You should practice giving yourself 30 minutes to brainstorm and type AWA essays between now and Test Day. By doing so, you will get an idea of how much you can write in the time allotted; your typing speed might also improve with practice.
Your task for the Argument essay is to assess the logic and use of evidence in an argument. It doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree with the argument’s conclusion. Rather, you need to explain the ways in which the author has failed to fully support that conclusion.
Let’s take a look at a sample prompt:
The following appeared in a memo from the CEO of My Pie, a chain of pizza restaurants.
“Officials in the film industry report that over half of the films released last year targeted an age 14–22 audience. Moreover, national sales data indicate that pizza is a favorite food among this age group. Since Filmmax opened a theater in a local mall last year, pizza sales at our restaurant in that mall have been higher than at any other restaurant in our chain. Because watching movies seems to stimulate pizza sales, the best way to increase our profits is to expand by opening new My Pie restaurants near every Filmmax theater.”
Consider how logical you find this argument. In your essay, be sure to discuss the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterpoints might weaken the conclusion. You may also discuss what types of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
Where are the holes in the argument? In what ways does it fail to be completely convincing? Why might the plan fail? Not only do you have to identify its major weaknesses, but you must also explain them.