GCAS Strategies 3 Evidence | The English Farm

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This lesson is about giving evidence to make your argument stronger. This will help you to score well in the GCAS, while also making you a better communicator.

Introduction

Let's talk about arguments.

What is an argument?
What are the parts of an argument?
How important is argumentation in the GCAS?

Warm Up

Is this a strong answer? Why or why not?

Question: Do you like your job?
Answer: I like my job. My work is interesting, my colleagues are nice, my office is conveniently located and the managers are good.

Now try answering the same question:

Do you like your job?

Language

A. The difference between a claim and evidence.

Your teacher will say a sentence. You tell them if it is a claim or evidence.

B. Transition phrases to describe evidence.

There are different ways to introduce evidence. Here are some phrases. Do you know how to use each one?

1. For example...
2. In fact...
3. Given that...
4. For instance...

C. The 5 types of evidence.

Evidence can be:

example;
facts; (including statistics and data)
anecdote;
analogy/comparison; and
expert or eyewitness testimony.

Use each one to answer this question again:

Do you like your job?

Practice

A. Is this a strong answer? Analyze it.

Question: Do you like your job?
Answer: I love my job. I've been working here for 4 years. I'm a strategic consultant, so that means I investigate problems and solve them—I'm like a doctor, but for companies rather than people. My colleagues are great. I remember on my first day, so many people came and shook my hand. It made me feel really welcome.

How many claims are used? What evidence is used?

B. Now answer these questions using strong evidence: