Pass the GAMSAT Faster, Smarter, and Snarkier!

🧠💭gamsat reflective essays: prep made easy.

Dog Shiba Inu Struck In Hedge But Looks Happy And Unconcerned Because Everything's Fine

Stuck? Who’s stuck? I’m not stuck. I’m just hanging out until I get good ideas.

Are You An Argumentative Essay One-Trick Pony?

Reflector - Killing Heidi Album Cover

Let us reflect on the noughties … oh, you weren’t born then? Thanks for making me feel old (meanie).

( ゚∀゚) Gamster, how are the essays going-

(^ΦдΦ^) Have you been staring at that list of quotes for 50 minutes now?

(⌐O_O) Um, 45, actually.

(^ΦдΦ^) Oh that’s not that bad .

( ゚∀゚) Well, what ails you , my child?

(⌐O_O) I’m in the awkward position of being unable to think of convincing points for an argumentative essay, or engaging points for a reflective essay.

( ゚∀゚) (Looks at quotes) Oh yeah, that’s always the case with half of the quotes.

(⌐O_O) What do you mean?

( ゚∀゚) Half of the quotes will suit argumentative essays, and half will suit reflective essays.

According to the GAMSAT info booklet , Section 2 has 2 tasks – each task corresponds to an essay, and has 5 quotes to choose from.

Task A has to do with socio-cultural issues, and Task B has to do with personal and social issues.

Alan 'Dutch' Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) Predator 1985

Once you go dutch , you never go back

(⌐O_O) The tasks sound different.

( ゚∀゚) They sure do – there’s implications too:

Usually, Task A is more suited to argumentative essays, since the topics are more of a bird’s eye view (e.g. world peace) and debatable from a logical perspective.

In contrast, Task B is more suited to reflective essays, since the topics are more street-level (e.g. sense of achievement) and relatable on an individual level.

Usually, Gamsters stick to argumentative essays, since the essay structure is simpler.

(⌐O_O) Yeah, it’s just:

( ゚∀゚) And argumentative also “seems” easier, since it seems easier to magic up some logic on demand, rather than having to search your feelings in real time – especially since aspiring med types usually have disproportionately large logic muscles.

gamsat reflective essay

Good for professional and, um, recreational and therapeutic uses

(⌐O_O) Yep, can’t argue with tha-  GOD DAMMIT….

( ゚∀゚) Lol better luck next time.

The thing is, that aversion to reflective essays can be super damaging: You are essentially dooming yourself to looking for argumentative essays for Task B, from quotes which are not geared towards argumentative essays.

(^ΦдΦ^) And also, there’s usually an overarching theme to the Tasks – e.g. Task A quotes are all about environmentalism, and Task B quotes are all about loss.

And if you know nothing about environmentalism (don’t worry, the social justice warriors will fix you up), then you have no logic to brainstorm for Task A – and suddenly you’re screwed, because you’re unable to go reflective on Task A.

( ゚∀゚) The thing is, it doesn’t need to be that way (baby): Reflective essays are in some ways easier than argumentative essays – because the essay structure is quite straightforward, and reflective essays make for self-sufficient pre-brainstorming.

(⌐O_O) What’s pre-brainstorming?

The GAMSAT Reflective Essay Structure

( ゚∀゚) You know the good old essay structure “Tell them what you’re about to tell them (intro), tell them (body), and tell them what you told them (conclusion)”?

(⌐O_O) Yep?

( ゚∀゚) That’s what the argumentative essay structure is based off:

  • Main idea (thesis), because of points 1, 2, and 3
  • Link thesis to point
  • Tie back to thesis
  • Thesis, because of points 1, 2, and 3
  • Overall suggestion or insight

( ゚∀゚) Thing is, the convention of what’s effective doesn’t suddenly change with reflective essays – the basic essay structure still applies:

  • Main idea (thesis), because of experience
  • Give context
  • What happened
  • What you did
  • What was the result
  • What did you learn
  • As relevant
  • The story/s, the insights that the story/s gave you, how the insights lead to your thesis

( ゚∀゚) As you can see, reflective essays aren’t any harder to write than argumentative essays – both types are relatively straightforward structurally. The challenging thing about essays, are the actual content: For argumentative essays, it’s coming up with persuasive points and examples, and for reflective essays, it’s coming up with compelling insights and stories.

The great thing about reflective essays, is that you can pre-brainstorm much more self-sufficiently than with argumentative essays.

(⌐O_O) WHAT IS PRE-BRAINSTORMING???

What Is Pre-Brainstorming?

( ゚∀゚) Pre-brainstorming probably doesn’t make sense as a word for this context, but it’s the best I can come up with right now.

( ゚∀゚) (Wait, there’s also Prophylactic Brainstorming)

(^ΦдΦ^) (That’s too nerdy)

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal 672 - DnD Stops Teenage Pregnancy

You know what’s also too nerdy ?

( ゚∀゚) (Preventative Brainstorming?)

(^ΦдΦ^) (What are we preventing?)

Funny Medical Cartoon Preventative Medicine KILLS Return Business

Woah woah woah, too woke

( ゚∀゚) (What about Pre-emptive Brainstorming?)

(^ΦдΦ^) (That works)

gamsat reflective essay

Strike first to avoid disappointment

( ゚∀゚) Ok, so Pre-emptive Brainstorming – or Pre-brainstorming, for short!

(^ΦдΦ^) (Everything comes full-circle in the end)

( ゚∀゚) Basically, pre-brainstorming is the act of brainstorming opinions and experiences before the actual essay-writing.

Benefits of Pre-Brainstorming

This is an important exercise, for a lot of reasons:

  • Writer’s block during actual essay-writing deletes your creativity
  • You have super-good, Eureka -level ideas at random-ass times
  • You have examples on-the-ready to fill out the draft
  • It takes you less time to settle on the central idea (the “thesis”) of the essay – without which you can’t build on ideas and fully flesh out the essay

Now, you can do pre-brainstorming for both argumentative and reflective essays. The difference though, is that for argumentative essays, the knowledge and expertise of each topic lies outside of you – meaning that it’s not enough to just take the topic and think about it.

(^ΦдΦ^) That’s how you end up with those mainstream, vanilla, basic-bitch points in your argumentative essays.

( ゚∀゚) (But Sportsgirl is totally my style!)

(⌐O_O) What would be like a mainstream point?

(^ΦдΦ^) To use world peace as a topic: Like how we kind of have world peace right now because ppl shouldn’t kill one another. A kid who doesn’t even have his pen licence could tell you that.

A maybe more informed view would be like how we have world peace right now because war and instability is bad for the global market (AKA profitability) and established government structures (AKA the status quo), so there are forces other than black-and-white primary-school-level morality for keeping the peace.

( ゚∀゚) So, to do pre-brainstorming for argumentative essays, you need the topic, AND do research on it, THEN think really hard to come up with convincing, integrated points.

That’s not the case with pre-brainstorm for reflective essays.

The point of reflective essays is self-reflection, which means that you already have the answers inside you all along , and that little to no research is needed for most topics.

Of course, there will always be topics that you’ve not experienced, or thought much of, or even know about.

(^ΦдΦ^) Like say, adoption.

( ゚∀゚) (But you’re technically adopted)

(^ΦдΦ^) (Shut up, mom)

Cat Macro Get Off The Table You're Not My Real Mom

Don’t you meow back at me!

( ゚∀゚) In those cases, you will have to do some research – but for the most part, you just need some topics and your brain to do pre-brainstorming for reflective essays.

And there are two ways to pre-brainstorm – Deliberately or Incidentally – and it’s kinda like exercise, actually.

Method 1: Deliberate Pre-Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) The first type of pre-brainstorming is like going to the gym.

(⌐O_O) I’ve never been to those places before.

( ゚∀゚) I know – I can tell by your glasses .

To be specific, you (a) make time for the activity, and (b) surround yourself with the best tools for the task.

To Do: Pre-Brainstorming

To expand on the above factors, you add pre-brainstorming as an actual task on your GAMSAT prep schedule.

(⌐O_O) How long should I pre-brainstorm for?

( ゚∀゚) It’s up to you – you can spend as short as 5 to 10 minutes on a topic; or if you get really into it, and there’s no urgent study you’re falling behind on that day, you can spend 30 minutes or more on multiple topics – or really fleshing out one topic.

(⌐O_O) And will it be painful?

( ゚∀゚) Not really, later in the Minimise Time Waste section, we’ll explore how you don’t need to be wasting your time if you get stuck.

The Tools of The Pre-Brainstorming Trade

(⌐O_O) What did you mean by “the best tools for the task”?

( ゚∀゚) Ok, let me tell you about gym equipment.

(⌐O_O) I meant for pre-brainstorming.

( ゚∀゚) Oh right. Thanks for stopping me by the way – I don’t know anything about gym equipment.

When you’re doing pre-brainstorming, you should be at your desk, and have Word or Google Docs open, pensive and introspective music on the go, and also your web browser at the ready.

This means:

  • You can list out a bunch of topics efficiently
  • These get you into emotional and/or reflective states, making it easier to brainstorm
  • You can use these materials as topics to springboard into brainstorming
  • When you have ideas, you can immediately write them down in full, and categorise them.
  • By the way, Reddit is one of the best sources of inspiration – find out how to properly use Reddit for GAMSAT prep

Benefits of Deliberate Pre-Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) Pre-brainstorming is different from brainstorming, which makes it uniquely useful:

During essay-writing, you’re goal-oriented and time-constrained – to pump out two completed and non-terrible essays in 60 minutes.

(^ΦдΦ^) (And yes, you should run every essay practice session under exam conditions ).

( ゚∀゚) When this is happening, you don’t have time for anything else.

When you do pre-brainstorming, though, you do have time and resources, and you don’t have fight-or-flight causing tunnel vision and writer’s block and stress incontinence and all that good stuff – you can actually be in a reflective and learning-oriented state.

This lets you do important things:

Benefit 1: You Can Flesh Out ALL The Ideas

( ゚∀゚) During essay-writing, when you start getting ideas about a topic, you need to quickly identify the ideas that can give you (a) a complete essay, and (b) an interesting read – meaning you need to trim away (or ignore) other idea branches that happen to pop up.

During pre-brainstorming, when you start getting ideas about a topic, you can follow those other branches for great profit.

gamsat reflective essay

Follow ALL the trails

(⌐O_O) What are the ways these follow-ups can help?

( ゚∀゚) Well for example, there are branches that require brainstorming longer than what’s tolerable during essay-writing, but can become fully-developed essay ideas.

(^ΦдΦ^) And since you’ve fleshed them out beforehand, they’re just ready to go.

( ゚∀゚) Like say, if you have to think long and hard to remember a short poem you wrote years ago, but once you do, you can note it down again, then it just becomes an example that you have ready to deploy.

(^ΦдΦ^) There are also dem Magikarp branches: Branches that don’t seem promising at the start, but led to more interesting ideas when fully fleshed out.

( ゚∀゚) For example, you didn’t have a particularly notable primary school experience, so you thought brainstorming about this phase in your life would not be fruitful. However, as you look through your box of stuff from those years , you discover the photo of you and your childhood bestie, whom you’ve lost contact with since changing schools. You decide to reconnect over social media, and pick up the friendship like not a day has passed. Do you think this doesn’t suddenly give you valuable insights and examples into childhood, personal circumstances, nostalgia, friendship, social media, technology, etc.?

Also, by fleshing out the entire topic (including for and against views, shades-of-grey views, mainstream and contentious views, strengths and weaknesses, history, function, major and minor players…), you now have ideas and examples for different stances.

That means you can write more well-balanced essays, by exploring the valid points of opposing stances.

And you can also write the most interesting essays, since you know what the most compelling viewpoints and examples are already.

Benefit 2: You Can Distill Your Own Creative Process

( ゚∀゚) During essay-writing, when good ideas pop into your head, you just grab them and shove them into the essay draft – there’s no time to stuff around.

During pre-brainstorming, when good ideas pop into your head, you’re relaxed and time-free, so you can remember what you were thinking about immediately before, and before that too.

This allows you to analyse the processes and triggers that lead to (a) random good ideas, (b) remembering experiences, and (c) combining seemingly separate ideas into insights.

As you identify these things, you can try to recreate the same processes and triggers, and you may come up with the goods again.

As you get better at the above, you can reach a point where you can become creative on demand, about a specific topic – and suddenly, you find yourself holding the holy grail of Section 2 prep.

You Have The Benefit Of Research

( ゚∀゚) During essay-writing, if you know nothing about the topic – then you’re kind of stuck with reaching into the abyss .

During pre-brainstorming, if you know nothing about the topic, you can just google it, or check if you wrote anything in the past about it (in blog posts, instant messages, or diary entries), or check other sources like social platforms, specialised sites, Q&A sites, books, etc.

A great tip is, as you’re going about your day, when you come across topics you know jack shit about, note them down, and that’s your list for the next deliberate pre-brainstorm session.

Method 2: Incidental Pre-Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) Having learnt about deliberate pre-brainstorming, you might be wondering why there is even a competing method.

(⌐O_O) Yep.

( ゚∀゚) That’s because they’re complementary to one another – and incidental pre-brainstorming has its unique benefits.

(⌐O_O) Yeah but why though ?

( ゚∀゚) You know all that time that you’re not prepping for the GAMSAT?

(^ΦдΦ^) When you’re running errands, cooking, doing laundry, eating, stuck on the toilet….

(⌐O_O) (From not enough fibre?)

( ゚∀゚) (No, from “mild” Sichuan hot pot .)

(^ΦдΦ^) (“Mild” at Sichuan places, isn’t the same as “Mild” at Nandos)

( ゚∀゚) Hell, even the times when you can’t listen to podcasts (and you should listen to podcasts wherever you can ), like when you’re showering, working, talking….

