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Gamsat section 2 essay examples, discover our gamsat preparation courses today, hesitant about gamsat, gamsat section 2: five example essays ranging from scores of 50 to 80+.

In order to perform well in Section 2 , it is important to understand the key features of a high scoring GAMSAT essay. When reviewing previous GAMSAT essay topics , you should know the main marking criteria to address.

This guide contains worked examples of GAMSAT essays to help you identify the major metrics looked for by Section 2 tutors and markers, using pieces discussing healthcare as examples. You can use the pertinent principles in this guide to create a stringent GAMSAT essay plan to maximise your performance in Section 2 . 

Inside the Section 2 Sample Essay Guide

• Sample Essays spanning scores from the low 50s to 80+
• Highlighted flaws in each essay to aid in self-assessment
• In-depth analysis and feedback from top tutors

Example Paragraph From An 80+ GAMSAT Essay 

“In the current polito-economic landscape of most nation-states, health and healthcare are contentious issues. It is this very discourse that leads me to both types of research the realities and explores my own values and beliefs in relation to the notion of health. This surveying of my mental landscape led me to one unwavering belief: “healthcare is not a privilege, it is a right.” When this statement became core to the way I understand the human condition, I started to question if the societies I live in have come to embody the opposite of this belief in practice.

This line of questioning led me to understand one of the most fundamental mechanisms in the way modern societies function. This mechanism is the domineering politico-economic ideology. Neoliberalism. Through observation, we can see it functions to commodify most aspects of the human experience and does so very drastically in the case of healthcare.”

‍ The Quotes Covered Are:

Health is not valued till sickness comes.

Take care of the patient and everything else will follow.

Control healthcare and you control the people.

Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.

If you found this useful, kindly look at our free GAMSAT preparation resources: 

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• Section 1: What to Expect & How to Study
• Section 2: How to Write High Scoring Essays
• Section 3: Tips & Strategy 
• What is the GAMSAT?

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Struggling with your GAMSAT Section 2 preparation? Get study tips on how to prepare and write the perfect GAMSAT Essay under time pressure, and expand your essay idea bank with our GAMSAT Reading List.

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GAMSAT Section 2 Essays: How to Prepare in 2024

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Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam, also known as ‘Written Communication’, assesses your ability to express your thoughts in a logical and effective manner in response to two sets of stimuli. According to ACER , it is meant to be a reflection of your ability to produce and develop ideas in writing. Section 2 is more often than not the bane of most students sitting the exam, particularly those with a pure science-background. As the only written section of the exam, students commonly struggle with both their writing skills as well as the need to write under time pressure, skills that may have been neglected since high school. This guide aims to provide you with an overview of how to prepare for and approach Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam.

• What is GAMSAT ® Section 2?
• How is GAMSAT ® Section 2 marked?
• What is the purpose of GAMSAT ® Section 2?
• What to expect from GAMSAT ® Section 2
• How to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 2
• GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Topics
• GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Study Guide
• GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Tips
• Building a GAMSAT ® Essay Idea Bank
• GAMSAT ® Section 2 Reading List
• GAMSAT ® Section 2 PDF Checklist
• What is a good GAMSAT ® Section 2 essay score?

Further Preparation Materials

Feeling overwhelmed with all the information available and not sure how to improve your essay writing skills for GAMSAT ® Section 2? Our expert tutor, Catarina, has summarised the contents of this page in this GAMSAT ® Section 2: How to Prepare video guide.

What is GAMSAT Section 2?

Gamsat section 2 timing.

With 60 minutes in total for two essays, this means 30 minutes per essay. In terms of breaking down your time, a common piece of advice is to follow the below:

• 5 minutes to plan
• 25 minutes to write and review

GAMSAT Section 2 Structure

Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam consists of written responses to two sets of stimuli, commonly referred to as Task A and B. You will be presented with two set of quotes that are each related to a common theme.

GAMSAT Section 2: Task A

Gamsat section 2: task b.

This section is strongly believed to be where you can demonstrate to the markers how strong your understanding and comprehension of human emotion is, an obviously critical skill in the profession of a doctor.

GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Length

ACER does not provide any guidelines in regards to a minimum word count, or how long your Section 2 essays should be. However, a maxim that holds true even for the GAMSAT ® Exam is Quality over Quantity.

The quality of what you write is much more important than the quantity and as such, you should focus on what you write about and your expression and organisation of ideas. A good guideline is to aim for:

• An Introduction
• 3 Body Paragraphs
• A Conclusion

Note however that this example structure is not necessarily applicable to every type of essay. If you were to write a creative piece, the structure of your GAMSAT ® essay could certainly be more flexible. The main factor to take into account is how best to organise your ideas to ensure that your arguments are conveyed logically and coherently.

A common piece of advice is to aim for about 500 words, but the most important point is to focus on the quality of your essay rather than the quantity. If you can express an idea clearly and effectively in less words then do it.

For further tips on Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam, download our Essay Writing Guide today – our guide includes a summary of the key principles needed to help you develop your essay writing skills along with 3 example Marked Essays featuring a low, medium, and high quality response.

For general tips and strategies on how you can prepare for the GAMSAT ® Exam, visit our Guide to GAMSAT ® Preparation.

How is GAMSAT Section 2 marked?

Gamsat section 2 criteria.

According to ACER , your Section 2 essay is assessed on two main criteria. The information in the table above is taken from the GAMSAT Information Booklet.

Unfortunately, ACER does not provide a clear essay marking criteria or rubric but does note that assessment is based on:

Control of language, i.e. grammatical structure and expression, is not assessed as an isolated criteria but incorporated into the assessment of the overall effectiveness of the response. Your GAMSAT ® essays will also be assessed on the depth of the ideas presented rather than their breadth so it is often more effective to take a few concepts and analyse them in depth rather than inundating your essay with different arguments.

Finally, ACER also notes that candidates are not assessed on the ‘correctness’ of the ideas or attitudes they display – it is not your opinion that matters but the way in which you express it. Each individual essay will be assessed by three independent markers.

If you’re struggling with your writing, consider getting your GAMSAT ® essays professionally marked. GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert Section 2 tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.

What is the purpose of GAMSAT Section 2?

If Section 1 of the GAMSAT ® exam aims to test your comprehension and interpretation skills, Section 2 is all about how you construct your ideas and communicate effectively.

Communication skills are paramount in any medical profession. Medical professionals are expected to communicate verbally and through written material regularly to patients, colleagues and the broader community. The ability to convey information succinctly and clearly is essential to a professionals’ ability to provide care, especially when you are discussing complex scientific ideas.

In addition to challenging your written communication skills, Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam provides students an opportunity to demonstrate the way they build and present their ideas. This is an interesting way of assessing your ability to think logically through a problem. While the link may not seem immediately obvious, having the ability to communicate your reasoning in a logical manner under time-pressure is essential to the demands of a medical professional. You may use this skill when explaining your decision-making to patients and colleagues, or when justifying community health measures to the general public.

Finally, Section 2 of the GAMSAT® exam is the perfect chance to show examiners your capacity for empathy and your understanding of the world. Medical professionals do not work in a bubble! It’s important for any person working in healthcare to show an interest in broader societal systems, especially those that may have an impact on community health. The essay section of the GAMSAT ® exam is a relatively open platform for you to discuss ideas and problems that are important to you - whilst also illustrating your written communication skills.

What to expect in GAMSAT Section 2?

There are three main challenges you can expect for this section of the GAMSAT ® exam.

• Being able to identify a general theme from the prompts.
• Having evidence and substance to support your ideas
• Writing under time pressure

Let’s begin with the first challenge - You’ll need to be able to quickly and effectively analyse the provided prompts and generate themes and ideas around which to focus your response. We go into more detail about this process in the section below. While this can seem like a really difficult task at first, this is a skill which almost all students become confident in through practice.

