Analytical Writing and Communication
What the exam tests
Analytical Writing and Communication tests whether you can state a clear claim, support it with relevant evidence, address counterarguments, and write for a busy decision-maker. Expect memo, essay, and executive-summary tasks.
Core rules
- Put the thesis early. Each paragraph should make one point, support it, and connect it to the thesis.
- Evidence must be relevant, sufficient, and attributed. Anecdotes illustrate; they do not prove.
- Address the strongest counterargument, then rebut or qualify it.
- Prefer active voice, concrete nouns, and parallel structure. Cut nominalizations such as make a decision when decide works.
- Match tone and detail to the audience; an executive memo leads with the recommendation and the decision needed.
Worked example
Weak: Due to the fact that costs were high, a decision was made by management to conduct a review of the vendor. Revised: Because vendor costs rose 18%, management will review the contract by Friday. The revision names the cause, quantifies it, identifies the actor, and sets a deadline. It removes empty phrasing and makes the next step testable.
Traps
Do not bury the recommendation at the end. Do not use jargon to sound analytical. Do not present a list of facts without an argument. Do not overstate certainty when the evidence is limited. Do not ignore the prompt's audience or format.
Exam habit
Outline in three lines: claim, two reasons, one objection. Then write. This keeps the essay coherent when time is tight.