(^ΦдΦ^) “Listening” to friends complain about their partners….

( ゚∀゚) You know what you’re doing at those times? You’re living .

(^ΦдΦ^) (But Gamsters are still living when they’re prepping for the GAMSAT)

( ゚∀゚) (That could be a contentious stance. But yeah I know, I’m just pointing out the times when Gamsters feel they aren’t productive – actually are)

You’re living, and you’re experiencing.

And reflective essays are all about the attitudes, insights, and stories ppl get from reflecting on their feelings and experiences.

So, on a scale from 1 to Very, how efficient do you think pre-brainstorming will be, when you simply start reflecting on stuff during your everyday life?

(⌐O_O) Um, Extremely?

( ゚∀゚) Exactly.

It’s kind of like living in the desert, then one day realising that you can turn on photosynthesis.

(^ΦдΦ^) I don’t know where you’re going with that analogy .

( ゚∀゚) That’s awkward – neither do I.

ANYWAY. There are two ways of doing incidental pre-brainstorming: One is directed, and one is undirected

Incidental Method 1: Directed Pre-Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) With directed pre-brainstorming, you note down a bunch of topics that you specifically want to pre-brainstorm about, then go about your normal life. You can also keep a list of these topics on you, and refer back to them at times throughout the day.

Because you’ve directed your brain to look for these topics, two things are more likely to happen:

  • You notice examples of these topics in your life
  • You link seemingly unrelated happenings to these topics, which usually lead to more interesting insights

(^ΦдΦ^) It’s kind of like how if someone in your family becomes pregnant, suddenly you start seeing pregnant ppl everywhere.

( ゚∀゚) Including pregnant men .

(^ΦдΦ^) They’re just fat.

( ゚∀゚) (Snarksy! The agree-upon description is “generously portioned”!)

(^ΦдΦ^) (That’s a generous way of putting things)

(⌐O_O) (And generosity is a virtue)

( ゚∀゚) (So, fat ppl are virtuous)

(^ΦдΦ^) (No, we are virtuous)

( ゚∀゚) (Ok)

Incidental Method 2: Undirected Pre-Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) With undirected pre-brainstorming, you just go about your daily life, and let serendipity do the heavy lifting.

(⌐O_O) What’s serendipity?

( ゚∀゚) Serendipity can be understood as luck, or happy accidents, or “the universe doing its thing”.

Distracted Boyfriend Meme - Distracted Groom During Wedding

Life takes a turn when you take a turn .

Like if you met the love of your life because you took a different turn on your daily commute , or discovered what would become a lifetime’s fascination with street fashion, because you witnessed the phenomenon that was Brother Sharp in person, you can say that it was because of serendipity.

Brother Sharp VS D&G Street Fashion

When you go street, you don’t go back .

Likewise, as you go through life, things will happen to you, you will make decisions, and some of these things will get you thinking, or remind you of something, or help clarify your values – all of which you can flesh out into material for reflective essays.

For example, you may see someone who looks like your ex, which triggers a cocktail of feelings and experiences and attitudes in the topics of love, loss, compatibility, loyalty, fate, forgiveness, grudges, and so on.

Looks Like My Ex Has Bought Herself A Van 24-7 Drama

Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

Or you pass by a busker whose performance you like, but in your hurry, you didn’t leave a tip, or even stop and appreciate the show; and later you feel regret, which prompts you to reflect on how you want to spend your time and money, the legacy you want to leave the world with, the types of entertainment you value – and how that ties into your personal philosophy, etc.

Musician Jun-Hyuk Choi Joins Contrabass Italian Street Buskers To Play Autumn Leaves

And no time to join in , I’m guessing.

Or the shop was sold out of an ingredient you usually use, so you begrudgingly choose a similar ingredient, and then the dish you made turns out so great that the recipe becomes a proud personal special, and you think about the value of experimentation, the nature of secret recipes and intellectual property, the subject of piracy from the copyright holder’s perspective , your blossoming identity as a foodie, etc.

(^ΦдΦ^) Or you see a family in the mall, where the kids are making a mess, and the parents are on their phones giving zero fucks, and nobody else is doing anything. This annoys you, and leads you to think about parenting, physical discipline (and also the legal status of this topic, which knocks-on into the topic of domestic abuse), the intervention by unrelated ppl (or lack thereof ) and its moral implications, and of course, the topic of hypocrisy – stemming from your own inactions towards the event (since you conveniently left, lost in thought for undirected pre-brainstorming like a worthy Gamster).

Crying Kid In Public

If you see one, run. Don’t try to be a hero.

( ゚∀゚) As you may have noticed, all of these reflections came from actual experiences, rather than from exercises without context (e.g. “now, reflect on the topic of losing then regaining something”) – like what deliberate pre-brainstorm involves.

(⌐O_O) Yeah – reflection sounds… easier when that’s the case.

( ゚∀゚) That’s right, brainstorming seems easier, because rather than you finding the ideas, the ideas find you.

In Soviet Russia Waldo Wally Finds You

And no, don’t fight it 😊

And there are also two – no, THREE – other benefits:

Benefit 1: Value For Money

( ゚∀゚) Note that with the examples above, the experiences are dynamic (meaning they’re changing at the time) and complex (involving the interactions of lots of factors) – that means that from just one experience, you can brainstorm several topics.

Not only that, because the topics all come from brainstorming about the same experience, there is a load of overlap between the topics – so while you brainstorm for one topic, you generate material for other topics.

For example, say that you catch a puddle, leading to muddy shoes, socks and feet. This trauma leads you to reflect on:

  • Personal hygiene
  • What experiences evokes heavy emotions such as disgust
  • Feeling sorry for oneself

If you brainstorm personal hygiene, and about keeping alcohol cleaner in every room, wet towels in your bag…

(^ΦдΦ^) And an autoclave machine in the kitchen for your cutlery (you psycho).

( ゚∀゚) …And you realise that this is because your germaphobe parents raised you this way, and that it’s your lifestyle now, and you’ve never questioned it, and actually, when you think about it, you really don’t care for being 100% clean all of the time, and that muddy shoes don’t feel that disgusting – and you definitely don’t feel sorry for yourself….

(^ΦдΦ^) And that’s also when you realised that you would actually enjoy camping.

( ゚∀゚) Yes – that’s an extra topic: Learning about yourself from seemingly unrelated events.

If you brainstorm what experiences evokes heavy emotions such as disgust, you might really hate bugs – and it’s actually the possibility of there being bugs in the mud in your shoes that freaks you out, not the fact that your shoes feel muddy. This also informs both personal hygiene and lifestyle, with you vacuuming everyday, covering all your food with cling wrap-

(^ΦдΦ^) Even whole fruits individually (seriously, you have problems)

( ゚∀゚) -And holding insect repellent (in your hands) 85% of the time. And that reminds you that you read something about how ppl around the world eat bugs already, and how insects could be the food of the future – and that you’d really feel sorry for yourself if your life comes to that point.

(^ΦдΦ^) Then you realise that shellfish are pretty much the insects of the sea, and proceed to swear off a majority of seafood. More for me I guess.

( ゚∀゚) As you can see, since the topics branching off the same experience are so close to one another, brainstorming for one topic causes both splash damage to other topics – where the brainstorming automatically applies to those topics, and also chain-reactions, where the brainstorming for this topic naturally leads to brainstorming for other topics. It’s all super-convenient.

Doom 2 Barrels Of Fun

Fun times impending

Benefit 2: Example Already Included In The Cost

( ゚∀゚) Hey Gamster, what do you hate most about brainstorming?

(⌐O_O) Coming up with examples – it’s like, you know you have the experience, but you just can’t think of any when you need to.

( ゚∀゚) That’s usually the case: You kind of just come up with opinions when you think about the quotes – but without the examples, there’s no weight and no soul to your essay.

(^ΦдΦ^) And we all know that souls have weight.

(⌐O_O) We do?

(^ΦдΦ^) No .

( ゚∀゚) But yeah, examples are hard – when they’re the follow-up .

When you do indirect pre-brainstorming, you are starting with the example – so any pre-brainstorming ideas you come up with, you already have a real-life, fleshed-out example ready to go.

(⌐O_O) That’s super convenient.

( ゚∀゚) You said it .

Benefit 3: Everyone Gets An Example

( ゚∀゚) What’s more, you now have an example for several topics – since the reflection on those topics came from that same example experience.

(⌐O_O) Wait, I can use the same example for different topics?

( ゚∀゚) Of course you can. Only stand-up comedians aren’t supposed to recycle their material (and most of them do anyway).

(^ΦдΦ^) It’s like your best jokes or stories – if they get the right reaction, there’s no shame in retelling them.

( ゚∀゚) Also, there are no downsides to using the same example for different topics: For the actual GAMSAT, you are writing two essays, based on two different Tasks, and each task has its own topic. And only Task B topics are more reflective in nature. And Tasks A and B will have topics which are nowhere close to one another.

That means there is not really any scenarios where you would use the same example in both essays, in the same Section 2 session.

For example, for the occurrence where you saw your ex, you can use the example for the topics of “love”, “loss”, “compatibility”, “loyalty”, “fate”, and “forgiveness” – these are all Task B topics, so there’s no way for you to use it for Task A too (which is probably something like “ sabotage ” or “ institutionalisation ”).

(^ΦдΦ^) God damn, it’s awfully  Orwellian to see all those topics in one sentence.

( ゚∀゚) Also, don’t feel like you can’t recycle ideas and examples from practice essays – if something works, use it. Examiners don’t get to read any of your old essays.

(^ΦдΦ^) (You’re assuming ACER isn’t run by the CIA.)

( ゚∀゚) (There’s no point in assuming that: If ACER is the CIA, they’d also have access to your browser history – then no one would be morally wholesome enough to get into medicine)

(^ΦдΦ^) You and your Trump DeepFakes ….

Benefit 4: Natural Creative Triggers

( ゚∀゚) Oh, there’s actually one more thing …

(^ΦдΦ^) (Really, Will?)

( ゚∀゚) It’s a good thing!

You know how with deliberate pre-brainstorming, you have time and energy, so you can identify and possibly develop your creative triggers?

(⌐O_O) Yeah, turns out my trigger is jam.

( ゚∀゚) Oh. What type?

(⌐O_O) Licorice.

( ゚∀゚) Ummm, ok….

( ゚∀゚) ….

( ゚∀゚) (Don’t ask what happens to the jam. Just don’t do it.)

(^ΦдΦ^) (Is that even a flavour of jam ?)

( ゚∀゚) Anyway! With undirected pre-brainstorming, you can also identify and develop your creative triggers – except rather than the active “it came to me when I thought really hard” type, it’s the passive “I was just doing my thing when it hit me” type.

(⌐O_O) Wait, so you can develop the skill of randomly coming up with ideas?

( ゚∀゚) Of course you can – well, it’s not really a skill ( Blizzard says otherwise though), it’s more of the right settings – like if you identify the things in your environment that’s somehow linked to you getting more ideas, you can fill your life with more of it.

(⌐O_O) (Like jam.)

( ゚∀゚) (Will you stop it with the jam!)

(⌐O_O) (Yoghurt then?)

( ゚∀゚) ( Black yoghurt !)

(^ΦдΦ^) (Or pudding .)

( ゚∀゚) (For the puddy cat !)

You don’t have to know how it works – you just need to do it, and stack the deck in your advantage.

See here for a bunch of things you can do right now, on top of the personal triggers you’ll learn about yourself.

(separate post: Legal and free ways to increase your creativity today)

How To Pre-Brainstorm On The Go

( ゚∀゚) Of course, a major difference between deliberate and incidental pre-brainstorming, is that for the latter, you don’t necessarily have the time and resources to flesh out all the ideas.

So, I recommend carrying around a pen and notepad, and noting down the ideas as they come up.

(⌐O_O) Can I use my phone instead?

( ゚∀゚) It’s up to you: Note that the purpose of deliberate pre-brainstorming is that you’re fast enough to not impact on your non-GAMSAT-prep activities (so you can get back to GAMSAT prep faster), but you also take enough notes to adequately remind yourself later of the idea, when you can type out the full brainstorm.

As long as you can load the note-taking app and thumb-type fast enough, you should be fine: I use Google Keep on an older iPhone, and the app can take up to 10 seconds to load from zero – and that’s like 3 days in dog years!

(^ΦдΦ^) I don’t think that’s the right scale .

( ゚∀゚) For for me, I could have the Google Keep screen open at all times, or use Apple’s own Notes app, which has no lag.

Note that with your phone, auto-correct can help your speed, but can make it hard to abbreviate stuff- but that’s getting into the tiny details….

With pen and paper, it’s also easier to make mindmaps, which can be faster for some ppl.

For example, for the busker example, you might write:

How Everything Fits Together

(⌐O_O) That’s a lot of different brainstorming methods – I think I’m gonna go throw up now.

( ゚∀゚) No don’t do that. Here’s how everything fits together.

When At Your Study Setup

( ゚∀゚) (Study setup means laptop, available WiFi, time to sit and work)

Do deliberate pre-brainstorming:

  • List out topics to explore
  • Flesh out topics by thinking and reflecting
  • Process incidental pre-brainstorming topics
  • Research topics you have little opinions or examples for

For topics you’re stuck on and can’t flesh out -> Add to directed pre-brainstorming list -> save for incidental pre-brainstorming

When NOT At Your Study Setup

( ゚∀゚) Do incidental pre-brainstorming (includes directed and undirected types):

  • Review your directed pre-brainstorming list regularly
  • Carry notepad and pen, or have note-taking app loaded and ready
  • Note down inspirations, flesh out where possible – only write down keywords and key phrases
  • You’re doing life -> you don’t have the time and setup to flesh out and note down everything -> save for deliberate pre-brainstorming

Minimise Time Waste

(⌐O_O) But what happens when you strain really hard, and nothing comes out?

