✍️ WAT Concepts

Examples in WAT Essays: The One-Example Rule That Scores 9+ Every Time

Master using examples in WAT essays with the PEEL framework, 15+ real WAT essay examples, and the one-example rule that transforms 5/10 essays into 8+. Free templates inside.

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What You’ll Learn

  1. Why Examples in WAT Essay Determine Your Score
  2. The One-Example Rule: Quality Over Quantity
  3. WAT Essay Structure: Where Examples Belong
  4. How to Start WAT Essay with Examples
  5. The PEEL Framework for WAT Essay Examples
  6. Opinion Essay WAT: Using Examples to Persuade
  7. Essay Conclusion WAT: Closing with Impact
  8. WAT Essay Evaluation: How Evaluators Score Examples
  9. WAT Essay Templates with Example Integration
  10. Building Your Example Bank
  11. Key Takeaways

Here’s a paradox that confuses most WAT candidates: 16% of essays are rejected for lack of real-world examples—yet using MORE examples often makes essays worse, not better. The evaluator’s pet peeve isn’t missing examples; it’s what they call “name-dropping without development.”

The data reveals something counterintuitive: essays with +38% higher scores don’t use more examples—they use better ones. ONE specific, named example with accurate data beats THREE generic mentions of “Steve Jobs” or “Tata Group.” The difference between a 5/10 and an 8/10 isn’t the quantity of examples in WAT essay—it’s the quality of how you use them.

This guide shows you exactly how to select, develop, and integrate examples that transform average essays into memorable ones, with 15+ real WAT essay examples from IIM converts who mastered this skill.

Why Examples in WAT Essay Determine Your Score

Understanding why examples in WAT essay matter so much requires seeing how evaluators actually process your writing.

+38%
Score boost for essays with specific data/facts/years
16%
Rejection rate for essays lacking real-world examples
20%
Rejection rate for generic essays lacking specificity
30 sec
Average time evaluators spend per essay

What Evaluators Actually Look For

When evaluators scan 400 essays in 3-4 hours, they’re looking for signals of quality thinking. Examples serve as evidence that you:

  1. Know the topic: Generic claims are easy; specific examples require actual knowledge
  2. Think concretely: Abstract reasoning without examples suggests you haven’t thought through implications
  3. Prepare seriously: Having ready examples shows you invested in preparation
  4. Argue persuasively: Claims without evidence are assertions, not arguments
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The Evaluator’s Perspective
What Goes Through Their Mind
Without Example
“Corporate social responsibility is essential for long-term business success because it builds trust with stakeholders.”

Evaluator thinking: “This could be written by anyone. Sounds like a textbook. No evidence of actual thinking or knowledge.”
With Example
“When Tata Steel acquired Corus in 2007 for $12.1 billion, skeptics predicted failure. But Tata’s century-long commitment to employee welfare—Jamshedpur’s free healthcare, housing, and schools since 1912—created an integration approach that retained 95% of key talent.”

Evaluator thinking: “This person knows specifics. The $12.1B figure, the year, the 95% retention—these details show real preparation. Credible.”
Coach’s Perspective
Here’s what most coaches get wrong: they tell students to “use examples” without explaining WHY examples work. Examples aren’t decoration—they’re EVIDENCE. In critical reasoning, every claim needs backing. Ask yourself: WHY did this happen? HOW did it work? What EVIDENCE supports it? Your example should answer at least one of these questions. If it just “illustrates” without proving anything, it’s wasted words.

The One-Example Rule: Quality Over Quantity

The most important principle for using examples in WAT essay: ONE well-developed example beats THREE sketchy ones.

Why Multiple Examples Often Fail

In a 250-word essay, you have roughly 100 words for your body paragraphs. Trying to squeeze in three examples means:

  • Each example gets ~30 words
  • No room for analysis or connection to thesis
  • Reads like a list, not an argument
  • Shows breadth of knowledge but not depth of thinking
❌ Multiple Sketchy Examples
  • “Leaders like Gandhi, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk have shown that vision matters. Gandhi led independence, Jobs created Apple, and Musk built Tesla. These examples prove leadership is about vision.”
  • Problem: Name-dropping without insight. Could be written by anyone who’s heard these names. No analysis. 45 words that prove nothing.
✅ One Developed Example
  • “When Satya Nadella became Microsoft CEO in 2014, the company was stagnating at $38 billion revenue. His first act wasn’t a strategy shift—it was asking his leadership team to read a book on growth mindset. By 2024, revenue hit $200 billion. Nadella proved that vision starts with culture.”
  • Why it works: Specific year, specific numbers, specific action, clear analysis. 55 words that demonstrate actual knowledge and thinking.

