AWA Score: 5 out of 6
I have used a GMAT AWA auto-grader to evaluate your essay.
Coherence and connectivity: 5/5
This rating corresponds to the flow of ideas and expressions from one paragraph to another. The effective use of connectives and coherence of assertive language in arguing for/against the argument is analyzed. This is deemed as one of the most important parameters.
Paragraph structure and formation: 3.5/5
The structure and division of the attempt into appropriate paragraphs are evaluated. To score well on this parameter, it is important to organize the attempt into paragraphs. Preferable to follow the convention of leaving a line blank at the end of each paragraph, to make the software aware of the structure of the essay.
Vocabulary and word expression: 4.5/5
This parameter rates the submitted essay on the range of relevant vocabulary possessed by the candidate basis the word and expression usage. There are no extra- points for bombastic word usage. Simple is the best form of suave!
Good Luckavlachos99
Read the statement and the instructions that follow it, and then make any notes that will help you plan your response. Begin typing your response at the bottom of the screen. You have 30 minutes in which to complete the essay.
"Although Ramshackle County has had fiscal problems for the past few years, there is no reason to raise local taxes. A significant part of the shortfall has come from road, bridge, and rail maintenance projects. However, those expenditures will soon decrease dramatically, since recent survey results show that the percentage of employed persons who telecommute has been growing at double-digit rates over the past four years. Thus, far fewer people will be using the county's roads, bridges, and rails, significantly reducing maintenance costs."
Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
Answer:
------
The author of the argument recommends that Ramshackle County authorities do not raise local taxes to deal with past years' fiscal problems. He supports this recommendation by attributing the majority of the fiscal problem to road, bridge and rail maintenance projects, whose expenditures will supposedly decrease substantially soon. The arguer justifies the upcoming decrease in the aforementioned infrastructure expenditures by citing a survey saying that the number of employed persons telecommuting has been growing to double-digit rates over the past four years, leading to fewer people using this infrastructure. The conclusion provided cannot be justified by the evidence stated, as there are several underlying assumptions that render it unconvincing.
First of all, there is no information provided about the survey concluding that the percentange of employed persons who telecommute has grown to double-digits. On the one hand, the sample of the survey may not be representative of the population of employees. On the other hand, the double-digit figures are not specified; there is a vast difference between a percentange of 10% and a percentange of 75%, both being double-digit rates. The arguer should provide more information about the survey in order for it to become reliable evidence.
Even if the survey could be considered reliable, there is no sufficient justification to conclude that an increase in employees telecommuting would decrease the people using the county's roads, bridges and rails. Firstly, the arguer assumes that employed people represent the majority of the county's population. Even if they were, they could still use such infrastructure outside their working hours. Data about the whole population of the county would be more representative and, thus, helpful in determining the utility rate of such infrastructure. Furthermore, even if the author was persuasive enough to prove that far fewer people would be using the county's roads, bridges and rails, that does not necessitate reduced maintenance costs. The maintenance cost of infrastructure is often fixed and not dependent upon the number of people using them. Especially bridges and rails are often damaged by weather conditions and require repair once in a while. And with at least a small percentange of the county's population using them, the authorities would have to maintain them in a safe and functioning condition, which would require maintenance expenditures.
Lastly, in the event that the infrastructure expenditures were reduced significantly, fiscal problems could still exist by other factors, requiring a reliable source of income for the county, such as additional taxes. The author should provide a more complete picture of the county's fiscal problems, describing the exact percentange of loss caused by maintenance and other factors.
The above factors explain why the economic shortfalls may still exist, even if the percentange of employees telecommuting increases, according to an unreliable survey. With economic shortfalls in place, measures that would increase the county's income should not be eliminated, and local taxes are one of these measures. Consequently, unless the author provides further data about the survey used, the utilization of roads, bridge and rails and the county's fiscal problem, his argument will remain unconvincing.
-----
My essay was graded a 4, could anyone give a second opinion? Many thanks.