The second is having evidence and substance to support your ideas. Many students forget that even when writing reflectively, it is important to explain and substantiate your ideas with examples, analogies, imagery or any other writing tools you have available to you. The easiest way to improve this aspect of your writing is to read widely and regularly, whether that be reputable journals or short stories, and to essentially build an ideas bank.

Finally, and possibly the greatest challenge, is the time pressure. Thirty minutes is an extremely limited amount of time in which to write an essay and this is often something students initially struggle with. Nonetheless, this is also an aspect of the task which is greatly improved with practice.

How to Prepare for GAMSAT Section 2

Your preparation for GAMSAT ® Section 2 can be seen as having several key steps:

• Begin writing GAMSAT ® essays regularly – whether this be once a day or once a week, the key is to get into the habit of doing this. Remember, the earlier the better.
• Generate an essay writing process and get into a rhythm.
• At the same time begin building an idea bank – try and cast the net wide and look at a variety of issues, and from viewpoints outside your comfort zone.
• It can be useful to develop a list of resources to read or view - You can learn more here: GAMSAT ® Section 2 Reading List.
• As you begin to write, don’t feel as though you need to stick to the time limit immediately. It’s better that you develop a process and gradually apply time pressure.
• Make sure that you get feedback. Use friends, family, other students, anyone else willing to read your essays. Accept their feedback and criticism and use it to improve your writing.
• Consider getting your essays professionally marked if you’re able to – GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service with personal feedback from our expert tutors.
• As you near the exam begin to write under realistic conditions to stimulate the time pressure on the day.

For further free advice, sign up for our Free Trial which includes a GAMSAT ® Study Guide with an in-depth, day-by-day study schedule for Section 2 along with a recording of our GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Workshop. You’ll also get access to 50 MCQs from our Intelligent MCQ Bank and a wealth of other free resources.

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Get a study buddy, upcoming events, gamsat section 2 essay topics.

As noted above in the What is GAMSAT ® Section 2? , Section 2 consists of two different essays (usually called Task A and Task B), each in response to their own set of stimuli. These prompts are presented as a set of 5 quotes, with each set centred around a common theme.

GAMSAT ® Section 2 Task A Themes:

Gamsat ® section 2 task b themes:.

• Originality

GAMSAT Section 2 Questions

Theme: truth.

• Gossip, as usual, was one-third right and two-thirds wrong. (L.M. Montgomery, Chronicles of Avonlea)
• The truth is rarely pure and never simple. (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest)
• Truth is a matter of the imagination. (Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness)
• You don't destroy what you want to acquire in the future. (Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay)
• To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous. (Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage)

Theme: Justice

• Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just. (Victor Hugo)
• I don't want tea, I want justice! (Ally Carter, Uncommon Criminals)
• It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one. (Voltaire, Zadig)
• Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. (William Penn)
• Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with men of different languages, remote from your own, who wish like you for a more just and human world. (Hélder Câmara, Spiral Of Violence)

Theme: Choice

• There seemed to be three choices: to give up trying to love anyone, to stop being selfish, or to learn to love a person while continuing to be selfish. (Lydia Davis)
• My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it. (Buddy Hackett)
• Love is a choice you make from moment to moment. (Barbara De Angelis)
• Gay marriage rights coming and going, always being an issue for the voting public when it should be an individual‘s private choice. (G.A. Hauser, Being Screwed)
• I wish sometimes that the gods would either choose better, or make their wishes clearer. (Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel’s Choice)

For more essay topics, take advantage of our free and comprehensive GAMSAT ® Quote Generator with over 90 Section 2 Essay Prompts, covering 40+ themes.

GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Study Guide

Developing and practising your essay writing skills is arguably the most important aspect of your Section 2 Preparation, and something you should aim to start from early on. Indeed, a lot of the preparation for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam should revolve around simply writing a lot of essays, at least one a week. However, this advice comes with several caveats:

• You need to get feedback on your essays. It is vital that you get your friends, family, tutors, and anyone else to read these essays, and be modest and inviting of critique. It is of utmost importance to be criticised and then learn from your mistakes. GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.
• You need to possess a great deal of self-critique. After every essay you write, you must read it out loud to yourself, and listen if it makes sense.
• Don’t feel the need to write under time pressure from the word go. It’s more important that you develop and improve your essay writing skills before gradually applying realistic time pressure.
• You need to vary the type of essays that you write! You should make sure you try argumentative, personal reflective essays, fictional creative essays , poetry, and any other medium that can work in the GAMSAT ® exam. Even though it’s recommended you write an argumentative essay, you are able to write in almost any style in the ‘reflective’ essay segment – this is meant to be a creative endeavour and demonstrate that you can identify, and express emotions of the characters involved.

For more tips on Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam, download our Essay Writing Guide which includes 3 example Marked Essays of low, medium, and high quality to help you develop your essay writing skills.

The below is an abbreviated strategy guide provided by our Section 2 GAMSAT ® Tutors and essay markers. The guide is meant to act as a step-by-step guide to writing the best GAMSAT ® Essay.

Step 1: How to plan your GAMSAT Essay

• Understand the Theme: Read the quote and make sure that you look for the related ideas, not just the main theme.
• Brainstorm Ideas: Use whatever techniques you find the most useful and make the most of the Idea Bank that you’ve prepared.
• Create a Thesis: What is your main message? Is it clear? Is it communicated regularly?
• Choose a Structure: Consider what is most appropriate for the theme and explore your options.
• Plan Body Paragraphs Thematically: Plan your topic sentences and the main points of your thesis.

Read on for a breakdown of what each step involves:

Understand the theme

Read the provided quotes, determine the theme, and argue for or against one/some of them. Whilst this is a common approach, it’s not always the one that will stand out. Always look for related ideas associated with the main theme of the quotes. There’s rarely just one theme in the quotes provided, and this raises the point of the brainstorm.

Brainstorm Ideas

By whatever means most accessible to you (mind maps, lists or drawings), flesh out the main theme of the quotes into related information and sub-themes and sub-ideas. This process, as part of your Section 2 preparation at home, can take some time, but on the examination day, you’ll need to work fast! Work out which groups of ideas can be linked together most easily by a recurring argument, or can be substantiated the best, and use these for your writing.

For advice on how to build up your idea bank, visit the section below: Building a GAMSAT ® Essay Idea Bank

Create a Thesis

This is a statement that should be maintained or proved in your writing. A thesis is essential to all forms of writing, no matter the format (including essays, argumentative or reflective, and creative pieces including short stories, diary entries, letter-to-the-editor, etc.). The thesis, or main message, must be communicated regularly, explicitly, and implicitly throughout your writing. The best theses (plural of singular thesis) address the theme, are creative, sometimes witty, and often make meaningful commentary on the issues(s) at hand, i.e. the theme.

Choose a Structure

Select a medium to write in that is most appropriate for the theme of the quotes. Many formats can be chosen for the Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam: your task is to select the most appropriate medium to effectively and engagingly communicate your thesis.

For example, if the theme of the quotes refer to ‘political governance’ in general, an argumentative essay is likely to be an effective and easy format to support a line of argument on this topic. If the theme however, refers to ‘relationships’, some students may wish to demonstrate the value or importance of relationships through a more reflective, personal, or emotional format that resembles a narrative, such as diary entries or a short story.

These forms of writing are likely to be less familiar to many students, and the different styles of writing can make some students feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, if an alternative format suits your writing style (or you feel it is more appropriate for the theme), you should make the judgement call. Playing with different writing styles and formats is a task that should most certainly be undertaken during your preparation for the GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay.