The Golden Example Development Formula

Every example should include at least THREE of these five elements:

Element What It Adds Example
Name Credibility Ratan Tata, Chandrayaan-3, UPI
Number Precision ₹615 crore, 10 billion transactions, 21% growth
Year/Time Context In 2007, by 2024, within 2 months
Action Specificity walked away from, acquired, launched
Outcome Proof resulted in, led to, transformed
💡 The Verb Test for Examples

Apply the Verb Test to your examples: If there’s no verb describing what someone DID, your example is static. “Gandhi was a great leader” has no action. “Gandhi walked 240 miles to protest salt tax, inspiring millions to join” has verbs—walked, protest, inspiring, join. Verbs create movement and credibility.

WAT Essay Structure: Where Examples Belong

Understanding WAT essay structure helps you place examples for maximum impact. The Universal 4-Part Structure works for all topic types:

50-60
Words: Hook + Thesis (20%)
80-100
Words: Argument + Evidence (40%)
60-80
Words: Counter + Rebuttal (25%)
40-50
Words: Conclusion (15%)

Strategic Example Placement

Section Example Purpose Example Type
Introduction (Hook) Grab attention, establish credibility Personal story OR striking statistic
Body (Main Argument) Prove your thesis with evidence Named case study with specific details
Counter-Argument Acknowledge complexity, show balance Brief counter-example OR limitation
Conclusion Create memorable ending Callback to opening OR future projection

The 20-60-20 Visual Structure

94% of 9+ scoring essays have clear intro-body-conclusion structure. Here’s how WAT essay structure looks with proper example integration:

✅ Complete WAT Essay Example: “Is profit the only responsibility of business?”

HOOK + THESIS (55 words):
When Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard gave away his $3 billion company to a climate trust in 2022, business schools scrambled to update their case studies. Milton Friedman’s 1970 dictum—”the only responsibility of business is profit”—suddenly looked incomplete. Profit enables purpose; purpose sustains profit. They’re not opposites but partners.

ARGUMENT + EVIDENCE (85 words):
The evidence supports this partnership model. Unilever’s Sustainable Living brands, which include Dove and Ben & Jerry’s, grew 69% faster than their other products between 2018-2023. Tata Group, with its 150-year commitment to nation-building, survived where competitors collapsed—precisely because trust compounds while short-term profit evaporates. These aren’t outliers; they represent a pattern: companies that integrate social responsibility into core strategy outperform those treating CSR as charity.

COUNTER + REBUTTAL (65 words):
Critics argue, with some validity, that shareholder primacy created unprecedented wealth. However, this wealth concentration—26 billionaires now own as much as 3.8 billion people—has destabilized the very markets businesses depend on. Even BlackRock’s Larry Fink, managing $10 trillion, now insists on stakeholder capitalism. The profit-only model isn’t wrong; it’s incomplete.

CONCLUSION (45 words):
Chouinard’s radical gift reveals an emerging truth: the most profitable move may be transcending profit as the sole metric. The question isn’t whether business should be responsible—it’s whether businesses that aren’t responsible can survive the 21st century.

Total: 250 words | Examples used: 4 (Patagonia, Unilever, Tata, BlackRock) | All with specific numbers

How to Start WAT Essay with Examples (WAT Introduction Examples)

Knowing how to start WAT essay effectively is crucial—your opening gets 4-6 seconds to determine pile placement. WAT introduction examples that score highest share common patterns.

5 Opening Templates Using Examples

Template 1: The Statistic Hook

Best for: Policy, economics, current affairs topics

✅ WAT Introduction Example: Gig Economy

“India’s gig economy employs 7.7 million workers, yet fewer than 5% have any social security coverage. This stark disparity reveals a fundamental tension between economic flexibility and worker protection—one that demands innovation, not regulation alone.”

Template 2: The Personal Story Hook

Best for: Relatable topics, where you have genuine experience

✅ WAT Introduction Example: Digital Divide (IIM-A Convert)

“My grandmother still counts cash for vegetables while my brother trades crypto worth lakhs before breakfast. This is India’s digital divide in 2025—not binary but spectral, not about access but about adoption speed.”

Template 3: The Mini-Anecdote Hook

Best for: Leadership, ethics, business topics

✅ WAT Introduction Example: Ethical Leadership

“When Ratan Tata walked away from the Nano factory after West Bengal’s land acquisition failures, he chose principle over profit. This moment encapsulates why some leaders transcend mere management—they make decisions that define who they are, not just what they own.”

Template 4: The Contrast Hook

Best for: Two-sided debates, technology topics

✅ WAT Introduction Example: AI and Employment

“Last month, my company replaced 40 data entry roles with AI. This month, they hired 15 AI trainers, 10 prompt engineers, and 5 ethics consultants. The math is complicated—and so is the question of whether AI creates or destroys jobs.”

