Writing: Purpose, Structure and Control
What the Writing task rewards
The GAT writing task asks you to produce a sustained piece of prose in response to a short prompt, usually with a stated audience and purpose. Markers reward clear thinking expressed in controlled, varied English. Understand four concepts: audience and purpose (who reads it and what you want them to think, feel or do), structure (a recognisable opening, developed body and purposeful close), cohesion (links between sentences and paragraphs that show the logic of your argument) and sentence control (accurate grammar, punctuation and a mix of sentence lengths).
Traps to avoid
- Ignoring the prompt's angle. A prompt about whether technology improves communication is not an invitation to write generally about technology. Answer the actual question.
- Narrative drift. Anecdotes can illustrate a point, but they must not replace argument. Keep the anecdote short and connect it explicitly to your claim.
- Formulaic openings. "Since the dawn of time..." wastes words. Begin with a specific observation or a clear position.
- Overlong sentences. Long strings of clauses lose the reader and invite errors in agreement and punctuation.
Rule of thumb
Use point, evidence, explanation, link for each body paragraph. For example, on a prompt about whether sport builds character: state that sport teaches resilience; give a concrete example such as a team losing a final and training again; explain that repeated setbacks in a controlled setting build persistence; then link back to the prompt by noting that this benefit depends on coaching that values effort over winning. That last qualification shows evaluative thinking, which markers reward.
Proofread for subject-verb agreement, tense consistency and comma splices. Reserve two or three minutes to reread your final paragraph, where errors cluster.