To read an example of a Creative GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay written by one of our essay markers, click here: Writing the Creative GAMSAT ® Essay

Plan Body Paragraphs Thematically

Using those ideas that you came up with in brainstorm, plan a number of ‘topic sentences’ that form the main idea for each paragraph, or chunk of writing, in your piece. Each paragraph should address one idea only and should be directly related to the thesis. Each idea should continue to build and extend the thesis, convincing and compelling the reader of your overall contention (opinion) on the issue.

On the big day, planning your essay should take no longer than five minutes. Practice makes perfect, and most importantly, improves your speed.

Step 2: Write your GAMSAT Essay

Now’s the time to put pen to paper and etch those stupendous ideas into a fully-fledged piece of writing.

Be Clear & Succinct

Write in logical and well-phrased sentences that can be easily understood by a marker who will be reading your essay at a fast pace because that’s the reality of it.

Support What You Write

Each topic sentence needs to have some form of ‘evidence’ or reasoning to support what you contend. Depending on the form you have chosen to write in (e.g. essay, short story), this may occur in the style of real-life events, personal narrative, creative narrative, experience, or logical reasoning that is theoretical.

Always Come Back to the Thesis

If in doubt, word your paragraph in such a way that the ‘supporting evidence’ demonstrates the topic sentence AND the thesis. Your aim is to persuade the reader such that they truly believe what you have written.

You can find some further writing tips below: GAMSAT ® Section 2 Writing Tips

Step 3: Review your GAMSAT Essay

Review what you have written and ensure it makes sense. There’s not much time to do this, so it’s a quick fly-by of your writing to ensure it is logical and communicates what you are actually thinking.

GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.

GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Tips

Students often ask for specific pieces of advice to improve their essay writing, but such advice is most effective when it is specific to the individual. However, below are some general GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Tips:

• Sentence Structure: Keep it concise and vary your sentence length to create cadence.
• The Rhetorical Question: Commonly overused by students. Make sure that you use it in the appropriate context.
• Creating a Narrative: Keep the reader engaged and organise your writing as a series of causal steps.
• Using Analogies: A great literary technique to explain difficult concepts and to trigger emotions.

Sentence Structure

This aspect can be divided into the two following features:

This is about those long wordy sentences which have several ideas packed into a single sentence. This veils the meaning of your sentence and makes your point difficult to decipher. As a rule, it is better to have just one idea within a single sentence. This makes it easier for the reader to understand your point in the sentence.

Sentence length should also have variety. Long sentences interspersed with short sentences create a good cadence for the essay. Cadence means rhythm, it is the way the words interact and show meaning. Lengthy sentences all together can make an essay monotonous and the meaning would be blurred. Think about making short and sharp statements before or after a long sentence. Variety in sentence length helps to put out your point in fewer words but with more impact.

The Rhetorical Question

Use this as sparingly as you would with a future patient.

At one point or another, most students feel the impulse to use a rhetorical question – sometimes to the detriment of their essays. The GAMSAT ® Section 2 essay usually requires a response that is reflective or argumentative. The latter may engender the use of the rhetorical question to make an argument persuasive by asking the reader to consider a point, while providing an underlying response to their concern.

As far as persuasion goes, the rhetorical question is quite effective but only when backed up with appropriate argumentation throughout the essay. Your argument itself should be the most effective feature of the essay. If the rhetorical question only distracts from the argument, it is better to use it carefully. A quick checklist can be used to confirm its appropriate use:

• Is my argument strong enough to leave out the rhetorical question?
• Do I want to introduce a counter argument?
• What effect will the rhetorical question create?
• Does the question fall flat because the answer is obvious?

It is rarely necessary to use a rhetorical question. There are usually other ways of conveying the point without using a question. If, however, you feel strongly about it, use the checklist above to confirm that your rhetorical question is contributing to your essay effectively. Each word in your essay should have a purpose, and there is nothing more problematic than having a question that does not achieve its desired effect. Nevertheless, used appropriately, the rhetorical question is an emotive device which can make reader’s question themselves and their actions.

Creating a Narrative

With a limited amount of time and a less-than-captive audience, it is important to make as big an impact as possible, as quickly as possible. This is so you distinguish yourself from the hordes of competitors and improve your chances.

One way to bring colour to your writing is in forming a narrative and the use of metaphors.

Humans as a part of their cognitive evolution will always seek out patterns to make sense of any information that they are presented with. More so than patterns, they will also seek out narratives to establish causal relationships.This is something that can be used to your advantage. By simply presenting your writing as a sequence of causal relationships, you will grip your reader as they seek to understand the pattern and keep reading to determine the endpoint.

This can be accomplished in both creative and analytical writing. The former should be obvious, but in the latter by starting at the beginning of a chain of evidence and slowly building from causal step to causal step, your ultimate conclusion will be all the more persuasive.

Using Analogies

Analogies are a great tool to help readers understand abstract or unfamiliar content. By linking abstract information to a concrete concept, it becomes easier for people to understand the information.

How many times have any of us had the experience when a concept we were familiar with but never understood was explained in a slightly different or novel way, leading to an immediate, illuminating understanding – this is the power of an analogy. Whilst precision and technical language are all well and good, it can sometimes be inaccessible to those who do not have a grounding in the field. In these cases, analogies can be invaluable by couching unfamiliar concepts within familiar, or at least intuitive examples.

Not only this, analogies can also be very effective for triggering emotions. This is valuable, because if people experience some elevation of emotion during their reading, not only will it make their experience more enjoyable, but also more memorable compared to the many other examples of essays. Emotions not only make your design appealing to people but also more effective, enjoyable, and memorable.

For more specific feedback, GradReady has a GAMSAT ® essay marking service where you can get 10 essays marked by our expert tutors with personal feedback within 72 hours.

For further tips on Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam, download our Essay Writing Guide today. The guide includes a summary of the key principles needed to help you develop your essay writing skills along with 3 example Marked Essays featuring a low, medium and high quality response.

Building a GAMSAT Essay Idea Bank

Having a wide-reaching, dynamic and interesting idea bank for GAMSAT ® Section 2 is crucial to your overall GAMSAT ® Preparation. Having interesting topics to write about can ultimately make or break the essays that you write. ACER states that originality is one of the modalities they assess, and so being able to create a piece that the essay marker enjoys reading greatly enhances your marks and it’s not hard to see why.

For example, if we look at the microcosm of a single city where GAMSAT ® essays are being marked, imagine a set of stimuli for the exam were about standing up to tyranny and oppression. A large proportion of people will likely fall into the trap of writing about clichés such as Hitler, WW1, and similar high school history topics. Therefore, the essay markers in that single city could mark literally hundreds of similar essays. Not only does it get repetitive and boring, they are then subconsciously comparing your essay to every similar essay, something you’d likely want to avoid. If you can pull strong, unique examples to support your arguments you will demonstrate a large knowledge base and will stimulate the essay markers.

Note however that examples should directly relate to the theme and your discussion regarding it. If your example only makes up one sentence in the whole paragraph, that usually means the example is not detailed enough.

Furthermore, many students like to use personal examples in their essays. These can be quite good as people can reflect on their lives and write about them in length. These are great when they are paired with descriptive language about specific incidents and events in the life of a person.

Nevertheless, in generating an Essay Idea Bank, it’s important for you to cast your net wide and look at a range of different issues. Some ideas include:

• Business/Finance/Economy
• Environment
• Medicine/Health

These categories allow you to build ideas in a deliberate way, covering a broad spectrum of topics. While making sure that you cover all your bases is important, don’t get too caught up if you find yourself gravitating towards specific areas. Remember, this is only one aspect of your GAMSAT ® preparation, and it’s important that you concurrently dedicate time to practicing essay writing, argument development, and working under time pressure.