( ゚∀゚) The good news is that you’ll eventually get haemorrhoids, so that kinda counts as something coming out!

(⌐O_O) No no NO that’s not what I’m on about – I’m talking about when brainstorming gets you absolutely nothing, and you just feel like you’re wasting your time.

( ゚∀゚) Oh yeah I know that feel: It’s like when girls ask their bae what they’re thinking cos the guy has a serious expression, but it turns out that the guy wasn’t thinking about anything at all – never query your brain, cos all that’ll do is lead to disappointment.

Couple In Bed Guy Thinking About Superhero Names Not Other Women

Although sometimes there are high-stakes ideas behind that expression

(⌐O_O) Wait, I thought we were talking about brainstorming effectively.

( ゚∀゚) We are. Jokes aside, sometimes you’ve just got nothing – even with the help of your laptop and the web at your fingertips.

And that’s ok – your subconscious just needs time to chew on the topic, and poop out creative shit when it’s ready.

(⌐O_O) Ewww

(^ΦдΦ^) (Coughs furballs at Gamster, which connects for Big Damage )

( ゚∀゚) The point is, when you can’t brainstorm a particular topic, you just need to give it time – and the key is to not waste time while you’re waiting.

(⌐O_O) But how?

( ゚∀゚) By planning for it.

If you’re Asian, you know that when you start making dinner, the first thing you do, is to get the rice to start cooking. You know why that is?

(⌐O_O) Cos it takes the longest?

( ゚∀゚) That’s… debatable.

(^ΦдΦ^) Will cooks dishes really slowly. Maybe it’s cos he’s distracted by podcasts.

( ゚∀゚) It’s cos rice is the most time-dependent thing – it takes however long it’s gonna take, and you can’t do anything to speed things up.

(^ΦдΦ^) Like Will once forgot to make rice till late, and tried putting boiling water in with the raw rice to try to help things along.

( ゚∀゚) It didn’t work.

So the thing with time-bottlenecks, is to schedule them at the start of your process: That way it has all the time in the world to do its thing, while you go away and do something else.

(⌐O_O) So you prep the rice to cook, then go and cook the other dishes?

( ゚∀゚) That’s right. Same thing with pre-brainstorming: If you account for the (very real) possibility of getting stuck on a topic, you can schedule things so you don’t waste time.

For deliberate pre-brainstorming, you start with fresh topics.

If you get stuck, you (a) do research about it.

XKCD TV Tropes Tab Explosion

“ Research ”

If that doesn’t help, you (b) move on to the next topic. Repeat steps A and B until you get through the list of fresh topics.

(^ΦдΦ^) Yes, that means you should only have a few fresh topics per session – we don’t want to be pre-brainstorming for the whole day.

(⌐O_O) Just to clarify, what do you mean by “fresh” topics?

( ゚∀゚) As in topics you haven’t thought about before. During deliberate pre-brainstorming, there are:

  • Fresh topics you’ll try to think of ideas and experiences for
  • Old topics which you’ve already thought up ideas and experiences for during incidental pre-brainstorming, which you’ll flesh out and note down in full here (covered in Step C)

( ゚∀゚) If you’ve covered all the topics in that session and some topics are still stuck, you (c) start processing the incidental pre-brainstorming topics, which you already came up with examples and ideas for.

Homer Simpson To Do Pile Surprise

Be thankful it exists

If after all that and some topics are still stuck, you (d) add the stuck topics to the directed incidental pre-brainstorming list, and finish up the deliberate pre-brainstorming session.

Girl Dragging Long To Do List Daily Quipple

When the list gets long enough, you can give it a name, and keep it as a pet.

(^ΦдΦ^) This way, as soon as you catch yourself being stuck, you move on and stop wasting time.

( ゚∀゚) And at any point in Steps A to D, you can come back to the stuck topic – and if it’s become unstuck, you just work on it like nothing’s happened.

For incidental pre-brainstorming, you are literally doing your normal life stuff while your subconscious is brainstorming in the background – so there’s no time wasted at all.

Sudden Clarity Clarence Disneyworld Is A People Trap Built By A Mouse

Insights , anywhere, anytime, all the time

Why Step B Though?

(⌐O_O) Why should I cover all the topics first before Step C?

( ゚∀゚) As opposed to doing Step C as soon as you get stuck on a topic?

(⌐O_O) Yeah.

( ゚∀゚) That’s cos you’re benefiting from the number’s game.

For example, the more ppl you swipe right with, the more likely you’ll get a match.

(^ΦдΦ^) (Assuming you didn’t stuff up your profile .)

Tinder Jesus Carpenter Only Been Nailed Once

Um, love your work?

( ゚∀゚) Similarly, the more topics you hand your subconscious to gnaw on at the same time, the more likely you are to get inspiration back.

Inefficient Way

Say you have 5 topics (T1 to T5), you get stuck on T1.

So you move onto Step C, and process all the ideas and examples.

Then you come back to T1 – you’re still stuck.

You do T2 to T5, and get stuck on T2 and T4.

You now have three topics that you’re stuck on, which you can’t process right now without wasting time.

Efficient Way

In contrast, you cover all 5 topics immediately, and you’re stuck on T1, T2, and T4.

You then do Step C.

After this, you notice that you now have some ideas for T2, so you process that too.

You’re left being stuck on two topics instead of three.

You were able to process more topics, because you gave your subconscious more time to digest all of them.

And since you can’t exactly overwhelm your subconscious with too much work, there’s no downsides to throwing all the topics at it in one go.

Time-Waste Avoidance In Pre-Brainstorming ≠ Time-Waste Avoidance In Essay Brainstorming

( ゚∀゚) Even though I recommend not sitting and pre-brainstorming when nothing’s coming out, I recommend the opposite when it comes to actual brainstorming during Section 2 practice.

(⌐O_O) So, when writing practice essays, I have to sit there until ideas come out?

( ゚∀゚) That right.

(⌐O_O) Isn’t that inefficient though?

( ゚∀゚) It seems inefficient, because you would think that you’re comparing apples and apples. We’re actually comparing apples and avocados: Pre-brainstorming and essay brainstorming serve completely different purposes.

The purpose of pre-brainstorming is to find insights and examples to use later, so if you don’t think of anything right there and then, it doesn’t matter.

In contrast, the purpose of essay brainstorming is to find insights and examples to use immediately , and if you don’t think of anything right there and then, within the allocated brainstorming period, it matters a lot .

(^ΦдΦ^) (Like, “you fail this essay”-level a lot.)

( ゚∀゚) When you do essay brainstorming, there’s actually an element of conditioning: You are putting yourself in the same setting:

  • Seated at desk
  • With no research tools
  • With no external stimuli

And forcing yourself to achieve a certain outcome:

  • Above average insights and examples for 2 essays,
  • Minimum (5min): The 5 minutes of Reading Time (RT)
  • Maximum (15min): 5min RT + 10min of Writing Time (5min for each essay)

During brainstorming for practice essays, if you can’t think of good ideas, you sit there until you do; and if all you get are average ideas, you do your best with them.

(⌐O_O) Is that an order?

( ゚∀゚) Sir, yes Sir !

(⌐O_O) That sounds a bit harsh.

( ゚∀゚) It does. Then again, this is tough love: The GAMSAT will not cut you any slack, so if you cut yourself slack during practice, you’ll expect to cut yourself slack in the GAMSAT, which leaves you open to ridiculously-awesome wrestling finishers from the G-Force itself.

(^ΦдΦ^) (Will goes through all this in the post Why Practicing Essays For GAMSAT Every Day Is Important .)

( ゚∀゚) So yeah, when you’re stuck during pre-brainstorming, minimise time-wastage by doing something else; but when you’re stuck during brainstorming for practice essays, power through it, until you get unstuck. With experience, you’ll get better at brainstorming on demand.

( ゚∀゚) That was a long read!

(^ΦдΦ^) You can say that again….

( ゚∀゚) Let’s summarise for great justice:

( ゚∀゚) What’s your experience with pre-brainstorming? Let us know in the Comments below!

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Struggling with how to write the perfect GAMSAT Essay? Check out our free GAMSAT Example Essays with tips and corrections to master your preparation for the GAMSAT Section 2 Essays

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Free GAMSAT Example Essays

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Writing GAMSAT ® practice essays is the most important aspect of preparing for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam. Regularly writing essays allows you to develop and practise your essay writing skills and is something you should aim to start from early on. It’s important to get into a routine: Whether you aim to type an essay once a week or once a day, every bit counts.

Writing regularly also helps develop your confidence, and prevents having that ‘writer’s block’ moment in the exam.

We’ve prepared a handy GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Guide you can download which includes all the information on this page, as well as some extra tips, some example essays to help you get a head start on your preparation for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam. Start preparing today!

  • GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Tips
  • GAMSATE ® Essay Qualities
  • GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Guide
  • GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Topics
  • GAMSAT ® Section 2 Example Essays
  • Further Free GAMSAT ® Preparation Materials

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Want more tips on how to ace GAMSAT ® Section 2 after reviewing our GAMSAT ® example essays? Our expert tutors, Nick and Caroline, provide further tips to help improve your essay writing skills in this Free GAMSAT ® Example Essays video guide.

GAMSAT Essay Writing Tips

Simply writing GAMSAT ® essays is not enough - It needs to be done in a structured fashion to ensure that you get the most out of your preparation. We recommend that you:

  • Get feedback on your essays. It is vital that you get your friends, family, tutors and anyone else to read these essays - ask them to provide criticism and suggestions.
  • Critique your own essays. After every essay you write, read it aloud to yourself and listen to see if it makes sense. Try to mark your own essays -use the list below as a useful guide
  • Start gently. 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.
  • Type your practice essays. It’s important that you get accustomed to typing your responses. There is no spell-check function in the GAMSAT ® exam , so practise typing responses into word processors without spelling and grammar corrections. You may also need to work on your typing speed. You will still be able to use provided sheets of paper for planning and brainstorming if necessary.
  • 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. The GAMSAT ® exam can throw up unexpected prompts that might be difficult to write in a particular style: it’s important to give yourself the flexibility to deal with anything the exam might throw at you.

You can find more detailed GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Writing Tips and a Section 2 Reading List on our guide here: How to Prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 2.

Make sure you also sign up for our GAMSAT ® Free Trial to get a wealth of other free GAMSAT ® Resources including a recording of our GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Webinar:

Start Your GAMSAT ® Preparation Today!

Get a study buddy, upcoming events, gamsat essay qualities.

A strong GAMSAT ® essay, no matter what structure you choose, should:

  • Be strongly related to the theme of the prompts. The GAMSAT ® is a test of reasoning skills: Your markers want to see how you think. In order to assess this, they need to see how you have thought about the prompts provided. GAMSAT ® essays that are unrelated give the impression of being ‘pre-written’, and are penalised quite heavily.
  • Be well-written and well-structured. Sentences should be clear and concise. Paragraphs should only contain one main idea. Introductions and conclusions should summarise the essay, and not include any information that you do not analyse in your body paragraphs.
  • Be interesting and original. Rather than simply arguing that the theme of the prompts is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, try to come up with something more specific. For example, for a set of prompts about research, rather than arguing that ‘research is good for the development of society’, you could take a more specific approach and argue that ‘research is a male-dominated field that suppresses female voices’.
  • Include detailed critical analysis. Again, your writers want to see how you think, not ‘what you know’. This means pulling your examples apart in great detail. Ask yourself questions, and answer them in your response. What were the motivations behind it? Was there a driving ideology? What were the consequences? What does this show about human society?

GAMSAT Essay Writing Guide

How do you start writing a gamsat essay.

  • Understand the Theme: Read the quote, identify the main theme, and any other related ideas. Your response needs to engage strongly with this - otherwise your markers cannot reward you.
  • Brainstorm Ideas: Build a bank of ideas. Look over many essay prompts, and try to come up with three supporting examples that could be used for the theme. If you can’t think of any, do some research - current affairs, history, literature - anything that is relevant.
  • Create a Thesis: What is your opinion on the theme? Make it clear, concise, and easy to understand.
  • Choose a Structure: Consider what is most appropriate for the theme and explore your options. You might choose an argumentative response with concrete supporting examples, a more reflective response drawing on your own experience, or a fictional response that allows you to explore emotions and psychology.
  • Plan Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph needs to support your thesis, and go into detailed critical analysis. Support your thesis by referring back to your central idea at the beginning and end of each paragraph, and throughout your analysis.
  • 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. Long sentences are not necessarily sophisticated sentences. Think of the great speech-makers. They use concise language. Simple writing is often the most powerful.
  • Review your Essay: Review what you have written and ensure it makes sense. Check for typos and errors of grammar and punctuation. You want to give your marker the best impression possible.

For a further breakdown and more tips visit our guide: How to Prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 2.

Is GAMSAT Section 2 written or typed?

After the trial of a digital platform for the March and September GAMSAT ® in 2020, ACER decided that all future exams will be conducted digitally. Thus, GAMSAT ® Section 2 is typed, not written. Note that this change has not impacted the total allocated time, and you will still have 65 minutes to complete the two pieces of writing. However, students are now permitted to write in the 5 minutes that were previously allocated solely for planning.

Many students will be used to completing practice essays by hand, and it is important to tailor your practice to the exam context as closely as possible. Note that on the digital interface of the GAMSAT ® exam, there will be no autocorrect function or ‘copy and paste’ functions. Thus, it is important that when practising, you disable the autocorrect feature as well as any automated correction functions of your writing software. Programs with a simple interface like Notepad (and similar alternatives available online) are recommended.

