an extraordinary essay.

Good luck in acing your AWA!