It’s a synthesis of efforts across these different areas over an extended period of time that makes a great GAMSAT ® essay. Be sure to check out our GAMSAT ® example essays page for more examples of a good GAMSAT ® essay.

GAMSAT Section 2 Reading List

To help you build your GAMSAT ® Essay Idea Bank, we’ve compiled the below Section 2 Reading List. A common piece of advice is to read widely in order to expose yourself to different media in preparation for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam. However if this is not performed mindfully in a systematic manner, it is next to useless and may in fact harm you as it will essentially become busy work with limited gains.

It is therefore important to have in mind what you are wanting to achieve out of your readings and use these goals to ensure that you read actively.

Below are some guidelines on how to achieve this:

• Read in detail rather than prioritising quantity. Sometimes the more time you spend with a piece of writing, the more likely it is to elicit a profound response from you, allowing you to build a more developed perspective on a particular issue.
• Practice developing a personal response and opinion on a theme or subject. GAMSAT ® Section 2 requires students to display critical thinking and actively developing an opinion on what you read will help with this.
• Push yourself to expand your boundaries and look for views outside of your bubble. Not only will this offer insight into differing views and experiences, but it will also allow you to practice argument development.
• Embed your reading into different aspects of your everyday life to maximise your time. For example, read the news with your morning tea break instead of scrolling through social media. Find ways to expand your idea bank in your leisure time.

If you’re looking for a reading list specific to Section 1 of the GAMSAT ® exam, visit our guide to preparing for Section 1 here: GAMSAT ® Section 1 - How to Prepare

Section 2 Reading List

To appreciate current affairs, social issues, and how good (and bad) argumentative writing may appear, reading the news/newspapers is a good idea. Stay away from anything that is known for sensationalism, such as The Courier Mail, A Current Affair (TV), Today Tonight, the Herald Sun etc.

Scouring the opinion columns of reputable news sources can be helpful to get some ideas as to how you may approach the argumentative essay, and the news will generally help you stay relevant with your writing (and assist in using real-world/contemporary examples). The newspapers listed here arguably offer some of the least biased and fairest reporting:

Free Resources:

• The Conversation
• The Economist
• The Guardian
• Australian Financial Review

Books & Short Stories

Reading excellent writing is crucial. There is no better way to expand your vocabulary than to sit down with an excellent fictional novel, poem, or play, along with a dictionary – and then look up each word you are unfamiliar with. Utilising a dictionary as you read will help develop your vocabulary, and reading is just beneficial overall to help expand your thoughts and enhance your own personal development.

It is best to focus on authors who have mastered the short-story modality, such as those listed below. However, reading any book at all is going to help you in both Sections 1 and Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® , and it is purely just crucial to expanding your thoughts and enhancing your own personal development.

• Oscar Wilde
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Noam Chomsky
• George Orwell

Again, take advantage of the shorter texts allowing you to read one a day.

• Humanities Open Access Journal
• Arts and Letters Daily
• Australian Humanities Review

TV Programs and Visual Media

Often forgotten as a legitimate channel through which you can expose yourself to new ideas and issues, this medium can be readily incorporated into your daily routine. For example, you can move away from regular TV programs and switch to any of the below resources. Any program or medium that has a certain amount of depth and substance to them can be beneficial.

GAMSAT Section 2 PDF Checklist

We’ve provided quite a few tips on how to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 2. If you’re finding it difficult to keep track of all the information, download this free GAMSAT ® Section 2 preparation checklist PDF file today. It’ll help guide your Section 2 studies and essay writing practice.

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What is a good GAMSAT Section 2 score?

As always, it’s useful to have a solid understanding of how GAMSAT ® scores work in general, and our guide is a great place to start. The same percentiles that apply to the overall exam scores apply to the specific section scores. As such, a score of roughly 59 will place you around the 50th percentile, that is to say the average score for Section 2. A score of around 65 will place you at around the 75th percentile, or the top 25% of students. Students should typically aim for a score of 65 and above as this is generally considered a good score, and anything over 70 is considered excellent.

That said, what determines a good score for Section 2 is highly dependent on your performance across the other sections of the exam. Section 2 can be a difficult section for many students, particularly those from a pure science background, and as such, a lower score can be deemed ‘good enough’ provided you do well in other sections to counterbalance a low Section 2 score.

Your ‘good score’ is also dependent upon the university for which you are applying. Whilst the university cutoffs may be low, the average mark for acceptance at a particular university may be significantly higher and will vary from institution to institution. If in doubt, the best course of action is to contact the universities for which you are applying and inquire directly about your chances of acceptance.

What is the GAMSAT ® ?

Everything you need to know about the GAMSAT ® exam from structure and overview to which universities require the GAMSAT ® .

Understanding your GAMSAT ® Results

Covers everything you need to know about your GAMSAT ® results – How the scoring works, result release dates and even GAMSAT ® score cutoffs.

How to study for the GAMSAT ® Exam

A breakdown of how to approach study effectively and how to set up a GAMSAT ® study schedule

Free GAMSAT ® Example Essays

Download our Essay Writing Guide and read through our free Example Essays featuring low, medium and high quality responses.

Free GAMSAT ® Quote Generator

Take advantage of our free and comprehensive GAMSAT ® Quote Generator for over 90 Section 2 Essay Topics covering 40+ different themes.

How to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 1

An overview of what to expect in Section 1 of the GAMSAT ® exam, and how to prepare

How to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 3

An overview of what to expect in Section 3 of the GAMSAT ® exam, and how to prepare for each of the topics: Biology, Chemistry, & Physics.

GAMSAT ® Non-Science Background: How to Prepare

Tips on how to prepare for the GAMSAT ® if you come from a non-science background.

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GAMSAT SECTION 2

The Ultimate Guide to GAMSAT UK Section 2

Written by: Matt Amalfitano-Stroud

Section 2 of the GAMSAT (Written Communication) is the most unique part of the test, as it’s a writing task instead of a multiple-choice test. It’s also the shortest segment – with two tasks to analyse and complete in such a short amount of time, you’re going to need to be well-prepared to succeed in this part of the exam. This guide will explain what you should expect from Section 2 and how you can ensure you’re ready for anything it throws at you; let’s get started!

THE BASICS OF GAMSAT SECTION 2

Let’s start off by looking at the basic format and requirements for Section 2 of the GAMSAT.

Section 2 of the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is a test of written communication and interpretation . Throughout 2 tasks, you must be able to analyse a variety of quotations, determine a common theme and write a short piece to explain and justify your decision . 

How does GAMSAT Section 2 Work?

As mentioned before, Section 2 consists of two separate tasks which each take the same format and have the same requirements. In each task, you will be given a selection of four – five quotes/statements from a variety of contexts. These quotes share a broad, common theme that links them together. Other than these quotes, you are not given any additional information to support your writing. 

Your job is to decipher this theme and explain what it is and why you believe it to be the correct answer. There’s no set word count or limit for each of the two tasks, so it will be down to you to decide how many words will be required to effectively explain your case.

You’ll have 65 minutes in total to complete this section. Five minutes of this is dedicated to reading while the rest of the time can be spent planning and writing. 

GAMSAT Section 2 Scoring

Section 2 of the GAMSAT is unique in many ways compared to the other Section 1 and Section 3 , and the marking system is no different. While the other sections can be marked automatically as they are Multiple-Choice quizzes, written pieces must be assessed by human markers in order to accurately assign a score based on the quality of your work. 

There are conflicting reports on how your answers are marked here, but your essay will be marked by 2 – 3 different markers (and potentially a computer system), who will assess your writing on two key factors:

Quality of Thinking/Discussion of Topic

How well you have been able to explain your interpretation of the common theme and your justification for this answer. 

