From: AceGAMSAT
Re: GAMSAT Essay Structure For Success!
While many students inquire about the topics, the GAMSAT Essay Structure is equally important. The GAMSAT Essay Structure concerns organisation of your ideas into a suitable form and framework. The structure of the essay should be complete, in itself, the parts of the essay should be in agreement with each other and the progression of ideas should be clear and coherent. Seems a no-brainer? These principles are quite old – derived from Plato, Aristotle, & St. Thomas of Aquinas! Integritas, consonantia, and claritas – wholeness, harmony, & clarity. These principles are adapted in several ways by many teaching essay structure; yet with other variations.
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Teaching the GAMSAT Essay Structure, many will adopt the THESIS-ANTITHESIS-SYNTHESIS (TAS model), especially for Task A. One can think of this as the BODY of the essay with each given a paragraph or two. The Thesis is your topic, the Antithesis concerns opposing viewpoints, and the Synthesis, ideally, is the conclusion which takes both your Thesis and Antithesis into account. Task B of the GAMSAT Essay Structure is less restrictive, where personal narratives and style are the major constituents. Both should have 3 – 4 well-developed paragraphs. In addition – key suggestions are to create a great opening statement which intrigues the audience and captivates interest (attention-getting device) and a solid concluding statement which wraps things up, and if possible, ties back into the original first statement. Markers love this because it suggests a prima facia quality where the essay is airtight!
There is an old saying in Speech courses to (1) Tell the Audience What You are Going to Tell Them, (2) Tell Them and (3) Tell them again! Although, this seems overly repetitive – (1) and (3) serve as overviews or signposts and function as a pneumonic device. Also helping message retention and audience interest are transitions which connect paragraphs together. A simple example would be: Now, that we have adequately covered Point 1 of the Proposition, let us examine Point 2.
A Sample Template for the GAMSAT Essay Structure (especially Task A) would resemble something like this:
Introduction – Attention-Getting Device
– State the Relevance of the Topic – Why is this Important?
– How does this affect the audience?
– Thesis Statement
– Overview of Points to Cover
Body of the Essay
Point 1
– Evidence and Support
– Transition to Point 2
Point 2
– Evidence and Support
– Transition to Point 3
Point 3 – Antithesis
– Evidence and Support
– Commentary on Opposing Viewpoints
– Transition to Conclusion
Conclusion – Synthesis
– Brings about the larger social implications of the topic
– Heightens the complexity of the issue
– Final Statement – Ties Back Into Introduction
This GAMSAT Essay Structure Template can also be used as a cheat sheet for your timed essay in order to jot down notes and organise your response. Even though Task B of the GAMSAT tends to be more lyrical this template can be used to brainstorm possible topics and approaches. Keep in mind that the GAMSAT Essay Responses are to a given extent marked analogically (in relation to the other writers you are in competition with), yet this template will serve as a useful device for brainstorming, creation of the message and polishing up your response.
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