How long are the essays in GAMSAT?

Another consideration with regards to Section 2 preparation is the paragraph/word count you are expected to reach. 400-600 words per essay has typically been used as a rough estimate of what students should aim to achieve under the previous handwritten condition. In contrast, a reasonably fast typers will be able to reach up to 1000 words in a 30-minute essay. Whilst the emphasis should still be on the quality of your writing and ideas, it is still important to keep in mind that you should be aiming for a longer essay than you would under handwritten conditions.

How to Practice for GAMSAT Essay Writing

  • Get into the practice of typing. Whilst many students may be used to texting or typing out their assignments, typing under time pressure is a different skill altogether. The last thing you want is for your typing speed to limit the amount of content you can produce in the exam. Typing your essays under timed conditions will be the best practice in this regard.
  • Make effective use of planning time. It is much easier to write-out and edit your plan on the digital interface. Whilst you’re now permitted to write during the 5-minute planning time at the start, it is advised that you use this time to plan out your essays and perhaps even write out your topic sentences to keep you on track during the writing process.
  • Practice editing. As with planning, editing essays is much easier on a digital interface than in handwritten conditions. Nonetheless, it is important not to spend large chunks of writing time editing an incomplete essay. It is preferable that you aim to complete your essays a few minutes before the writing time ends so that you have time to edit. When editing, look for simple grammatical mistakes as well as changes to words and sentence structure that can increase the depth and clarity of your ideas. It is also a good idea to assess the flow of your essay, and integrate connecting words (thus, however, therefore, furthermore, etc.) to link your ideas and more clearly explicate the relationship between them.

For more information, check out our GAMSAT ® to Med School Podcast episode which specifically covers GAMSAT ® Section 2 advice and best practices.

GAMSAT Essay Structure

ACER does not provide any guidelines in regards to an essay structure, minimum word count, or how long your GAMSAT ® 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 basic guideline to your GAMSAT ® Essay Structure is:

  • 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 to best organise your ideas to ensure that your arguments are conveyed logically and coherently.You can practise using our Free GAMSAT ® Quote Generator which has over 90 Section 2 essay prompts, covering 40+ themes.

How many words should a GAMSAT essay be?

As mentioned above, a common piece of advice is to aim for about 400-600 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 fewer words then do it.

For tips on Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® exam, our study guide contains a 14 pg Section 2 Essay Writing Guide. Sign up here: GAMSAT ® Free Trial

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

How do you choose a GAMSAT essay style?

There are many GAMSAT ® essay styles to try, and each have their own advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. The list below is by no means exhaustive but may help provide you with some ideas and styles to trial. You should aim to test different styles and work out what works for you best.

Argumentative Essays

  • Personal Reflective Essays
  • Short Stories

These GAMSAT ® essays follow a basic structure, using an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You will take a strong central opinion, and introduce it in your introduction. Each body paragraph should contain one supporting example, and detailed critical analysis, in order to defend your argument. These essays:

  • Are usually students’ preferred option.
  • Allow you to analyse political and social themes very effectively.
  • Require a good breadth of knowledge in order to provide three supporting examples.
  • Follow a set structure or formula, and can therefore be easier to get the hang of if you are not as comfortable writing.
  • However, argumentative essays can be difficult if the prompts are about something very personal or introspective, for example, ‘love’.
  • They can also make it more difficult to be interesting and original in your response.

Personal reflective essays

These GAMSAT ® essays allow you to demonstrate your emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and empathy. These are vital qualities to demonstrate in the entrance exam for medical school. Try to avoid a hybrid of argumentative and personal styles: personal essays that take three short anecdotes and discuss them in an introduction/three body paragraphs/conclusion structure do not usually come across as sincere.

Taking one, strong personal experience that is related to the theme of the prompts, and analysing it in detail, is a great way to start. Show your marker what you felt and why you felt that way - demonstrate your emotional and psychological analytical skills. These essays:

  • Are an excellent way of being interesting and original: your experience is your own.
  • Make it easier to demonstrate emotional awareness - It is much easier to provide emotional insight into something with which you have personal experience.
  • Can move your marker. Your marker is a human being! Giving them a personal response gives them a connection to you.
  • Are the least challenging of the non-argumentative essays - most students like to start with these essays before branching into more creative writing.
  • However, it can be difficult to write these essays if you have no experience related to the theme of the prompts. Collecting a ‘bank’ of personal experiences that can be used for various themes is a helpful way of knowing whether you can use a personal reflection for a set of prompts.

Short stories

Writing short stories is an excellent way of standing out. They allow you to show emotional and psychological insight, but without having the restraint of personal experience.

In a short story, try to stick within your own realm of experience. A short story does not have to be a Hollywood Blockbuster: often the simplest plots are those that are the most sincere, touching, and effective. Remember that the point of these essays is not to write a dramatic story. It is to demonstrate your social, emotional, or psychological reasoning skills to your marker. These essays:

  • Require practice. Refine your writing style to be simple, sincere, and not far-fetched.
  • Require creativity! Think of creative ways to describe emotions or situations. Avoid cliches in your descriptions.
  • Should deal with one strong central idea that is related to the theme of the prompts.
  • Can produce outstanding marks. Well-written and thoughtful short stories allow you to demonstrate the sophistication of your expression, your originality, and your analytical skills.

GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Topics

Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Essay 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 quotes (usually 5), 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)

You can find further essay topics using this free GAMSAT ® Section 2 Essay Quote Generator:

gamsat reflective essay

GAMSAT Section 2 Example Essays

Even with all of the above tips and topics, it can be difficult to start writing without an idea of what a GAMSAT ® Essay should look like. That’s why we’ve decided to provide an example essay below with feedback provided by our tutors to help you make a start on your preparation for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam.

GAMSAT Section 2 Task A Example Essay

Task a example essay question.

  • Don’t forget your great guns, which are the most respectable argument for the rights of kings. (Frederick the Great)
  • The people are that part of the state that does not know what it wants. (G W F Hegel)
  • Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything. (Joseph Stalin)
  • Win or lose, we go shopping after the election. (Imelda Marcos)
  • Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms which have been tried from time to time. (Winston Churchill)

Task A Example Essay: Medium Standard Essay

  • The people are lead to believe that their votes decide the power, however the real power resides with those who count the votes. Whether the power is attained by corruption or manipulation, the people have little say even what they try to stage a backlash. Examples of corruption aren’t hard to find, but the frustrating case of Robert Mugabe is a strong example. Constant broken pre-election promises try to manipulate the people even at a staged constituency. Time and again tyrants pop up to demonstrate clearly how compromised the electoral process can sometimes become.
  • The strings of bad decisions made by Robert Mugabe have devastated Zimbabwe, whilst somehow benefiting him and his family. In 200 President Mugabe enacted the removal of white ownership of farmland. His plan was to give the land to the native Zimbabwean’s to make them more successful and therefor give them more of the power. This was an important promise and made him very popular with his countrymen. During the crossover period, Mugabe’s family ended up with 39 farms, with the rest going to un-experienced Zimbabweans. The result was a complete slump in food production and in return a failing economy for Zimbabwe, forcing them to abandon their currency in 2009. Ironically the white farmers had been very effective in their farming and had bolstered the economy. In the 2010 election, despite being generally despised by many Zimbabweans, Robert Mugabe won another term by a giant 60% of the votes. It seems unlikely he would win reelection given the circumstances. Corruption among the voting officials who were under the control of Mugabe is suspected but few are willing to question his authority.
  • It’s partially expected by citizens of democratic countries that pre-election promises are seldom kept. However when a candidate is making promises that would highly benefit you and your community, it’s hard not to jump on their bandwagon. In the 2013 election, the Labor party promised millions to rural communities to fund different community projects which would have provided stimulation for their economy. However since winning the election and releasing the budget, those promises have been revoked in order to cut costs. Resulting in thousands of rural citizens feeling manipulated by false promises made by the Labor party.
  • Most recently in WA, an alleged 1800 people have voted multiple times at different polling stations in the 2013 election. Before this, thousands of votes had believed to have simply vanished so a new election was to be held, but in light of this new information an additional investigation is being held. This is an example of the people trying to take back the power. Although it is illegal, most would not consider it to be any less morally wrong than corruption or manipulation especially on a huge scales such as the examples of Robert Mugabe and the Labor party. Voting is only a human invention, and it can be easily manipulated just like any other human invention.
  • Tactics of politics are harsh. With emotional and physical tries to power, its not a surprise that votes feel the need to use the same tactics in order to win back the power. Examples can be found all over the globe with Zimbabwe and Australia just scratching the surface. In the words of Joseph Stalin – “Those who cast the votes deiced nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.”

Task A Example Essay Correction and Feedback

  • This is a well-written essay and appears to make a sound argument by incorporating some well-informed examples.
  • There is no major flaw with the written expression in this essay. While sentences in some cases can be shortened and written in a more direct manner, this is not a major criticism of the essay. There are, however, multiple small errors: ‘people are lead to believe’ should be ‘people are led to believe’; ‘the people have little say even what they try to stage a backlash’ should be ‘the people have little say even when they try to stage a backlash’, amongst others. Whilst these are small details, it’s important to give your marker a strong impression of the quality of your written expression.
  • The structure of the essay also follows the basic argumentative essay structure. One of the main issues that prevents this essay from receiving a higher mark is that the quote that the writer has selected is not compatible with the second example that they have provided. This example talks about a political party changing its tune after an election. It is not clear how it furthers the argument that the electoral process itself is compromised in some way. In argumentative essays, every supporting example should be defending and strengthening the thesis. Irrelevant examples and analysis is very difficult for a marker to reward. In fact, they can actually weaken, rather than strengthen, an argument, as they distract the reader from the central idea.
  • The content of this essay appears informed. The writer, however, has made a crucial mistake in saying that the Labour party won the 2013 election. It was the Liberal party. If this mistake were made once in the text it could be dismissed as a typographical error under the time pressure; however, it is repeated.
  • This essay could also go to a more sophisticated level of critical analysis. The details of the examples could be teased out to further support the central example. For example, in the third body paragraph, what are the consequences of these votes being ‘lost’? Democracy is being compromised and people’s votes are being silenced: imagine living in a country where voting is compulsory, yet your vote is not counted. Is this a betrayal of the people? How is it an example of the people trying to take back power? Perhaps because they are demanding accountability from their democratic government. Is this, in itself, promising? Namely, whilst voting is open to corruption, in a true democracy, the people have a right to freedom of speech and to transparency of government. Does the true spirit of democracy, then, help to defeat the possible corruption of the voting process?
  • Going into this level of detail would demonstrate stronger reasoning skills. Markers want to see how a candidate thinks, and how deeply they think - not simply ‘what they know’.
  • This essay is quite good, and it has chosen a challenging argument to present. However, it can be improved by a better selection of content that goes directly to the argument that the writer is trying to make.

GAMSAT Section 2 Task B Example Essay

Task b example essay question.

  • Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality. (Arthur Koestler)
  • Create like a god; command like a king; work like a slave. (Constantin Brancusi)
  • Truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing. (Henri Matisse)
  • You are lost the instant you know what the result will be. (Juan Gris)
  • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. (Edwin Land)

Task B Example Essay - High Standard Essay

  • Creation is a power no mortal man should be gifted with. And it’s exactly that. A gift. It can give rise to ugly life forms capable of destruction yet it can also wondrously design and improve our small insignificant lives. A gift not bestowed upon me and perhaps for good reason.
  • The power of creation is given to those who sit on the outskirts of our society, like outcasts and the insane. These poor souls, if poor is the best fitting word, let their minds wander aimlessly and ironically discover and churn out fantastical and absurd ideas. How blissful.
  • Desperation summons creative too. When we are pushed to the extremes and our normal ways fail, new ideas spawn almost spontaneously. When there is no other option but to be creative, we find ourselves stumble upon the new and the amazing.
  • Regardless, there is a very good reason being creative is not easy. It's not for everyone. Chaos would conspire. Creativity is power. Power corrupts the mind. Corruption is fatal. But just for a minute, let's indulge and pretend we possessed the power of creation. What to do? What should I create? I would not create equality amongst equality amongst race or world peace or a cure for aids. That’s not out of the hexagon enough for me. It's not that I do not support world peace or todays real issues, but someone with a smaller capacity for creation can do that. A child. A dying war veteran. I’m going to create something unfathomable. It's my duty, my unspoken agreement to create something for more unimaginable. Good or evil? Black or white? The answers to these questions are never easy.
  • Who knows. Let drugs and hallucinogens do their work there. Because I can’t create anything of such a nature. I’m skin and bone. Not god. Not even a demi-god. I’m not burdened by the gift of creation. But god knows someone is. What a frustration to wait for the day they realize, what a terror to see what follows.

Task B Example Essay Correction and Feedback

  • This essay is challenging and different. The written expression in this essay, whilst simple, is powerful. It can be read as a form of dramatic monologue and the writer has carefully selected each word and sentence length to ensure that the essay is read in a dramatic tone. It resembles speeches by accomplished orators: simple and moving. The purpose of many essays is to convince the reader. It is much easier to convince someone if they can understand it; even easier to convince someone if they are moved by it.
  • The structure of this essay is almost similar to a free verse poem in that there is no real structure; however, there is cohesion between paragraphs. The writer’s ideas on the issue are easy to follow.
  • This essay is considered a high standard mainly because of the content and the original perspective on the theme. The writer reflects upon what creativity is, but in a way that is not often executed by students under strict exam conditions.
  • Each paragraph of the essay covers a different twist on what creativity means. It challenges the reader to consider the writer’s opinions and stands out from other essays. Also note that although this essay is a high standard response, the length of the response is much shorter than the other examples. This is a good demonstration of how quality is more important than quantity.
  • As with every essay, however, there are aspects that could be improved.
  • There are simple errors throughout: these detract from the writer’s otherwise powerful and strong sense of voice.
  • One other important way in which this essay could improve would be to have a stronger central idea. The essay clearly focussed on creativity, and different interpretations of it. However, unifying the essay behind one perspective, such as the danger of creativity, could make this response more effective.

