8 Tips to Improve Your GMAT Analytical Writing Score

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Writing in English is different than speaking in English. There are more rules, more structure, and different forms of expressing yourself. Fortunately however, just like English speaking, practice makes perfect. Don’t be overwhelmed if you’re asked to write an essay in English! Follow these guidelines for a more polished and professional essay.

Structure

Most American teachers and professors want all general essays written in a specific structural format. This format consists of an introduction paragraph, a few supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Use this guideline to your advantage during the exam to improve GMAT Analytical Writing Score.

Quotes

Quotes are a great way to add depth and credibility to your essays. Make sure your quotes are from relevant and reliable sources. In writing, it’s important to not only use quotes to back up your claims, but use them correctly. Incorrectly quoting, or not adding quotations at all, may be considered plagiarism. Different ‘format styles’ use different formats for structuring quotes. A commonly used format is the MLA method, which stands for Modern Language Association. You can find the rules for MLA quotations on the Purdue Online Writing Lab here.

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Transition Words

It’s common for people who learn English as a second language to feel awkward and confused when they want to express multiple points in writing. In English, there are ‘transitional words’ that you can choose from to help you transition from the ending of one statement, to another. Transitions such as: in addition to, furthermore, paradoxically, therefore, etc can be used depending on your context. Using these transition words will help your writing flow more naturally and improve GMAT Analytical Writing Score.

The difference between -ies and ’s in writing

When speaking English, many words, regardless of their meaning, sound the same. In writing, you must be careful to spell words correctly in order for the reader to distinguish what you are intending to say. For example, the words ‘companies’ and ‘company’s’, sound the same. However, each of these words will be used differently depending on the context of the material. You would add an -ies to the ending if you are talking about companies in general. You would add the ’s is you are referring to something that belongs to a specific company.

Ex: “Did you see all the different companies that came to the convention?”

Ex: “Did you see the company’s new logo?”

If you want to really improve GMAT Analytical Writing Score you must pay attention to details such as these.

Be Aware of Abbreviations or slang

When learning spoken English, you probably had a tutor or a teacher that spoke fluent English. Chances are, you probably learned a few abbreviations or slang words that are regularly used in spoken English, but should be properly written in essays. ‘Words’ such as kinda, ASAP, coulda, nope, and inc., are all examples of words that are acceptable slang to speak in everyday English, but not acceptable to write in an essay. Be aware that there are many more than the ones listed. When in doubt, have your English conversation partner look over your paper for you to point any out. These can be tricky and even native speakers have to read over their essays carefully to find sneaky slang words.

Kinda: Kind of

ASAP: (abbreviation) As soon as possible

Coulda: Could have

Nope: No

Inc: Incorporated

Using Apostrophes

A helpful trick that many people don’t know is you should avoid using contractions in proper essays. Words such as: don’t, can’t, won’t, she’s, I’m, he’s, and they’re, should all be fully written out in formal essays. Since contractions are such a normal part of everyday spoken English, it might be difficult to remember to write out all contractions. Use your computer’s ‘find’ feature to search for words with contractions by ‘finding’ all apostrophes and fixing any contractions you may have missed.

If you want to improve GMAT Analytical Writing Score, learn to use contractions correctly when writing essays or arguments.

Citation Style

Different disciplines, fields, and classes all use a certain type of citation style. The most common types of essay citation styles are the Modern Language Association (MLA) style and the American Psychological Association (APA). As your schooling becomes more specialized, you may begin to use other more specific citation styles in your essays. It’s important to follow the citation style guidelines exactly as all styles are slightly different.

Vocabulary

Most teachers or professors want to see varied and rich vocabulary being used in your essays. In general, there are a few common words to stay away from. These words are: big, like, happy, got, and irregardless. While there are plenty more words and phrases to stay away from, this is a good list to start with. Try using these words instead of the ones listed:

Using varied and unique vocabulary in place of dull vocabulary will make your essay sound more polished and professional and will help you increase GMAT Analytical Writing Score.

Writing GMAT essays is something that will improve with time and practice. Never feel defeated, native English speakers are always working on improving their writing skills too. Good luck with your essay!