Hello ladies and Gents
I will have to say, Chineseburned awa template is gold.
I didn't use it verbatim like others may have but more-so used it as a guideline.
A strategy that worked for me was to write the into and conclusion before delving into the body paragraphs.
As you can imagine these are the easiest parts. I actually wrote out the intro and conclusion out on paper before going into the test center so I could have it fresh in my mind.
Actual Test:
Went in and did what I said above. I took about 6 min to outline the thing and went away typing. at 3 min left, I had only two body paragraph done, as others have mentioned to write as much as possible. Unfortunately I think the test stopped me mid sentence. I had only two complete sentences for the third body paragraph and felt a little anxiety when it cut me off.
That being said, I still scored a 6.
Cant remember the topic of the AWA, so cant be of much aid there.
Takeaways:
Use key words listed on his template
remember to do practice tests with the essays so that the AWA becomes a time for you to relax during the test.
AWA and IR should not be stressing you out. Pick a strategy, optimize, and GO.
Be consistent and dont try anything crazy.
Unfortunately i scored a 540 so I will be retaking. 6 on AWA and 7/8 on IR
Let me know if there are any questions. I will be retaking in a month or so and hope to replicate my AWA score and IR score, if not get 8/8
as always, Kudos greatly appreciated!