Template 5: The Transformation Hook

Best for: Change, adaptation, growth topics

✅ WAT Introduction Example: Career Disruption (IIM-K Convert)

“Six months ago, I lost my job to an AI tool. Today, I train that same tool. The irony isn’t lost on me—neither is the lesson: survival in the AI economy isn’t about resistance but reinvention.”

Coach’s Perspective
Most students think they need a “clever” opening. Wrong. You need a credible opening. Personal stories in the first 50 words correlate with 5.2× higher scores—not because they’re clever, but because they signal authenticity. Evaluators read 400 essays filled with “In today’s fast-paced world…” Your personal story breaks that monotony. But remember: authenticity can’t be faked. If you want to manufacture a story, you’ll be caught—either in the WAT or the PI that follows.

The PEEL Framework for WAT Essay Examples

The PEEL Framework is the most reliable method for integrating examples in WAT essay body paragraphs. It ensures every example actually proves something.

PEEL: Point → Evidence → Explain → Link

Step What It Does Words
P – Point State your argument clearly in one sentence 15-20
E – Evidence Provide specific example, statistic, or case study 30-40
E – Explain Analyze HOW the evidence supports your point 25-30
L – Link Connect back to thesis or transition to next point 15-20

PEEL in Action: Complete WAT Essay Example

💡 Topic: “Remote work is the future of employment”

P (Point): Remote work delivers measurable productivity gains that traditional offices cannot match.

E (Evidence): When Infosys analyzed their 2023 workforce data, they found remote teams delivered 21% higher productivity while reporting 34% lower burnout rates than office-based equivalents. Freshworks, the Chennai-based SaaS unicorn, shifted to permanent remote-first and saw attrition drop from 18% to 9%.

E (Explain): These numbers reveal something offices obscure: much “presence” is performance. Removing commutes and surveillance freed employees to actually work, not just appear to work.

L (Link): This suggests the future of work isn’t about location—it’s about measuring outcomes, not attendance.

Common PEEL Mistakes

❌ Weak PEEL Execution
  • Point too vague: “Remote work has many benefits”
  • Evidence unspecific: “Many companies have found success with remote work”
  • Explain missing: Jumping from example to next point without analysis
  • Link absent: No connection to overall thesis
✅ Strong PEEL Execution
  • Point specific: “Remote work delivers measurable productivity gains”
  • Evidence named: “Infosys found 21% higher productivity”
  • Explain present: “This reveals that much ‘presence’ is performance”
  • Link clear: “This suggests the future isn’t about location…”

Opinion Essay WAT: Using Examples to Persuade

Opinion essay WAT topics require you to take a stance and defend it. Examples transform opinions into arguments by providing evidence for your position.

The Opinion Essay Trap

87% of WAT essays contain “In my opinion…” — and evaluators dislike it. Why? Because stating “my opinion” adds nothing. EVERYTHING in your essay is your opinion. The phrase wastes words and signals insecurity.

❌ Announcing Opinion
  • “In my opinion, social media does more harm than good”
  • “I personally believe that work-life balance is important”
  • “From my perspective, AI will create more jobs”
✅ Showing Opinion Through Evidence
  • “When Cambridge Analytica harvested 87 million Facebook profiles, social media revealed its potential for harm”
  • “Japan’s karoshi epidemic—death from overwork—demonstrates work-life balance isn’t optional”
  • “ChatGPT created more AI-related jobs in 2023 than total AI workers in 2019”

Opinion Essay WAT Template

✅ Opinion Essay Example: “Social media does more harm than good”

HOOK: “My grandmother video-calls her grandchildren daily. My teenage cousin hasn’t made eye contact in three years.”

THESIS: “Social media is neither savior nor villain—it’s an amplifier that magnifies our existing tendencies, for better or worse.”

BODY (with PEEL example): The amplification effect explains why social media seems both wonderful and terrible. Facebook connected 2.9 billion people—including my grandmother to grandchildren 1,000 km away. Yet the same platform’s algorithm amplified vaccine misinformation, contributing to measles outbreaks in communities with vaccination rates below 70%. The platform didn’t create connection or misinformation; it accelerated both.

COUNTER: Critics who demand complete bans ignore this duality. Banning social media would also ban the grandmother’s video calls, the Arab Spring’s coordination, the #MeToo movement’s solidarity.

CONCLUSION: The question isn’t whether social media is good or bad—it’s whether we’re wise enough to use tools that amplify whatever we already are.

Coach’s Perspective
The biggest mistake in opinion essay WAT? Fence-sitting disguised as balance. “Both sides have merit, it depends” scores 4/10. That’s not balance—it’s cowardice. Real balance means: acknowledge complexity + provide SPECIFIC multi-layered solutions with forceful language. You can see nuance AND take a position. Use examples to show you understand the counter-argument—then explain why your position is still stronger.