Quality of Language Used

How well you have been able to utilise written language to present your argument, via language and structure.

Using these factors, each marker will assign your two pieces with a combined score between 0 and 100 . The scores from each marker will be reviewed and a final score will be assigned on the same scale (learn more about this in our GAMSAT Scoring Guide ). 

As with the other sections, your Section 2 result is used to calculate an overall GAMSAT Score using the equation below. 

Overall Score = (1 × Section I + 1 × Section II + 2 × Section III) ÷ 4

Below is a quick summary of the whole GAMSAT format, including Section 2:

Exams.Ninja Tip 

Note that you will not receive any marks on your work if you don’t correctly interpret the common theme among the provided quotes. The themes covered are generally very broad so it’s difficult to completely misinterpret the quotes. However, it’s still important that you take time to fully consider the correct answer before writing. 

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With our GAMSAT Preparation Platform, you’ll be supported by our comprehensive Section 2 tutorials , a full collection of practice questions and 6 Mock Exams . Create your free account now to start your prep straight away!

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM GAMSAT SECTION 2

Section 2 questions don’t give you that much to work with, so it’s vital that you understand what you’ll be faced with and how you can use the prompts given to create a fantastic piece of writing!

We know the basic format of Section 2 now, but there’s a lot more that you need to know than just what’s on the paper. You’re going to need to learn how to interpret the quotes you’re given, plan out your writing and effectively express all of your thoughts within the limited timeframe – and you have to do all this twice!

Let’s take this one step at a time, starting with the interpretation stage:

Interpreting GAMSAT Section 2 Prompts

During the five-minute reading phase of the test, you’ll need to analyse each of the quotes you’re given in each of the tasks – that’s 10 quotes to analyse. It helps to take this stage one task at a time so as not to get confused or mix up quotes between questions. 

To start, you may find it beneficial to take a look at each quote quickly to get a sense of what you’re working with. You may pick up on some obvious themes quickly, some of which may be shared between multiple quotes . From there, you will need to take a look at each quote individually and take the time to assess what each one actually means. 

As you progress, you may find a common theme fairly quickly, at which point you’ll be looking to identify how that theme matches the remaining quotes rather than finding the theme within them. If you have any quotes that don’t seem to fit, it may help to re-evaluate your common theme or re-read the quotes to find what you’re missing . 

The themes will be fairly broad in the GAMSAT, but that doesn’t make them shallow or uncomplicated . Each quote may feature a different stance on the same theme or could be more subtle than others, which are all factors that you will need to discuss in your writing to get the highest marks.

Your interpretation doesn’t need to be perfect or one-to-one with what ACER (the GAMSAT operators) have specified. Misinterpreting elements of quotes isn’t going to cost you the question as long as you have identified the main theme correctly and provided sufficient reasoning for your views. Some elements of the task will be subjective, so just write what you believe it means .  

One important thing to note is that each task will deal with a different type of theme . Task 1 tends to deal with socio-cultural issues while Task 2 uses Personal/Social issues .  Here are some examples of what can be covered in Section 2:

GAMSAT Section 2 Common Themes

Task 1: socio-cultural issues, task 2: social/personal issues.

Our Example Question at the end of this guide offers an accurate example of what you should expect from the quotes you will be given in Section 2. 

Don’t rush to finalise your decision before you have fully analysed all of the quotes . While it’s easy to believe that you have the answer from looking at 4/5 of the quotes, you always need to ensure that everything in the task lines up with your answer . You may miss something that will change your whole perspective on the task, which could cost you all of the marks for the task. 

Planning GAMSAT Section 2 Writing

After your five minutes are up (or potentially during, depending on how fast you have interpreted the themes in each task), it will be time to start planning your writing . This isn’t going to be an identical process to other essay writing tasks you may have completed in the past for several reasons: 

Section 2 isn’t technically an essay writing task because you don’t have to write an essay . Applicants have to option to write in any format they see fit, including more creative and unconventional formats, as long as the writing reflects everything that is required for the question.  More on this in a bit!

2. Essay Length

We mentioned before that there is no set word count for these tasks. That isn’t really to benefit those who want to write long pieces but more so because you aren’t expected to write that much in this section. With the restricted time and requirement of two pieces, you’ll need to prioritise efficiency when it comes to your essay structure.

Time is the biggest restriction for this section , so it’s going to impact the planning phase just as much as the writing phase. You’ll have a digital whiteboard to use, but you shouldn’t spend more than 10 minutes finalising your plans for both tasks – and that’s only if you’re a fast typer!

So this planning phase may be more challenging or fairly simple depending on where your skills lie. However, the basic principles of essay planning still apply here – albeit in a more condensed form. 

Creating a basic structure for your work with set discussion points is essential to avoid unfocused writing and repeated statements . Efficiency will be your greatest asset, so simple but effective language should be the aim. Most test-takers will take on quotes one at a time, often finding connections between them to allow for natural flow, and this should all be determined in your plan. 

However, before that, you’ll need to decide on the form your writing will take. As mentioned before, you have an open approach to how you wish to write your work, be it conventional essays or more creative forms of writing. Some examples of less conventional writing formats include: 

You most likely have never seen an opportunity to write academic work in the form of a script or blog post before (especially in medicine), but all of these options and more are available to you should you wish to deviate from the standard essay format .  

With that being said though, most applicants still choose to write in a simple format. The GAMSAT markers aren’t awarding points based on the creativity of your work , so writing in these formats will only benefit you if you feel you can express your points more effectively and efficiently in this way. What’s important is that your work is well-written and offers valid arguments for your answer. 

Remember, you’re time is extremely limited so you shouldn’t fixate on the perfect form or structure for your work. Once you have your key points organised in a manner that makes sense, it’s time to start writing! 

How to Write for GAMSAT Section 2

Writing should take up the bulk of your time as you don’t want to rush through either of the tasks. With an effective plan in place , your priority now is to get the words down in a manner that is well-structured, makes sense and explains everything you need to cover . 

To manage your time effectively, understand that your work can be as short as it needs to be. A typical GAMSAT Section 2 essay is 400 – 500 words , but these are not set requirements. If you feel you can cover all of your points effectively in less or if you think you will need more to properly make your point, the choice is yours.  

The length is not important, but rather the following two elements of writing . These are the two factors that the markers will be assessing your work on, so ensure that your work is written with this in mind: 

This relates to the content of your writing . Essentially, the markers expect your work to clearly explain why you believe the provided quotes have a common theme between them. This is the whole point of the piece, so you need to ensure that the reader can fully understand how each quote fits the theme – at least from your perspective. 

Clear explanations will earn you points, but the highest-scoring essays will feature the following elements: 

• A clear thesis that summarises your thoughts on the overall theme within the task.
• Unique, thought-provoking and generally well-explored discussions of the themes and quotes at play.
• Backing with additional evidence where appropriate (though this doesn't need to be too in-depth).
• Displays of empathy, logic and other qualities of medical professionals.

Markers are looking for good-quality writing in GAMSAT Section 2 submissions. This doesn’t mean that they are looking for masterful uses of vocabulary and creative structure, but they do require work to be clear, concise and well-structured . Fluency in English also isn’t the primary concern in the GAMSAT, so minor mistakes will not cost you too many points as long as the intention behind the writing is still clear. 

In most cases, simpler writing will actually be favourable , as these are some of the key elements markers look out for: 

• A logical, well planned structure that offers a clear flow from point-to-point with good connectivity.
• Efficiency in writing, avoiding overlong and irrelevant discussion.
• An appropriate use of language and tone when considering the topic being discussed (primarily for more creative works).
• Generally easy to read and understand, making each point clear.

