Useful Template for AWA - Experience accumulated from 109 AWA Samples

Dear all,

Firstly, I would like to thank "Chineseburned" for his tremendous help in the post "How to get 6.0 AWA... my guide" (Link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-get-6-0-awa-my-guide-64327.html). His help motivates me to share this.

Secondly, as the topic implied, I want to share more about the template as comprehensively as possible from what I self-studied from 109 AWA Samples (To those who haven't got the samples, enclosed you will find the file)

Here comes my templates, and after you visualize it, you will undoubtedly:
a) Understand why a 6.0 score in AWA is not a phenomenon any more.
b) Feel more relaxed and know that it is the structure that you should learn by heart (through practice) rather than anything else.
c) AWA is academic in the way you reason (which is the reflection of your critical thinking) RATHER THAN the way you possess a myriad of words and vocabularies. Even in the event that you need words and good structures to build up sentences, such words and structure should ALL be typical of reasoning.



I. STRUCTURE OF THE WRITING
A. Introduction (2 sentences, max 3)
- Begin: The argument/ Subject claims that .... (identifying clearly the subject who/ which makes the argument so that paraphrasing or restating will not distort the meaning)
- Conclude: (choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 This argument is unconvincing because it suffers from two critical flaws/problems.
 This argument is unconvincing because it lacks cogency for three reasons.
 The reasoning in this argument is problematic/ flawed in several respects.
 This argument is fraught with vague, oversimplified and unwarranted claims.
 It is insufficient as it stands because it depends on three questionable assumptions.
 While this argument has some merit, its line of reasoning requires close examination/ deserves attention
 At first glance, the author’s argument appears to be somewhat convincing, but further reflection reveals that it is based on some dubious assumptions.

B. Body
B.1. First paragraph (4 sentences, max 5)
- Begin: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 First, the argument readily assumes that......
 To begin with, the argument relies on the assumption that…
 In the first place, the author’s conclusion goes beyond the evidence presented.
 First, and foremost,…
- Reasoning: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 This statement is a stretch, because/ since/ for….
 There is no guarantee that this is the case…
 The claim is unsubstantiated and may be too hasty….
 This is tantamount to the assumption that…, but for all we know,…
- Evidence: For example/ For instance,….
- Conclude: Clearly/ Doubtless/ Undoubtedly/ Obviously/ Evidently, …

B.2. Second paragraph (4 sentences, max 5)
- Begin: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 Second, the argument unfairly claims that....
 Second, it is highly doubtful that…
 Second, it is questionable whether the…
- Reasoning: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 While this is a tempting assumption, its truth is by no means obvious.
 While this is a reasonable assumption, it is by no means a certainty.
 Even if it were the case that …., this fact alone is insufficient to support the claim that… In fact,…
 To the extent that this is the case, there is no guarantee that …. , let alone…
 On the fact of it/ Presumably/ Apparently, …….. However/ Nonetheless/ Nevertheless,….
- Evidence: To illustrate/ Take… as an example/ As an illustration,… Moreover,….
- Conclude: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 In the face of such limited evidence, it is fallacious to…
 If the argument had provided evidence that.....then the argument would have been a lot more convincing.

B.3. Third paragraph (4 sentences, max 5)
- Begin: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 Third, ...... does not necessarily portend….
 Third, ….. is not indicative of…
 Third, …. are questionable on two grounds/ counts.
- Reasoning: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 If it turns out, for example, that…, …..
 Just as likely,….
 The underlying assumption operative in this inference is that…
- Evidence: Furthermore, to properly evaluate the argument,…
- Conclude: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 Since it lacks certain supporting factors, the author’s conclusion is wholly unwarranted.
 In the absence of answers to these questions, it actually renders the claims worthless.

C. Conclusion (2-3 sentences, try NOT to reach 4)
- Begin: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 In conclusion/ In short/ In sum/ To sum up/ Briefly, this argument is weak because it depends on an oversimplified assumption about…
 …this argument is not completely convincing/ persuasive/ well-reasoned/ sound as it stands.
 …the argument is poorly supported and is short-sighted.
 …the argument is not based on sound reasoning.
 …this argument is defective mainly because…
 …this argument is naive, vague and poorly reasoned.
 …this argument is a confusion of weak comparisons, mixed issues and equivocal claims.
- Solutions: (Choose 1 equivalent sentence)
 To better evaluate the argument, we would need more information about…
 To strengthen the argument, the author must, at the very least, show that…
 To strengthen the argument, the author must limit his conclusion by acknowledging that…
 Supporting examples drawn from … would further substantiate the author’s view.
- Final ending (Optional)


II. SMALL TIPS
- Vocabularies about how wrong an assumption/ error is:
 gratuitous; entirely unfounded; ill-founded; egregious; groundless; specious; ludicrous
 a blatantly implausible claim

- Verbs which bring out or strengthen, eliminate or weaken:
 pertain to (= be relevant to); reflect the facts that…
 lend credibility to; give/ lend/ add credence to; endorse
 rule out; nullify

- Miscellaneous:
 Adjective with “evidence”: compelling; modestly convincing; scant (= little); inconclusive
 pay scant attention to
 a prerequisite for
 sheer (a) + Noun = complete, nothing except (Ex: a sheer nonsense)
 a costly mistake
 in lieu of = instead of
 insofar as = to the extent that (Ex: the play was a great success insofar as attendance was concerned)
 articulate (v) (reasons) = show, express
 whereby (adv, conj) = by which (way or method) (Ex: We need to devise some sort of system whereby people can liaise with each other.)
 in the event of sth/ in the event that sth happens = if sth happens
 … rather than the other way around.
 … is not in accord with common sense.
 failed to make a convincing case for
 will have direct bearing on = have an influence on sth

- Causality:
 While temporal precedence is one of the conditions required to establish a causal relationship between two events, by itself it is not a sufficient condition. (a “MUST HAVE” sentence)
 Without compelling evidence to support the causal connection between…, it is presumptuous to conclude that…
 A mere positive correlation between … and … does not necessarily prove a causal relationship.
 No additional evidence linking the two events is offered/ provided in the argument, thus leaving open the possibility that the two events are not causally related but merely correlated.


Briefly, you can visualize the whole AWA simply like this:
I. Introduction (at least 2 sentences)
- One sentence paraphrases the claim.
- One sentence states that it is flawed in the reasoning.
( Very common sense )

II. Body (at least 2 paragraphs, but should fix to 3)
- Every paragraph will counter one assumption along with your own evidence. With this understanding:
+ Begin every paragraph: one sentence to point out the unreasonable assumption.
+ After you "point", you have to give your own reason why it is flawed One sentence for this. (so common sense)
+ Your reason will strongly convince others if it includes examples. One sentence for this.
+ After reasoning and flood other with critical words, it is reasonable to conclude so that they will not go... astray
- Thus, it is understandable why the length of the body often scares us, but investigate deeply, you understand why it is and why you will HAVE to do that.

III. Conclusion (at least 2 sentences)
- One sentence to sum up everything. Briefly, saying AGAIN the argument is unconvincing.
- When you defeat the rival, it will be a glorious victory if you help him stand up. Now one sentence offering solutions to fix the gap in those assumptions. It not only proves that you understand where the weakness is but also know how to solve it (I am not the kind of people who only say, I know how to action)


That is. A completely common sense and a sigh of relief if you personalize the whole AWA as the way you reason daily.

Hope all of these help.




P.S: All the materials and sentences come DIRECTLY and SOLELY from 109 samples. You can find those words yourselves, but I have done it to save your time