What are we meant to write for the written section of the GAT? I have very little idea about how to arrange the information... could someone please post a sample response to the written sections of any GAT?
I was doing the 2011 GAT for revision and this is what I wrote:
SECTION 1:
Wolves are carnivorous animals that hunt in packs of between six and twenty wolves per pack. Their main prey is the Elk, an animal which provides a continuous supply of fresh meat for the wolves, however, they have been known to also feast on deer, moose and even sheep. These are the most abundant animals in North America, where the wolves live.
Although wolves tend to hunt in packs, even just an individual wolf has the potential to cause much havoc, as is described in the children’s story book ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Each wolf is equipped with a large brain capacity, acute hearing, excellent sight, a keen sense of smell and large sharp teeth, erupting from very strong jaws. Combine this with their aggressive behavior and desperation for meat, and then multiply it by twenty wolves, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster!
Wolves are most densely populated in North America, Asia and Europe, though have been eliminated in the southern parts of those continents, due to human hunters. If you ever see a wolf in these areas, then you’d better run fast, for you will be chased by a large, 35kg beast, at a speed of 65km/h! Even if you are lucky enough to survive their initial attack, their scent glands in their toes will track you down, and their persistence will result in the death of you!
A typical wolf will strut along the icy floor with its tail faced down towards the ground. When it detects another animal, it will wag its tail up and down as a way to express aggression, arousal or even intimidation. Only when in fear, it will crouch down and cower in the corner.
Despite all of this, though, the terror of the wolves is quite overrated in the media. Unrealistic drawings of a ‘lone wolf’ have been drawn, depicting them as some sort of two-legged killing machine! In reality, the wolf is a relatively harmless animal; an evolved version of the household dog. Those who think otherwise are nothing more than a victim of propaganda… myself included.
SECTION 2: The topic I chose was:
‘Sure, it’s more important to be good than to be gorgeous, but given the choice, most people would take gorgeous every time.’
It’s all about appearance. That’s all life is: a competition amongst one’s peers in order to appear the wealthiest, the most beautiful, the strongest and the most superior in every way. The days of survival have been long gone: with the advanced technology of the modern world, we need not fear for the extinction of mankind, for it is easily preventable. Without the slightest concern about the struggles that every other species faces, we are left to rot in a free, yet purposeless environment. Or so we were until social conventions went viral…
The concept of being ‘good’ is an unfamiliar one to most modern-day, materialistic people, however, it is an important one. Without this notion of goodness, whom some have accused of being archaic and irrelevant, we cannot truly find a purposeful objective in life. Succumbing to the indulges of the senses is not a desirable lifestyle for anyone, though many will disagree with that, often due to ignorance and naivety on their behalf. Social conventions are responsible for this sudden change to attitude, deceiving people into thinking that ‘indulgence’ is synonymous with ‘happiness’ and that ‘goodness’ is synonymous with either ‘sacrifice’ or ‘self-misery’.
Since it is natural for all self-aware life-forms to invariably seek happiness, then the confused minds of humanity will pursue a life of pleasure; one designed to impress others. Nothing is more noticeable to the human senses than physical appearance, and thus the idea of being physically flawless, or ‘gorgeous’, came about. Until mankind is educated about the fundamental priorities of life, most people will continue to choose being gorgeous to being good.
Please post sample writing tasks of your own so I can compare. Or just critic mine.