By focussing on these key areas – and ensuring you have correctly interpreted the task – you should find yourself performing well in this section. It’s the most open-ended task in the exam and that freedom can be either liberating or terrifying! However, effective preparation and practice will help you learn the best GAMSAT writing techniques that work for you. Let’s see what you can do to get yourself ready!

As with any essay task, you should aim to leave yourself time the end to review your work . You’re writing will be much shorter than you’re used to, so yo shouldn’t need more than 5 minutes to properly review both of the tasks. However, it’s still important to check that you covered everything as effectively as possible and correct any simple mistakes you may spot. 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR GAMSAT SECTION 2

Preparing for Section 2 can be challenging and time-consuming, but once you’ve perfected your own writing techniques, you’ll find the actual exam much less stressful! 

Throughout your time in higher-education, you’ve likely had a lot of experience with academic writing and have been able to hone in on your specific writing style. This will act as a great starting point for your GAMSAT prep, but you’re going to have to approach things a little bit differently in order to get top marks. Here are some ways to prepare yourself:

1. Write, Write, Write!

Writing is the most effective way to prepare for Section 2 of the GAMSAT – or any writing task for that matter! GAMSAT prep is convenient in some ways as you’ll only be writing short pieces under 1,000 words, meaning you can get through multiple pieces in a single study session. 

Initially, your writing doesn’t need to involve answering traditional GAMSAT questions but rather it can be about anything. In these early stages, the goal should be to perfect your writing style to match the needs of the GAMSAT . 

For many of you, this may mean you need to practice your efficiency . Good academic essays can be 4,000+ words long and cover dozens of points, but that just isn’t going to work in the GAMSAT. You need to be able to present the same quality of writing in a fraction of the space , so learn to cut out the fat while writing to prevent bloat in your work. 

2. Start Off Big & Learn To Edit

Following on from the first point, it may not be simple to edit your work while you’re writing. Therefore, you may find it easier to start off writing in your typical style and review your work afterwards to try and reduce the amount of fluff. 

As you continue this process, you may discover some bad habits that are padding out your writing or making it unnecessarily complicated to read . Once you’ve identified the issue, you can take the steps to stamp them out before the testing date so that you’re left writing highly efficient, easy-to-understand texts that will earn you top marks. 

If you’re struggling to do this yourself, perhaps give it to someone you trust , telling them that it needs to be simple and short . Chances are they’ll have some feedback on how to make it fit that description better. 

3. Use Practice Resources

While developing your writing skills is important, remember that you also need to be able to answer the question that the test will present you with. As the testing date gets closer, you will need to begin practising with actual GAMSAT-styled tasks , which isn’t always easy to do.

GAMSAT past papers aren’t released to the public , while ACER tends to charge for the majority of its official practice materials. Therefore free options are limited. Investing in GAMSAT materials is usually a good idea, especially if you are able to access materials for all three sections as you can do with GAMSAT.Ninja (which also provides free access to certain features including practice questions).

The difficulty with GAMSAT prep is that half the challenge comes from interpreting the quotes , which means you can’t really set the practice tasks yourself without help from a trusted family member or peer. If you can do this, however, it will provide you with a very effective preparation strategy!

4. Utilise Exam Conditions

By the end of your preparation, you should be able to confidently complete two separate tasks within the 65-minute window you’ll be given in the test. It’s important to be strict with yourself while practising for an exam, so you should aim to set aside at least an hour each week to do a full Section 2 simulation, complete with realistic marking . 

As well as this, you should aim to complete at least one full mock GAMSAT before the testing date in order to see how well you’ll cope with the gauntlet of testing that’s ahead of you. It’s exhausting and pretty inconvenient to set up, but if you can do it once, you should be able to do it again for real!

There’s plenty more to learn about GAMSAT prep in our GAMSAT Preparation Tips Guide , but for now, let’s take a look at an example of a GAMSAT Section 2 task:

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GAMSAT SECTION 2 EXAMPLE QUESTION

GAMSAT Section 2 tasks are simultaneously very simple and very deep, so let’s take a look at an example of one and how it could be approached!  

GAMSAT Section 2 Example Task 1

1. Some believe that the government is most effective at determining how public money is spent. Others believe it is the public themselves. 2. The founding principle of modern government is to redistribute wealth. 3. When the rich support the vulnerable, everyone prospers. 4. Redistributing the wealth of the nation is a complicated process that prompts many important questions about how to do it in a fair and reasonable way.

The common theme among these quotes is  Redistributing Wealth  – how money can be given back to society by the government or by the rich and what impact it can have. 

GAMSAT Section 2 Example Task 2

1. There are three certainties in life; taxes, death and change. 2. Some say life is nothing but change. 3. It’s not about the fact that things change; it is how you deal with change that matters. 4. Wisdom is dealing with chaos in a calm manner.

The common theme among these quotes is  Change – how change is perceived and dealt with. 

That covers everything. you need to know to start your GAMSAT Section 2 preparation! It’s not an easy task to get used to but with consistent practice, you should find this to be one of the easier portions of the whole test. If you want to go back to the GAMSAT Basics, check out our Definitive GAMSAT Guide , or if you’re to begin your preparation, sign up to GAMSAT.Ninja for free now!

GAMSAT UK Scores – Your Definitive Guide To GAMSAT Scoring and Results

Gamsat preparation: how to prepare for the gamsat uk, the definitive guide to gamsat uk section 3, your ultimate guide to gamsat uk section 2, the ultimate guide to gamsat uk section 1, gamsat: the definitive gamsat starter guide for 2024.

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Our GAMSAT Preparation Platform  features everything you need to prepare for GAMSAT success, all condensed into three amazing components. 

Training Temple-  Access GAMSAT tutorials that cover every section and every technique that will help you get a fantastic overall score.

Practice Dojo-  Utilise 1,000+ GAMSAT questions covering all three sections. Review worked solutions for each and every question to ensure you learn from each study session. 

Exam Arena-  Experience the true GAMSAT with 6 full Mock Exams and mini mocks. You’ll be placed in realistic exam conditions to prove your skills and access fully worked solutions.  

Start your free demo now to begin your journey to GAMSAT success!

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Guides & Info

The Ultimate Guide to GAMSAT Section 2

Please note that GAMSAT ‘Section II: Written Communication’ has been renamed to ‘Written Communication Section’. To ensure this article is easy to follow, we’ll refer to this section as ‘Section 2’ throughout. Read about the latest changes to the GAMSAT .

In our GAMSAT Section 2 guide, we’ll walk you through what to expect in Section 2 and how best to prepare for it. We’ll also go through a free example Section 2 task with expert guidance on how to structure this essay.

Just starting GAMSAT revision? We recommend building your GAMSAT knowledge by going through GAMSAT preparation material, such as:

• GAMSAT FAQ – view 30+ GAMSAT questions, including which dental/medical schools require the GAMSAT
• GAMSAT preparation tips – find out how to get the most from your revision
• GAMSAT preparation mistakes – explore common pitfalls to avoid while preparing
• GAMSAT timing – learn how to overcome GAMSAT time pressure

Once you’ve finished going through this article, we recommend reading the ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 3 , to give you a comprehensive overview of the entire GAMSAT exam. If you missed the first article in this series, make sure you check out our ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 1 too.

Table of contents

Gamsat section 2 structure, what does gamsat section 2 test, how should i approach preparation for gamsat section 2, free example task for gamsat section 2.

GAMSAT section

Number of GAMSAT questions

Section time

Time per question

Written Communication

Approximately 30 minutes

For GAMSAT 2024 testing, Section 2 will now be delivered via remote proctoring and will take place approximately two weeks before Section 1 and 3 (these sections will take place at a test centre as normal). Remote proctoring is a form of online remote test delivery which includes being supervised by a remote proctor via screen sharing and webcam monitoring. Learn more about how remote proctoring will work including top tips for ensuring it goes smoothly.