Make sure to also sign up to our GAMSAT ® Free Trial to watch a recording of our GAMSAT ® Essay Writing Workshop! Check out the 10 minute excerpt below:

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How to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 1

An overview of what to expect in Section 1 of the GAMSAT ® Exam, how to prepare.

How to prepare for GAMSAT ® Section 2

An overview of what to expect in Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam, how to prepare and how to perfect your essay technique.

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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 2 structure

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.

What does GAMSAT Section 2 test?

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.

How should I approach preparation for GAMSAT Section 2?

Graphic showing someone typing on their laptop

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.

Free example task for GAMSAT Section 2

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.

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Don’t forget to check out our ultimate guide to GAMSAT Section 1 and GAMSAT Section 3 if you haven’t already!

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A Beginner’s Guide to GAMSAT Section 2

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Prepping well for Section 2 is arguably the best and easiest way to boost your overall GAMSAT score. But there are a number of pitfalls people fall into.

Experienced writers can be overconfident and be caught out by the restrictive time limit.

Inexperienced writers can neglect this section in favour of prep for the more intimidating Section 3.

But if you want a nice score boost, I recommend you get serious about Section 2!

Essential Info

Section 2 is the “Written Communication” section for which you need to write two essays in response to two “tasks”. ACER want to see what kinds of ideas you can come up with on the fly and how well you can express them in writing.

Each task will consist of 4 “comments” or quotes (in the past it was 5) from which you can ascertain a common, general theme. Feel free to respond to one quote, 2-3 of the quotes or the whole general theme.

It isn’t necessary to give your essays titles. But it might help YOU to do so! More on this later…

Timing info

Number of essays: 2

Reading time: 5 mins

Writing time: 60 mins

Writing time per essay*: 30 mins

*You can actually spend more time writing one essay than another because you have a total of 60 minutes to write both.

Task A ( socio-cultural issues)

Writing style: argumentative, academic

Example topics:

  • Government / democracy

Task B ( personal and social issues)

Writing style: emotional response, reflective

  • Forgiveness
  • Intelligence

Official advice from ACER

Each essay will require you to “produce and develop ideas in writing” meaning they’re testing your ability to come up with ideas off the cuff and express them effectively.

ACER warns that “pre-prepared responses and responses that do not relate to the topic will receive a low score.”

It might be comforting to know that you will not be assessed on the “correctness” of your point of view. So whether you’ll be expressing right-wing, left-wing or middle-ground views, in theory it should not impact on your score.

Unlike what you may have come across in your academic journey so far, you will not be asked to respond to a specific question or be given a title. Instead, you will need to ascertain a common theme FIRST from the comments/quotes provided and respond to that.

You will be marked on the “organisation and expression” plus “thought and content” of your essays…

Thought and content ( quality of what is said)

  • “What is made of and developed from the task” (e.g. depth provided for each idea you present, shown you can understand both the explicit and implicit meaning in the quotes, backed your ideas with evidence and examples)
  • “The kinds of thoughts and feelings offered in response to the task” (e.g. considered both sides of an argument, provided original and unexpected ideas)

Organisation and expression ( the quality of the structure developed and the language used )

  • “Shape and form of the piece” (e.g. paragraphs, linking of paragraphs, logical order of ideas)
  • “Effectiveness and fluency of the language” (e.g. grammar & spelling, jargon-free and appropriate wording, varying length of sentences)

Unfortunately, that’s all the detail you can get out of ACER about how exactly they will assess you!

You will notice, though, that knowledge per se (e.g. regurgitating political/historical facts) is not credited.

How to prepare

Firstly , read around gathering ideas and build an ideas bank . Many people are a fan of the book The Meaning of Things by AC Grayling because each chapter is essentially a little essay in response to a likely Section 2 theme!

In supplement to AC Grayling’s book, read widely and make sure to consider opinions that may not align with your personal beliefs.

Seek to develop an understanding of different viewpoints and reflect on insightful or surprising ideas you come across. This is far more useful than memorising facts to regurgitate.

Free sources of Section 2 ideas include TED Talks , The Guardian: Opinion and The Conversation .

Secondly , decide on the structure you’re going to use (including if you’re going to use one at all!) and the phrases and language you’ll use as part of that structure. I provide example essay structures later in this blog post…

Thirdly , PRACTICE. You cannot get better at writing if you do not write! I recommend at least 20 practice essays , at least 16 of those timed (5-10 mins planning, 20-25 mins writing). Do not under appreciate the value of using 5-10 mins to plan your essays. This will help ensure quality over quantity.

Tips for practicing

  • Naturally you’ll want feedback on your essays but, as I mentioned earlier, ACER (who administer the test) aren’t very open about their marking criteria. However, you can get your essays marked by ACER’s official marking system if you have some spare cash. Link: https://gamsat.acer.org/prepare/preparation-materials
  • You could also form an essay exchange group with some study buddies. How does this work? You take turns setting the quotes each week using a quote generator. Every week you all write an essay in response and have your best go at marking each other’s work. I did this and it was a great help for me (plus I was able to steal some excellent ideas from other people!)
  • On my FREE GAMSAT Resources Master List page I link to free quote generators and practice essays that you may find helpful.

My approach to Task A

This is your chance to show you can generate interesting, original (i.e. unexpected) ideas and arguments on the fly. This is the step-by-step approach I used to score 67 in section 2.

1. Ascertain the theme

Read all 4 comments/quotes. Look for keywords, sentiments and topics that are in common between them, as well as contrasts and paradoxes. It may not always be obvious, but a common general theme is always in there e.g. democracy, technology.

2. Create an essay title / question to answer

Once you have determined the theme (see above), you can choose to either respond to one comment/quote, or create your own essay title or question to answer based on that theme. Pick a title or question that you could imagine two people disagreeing over.

3. Pick a side

Now you have a self-made essay question to answer, or a title to respond to, decide which side of the argument you sit on. It doesn’t matter if it genuinely aligns with your actual views. No one is going to check!

4. Brainstorm

Come up with 3-4 supporting ideas for the side you have picked PLUS supporting evidence (e.g. recent news piece, historical fact, research finding or a quote from a notable person) for the assertions you will use. You may only find time to include 2-3 main ideas, but that’s fine. Lastly, come up with at least 1 idea that supports the opposing side of the argument to show you can foresee and understand different opinions.

5. Plan around a structure

The structure I used is below. Feel free to use it or a variation of it.

Style tips:

  • Your idea bank should have breadth. But your essays should have depth!
  • Link your paragraphs together.
  • Vary the length of your sentences. Use both short and long ones.
  • Use active words instead of having a passive voice e.g. “Teachers believe that…” vs “It is thought that teachers believe…”
  • Aim for 300-500 words maximum. Depending on your handwriting, this could be the equivalent of 2-3 sides of A4 paper.
  • It’s a myth that you need to memorise quotes and regurgitate them.
  • It’s a myth that you can’t use “I”. Feel free to if it suits your writing style.
  • Aim to be clear and persuasive. Stick to clear, plain language that gets your point across. There are no bonus points for sounding pompous!

Phrases you may find handy:

  • Starting argumentative paragraphs: firstly, one reason for this, first of all, secondly, thirdly, finally, another reason is
  • Contrasting: however, in contrast, despite, nonetheless, nevertheless, yet, on the one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, in spite of this
  • Emphasis: clearly, indeed, in fact, most importantly
  • Providing examples: moreover, similarly, furthermore, in addition, besides, also
  • Concluding: consequently, in conclusion

7. Proof-read & edit

Leave a few mins at the end of each essay to read through them. Check writing is legible, there are no missing or duplicate words and that it all generally makes sense.

My approach to Task B

Task B is your chance to show you understand emotions and can learn from and reflect on experiences. This is the step-by-step approach I used to score 67 in section 2.

1. Ascertain the theme:

Read all 4 quotes. Look for keywords, sentiments and topics that are in common between them, as well as contrasts and paradoxes. It may not always be obvious, but a common theme is always in there e.g. love, ageing

2. Create an essay title / question to answer:

Once you have determined the theme (see above), you can choose to either respond to one comment/quote, or fashion an essay title or question to answer based on that theme.

3. Think of a relevant personal experience you learnt from:

This does not have to be a genuine experience of yours. You could adopt the experience of a friend, family member or even a character of a TV show or movie!

4. What did you learn from this experience? How could this relate to society as a whole?

Include a paragraph before your conclusion explaining an implication for society.

5. Plan around a structure.

Because this a reflective, more personal essay than Task A, definitely feel free to use “I” and delve into what you have felt and learnt. Analytical, argumentative writing is not as suitable for this task.

Otherwise, similar to Task A…

7. Proof-read and edit

  • DO NOT MEMORISE TEMPLATE ESSAYS AND REGURGITATE THEM IN THE EXAM. You are setting yourself up for a bad score. ACER warn against this in their official advice! Develop the skill and confidence to respond effectively to whatever is thrown at you on test day instead.
  • Back up every point you make with evidence.
  • Consider an unexpected approach to the theme and individual quotes.
  • Aim to come across as an expert (even if you’re not!). You must write with confidence.
  • Read your practice essays out loud. This will help you spot awkward grammar and phrasing.
  • It’s fine to write as if you are talking to the examiner for both tasks e.g. part-way through the essay you could share that you’ve changed your mind! “It now occurs to me…”
  • Feel free to share how much you agree or disagree with certain comments/quotes.
  • Don’t take comments/quotes at face value. Consider intended meanings i.e. read between the lines!
  • Some people don’t recommend using a structure at all! Instead they suggest writing as if you are arguing a point in an email/text message/forum post. It’s important to find what works best for YOU and YOUR writing style.
  • Keep your writing LEGIBLE. You won’t get any marks for writing that can’t be read!
  • TheMedicBlog has produced a free essay marking guide. I didn’t use it myself but as it’s free might be worth checking out.
  • Gather a wide range of ideas e.g. via The Meaning of Things by AC Grayling and TED Talks.
  • When writing the essays, provide depth to a few ideas, rather than lots of ideas that you barely explain.
  • Decide on the essay structure you’ll use (if you’ll use one at all).
  • Practice either alone or with an essay exchange group of study buddies.
  • Mark your own or study buddies’ essays to help improve your ability to critique writing, and in turn improve your awareness to improve your own writing.
  • The only way to improve writing is… by writing! So write!!

Further reading:

  • Marking sheet to use with your own essays or study buddies .
  • Writing an introduction advice by GAMSAT English Tutor.
  • Essay writing tips by GAMSAT Edge .
  • Example essays on beauty on the Gold Standard GAMSAT forum .

Good luck!  Sign up to my mailing list  to get more tips in your email inbox.

Have some feedback on this article? Did I make an error?  Please contact me via the  contact  page or leave a comment below.

You might also be interested in my article A Beginner’s Guide to GAMSAT Section 3.

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Gamsat section 2: written communication, discover our gamsat preparation courses today, hesitant about gamsat.

Section 2 of the GAMSAT is one-of-a-kind and stands in stark contrast to its counterparts!

Unlike GAMSAT Section 1 and Section 3 , the written communication section requires you to create a response to a quote set rather than answer specific questions. In the previous article in this series, we discussed the nature and purpose of Section 1 , stating that in order to achieve a high score in Section 1 of the GAMSAT, it is important to understand its purpose.

Specifically, the article mentioned that Section 1 tests a candidate’s ability to listen and comprehend a patient’s perspective. In this article about Section 2 preparation , we will continue to develop this analogy, commenting on the purpose of Section 2, and what this means for GAMSAT Section 2 essay preparation. 

What is GAMSAT Section 2?

The Written Communication segment assesses an individual's capacity to create and elaborate on ideas through writing. This segment comprises two 30-minute writing assignments. Each task presents four statements centered around a shared topic.

How is section 2 essay marked?

ACER in its booklets says that the Section 2 essays will be evaluated on the basis of:

  •   Thought and Content (the quality of what is said) 
  •  What is made of and developed from the task 
  • The kinds of thoughts offered in response to the task 
  • Organisation and Expression (the quality of the structure developed and language used) 
  • The shape and form of the piece 
  • The effectiveness and fluency of the language

What To Expect From GAMSAT Section 2?

As of the 2023 GAMSAT, Section 2 comprises two distinct writing tasks: Task A and Task B. Each of these tasks presents you with a set of four short quotes that revolve around a shared theme. Interestingly, the authors of these quotes are not disclosed, leaving you to grapple with the essence of the quotes without the influence of the author's reputation or background.

When considering how to distribute your time effectively, a frequently offered suggestion is as follows:

  • Allocate 5 minutes for planning
  • Dedicate 25 minutes for writing
  • Reserve 5 minutes for reviewing

This time allocation is designed to align with the 65-minute total duration for Section 2. The remaining 5 minutes serve as a buffer, giving you some wiggle room should any of these tasks take longer than expected.

Planning is a critical element for achieving a high score, and while we generally recommend dedicating 5 minutes to it, this isn't a one-size-fits-all rule. If you find Task A more challenging than Task B, or vice versa, you might consider using some of your buffer time to extend your planning or writing phase for that particular task.

