GAMSAT Section 2: the essays explained

GAMSAT® Section 2, Written Communication, asks you to write two essays: two 30-minute tasks within 65 minutes. It's sat at home under remote supervision, in its own window a few weeks before Sections 1 and 3. It counts for a quarter of your overall score.

There is no right answer. Markers want to see you think about an idea and express that thinking well.

The two tasks

Each task gives you four statements on a common theme. You write a response to one or more of them.

• Task A deals with socio-cultural issues — themes such as freedom, justice, technology, power or progress. It tends to suit an argumentative essay.
• Task B deals with more personal and social issues — themes such as failure, friendship, ambition or ageing. It invites a more reflective or personal response.

You don't have to write in a set form. A clear argument, a reflective piece or a story can all score well if the thinking is strong.

Tasks	2, each with 4 statements on one theme
Time	30 minutes per task, 65 minutes in total
Where	At home, remotely supervised
Weighting	25% of the overall score

How the essays are marked

Each essay is marked independently three times, on two broad criteria:

Thought and content — the quality of what you say. What do you make of the prompt? How far do you develop it? Are your ideas thoughtful, or obvious?

Organisation and expression — the quality of the structure and language. Does the piece have a clear shape? Is the writing fluent, precise and suited to the topic?

Some things that matter less than people think:

• Your opinion. You are not judged on whether your ideas or attitudes are "correct".
• Spelling and punctuation. ACER says errors in these don't affect your score. Grammar and expression count only as far as they help or hinder the overall piece.
• Length. Within reason, quality matters much more than word count. Markers know what can be written in 30 minutes.

Don't memorise essays

It's tempting to prepare essays in advance and adapt them on the day. ACER warns against it: memorised essays generally score poorly, responses that don't address the topic score low, and every response is checked for plagiarism and AI use — including against essays submitted in earlier sittings. Text borrowed from prepared essays can be flagged even if you didn't know where it came from.

Prepare ideas and examples, not essays. A stock of well-understood examples from history, science, literature and your own life lets you respond to whatever theme appears.

A 30-minute plan that works

1. Read all four statements (2–3 minutes). Find the common theme and the tension between the statements — where do they disagree?
2. Decide your position (2 minutes). One clear sentence you could defend. This is your thesis.
3. Plan (3–4 minutes). Two or three ideas, each with a specific example. Plan a conclusion that goes somewhere new, not one that repeats the introduction.
4. Write (18–20 minutes). State your position early. Give each idea its own paragraph, and let the example do real work.
5. Read back (2 minutes). Fix anything that changes the meaning; ignore small slips.

How to practise

• Write to time from the start. The time limit shapes everything.
• Then rewrite. Put an essay aside for a few days, re-read it and improve it. ACER recommends exactly this.
• Get specific feedback. ACER's own practice essays return a score but no written comments. GradMedMentor's AI feedback scores your essay on both criteria and tells you what worked and what to change. It's a practice tool, not an official mark.
• Read good argument. Long-form essays and opinion writing show you how strong writers build and test an idea.

Try one of our free practice essays, with a 30-minute timer, or read the overview of the GAMSAT.

Source: ACER GAMSAT Information Booklet 2026.