The purpose of GAMSAT Section 2 is to test your ability to effectively and logically express your thoughts. Essays marked will be judged on quality of thinking and how well you articulate this thinking through written language. In order to do this, you must identify the common theme running through the presented comments, and plan and structure your essay before you begin writing.

This section is split into two writing tasks: Task A and Task B. In each GAMSAT Section 2 task, you will read four or five comments on a common theme and must write an essay that responds to one or more of them.

• Task A tends to focus on socio-cultural issues, such as law, religion and economic narratives. It’s best suited to an argumentative essay style. 
• Task B tends to focus more on personal and social issues, such as emotions, feelings and the lived experience. Therefore, a creative or reflective essay could be the best option if you feel comfortable writing in this style.

For those with a pure science background, Section 2 can be the most daunting part of the GAMSAT exam. Not only this, the digital exam format means you’ll need to type out your responses (with no automatic spelling and grammar checks). If this is something you struggle with, we advise improving your typing speed and accuracy before sitting the GAMSAT.

For GAMSAT Section 2 preparation, we recommend that you break down the steps and timing for each task as follows:

• Assess the task (2 minutes)
• Brainstorm your response (4 minutes)
• Outline your essay (4 minutes)
• Write your essay (17–18 minutes)
• Review your essay (2–3 minutes)

As you can see, you should spend just over a third of the time limit planning and reviewing your essay, and allocate the rest to writing time.

According to the ACER GAMSAT Information Booklet , you’ll be assessed on ‘the quality of the thinking about a topic’ and ‘the way in which ideas are integrated into a thoughtful response to the task’. This means you should concentrate more on the depth and organisation of ideas, rather than breadth. A sensible guideline to follow for a non-creative essay is an introduction, a few body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

To perform well in this section, it’s critical that you demonstrate that you have correctly understood the theme, thought through different angles on the issue or topic, and taken a clear stance in relation to it. This can be achieved through analysing the task and brainstorming carefully.

In GAMSAT Section 2 essays, it’s a good idea to write about a few concepts that you understand, and communicate these in a logical and coherent way, rather than to present too many ideas in an unstructured manner. Also, some students can focus too heavily on individual quotes and end up missing the overall theme, or fixate too much on the theme and neglect the variety of opinions on a topic. Success in GAMSAT Section 2 requires a careful balance between the two.

Task A example essay question

Consider the following comments and develop a piece of writing in response to one or more of them.

Your writing will be judged on the quality of your response to the theme, how well you organise and present your point of view, and how effectively you express yourself.

Comment 1 The internet is an elite organisation. Most of the population of the world has never even made a phone call. Noam Chomsky

Comment 2 The internet is forever demanding that the real world be redefined to suit its whims. Terry Pratchett

Comment 3 The Web is a tremendous grassroots revolution. Tim Berners-Lee

Comment 4 The internet’s primary function is to allow people to hear what they want to hear.

Task A example essay guidance

Here’s a step-by-step process of how to approach this task:

Step 1: Assess the task (2 minutes)

1. First, assess the task by reading through all the comments and identifying the overarching theme. In this initial stage, your focus should be on determining which comments you can thoughtfully explore in relation to the theme. This will guide the subsequent decisions you make when planning and writing your essay. As we know that Task A will generally be on a socio-cultural theme, this can help with the first step of identifying the theme in the task. 

Step 2: Brainstorm your response (4 minutes)

2. After identifying the core theme and comments you wish to use, you should think about some pros and cons, as well as your own opinion. In this brainstorming phase, you should reflect on both sides of the topic and note down a few succinct examples for each side. Try to pursue ideas that you find interesting or exciting, as this sense of authenticity can develop your ideas and improve your writing. 

You can use any method to capture your thoughts in response to the task, such as a spider diagram or a table with arguments ‘for’ and ‘against’ the statement. By the end of this step, you should have comprehensive notes on many relevant ideas and examples, ready for organising.

Step 3: Outline your essay (4 minutes)

3. Now it’s time to decide how you would like to present all of this thinking to the reader. You should carefully select ideas that will strengthen your essay, and disregard anything that doesn’t contribute to the overall argument. Make sure you decide on your conclusion before organising your chosen ideas into a logical and coherent structure as follows:

• Introduction: Identify the theme and define the key concepts (use relevant brainstorming notes).
• Two body paragraphs: Explore one side of the issue in the first paragraph and explore the other side of the issue in the second paragraph. Provide examples in both paragraphs and arrange all your notes on comments, pros and cons, and examples.
• Conclusion: This is where you should state your own opinion. A strong conclusion accounts for everything that has gone before it (both pros and cons), and makes a logical deduction from that.

Step 4: Write your essay (17–18 minutes)

4. After assessing and planning your essay, it’s time to start writing! 

• Introduction: The purpose of the introductory paragraph is to provide a clear indication of what’s to come. Identify the core theme, briefly define any key concepts within this theme, and then finish by indicating the other side of the theme.
• First body paragraph: Present the first side of the argument as clearly and convincingly as you can, and include one or two points with supporting examples which connect to one of the comments.
• Second body paragraph: Present the other side of the argument as clearly and convincingly as you can, and include one or two points with supporting examples which connect to one of the comments. The key difference between this and the first body paragraph is that you’ll need to show an awareness of the previous paragraph, such as through terminology like ‘however’. 
• Conclusion: In the final paragraph, you should assert your own opinion – this means you need to pick a side. You could start by directly stating your opinion, and then give reasons as to why you come down on that side. Alternatively, you could briefly summarise both sides, then move swiftly to your opinion. Whatever approach you take, try to end on a strong note to show that you’re in control of the logic presented in the essay.

Note that you can easily adapt this structure to write an essay with a different number of paragraphs. For example, if you want to write one paragraph for all three comments in a task, you would simply plan for three body paragraphs instead of two.

Step 5: Review your essay (2–3 minutes)

5. If you’ve successfully carried out the first four steps, then this step shouldn’t take too long. You can use this time to proofread your essay, which includes checking the grammar, spelling and punctuation. If you have time, you could even add a sentence or two throughout to strengthen the essay if needed. However, by this point, your essay should be close to perfect. This time would be best spent reviewing your work rather than making any major changes.

Succeed in the GAMSAT with Medify

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Gamsat Review Blog

Everything you need to know about GAMSAT by Dr Peter Griffiths

GAMSAT Example Essays Section 2

Below you can find one of our Gamsat example essays for section 2 which was sent in for marking and detailed feedback as part of our Gamsat Essay Marking service.

The essay has been annotated by the marker.

Students who sign up for the Gamsat Review Home Study Course get a full 100 marked example essays for section 2 like the sample below as a standard part of the course.

Included are essays set on ten different sets of quotes and we show examples of both high scoring and low scoring essays to allow students to see what makes up a good essay and what a bad essay looks like.

Students who wish to get their own essays marked can then also sign up to the Gamsat Essay Course.

If you'd like to get a full 100 marked essays like the one above please sign up to the Griffiths GAMSAT Review Home Study course.

Included in the Section 2 BLUEPRINT you also get a plan which shows you step by step how to produce a high scoring essay from any possible set of quotes.

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GAMSAT Scores Explained

From: lindsay re: gamsat scores explained.

GAMSAT Scores Explained Part 1 – Overview

Gamsat scores explained… Let’s begin.

