These use of current affairs as examples to support the arguments that you have put forward is pivotal. In a previous blogpost, I went through how to write a GAMSAT essay and went through how arguments take centre-stage in your essay. In responding to a quote, you have to make clear what evidence you have to support this.
Strong essays will give a critical appraisal of the issue presented and its implications not only for the individual, but also for society. They should answer:
- What happened during this event? (Cause-effect)
- How does your example/event support your argument? (Hint: look at your topic sentence!)
Contents
Analysis of Current Affairs
- The BLM movement:
- GAMSAT topics: Conflict, War, societal change, politics
- The 2020 Black Lives Movement (BLM) exemplified how democratic institutions can allow for change (theme) to occur. Their pleas (cause) for racial equality led to many BLM political sympathisers to write legislation which helped to increase accountability for police brutality (effect of ‘change’ topic)
- The Hiroshima/Nagasaki events
- GAMSAT topics: War, politics, progress, science, conflict
- The creation of the atomic bomb potentiated and resulted in the mass destruction of whole cities and the lives of many innocent individuals. With ‘Fat Man’ and ‘Little Boy’, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed along with millions of civilians. Whilst exacted as revenge for Pearl Harbour, it opened up the possibility to end the war. The effects were however only fathomed generations later with many individuals unable to reproduce and left with physical and emotional scars.
- Juukan Gorge
- GAMSAT Topics: Government, environment, conservation, culture, sustainability
- The devastating loss of the Juukan Gorge, a 46,000-year-old cultural sacred site in May 2020 reveals how our reliance on extracting iron ore to fuel the growth of our society is impacting our conservation of sacred sites. Rio Tinto’s desire to expand their iron ore mines and our reliance on them for jobs and resources means that it comes at the cost of land degradation. In addition, it has also contributed to the loss of archaeologically significant artifacts that will now never have the chance to be excavated.
Part A – Including Current Affairs in your Body Paragraph
ENVIRONMENT
‘Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill.’
The use of finite natural resources in the environment is reaching a precipice in which our rate of consumption exceeds the amount available. The devastating loss of the Juukan Gorge, a 46,000-year-old cultural sacred site in May 2020 (context) reveals how our reliance on extracting iron ore to fuel the growth of our society is impacting our conservation of sacred sites (effect). Rio Tinto’s desire to expand their iron ore mines and our reliance on them for jobs and resources means that it comes at the cost of land degradation (effect). In addition, it has also contributed to the loss of archaeologically significant artifacts that will now never have the chance to be excavated (analysis). [Here, you can include another example].There needs to be a change in priorities, with less reliance on profits from such natural resources to one that focuses on more sustainable materials.
Practice
You have a go now by trying to include examples in your body paragraph to the prompt: ‘We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.’
Resources to improve your ideas and writing
Click here to buy Part A Idea Bank
Click here to buy a step-by-step study guide to mastering GAMSAT essay writing
