GMAT Essays (AWA)

The following appeared in The Homebuilder magazine, a local publication with a focus on construction and sale of real-estate properties:

"According to the most recent survey of our readers, nearly 70% of the respondents indicated that they are planning to build or purchase a new home over the next 2 years. These results indicate that the growth in the construction industry is likely to accelerate in the near future. Therefore, this industry continues to offer lucrative opportunities for investment." In this article, The Homebuilder magazine reports a poorly supported claim that the construction industry is likely to expand in the near future. This claim is supported by the results of a survey administered by the magazine to its readers. Survey results indicated that close to 70% of the respondents intended to build or purchase a new home in the next two years. Based on the results of the survey, The Homebuilder claims that the construction industry will grow and remain a profitable investment opportunity. Though the argument presented in the magazine is not necessarily incorrect, it is weak and needs additional evidence.

One of the main flaws in this argument is that the respondents indicated that they are planning to build or purchase a new home. The distinction between building and purchasing is important here because the argument predicts that the construction industry is going to expand. Since it is possible that all of the respondents planned on purchasing a home, this conclusion is not well reasoned. Overall, if a large majority of the respondents plan on buying and not building a home then the construction industry would not expand.

Another weak point of this claim is the fact that the respondents of the survey were readers of the magazine. The people that read a magazine that focuses on construction and sale of real-estate properties are very likely to be building or considering building a new home. Therefore, the audience of the magazine is aimed at those that are already involved in the process. This sample does not accurately reflect the opinions and plans of the general public and therefore is not reliable.

There are several ways that this argument can be improved. One way would be for respondents to distinguish between planning to build or purchase a home. Another way that the results could be strengthened would be to expand the sample size to the general public in order to get a more reliable perspective. Overall, by administering the survey again on a wider scale with more in-depth questions the results of the survey could be much more reliable.

Though the argument presented could be true, the writer could strengthen his prediction by making the aforementioned improvements. The current argument is weak and does not take into account other factors, such as the economy. The respondents are purely planning on building or buying a house in the next two years. This may end up not being possible due to interest rates or other economical factors. In conclusion, this argument is flawed and can be greatly strengthened by minor improvements and clarifications.

Thank you! I submitted it through the practice grading software and it gave it a 6. However, I just completed another one and it gave me a 5.