It is often pointed out by GAMSAT candidates that it is hard to know how to interpret GAMSAT scores. First of all, as you should no doubt know from other posts, the exam breaks down in the following fashion:

Section One:   75 Questions in 100 minutes, 25% of your mark

Section Two:  Two essays in one hour, 25% of your mark

Section Three:   110 questions in 170 minutes, 50% of your mark

It is necessary to score a mark of above 50% in each of the sections.  What this means is that you cannot hope to depend on any one particular section to save the day.  Often students will bet on a strong score in section three to save the day for instance.  This is a mistake.  First of all, it is possible that your play may go awry.  The configuration of topics may not be what you expect.  Similarly it is possible that the level of difficulty found in the gamsat questions may exceed your expectations.  Finally, even if you score well in section three, if you score below the minimum for the other two sections your application will be effectively invalidated for most of the Universities.  So, the big lesson is to remember to try to score well across the board.

GAMSAT Scores Explained Part 2 – Advice

There are number of pieces of advice to follow in terms of looking at your gamsat scores:

• An offer is based on what percentile your mark falls in.

When I sat the GAMSAT, in the 2000s, a successful applicant to the University of Melbourne Medical School could have a score as low as a 63.  This was based on the fact that fewer people sat the exam at that time, and that scores were generally lower.  Now more people sit, and thanks to more gamsat resources being available for students, scores are higher.  You want to score as high as possible given that scores continue to climb. 

• Score above a 65 overall.

Even though it is hard to estimate what would place you in the higher percentiles, and hence achieve an interview offer, it is important to remember that scoring a 65 or below is very unlikely to get you an interview for medicine.  Where once a 60 would have been sufficient at 65 should be your absolute minimum overall score. Note that scores are slightly lower for entry into medicine. View the minimum gamsat scores for medicine and dentistry.

• A solid section two score is in the 70s.

Anything below an essay score in the 70s is definitely on the weaker side.  To make an unambiguously strong impression aim to score this high. We have released the most comprehensive resource ever made for Section two… and it’s free. Click here to download it now – GAMSAT Essay Book

• Do not score below a 60 for section one.

This is a tricky section for almost all science students.  Scoring below a 60 for section one will definitely hurt any application you make.

• Score above a 65 for section three.

Success in this section is more challenging, hence high marks can be illusive.  However, to score below a 65 suggests insufficient preparation and an insufficient knowledge base. A great place to begin your study is to download our free gamsat exam.

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Guest Essay

Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands

By Sarah Bernstein

Ms. Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist in Brooklyn.

“I just can’t think of anything,” my student said.

After 10 years of teaching college essay writing, I was familiar with this reply. For some reason, when you’re asked to recount an important experience from your life, it is common to forget everything that has ever happened to you. It’s a long-form version of the anxiety that takes hold at a corporate retreat when you’re invited to say “one interesting thing about yourself,” and you suddenly believe that you are the most boring person in the entire world. Once during a version of this icebreaker, a man volunteered that he had only one kidney, and I remember feeling incredibly jealous of him.

I tried to jog this student’s memory. What about his love of music? Or his experience learning English? Or that time on a summer camping trip when he and his friends had nearly drowned? “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “That all seems kind of cliché.”

Applying to college has always been about standing out. When I teach college essay workshops and coach applicants one on one, I see my role as helping students to capture their voice and their way of processing the world, things that are, by definition, unique to each individual. Still, many of my students (and their parents) worry that as getting into college becomes increasingly competitive, this won’t be enough to set them apart.

Their anxiety is understandable. On Thursday, in a tradition known as “Ivy Day,” all eight Ivy League schools released their regular admission decisions. Top colleges often issue statements about how impressive (and competitive) their applicant pools were this cycle. The intention is to flatter accepted students and assuage rejected ones, but for those who have not yet applied to college, these statements reinforce the fear that there is an ever-expanding cohort of applicants with straight A’s and perfect SATs and harrowing camping trip stories all competing with one another for a vanishingly small number of spots.

This scarcity has led to a boom in the college consulting industry, now estimated to be a $2.9 billion business. In recent years, many of these advisers and companies have begun to promote the idea of personal branding — a way for teenagers to distinguish themselves by becoming as clear and memorable as a good tagline.

While this approach often leads to a strong application, students who brand themselves too early or too definitively risk missing out on the kind of exploration that will prepare them for adult life.

Like a corporate brand, the personal brand is meant to distill everything you stand for (honesty, integrity, high quality, low prices) into a cohesive identity that can be grasped at a glance. On its website, a college prep and advising company called Dallas Admissions explains the benefits of branding this way: “Each person is complex, yet admissions officers only have a small amount of time to spend learning about each prospective student. The smart student boils down key aspects of himself or herself into their personal ‘brand’ and sells that to the college admissions officer.”

Identifying the key aspects of yourself may seem like a lifelong project, but unfortunately, college applicants don’t have that kind of time. Online, there are dozens of lesson plans and seminars promising to walk students through the process of branding themselves in five to 10 easy steps. The majority begin with questions I would have found panic-inducing as a teenager, such as, “What is the story you want people to tell about you when you’re not in the room?”

Where I hoped others would describe me as “normal” or, in my wildest dreams, “cool,” today’s teenagers are expected to leave this exercise with labels like, Committed Athlete and Compassionate Leader or Environmentally Conscious Musician. Once students have a draft of their ideal self, they’re offered instructions for manifesting it (or at least, the appearance of it) in person and online. These range from common-sense tips (not posting illegal activity on social media) to more drastic recommendations (getting different friends).

It’s not just that these courses cut corners on self-discovery; it’s that they get the process backward. A personal brand is effective only if you can support it with action, so instead of finding their passion and values through experience, students are encouraged to select a passion as early as possible and then rack up the experience to substantiate it. Many college consultants suggest beginning to align your activities with your college ambitions by ninth grade, while the National Institute of Certified College Planners recommends students “talk with parents, guardians, and/or an academic adviser to create a clear plan for your education and career-related goals” in junior high.

The idea of a group of middle schoolers soberly mapping out their careers is both comical and depressing, but when I read student essays today, I can see that this advice is getting through. Over the past few years, I have been struck by how many high school seniors already have defined career goals as well as a C.V. of relevant extracurriculars to go with them. This widens the gap between wealthy students and those who lack the resources to secure a fancy research gig or start their own small business. (A shocking number of college applicants claim to have started a small business.) It also puts pressure on all students to define themselves at a moment when they are anxious to fit in and yet changing all the time.

In the world of branding, a word that appears again and again is “consistency.” If you are Charmin, that makes sense. People opening a roll of toilet paper do not want to be surprised. If you are a teenage human being, however, that is an unreasonable expectation. Changing one’s interests, opinions and presentation is a natural part of adolescence and an instructive one. I find that my students with scattershot résumés are often the most confident. They’re not afraid to push back against suggestions that ring false and will insist on revising their essay until it actually “feels like me.” On the other hand, many of my most accomplished students are so quick to accept feedback that I am wary of offering it, lest I become one more adult trying to shape them into an admission-worthy ideal.

I understand that for parents, prioritizing exploration can feel like a risky bet. Self-insight is hard to quantify and to communicate in a college application. When it comes to building a life, however, this kind of knowledge has more value than any accolade, and it cannot be generated through a brainstorming exercise in a six-step personal branding course online. To equip kids for the world, we need to provide them not just with opportunities for achievement, but with opportunities to fail, to learn, to wander and to change their minds.

In some ways, the college essay is a microcosm of modern adolescence. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a forum for self-discovery or a high-stakes test you need to ace. I try to assure my students that it is the former. I tell them that it’s a chance to take stock of everything you’ve experienced and learned over the past 18 years and everything you have to offer as a result.

That can be a profound process. But to embark on it, students have to believe that colleges really want to see the person behind the brand. And they have to have the chance to know who that person is.

Sarah Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist.

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