However, be cautious; time in this section is highly limited. Writing an essay in approximately 25 minutes is a significant challenge for most GAMSAT candidates and requires a focused, efficient approach.

What Is The Purpose Of GAMSAT Section 2?

In the previous article in this series, we mentioned that the medical journey begins at the patient’s bedside, where you listen to the story of their lifestyle and disease to draw critical diagnostic conclusions about their circumstances. We further mentioned that this is the skillset emulated, and tested by Section 1 of the GAMSAT exam .

Communication in Medical Practice:

Moving on to Section 2 - once you have listened to the patient’s concerns, the next step is communication. In the medical field, communication is everything! 

Often the situation that the patients find themselves in is complex and multifactorial - it is the medical staff’s job to empathise, and explain the technicalities of the illness, as well as the treatment, to the patient. This is a difficult task as doctors often have to reach a precarious compromise between the interests of various specialists, as well as respecting the patient’s lifestyle priorities.

GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Perspective:

This is exactly what Section 2 Task A and Task B are attempting to re-create. GAMSAT essays for Section 2 are written in response to Section 2 quote sets . These quotes represent various perspectives on a given theme. This will be the case in your future medical practice, where you must aim to consider all the opinions presented by the quote set, and reconcile them within the time limit, with as much clarity as possible. And this will be the case in your future medical practice, the choice of style and formatting, is left largely up to you. Having said this, however, here is a brief guide to Section 2 preparation .

How to Prepare for GAMSAT Section 2

Establishing a strong foundation.

Begin your GAMSAT Section 2 preparation by diving headfirst into essay practice. The sooner you start, the more strategic advantage you'll gain. 

Instead of sticking to what you already know, broaden your intellectual horizons by exploring a diverse range of subjects. This will not only enrich your perspective but also ignite a creative spark that will prove invaluable for generating unique and compelling essay ideas.

Enhancing the Writing Process and Feedback Loop

Once you've laid a strong foundation, the next step is to optimize your writing process. Create a systematic approach that ensures each essay is well-structured and coherently developed. 

But don't stop there—actively seek out feedback from those around you, be it peers, family, or even professionals in the field. Take constructive criticism to heart; it's an invaluable tool for refining your skills and producing essays that not only meet but exceed the GAMSAT Section 2 requirements.

To give you a practical sense of what high-scoring essays look like, we've gathered a collection of sample essays with scores ranging from 50 to 80+ .

Practical Simulation for Exam Success

As the exam date approaches, practice under timed conditions to replicate real testing scenarios. This is a pivotal element for achieving success and should not be overlooked.

For those looking for a more structured approach to preparing for Section 2, including tips on theme identification, research, and writing style, check out our comprehensive resource: GAMSAT Section 2 Study | Where & How to Begin .

What Are The Common GAMSAT Section 2 Themes?

ACER has explicitly stated that both Task A and Task B in GAMSAT Section 2 revolve around overarching themes. According to Fraser’s GAMSAT analysis, Task A mainly zeroes in on socio-cultural issues, often navigating the 'inter-personal' realm—this includes laws, religions, economics, and social narratives. Conversely, Task B skews more towards the 'intra-personal,' emphasizing individual aspects like emotions, cognitive states, and the lived experience.

Balancing Quotes and Themes

Many GAMSAT candidates tunnel-vision on the individual quotes, neglecting the overarching theme, or vice versa. Striking a balance between these two aspects is crucial, as GAMSAT Section 2 marking rewards essays that describe the complexity expressed by the individual quotes, within the context of the overall theme.

Recommended Steps for Preparation

A good first step in your Section 2 preparation is to have a look at Fraser’s GAMSAT Section 2: Frequently Asked Questions . This article focuses on clearing the air of confusion for a lot of students who are sitting the GAMSAT and additionally, comprises a range of useful tips to approach the GAMSAT Section 2 Essay. We also strongly recommend you to take a look at our Section 2 quote generator as a resource for GAMSAT Section 2 practice questions - that is, attempt to interpret the quote sets prior to clicking to reveal the theme.

Following your interpretation, set the timer and write a GAMSAT essay style guide for GAMSAT Section 2 . Make sure to review your work with your fellow exam candidates after you have completed the piece - the review process is the most important step in improving your essay!

Choosing the Right Writing Style for GAMSAT Section 2

Ultimately, it is up to the candidate as to how to format their GAMSAT Section 2 essay . It is important to bear in mind that the marking criteria and purpose of a GAMSAT Section 2 essay remain consistent regardless of the style of writing a candidate chooses to pursue. Returning once more to our medical analogue - as a medical student, you would not try to communicate with a patient through the medium of a poem, or a creative story.

This is why we advocate for an argumentative/analytical/expository style of writing, which is the safest and most reliable method of Section 2 communication. 

An argumentative essay consists of contention, two to three body paragraphs (each with individual arguments) and a conclusion that directs the reader to the ultimate implication of your written work. This isn’t to say that writing an argumentative-style essay is gospel and thus gives you a high GAMSAT score . Instead, this format is for everyone to have experience writing. Ultimately, it is important to explore and write about ideas that you understand, in a communication style with which you have confidence.

The Dangers of Misaligned Style and Content

It is very obvious to a GAMSAT essay marker when a student attempts to discuss a theme they do not fully comprehend or replicate a prescribed style they have not mastered. This category of GAMSAT students is heavily penalised. 

Nevertheless, it is not impossible to achieve top marks with written pieces exploring unorthodox formats. If you have extensive experience in the creative writing field, try experimenting with monologues, narratives or even poetry (ensuring that you complement it with a thorough discussion of your point or argument – not to be confused with an analysis of the poem you wrote ) .

If any of these styles permit a clear, and sophisticated discussion of themes and perspectives, then Section 2 essay marking will reward you with a high GAMSAT score . 

Importance of Projecting Positive Values in your Essay

Regardless of which writing style you employ, you should endeavour to explore positive values (such as fairness, equality or hopefulness) of the future, especially if you’re discussing the bleaker aspects of humanity. Essentially, having polarity within your argument conveys a worldly perspective and in some ways adds depth and character to your essay.

To this end, Matt Keyter, a lead GAMSAT humanities tutor at Fraser’s advises that “Being bleak about the human species and misanthropic about the future doesn’t bode well in any essay rhetoric.” After all, the GAMSAT essay markers are selecting the next generation of doctors, so consider which values you wish to convey to your audience!

In order for candidates to get a better understanding of the style, and substance of GAMSAT Section 2, Fraser’s GAMSAT has put together a set of GAMSAT Section 2 example essays , demonstrating the standard of writing to achieve a range of Section 2 scores. 

Free GAMSAT consult callout

Where To From Here? 

If you are interested in further improving section 2, check out these free resources, how to structure a section 2 essay.

Perfecting a Section 2 Essay Introduction

Section 2 Essay - Style Guide

Section 2 FAQ

Check out the next articles in this series!

GAMSAT Section 1 Vocabulary Tool

GAMSAT Section 3 Question Log

For general GAMSAT news and updates, check out the articles below!

What is the GAMSAT?

How Hard is the GAMSAT?

See a Future In Medicine?

Start preparing for the journey today, related resources.

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GAMSAT Essay Tips – How to Ace Section II

GAMSAT Essay Tips – How to Ace Section II

Proven GAMSAT Essay Tips!

gamsat essay tips

So…you are sitting the GAMSAT! Amidst studying countless comprehension questions for section I, and honing your science skills for section III, it may be tempting to overlook section II in your preparation leading up to the exam. However, section II represents a powerful and effective means of increasing your overall GAMSAT score. Given that many candidates may underestimate the utility of this section, it pays to put adequate time into polishing your essay writing abilities. The following gamsat essay tips aim to guide your approach to section II, and help you to understand the key elements of a GAMSAT-style essay.

GAMSAT Essay Tips

Tip #1: Prepare

I mentioned it above, but I will mention it again! Put adequate time into preparing for section II and utilise it as a way of improving your overall score. Avoid assuming that you will simply be able to come up with something on the day…you probably will be able to, but you will perform far better if you have practiced your skills beforehand.

Tip #2: Know your objective

A good way of conceptualising a GAMSAT essay is to see it as a ‘mini essay’. In 30 minutes, you really only have time to demonstrate to the reader that you know the essential ingredients of an essay (i.e. introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with rebuttals and a conclusion) and can formulate a well-structured piece of writing that conveys a point of view.

If you would like to get your Free GAMSAT Essay Questions then click the yellow button below!

FREE GAMSAT ESSAY QUESTIONS

Tip #3: Be argumentative (but also display an understanding of the opposing perspective)

You are likely to perform better in section II if your essays convey not only your thesis (just a fancy name for a sentence that summarises the argument of your essay) but also likely arguments against your thesis. You want to show that you can formulate a well-reasoned perspective, but also equally see how someone would completely disagree with you (this is where rebuttals come in).

Tip #4: Appreciate the difference between ‘type A’ and ‘type B’ essays

In your preparation, you will notice that one set of quotes usually relates to a more objective issue that affects society as a whole (think political issues, the environment, technology, healthcare, the legal system etc.), whereas the other set of quotes usually relates to something more subjective that affects the individual (think trust, relationships, pets, optimism etc.). You can write both essays in a very similar style, or choose to adopt a more reflective style for the type B essay. It is useful to experiment with different approaches to each of the essays, but remember that whatever style you adopt, you must ensure that your essay conveys a point of view (i.e. even a highly reflective essay should communicate a point to the reader).

Tip #5: Find a structure that works for you

There is no one correct way of writing a GAMSAT essay. The most important thing is that you use a structure that makes sense to you and allows you to convey your thesis effectively and analytically. If you couldn’t, for example, teach a friend how to use the structure you are using, and explain to them why it is an effective structure, don’t use it!

I hope these gamsat essay tips were valuable to you! Please stay tuned for more posts on how to approach and succeed in section II!

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Clear and EFFECTIVE Section II writing (the five C’s)

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June 29, 2021 in  GAMSAT Section 2

The Five C’s

Clear and effective GAMSAT Section II writing

by Michael John Sunderland, 90plusgamsat | 29.06.21

Gosh, it’s been a minute.

I’ve focussed the bulk of my attention on extraordinary Section II writing for around 18 months now, and as a result of my tutoring and marking essays in the 90+ Facebook group, I’ve had the benefit of not only learning what scores well for myself, but how most students’ essays depart from what I learned about how to score highly in Section II.

This knowledge is going to help you fix half of all errors I see in GAMSAT writing, and let your ideas shine through.

It is an essential component to scoring highly in the GAMSAT (and communicating effectively in the written mode in general).

So let’s get to it!

The Five C’s

Comprehension, coherence/cohesion.

In the context of the GAMSAT comprehension of the material provided to you (the prompts) is crucial. You can otherwise think of it as relevance .

“Pre-prepared responses and responses that do not relate to the topic will receive a low score” – ACER information booklet

Your response must be dynamically relevant to what is being said. As a function of this, it is essential that you have comprehended the prompts – which is to say, you have considered that they are individually, and as a set, an invitation to discuss something about the internal or external world around you .

Note: I say around you because this is what you can authoritatively talk about, versus “capitalism through history” for instance – which you can only have limited knowledge about due to the breadth of the topic and the fact that you can only see it from one vantage point. Capitalism on your street as a child, however, you could talk about. Perhaps little Jimmy used to charge the rest of you an entry fee before playing his new Xbox. This would be a perfectly acceptable lens to discuss capitalism through, and one that would have far less potential pitfalls. But I digress.

The key word here is invitation.

I will paraphrase from the content at this link to distinguish how you might approach distinguishing what is being invited by the prompts.

What is being said is but one subjective “take” on the subject matter. Therefore, not just what is being said but how the author/speaker portrays that subject matter (for example with tone, bias, or persuasive elements) contributes to it being a unique perspective. Not just what is says, but what it does by making that remark and lastly what that might mean about the person or worldview, are crucial considerations.

In combination, there are five “takes” (prompts) on a situation provided by ACER; each trying to “do” something, and in the attempt at doing, meaning something about the author, or perhaps the topic. If you consider the five prompts like a discussion between expert academics, you might see that the moment provided by the inclusion of these five perspectives invites you to have whatever opinion you might have in the domain provided by these other five perspectives. It is critical that your opinion, however, is in the domain of the five other opinions. By in the domain, I mean relevant to what they are saying. If you just came into the middle of a conversation where five people were talking deeply and passionately about communism in China, and then you start talking about capitalism in America, they may go with you, but it would be a little dissonant and weird.

So, you must understand the domain of what is being discussed so you can respond harmoniously to it. Before speaking, comprehend what is already being spoken about, and then feel free to have whatever opinion you like about it, so long as you can intelligently back it up with cogent, coherently, and with clarity .

A simple way to ensure you prevent some of the most common errors here is to imagine you are in a social setting with academic experts standing around in a circle and each of these experts says one of the quotes. Thinking of them as experts will force you to show some academic respect for what is said by the others, even if you disagree with it; it will force you to consider that each view arises out of a comprehensive set of experiences; it will ensure you don’t reduce what is being said by all five people to one word (a common GAMSAT error); and finally it will ensure that what you are replying to the circle is relevant.. otherwise, it would be weird if what you said didn’t flow from what they said.

If you would like to read more about quote interpretation in the GAMSAT I wrote a blog on it, here: How to ACE GAMSAT Section II Quote Interpretation: Task A

“The quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; lucidity.”

To be cogent is to be strong, eloquent, and effective . There are three precursors to cogent writing (according to Kavane and Cavender, 1998):

  • All its premises are true.
  • It considers all relevant information (it doesn’t present only the part of the case that suits).
  • It is logically valid (the conclusions are plausible based on the premises).

