Foreword
For many students, the GAMSAT is a challenging and at times highly stressful experience. While for
some, writing an essay or composing a creative piece for Section II might come easily, for other
candidates, this component of the exam represents a confusing, time-pressured and seemingly
impossible task. If you feel like you fall into this latter category, or are simply looking to improve your
performance and maximise your score in Section II, then this step-by-step guide is for you!
A little bit about us…
Hi! My name is Matthew and I’m the guy behind AceGAMSAT.
I’m really just a guy who once had the goal of passing the GAMSAT and becoming a Dentist. Many
years later, I now work with a team of GAMSAT specialists to create the most effective GAMSAT
study resources that will ensure students have everything they need to Ace the GAMSAT.
This guide is one of our series of study guides that cover each of the three sections contained in the
GAMSAT. We are confident that it will assist you in performing to the best of your ability in Section II.
Best of luck to you all. Cheers!
Matthew
Hello! My name is Katherine and I have had the pleasure of writing the Advanced Essay Bible.
I am currently a final year medical student at The University of Melbourne, and have had the
privilege of tutoring many students in argumentative and creative writing for the purposes of the
GAMSAT over the last few years. This has allowed me to gain insight into strategies and techniques
that are frequently of use to students in their preparation for Section II. I am by no means an expert
or a perfect writer, but I love to write and want to assist others in feeling more confident and capable
in approaching Section II.
I hope that this guide helps you to navigate Section II smoothly, and that that you feel more than
prepared to tackle your essays on exam day!
Happy writing!
Katherine.
Author(s): Katherine, AceGAMSAT
Publisher: AceGAMSAT
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 77
Tags: gamsat;medicine;writing;essays;acegamsat;
PART 1: GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME: UNDERSTANDING AND
APPROACHING SECTION II 1
WHAT IS ASKED OF ME IN SECTION II? 1
WHY DOES THIS SECTION OF THE GAMSAT EXIST? 1
WHAT KINDS OF CRITICAL THINKING AND/OR REFLECTIVE SKILLS SHOULD I ATTEMPT TO
DEMONSTRATE IN SECTION II? 1
WHERE SHOULD I START IN MY PREPARATION? 2
HOW SHOULD I ALLOCATE MY TIME? 2
PART 2: APPROACHING THE QUOTES: MAKING SENSE OF THE STIMULI 5
WHAT STIMULI DO I GET IN SECTION II? 5
TYPE A VERSUS TYPE B QUOTES 5
STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO READING THE QUOTES 6
LINKING WHAT YOU KNOW TO THE THEME 6
PART 3: GENERATING A THESIS: GETTING FROM THE QUOTES TO A
RIP-ROARING ARGUMENT 8
WHAT IS A THESIS? 8
HOW DO I COME UP WITH A THESIS? 8
EXAMPLES OF HOW A THESIS MAY BE PHRASED 8
MIND MAPPING 10
IDEA FLIPPING 12
HOW DO I KNOW IT’S A GOOD ONE BEFORE I START WRITING? 12
HOW CAN I LINK MY THESIS TO SPECIFIC IDEAS CONTAINED IN THE QUOTES? 13
THE ‘REVERSIBLE REACTION’ MODEL 13
THE GRID METHOD 13
PART 4: ESSAY STRUCTURE: A GUIDE TO VARIOUS WAYS OF
STRUCTURING SECTION II ESSAYS 16
WHY IS STRUCTURE IMPORTANT? 16
WHAT IS BASIC STRUCTURE FOR A SECTION II ESSAY? 17
STRUCTURE #1 17
STRUCTURE #2 20
STRUCTURE #3 21
STRUCTURE #4 22
STRUCTURE #5 23
A WORD ON CREATIVE STRUCTURES FOR TYPE B ESSAYS. 24
PART 5: WRITING YOUR INTRODUCTION: HOW TO USE YOUR
INTRODUCTION AS A ROADMAP FOR YOUR ESSAY 25
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN INTRODUCTION? 25
HOW SHOULD I STRUCTURE MY INTRODUCTION? 25
THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF AN INTRODUCTION 26
SUPERCHARGING YOUR INTRODUCTION 29
ADDITIONAL EXTRAS FOR INTRODUCTION 29
PART 6: STRUCTURING YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS: HOW TO
WRITE EXCELLENT BODY PARAGRAPHS 32
WHY IS PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE IMPORTANT? 32
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EACH PARAGRAPH? 32
HOW MANY PARAGRAPHS SHOULD I BE AIMING FOR? 32
HOW CAN I STRUCTURE MY PARAGRAPHS? 33
HOW MANY EXAMPLES PER PARAGRAPH SHOULD I BE AIMING FOR? 35
HOW CAN I VARY THE PEEL METHOD? 36
HOW DOES ALL THIS ADVICE REGARDING BODY PARAGRAPHS APPLY TO TYPE B ESSAYS? 40
PART 7: REBUTTALS: HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR ARGUMENT
BY CONSIDERING CONTRARY POINTS OF VIEW 42
WHAT IS A REBUTTAL? 42
HOW DOES INCLUDING REBUTTALS STRENGTHEN MY ESSAY AS A WHOLE? 43
HOW DO I THINK OF REBUTTALS? 45
HOW DO I INTEGRATE REBUTTALS INTO MY ESSAY? 46
ARE REBUTTALS RELEVANT TO TYPE B ESSAYS? 47
PART 8: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 48
WHAT IS MEANT BY ‘FLUID TRANSITIONS’? 48
WHY ARE FLUID TRANSITIONS IMPORTANT? 48
HOW CAN I CREATE FLUID TRANSITIONS IN MY ESSAY? 49
WHAT IS MEANT BY ‘SENTENCES STRUCTURE VARIETY’? 52
WHY SHOULD I USE A VARIETY OF SENTENCE STRUCTURES IN MY ESSAY? 52
HOW CAN I INCORPORATE A VARIETY OF SENTENCE STRUCTURES INTO MY ESSAY? 52
WHAT IS A GRAMMATICAL ERROR? 54
WHAT IS A SYNTACTICAL ERROR? 54
HOW CAN I REDUCE THE NUMBER OF GRAMMATICAL AND SYNTACTICAL ERRORS IN MY WRITING? 54
PART 9: SAMPLE ESSAYS WITH COMMENTARIES 55
SAMPLE ESSAY 1 55
DISCUSSIONS OF SAMPLE ESSAY 1 56
SAMPLE ESSAY 2 58
DISCUSSIONS OF SAMPLE ESSAY 2 59
SAMPLE ESSAY 3 61
DISCUSSIONS OF SAMPLE ESSAY 3 62
SAMPLE ESSAY 4 63
DISCUSSIONS OF SAMPLE ESSAY 4 64
PART 10: SITTING THE EXAM: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE EXAM DAY 65
PREPARING FOR EXAM DAY: SOME OVERALL PRACTICAL TIPS 65
TIME-MANAGEMENT: HOW TO ALLOCATE YOUR TIME WISELY 66
HOW SHOULD I ALLOCATE MY TIME IN SECTION II? 66
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE STUCK 67
DEALING WITH WRITER’S BLOCK 67
THINGS TO REMEMBER IF YOU FEEL THAT YOUR ESSAY IS NOT GOING TO PLAN 68
TEMPLATES 70