To write cogently necessitates a certain rigorousness with the truth. You don’t argue just what is convenient, but you are instead genuinely involved in a process of exploring the truth and the limits to it, including of your own perspective.

Many people tend to imitate the way I close my essays (which, while I don’t mind at all – I just want you to score well – I would recommend you at a minimum word it your own way as ACER have updated their information book to indicate that responses are now compared against past responses) but it oftentimes comes across as conceited as they use the words but the spirit of it is absent from their writing. I tend to finish by touching on the extent to which my view may or may not be valid, and considering others’ views. I do not casually consider the objections, nor commit the “strawman fallacy” wherein I fail to address the most significant objections, or inaccurately portray them. I don’t feel personally obliged in a thirty minute essay to have to have a 100% researched and considered argument, nor to know all of the objections, nor to necessarily be accurate in conveying all of them and rebuffing them. Who knows, maybe even though I have made a logically valid argument, there may be things I innocently did not consider or understand due to ignorance, lack of experience, or just a biased perspective. I do genuinely try my best to understand and consider other views, though. It’s not an argument, or a debating championship. I can simply consider it without needing to go into all the reasons why it’s wrong. In fact, to talk in such objective terms under time pressure is to not acknowledge the very real limitations we are under when writing GAMSAT essays. Even if we weren’t in our early 20’s, and we were experts in the field that we were talking about, we are still under time, and psychological, pressure writing on an unprompted topic, with no faculties of outside research. This is bound to introduce errors into our arguments, so we really have no place saying that someone else’s perspective is wrong in objective terms.

You must write in a way that is careful. As if it were a discussion with an expert in the field. Instead of imagining yourself standing facing the opposing view, both pushing your ideas on each other, position yourself instead to the side. View both views objectively weighing up the validity of both as write from this perspective. This doesn’t mean you have to write a paragraph dealing with the ‘counter-argument.’ I find this approach devolves into a suite of psychometric errors (e.g lacking fallibilism, which the idea that ‘I think I’m right, but I could be wrong; and I think you’re wrong but you could be right’; or appreciation of situadedness, which is an appreciation of how your personal bias and experiences colour your view of things in such a way that you cannot ever see a situation perfectly, limiting the extend to which you can claim what you say is objectively true). It simply means you write from altitude.

Some of the best GAMSAT essays, or at least Task B essays, don’t arrive at a position that is labelled as the truth, or correct. But simply explore the issue, arriving at a conclusion that is logically valid, and perhaps even strong, but never stating that it is the final word, and attempting throughout to ask questions that indicate not someone who is forcing an idea down your throat, but someone who is trying to work things out for themselves. You don’t need to be a know-it-all, but you should be objective and logical.

For more on how to structure your GAMSAT arguments logically, see my blog The Ontology of Task A Structure – Logic .

  • The quality of being logical and consistent.
  • The quality of forming a united whole (also: cohesive)

We have addressed logic above in cogency, so the emphasis here is on consistency, and how the ideas not only linearly progress in a way that is valid, but that the various elements of essay cohere together on a macroscopic (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion) and microscopic (intra-paragraph) level.

On a macroscopic level, each paragraph or unit should be designed to forward a central idea or argument and should be ordered around achieving that end. What that doesn’t necessarily mean is having a pre-conceived structure that you write because you think that’s just how it should be done. If you write a narrative at the start of your Task B’s because I do it, but you don’t understand why I did it, it can’t be effective. What it does mean is coming up with your own approach of how to write effectively, considering mine if you wish, and if you use mine exactly as I did, knowing why I did it, or at least how it helps you achieve your goal. There are no points for doing things the way I designed them, but there are for what my design helped me achieve (which, in essence, was having a strong idea, displaying the psychometric features I often talk about, and respecting the five C’s so that that idea could be effectively and clearly communicated).

I think of my essays like a skeleton. Imagine one in the anatomy department. The central idea and premises that support it form the backbone. Each premise (topic sentence) linearly supports the frame of the argument – like vertebrae stacked on top of each other. They aren’t ‘kind of in the same domain’ as the contention, which I often see and which leads to an almost impressionistic approach to addressing the topic, with broad brush strokes each covering an idea but not relating to each other linearly and directly. They are purposefully conceived to illustrate the plausibility of a single strong opinion (contention/thesis, or key insight) that you have about a dimension of the broader theme. When you know what you want to say, and why you believe what you want to say, the structure simply facilitates you conveying it effectively and in a way that can be received by the marker.

Let me give you an example, as I often talk about balancing abstract ideas with concrete examples to facilitate clarity (coming next). Imagine your mum/dad/someone you care about and know well asked you ‘what do you think is the best form of transport’ at the dinner table (random chat but, hey, who knows). Here is what many students would reply in a GAMSAT essay:

‘Trams can be good because they are economical, people have often used cars and they are quite popular despite being terrible for the environment, bikes are best because they have no carbon footprint aside from their production. Some people would say cars are the best because they are the most popular, but this fails to acknowledge the destruction to the environment.’

It is five or so ideas loosely related thematically, but no linear development of the ideas, or conclusion that forms naturally from viable premises. I might say

‘Best is a subjective judgement, based on one’s personal beliefs and prior experiences. In order to address the topic there must be criterion for what is designated ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (which are still opinion-based judgements on inherently neutral factors) which can loosely be achieved by which, at their extreme, would benefit humanity and objectives that ‘most’ human’s desire. While this is a ‘positive’ utilitarian approach and not necessarily correct in objective terms, for the purposes of framing a considered response it is the approach that will be used. Transport is, in many respects, the vehicle for the economy, which directly affects the lives of most people;  however longer-term environmental considerations are also an essential consideration as there is a ceiling value of economic output in order that that output remain sustainable for future humans. Therefore, there is a case for saying that the best form of transport is that which greatest facilitates the economic (or personal) objectives of humanity. It seems reasonable to conclude that each person’s use of transport allows them to fulfil their economic personal objectives, and there is no reason, in most cases, that people would utilise transport if not for the fulfilment of their personal or economic objectives. As this is different for each person, the mode of transport that fulfils that person’s economic and personal objectives is, initially, the best. Loosely, we can take whichever is the most popular. Of course, not all people are environmentally conscious, so the most popular forms must be indexed against the environmental impact of the use of that mode of transport. I imagine, then, that the answer would be walking, followed by cycling, public transport, bikes, cars, and finally planes.’

There is something distinct from this response compared to the rest. In this response, each idea follows on from the rest in a linear, daisy-chain-like fashion. No point can stand without the existence of the others. There are also many points where there is reference to an earlier idea. It’s like there’s glues, or stiches pulling together the many elements of the paragraph into a unified whole. Note also that there isn’t an idea at the outside that is forwarded directly. I don’t need to know it all. I show how I arrived at my thinking, and am questioning myself as I write. There is an introspective and reflective element to thinking about the prompts where you ask yourself what you believe, and then prod why you believe that. What basis do you have for that belief, and who would agree or disagree with you. Sorting through the prompts mentally and imagining how each argument would go, which you have the best supports for, which are the least contentious, which you have good examples or evidence for, and which you are passionate about, and then choosing one, is a skill in and of itself. There’s a certain judicious pragmatism that goes into selecting which path to go down, before you even begin.

When you have a framework for what you want to argue, or a skeleton, the rest becomes just laying flesh on top. But you must have a skeleton that can stand and that is logically valid and consistent, before doing that, lest you just write aimlessly. Furthermore, when your writing is ordered around a central idea, and the decisions that are made of what to write and how to write are made to facilitate that idea, your writing is naturally more coherent and cohesive.

On a microscopic level, it is also advisable to foreshadow in the introduction some of what is going to be said, and have a clear single strong contention/thesis that will be developed or explained in the essay at the end of the introduction. It is necessary that the topic sentences make the thesis and conclusion plausible. And advisable at the end of each paragraph to use a link . The link, at a minimum, must summarise what the reader was supposed to take away from the paragraph and make it explicit how that ties into the conclusion. If you can manage it, linking backward to the contention, as well as forward, via a segue, to the next paragraph is ideal. This can be achieved by using some of the words of the following topic sentence. This is like running a stich back to the intro to stich the intro and end of paragraph one together, and then another stitch tying paragraph one and two together.

Here’s an example of an essay of mine where I do just this. The prompts were about Globalisation and social responsibility.

This was my thesis (I have put in brackets what I referred to in place of the word ‘this’. As it stands beow it would be too long as a contention):

“…(the influence of Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook’s ability to monitor and influence human behaviour on a meta level) implies an urgent need for the reconsideration of the structural checks which were once imposed only on governments, to be laterally applied to these companies in order to ensure they are regulated to operate in socially responsible ways.”

And this is the end of body paragraph one, and the topic sentence of body paragraph two. I have boldened the cohesive elements.

“…The danger to democracy, civil, and social life clearly necessitates novel and comprehensive regulation in order to meet these challenges, if the poltico-economic ideals which are the foundations for contemporary Western societies are to be upheld.   The dangerousness implied in power necessitates regulation in order to champion socially responsible behaviour and ensure the delivery and preponderance of liberal and democratic political ideals, which characterise the politico-ontological frameworks of today’s Western societies …”

Note that there are terms linking the paragraph’s content explicitly to the contention, and terms foreshadowing the content of the next paragraph.

“The quality of being coherent and intelligible; clear”

Imagine you wrote the best ever GAMSAT essay possible. Imagine I was there in your seat acting through you, and not only that I was on fire that day. And then imagine when you finish the essay you put it in a glass box to hand to the marker to read. But the box was muddy and cloudy and the marker couldn’t make out a lot of what you and I had come up with together. Now inside the box is a 90+ essay. Maybe even a 95. We killed it! But the marker can’t quite access our ideas, or what we said. So in the end we fell short of what we could have.

I see this in SO many essays. So often there are good ideas, or in a tutorial I’ll ask what the student meant to say and they can tell me but what they tell me isn’t evident from the essay, and of course the marker doesn’t have the benefit of having you there to clarify. Essentially what is being marked is the ‘quality of thoughts and ideas’ and ‘how they are integrated into a meaningful response’ (that’s from the ACER info book). But the quality of your thoughts and ideas is delivered via the five C’s. The five C’s polish that glass box so it’s like it isn’t even there. Any impediment to the marker knowing what you mean is removed. They can see what you were thinking in a way that is crystal clear. But if you lack the five C’s, that box is all cloudy, the thoughts and ideas, no matter how good they are, can’t be seen and you will struggle to score well.

So, how can you make your writing more clear?

Firstly , through being clear on what you want to say, and planning effectively such that your ideas (skeleton) is logical and ordered. When you are clear internally, what you say will come out more clearly.

Secondly , when you are clear on what you want to say, be cautious about your word selection and the degree to which it enables you to be effective in your communication.  Oftentimes students use big words to sound academic and fancy. The issue is, more often than not, what they are saying is simple and not academically rigorous (due to time pressure), so it looks like a pig in lipstick. Pigs are actually cute, I don’t know why that’s the example that came to mind, but it’ll stay with you now 😉

In short, many people are exploring simple thoughts and ideas in complex terms , and what you want to be doing is exploring complex thoughts and ideas in simple terms.

A good rule of thumb I came up with is to ask ‘is there a simpler term that could communicate this?’ and if so I selected the simpler term. I would also ask myself, ‘does the inclusion of this more complex word enhance or diminish the effectiveness and clarity?’ Sometimes there’s no other word that will do as nicely as the one you use.. for example ‘precipitously’ .. sometimes there’s just a time for saying ‘a precipitous increase.’ In this case you could say ‘a large increase’ but it doesn’t have quite the same impact or meaning. They’re not quite the same. So I would go for ‘precipitous’ (assuming I hadn’t already used many complex words previously in that paragraph. If the average 13-14 year old can’t easily understand what you are saying, it’s not written simply enough. Remember, ACER say in the info book that ‘language and structure is only marked insofar as it contributes to the thoughts and ideas, not in isolation’. (I added the underline FYI).

Annd, finally..

‘Briefness, or brevity; to be concise’

Concision is using the fewest words possible to communicate an idea effectively. Anything more is too-much and will detract momentum and pace from the development of your writing. You want to write generously to the marker and in such a way that they can move through what you say easily and enjoyably. If they enjoy your writing, they will like you, and if they like you, you will incur their positive bias, which, if it doesn’t help, can’t hurt; and avoid their negative bias, which if it doesn’t hurt you, might have.

Writing that is not concise can feel overwhelming, confusing, or boring. When you are not generous to the marker in the way that you write, they feel that marking your essay is work. GAMSAT markers might have ten minutes at best per essay, and they are reading essay after essay of drivel. You want to be the shining light that stands out, and simplifies their night. The essay that makes it feel for a moment like it isn’t work to mark. The essay that gives them relief of the burden of trying to figure out what people mean. Trust me, I’ve marked enough essays, it’s not the easiest or most fun work. But when you get one that flows it’s like “AHA! YES! Thank you!!” And that feeling of elation is a very good lens through which a marker might assess your ability to be a doctor.

Anything less that concise creates work, and this incurs grumpiness. You don’t want a grumpy marker deciding your Section II score, do you?

How to be concise?

  • Reduce unnecessary words, phrases, or sentences that do not directly forward your central argument. I have, at the last minute, cut out whole sentences (multiple of them) ruthlessly. I hack like a madman at the end of my essays. Anything that is not utterly necessary can go.
  • Eliminate filler phrases such as ‘needless to say.’
  • Write in the active (versus passive) voice. In the active voice the subject does the verb. In the passive voice the subject is done by the verb. Basically, active is punchy, passive is long winded and takes more words and ruins momentum.
Example (passive): “Lesser men were slayed by the dragon queen” (Borrrrinnnnng.) Example (active): “The dragon queen slayed lesser men.” (Yas queen. Slay gurl.)

If you would like some help learning where you are lacking concision or clarity I recommend copy-pasting your writing into the Hemingway App online. It will break down for you where you are using the passive voice, where you are using too many complex words, and which sentences are hard to read.

Wow, nearly 4k words. I hope you find this useful, it took me all morning. If so feel free to pop your email in below to receive hard-hitting 90+ advice and tips, blog updates, and special offers and I’ll hit you up with the goods as they come.

Feel also free to join the 90+ community on Facebook where we can help you practice and apply what you read here to track yourself towards a killer Section II.

Sorry it’s been so long since my last blog, I missed writing for you all <3

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Michael Sunderland

My name's Michael, I achieved 91 in Section II, and 82 overall, in the September '20 sitting. I'm here to show you how I did it. Let's get to work :)

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Gamsat Review Blog

Everything you need to know about GAMSAT by Dr Peter Griffiths

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

Here is a list of some past Gamsat essay topics which have come up before in the test.

These previous Gamsat essay topics have been reported by actual candidates after past sittings of the test over several years so we know they are accurate.

If you'd like to download these as a PDF just click here > Gamsat Essay Topics

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

After the general previous Gamsat topics below I've also included some Gamsat style quotes you can use to practice writing your own essays. These are also included in the PDF above.

If you'd like to get a full length Section 3 Practice Test with worked answers and which also contains two more essay prompts for Section 2 then fill in the form to the left on this blog or click the link below.

https://www.gamsatreview.com/gamsat-practice-test

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics Task A

Equality/whether everyone has equal opportunities

Respect towards people of power/discipline/questioning people in power

Trust and respect in society

Over population

Taxation/welfare systems

Tolerance and prejudice

Affirmative action

Intelligence vs. knowledge

Relationship of past, present, future

Nature vs. nurture

Originality

Benefits of technology

Climate change

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics Task B

Whether the rich/poor are happier

Marriage and the idealism around it

Recreation and rest/we used to not have enough, now too much

How our habits define who we are

Celebrity and influence

Happiness/what defines a good life

Respect for age vs. pursuit of youth

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Does pain make you appreciate joy?

Do looks matter?

Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

Now you've read the list of some past Gamsat essay topics let me say something about them.

I've published them here to satisfy student demand, everyone asks about them. Maybe you arrived here yourself as a result of an internet search for this topic.

But they really won't help you that much...

At most these examples will give you some psychological comfort when you see that most of them aren't that difficult. They're the sort of typical bland, boring essay subjects that you would guess would come up if someone asked you to take a guess and make a list.

There's nothing surprising or mysterious here.

Now maybe you are one of those people who thinks that if you practice writing essays on a LOT of different prior topics, then maybe one of those same themes will come up in your actual test and so it will be that much easier for you.

But that is a fallacious idea.

First of all even if ACER does re-use topics (it has never been confirmed) the chances of one of them coming up in your particular sitting is miniscule. Add to that the fact that in recent years we are seeing that not everyone gets the same topics or sets of quotes for section 2 anyway. So even if they did happen to re-use a set of themes the chances of you getting them are even smaller.

It will be a much better use of your time to practice an ESSAY WRITING SYSTEM which can cope with turning ANY set of quotes into a high scoring essay.

That way you won't have to rely on luck or be at the mercy of any particular topic. A good essay writing method should enable you to deal with any subject or theme that the Gamsat throws at you.

The essay writing system inside the Gamsat Review Home Study Course for example is designed to do exactly that.

Tips To Improve Your GAMSAT Essays

1. Argue for both sides of an issue rather than just giving an opinion piece from one point of view. This will demonstrate thought and consideration and help you pick up the marks for quality of thinking.

2. Learn a variety of stock phrases for openers, closers, introducing your arguments and your conclusions. This will help you avoid repetition and also help give your essay structure.

3. Try to express ideas and reasoning rather than reproducing large chunks of memorized facts. The examiners want to assess your intellectual reasoning, not read a history book or a technical manual.

4. Develop your knowledge of history, philosophy, psychology and political thought. There is no short cut to this but you can get a head start by reading works designed to give a quick introduction to the main concepts and ideas. I recommend the book 50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know by Ben Dupré which is an easy to read and quick guide to the main concepts of Western thought covering philosophy, religion, politics, economics, the arts and the sciences.

5. Practice writing your Gamsat essays under exam conditions. Sticking to the 30 minute time limit will focus your mind and develop the speed necessary for the real thing. It will also help develop your handwriting skills. Don't underestimate the difficulty of maintaining nice legible writing for the examiner to read after writing as quickly as possible for an hour straight. Especially if like most people you usually work on a computer.

6. Get your essays looked at by a qualified person after you've written them and ask for feedback. A qualified person probably isn't another Gamsat candidate in the same position as you that you met on a student forum or in a Gamsat Facebook group. Try and get one of your teachers or university lecturers to take a look or someone who has done Gamsat before and scored highly in section 2. Or, even better, you could get them marked by a professional Gamsat Essay Marking service.

7. Finally practice, practice, practice. Essay writing is a skill which must be developed. To help you, below are two essay tasks very similar to what you will find in the real test. Find a quiet place for 30 minutes and try and write two essays putting into practice all the advice given above.

Example Gamsat Essay Topics

Writing Task A

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 what you have to say in response to the theme, how well you organize and present your point of view, and how effectively you express yourself. You will not be judged on your views or attitudes.

The belief that all genuine education comes about through experience does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative.

                                                                                                               John Dewey

A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated.

                                                                                                               Horace Mann

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

                                                                                                               Oscar Wilde He who opens a school door, closes a prison.                                                                                   Victor Hugo

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.

                                                                                                        Robert Green Ingersoll

Writing Task B

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

                                                                                                                        Mark Twain

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.

                                                                                                                        William Penn

Expensive clothes are a waste of money.

                                                                              Meryl Streep

I don’t design clothes; I design dreams.

                                                                             Ralph Lauren

It is interesting to question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.

                                                                                                      Henry David Thoreau

Further Resources

For more help with GAMSAT check out Griffiths Gamsat Review Home Study System which takes you step by step through all three sections with advanced strategies for each.

Griffiths GAMSAT Review Home Study System

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GAMSAT Section 2

Learn to boost your written communication gamsat score,   now in stock at distribution centers in australia, europe and america.

GAMSAT-Section-2--16-Essays-Corrected

gamsat reflective essay

IMAGES

  1. GAMSAT practice essay

    gamsat reflective essay

  2. An Alternative Approach to the GAMSAT® Essay in 2023

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  3. Reflective Essay

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  4. GAMSAT Essay Examples

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  5. Free GAMSAT Example Essays

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  6. How To Write A Reflective Essay? Easy Step Guidance

    gamsat reflective essay

VIDEO

  1. Free GAMSAT Practice Questions

  2. GAMSAT Question Examples with Worked Solutions in Biology with Gold Standard GAMSAT Strategies

  3. GAMSAT Results Debrief: What are your next steps?

  4. GAMSAT Biology Sample Questions

  5. How To Score Over 70 In GAMSAT Section 1 Without Boring Yourself To Death With Poetry And Literature

  6. How to solve a GAMSAT Organic Chem question

COMMENTS

  1. GAMSAT Reflective Essays: Prep Made Easy

    ( ゚∀゚) Half of the quotes will suit argumentative essays, and half will suit reflective essays. According to the GAMSAT info booklet, Section 2 has 2 tasks - each task corresponds to an essay, and has 5 quotes to choose from. Task A has to do with socio-cultural issues, and Task B has to do with personal and social issues.

  2. How to Write a Creative Essay for GAMSAT Section 2

    The second essay of the GAMSAT® Exam, often referred to as the "reflective" essay, truly should be thought of as the creative essay; hence the quotation marks. Where the initial argumentative essay task should be quite structured and deliberate, the creative essay is much broader in the type of writing permissible.

  3. GAMSAT Section 2 Essays: How to Prepare in 2024

    14 min read | Read 113749 times 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.

  4. Free GAMSAT Section 2 Example Essays

    12 min read | Read 125833 times Writing GAMSAT ® practice essays is the most important aspect of preparing for Section 2 of the GAMSAT ® Exam. Regularly writing essays allows you to develop and practise your essay writing skills and is something you should aim to start from early on.

  5. The 90+ Task B Aesthetic

    Our reflections then get expanded from the level of individual, to the level of other, to the level of society, and then ideally to the level of history, philosophy, psychology, sociology; or some other epistemological framework that aids in our investigation of the theme. A disclaimer

  6. r/GAMSAT on Reddit: Reflective section 2 essay: is this okay or have a

    r/GAMSAT • 2 yr. ago [deleted] Reflective section 2 essay: is this okay or have a missed the mark? Task B: *Solitude is easier for the old than the young; being alone is better than being in bad company; solitude is a way to wisdom; solitude is harmful for social people

  7. GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Examples

    Download the GAMSAT Essay Guide book for free! This guide includes 5 GAMSAT essay examples with a range of scores from 50 to 80+ with top tutors' comments.

  8. The Ultimate Guide to GAMSAT Section 2

    65 minutes 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).

  9. A Beginner's Guide to GAMSAT Section 2

    1. Ascertain the theme. Read all 4 comments/quotes. Look for keywords, sentiments and topics that are in common between them, as well as contrasts and paradoxes. It may not always be obvious, but a common general theme is always in there e.g. democracy, technology. 2. Create an essay title / question to answer.

  10. Section 2 GAMSAT Essays: Frequently Asked Questions

    Fraser's GAMSAT tutors compiled a comprehensive list of common Section 2 Frequently Asked Questions to excel in GAMSAT essay questions.

  11. How to Write a Creative Essay for GAMSAT Section 2

    For the most part, students who are sitting the GAMSAT Exam have a foundation in science, thus the "reflective" essay is a frightening suggestion that causes a lot of pressure. Not quite the same as…

  12. GAMSAT Section 2: Written Communication

    Balancing Quotes and Themes. Many GAMSAT candidates tunnel-vision on the individual quotes, neglecting the overarching theme, or vice versa. Striking a balance between these two aspects is crucial, as GAMSAT Section 2 marking rewards essays that describe the complexity expressed by the individual quotes, within the context of the overall theme.

  13. GAMSAT Essay Tips

    It is useful to experiment with different approaches to each of the essays, but remember that whatever style you adopt, you must ensure that your essay conveys a point of view (i.e. even a highly reflective essay should communicate a point to the reader). Tip #5: Find a structure that works for you

  14. Can we write two reflective essays in s2 : r/GAMSAT

    GAMSAT Anyone scored really well ( above 70) with two reflective essays in S2? My writting is not strong at all and struggle to write enough words in essays. I have tried many times to write argumentative essays but somehow i end up with very cliche essay in this style. Reflective / Story telling is a better format for me.

  15. Section 2 advice : r/GAMSAT

    -switching to a reflective essay style for task B. I read somewhere that task b is testing your ability to understand emotions and how peoples views differ and change. Remember, you don't have to reflect on something that actually happened or actually happened to you. You can write as a fictional version of yourself. -spelling!

  16. Clear and EFFECTIVE Section II writing (the five C's)

    The Five C's. Clear and effective GAMSAT Section II writing. by Michael John Sunderland, 90plusgamsat | 29.06.21. Gosh, it's been a minute. I've focussed the bulk of my attention on extraordinary Section II writing for around 18 months now, and as a result of my tutoring and marking essays in the 90+ Facebook group, I've had the benefit of not only learning what scores well for myself ...

  17. Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

    Here is a list of some past Gamsat essay topics which have come up before in the test. These previous Gamsat essay topics have been reported by actual candidates after past sittings of the test over several years so we know they are accurate. If you'd like to download these as a PDF just click here > Gamsat Essay Topics Past GAMSAT Essay Topics

  18. Task A and B for Section 2 : r/GAMSAT

    r/GAMSAT • 4 yr. ago spacetemple Task A and B for Section 2 Hello guys. I'm very new to the GAMSAT and I will be sitting the March exam for the first time. I've been going through various resources and understanding the each sections of the GAMSAT.

  19. View topic

    The essay is thoughtful and reflective. The narrative has sufficient details enough for the reader to understand and empathise with the experience. The conflict is highlighted and the insight into the matter is well expressed: you don't want to hurt people you love but when love is gone, it is best to let go.

  20. GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Tips : r/GAMSAT

    • 4 yr. ago shroomes GAMSAT Section 2 Essay Tips Hey guys, hope you're all having a great holiday season. This is my first ever post and I wanted to shed some light regarding the mysterious essay section of the GAMSAT. I was able to improve my GAMSAT score from 55 to 80+ over the course of 5 GAMSAT sittings.

  21. GAMSAT Section 2: 8 Essays Corrected

    Additionally, you will get to read corrected and graded essays from students so you will know what to expect. At this point, you will be ready to practice yourself. Displaying 1 to 3 (of 3 products)

  22. Section 2 examples : r/GAMSAT

    Section 2 examples. I am trying to stick to my strengths in the essay writing, which I believe to be a more argumentative style of essay. Occasionally I write expository style and talk about how events have changed my opinion of x, but typically find that I can find some interplay between topics (e.g. for quotes relating to laughter I argued ...

  23. Section 2 Essay Structure : r/GAMSAT

    GAMSAT I know for section 2 that there are two types of essay questions we get. One of these is the argumentative side and the other is the more reflective side. For the argumentative side, I am not sure about the structure to use. Is it best to do it like this Intro 1 body for 1 body against Conclusion Or