Essay Conclusion WAT: Closing with Impact

Your essay conclusion WAT section gets approximately 40-50 words. It’s your last impression—make it count. Examples in conclusions work differently than in body paragraphs.

What NOT to Do in Conclusions

❌ Empty Conclusions to Avoid

• “Only time will tell…” — Says nothing
• “There are pros and cons to both sides…” — No stance taken
• “It depends on the situation…” — Cop-out
• “In conclusion, this is a complex issue…” — Obvious and weak
• Summary of what you already said — Wastes precious words

3 Strong Conclusion Templates with Examples

Template 1: The Synthesis Conclusion

✅ Essay Conclusion WAT Example

“Economic growth and environmental sustainability need not be mutually exclusive. While short-term trade-offs exist, long-term prosperity depends on sustainable practices. The path forward lies not in choosing between them, but in innovative solutions—like India’s solar mission targeting 500 GW by 2030—that serve both.”

Template 2: The Call to Action Conclusion

✅ Essay Conclusion WAT Example

“AI will transform education—that much is certain. The question is no longer whether to embrace it, but how. Educators must shift from information delivery to wisdom cultivation, teaching students not what to think, but how to think alongside machines.”

Template 3: The Circular Callback Conclusion

✅ Essay Conclusion WAT Example

“When Ratan Tata walked away from West Bengal, he wasn’t abandoning a factory—he was building something more valuable: a reputation for integrity that would open doors across the globe. Sometimes the best business decision is not a business decision at all.”

High-Impact Conclusion Examples from IIM Converts

Topic Memorable Conclusion
Technology “In the end, technology should serve chai to the masses, not just champagne to the classes.”
Employment “Let’s not become a nation that sends rockets to the moon but can’t send jobs to its youth.”
Education “Free higher education sounds fair until you ask: free for whom? Making IITs free means a factory worker’s taxes subsidize an engineer’s ₹20 lakh salary. The goal isn’t free. The goal is fair.”

WAT Essay Evaluation: How Evaluators Score Examples

Understanding WAT essay evaluation helps you use examples strategically. Here’s how evaluators actually score different aspects:

Official Evaluation Weightages

Criterion Weight How Examples Help
Content Quality 30-40% Specific examples demonstrate depth of knowledge and relevance
Structure & Organization 25-30% PEEL structure shows logical example placement
Language & Communication 20-25% Concrete examples make abstract concepts clear
Critical Thinking 15-20% Examples in counter-arguments show balanced analysis

What Gets 9+/10 Scores

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9+/10 Essay Characteristics
Source: IIM Topper Interviews + Evaluator Feedback
✓
Opening that makes evaluator stop and read
✓
Clear thesis in first 2 sentences
✓
At least ONE specific, named, accurate example
✓
Counter-argument acknowledged

How Examples Affect Score Distribution

Score Range Example Quality % of Essays
9-10/10 Specific, original, well-analyzed examples that teach evaluator something new 1-2%
7-8/10 Named examples with numbers, properly explained with PEEL 15-20%
5-6/10 Generic examples (Steve Jobs, Gandhi) without specific details 50-60%
<5/10 No examples OR fabricated statistics OR irrelevant examples 20-30%
⚠️ The Fact Fabricator: A Cautionary Tale (Score: 2/10)

A candidate claimed “60% of startups fail due to lack of funding” in their WAT—a made-up statistic. Unfortunately, the evaluator was a startup founder. Evaluator comment: “Fabricated statistics destroy credibility. If unsure, don’t quantify.” Lesson: Use qualifiers like “research suggests” or “approximately” if uncertain. One fabricated fact undermines your entire essay.

WAT Essay Templates with Example Integration

These WAT essay templates show exactly how to integrate examples for different topic types.

Opinion Essay WAT Template (250-300 words, 15-20 min)

HOOK (15-20 words): Personal story OR striking statistic with contrast

THESIS (30-40 words): Clear position with nuance (not one-sided)

BODY with PEEL (80-100 words):

  • Point: State your main argument
  • Evidence: ONE specific named example with numbers
  • Explain: WHY this example proves your point
  • Link: Connect to thesis

COUNTER (50-60 words): “However, critics argue…” + brief counter-example + why your position still holds

CONCLUSION (40-50 words): Forward-looking insight OR callback to opening

Example placement: Opening hook (1) + Body evidence (1) + Counter (1 brief) = 3 total

Abstract Topic WAT Template (200-250 words, 15 min)

INTERPRETATION (40-50 words):

  • What does it LITERALLY mean?
  • What could it METAPHORICALLY mean?
  • Pick ONE interpretation and commit

CONNECTION (60-80 words):

  • Connect to business OR life OR society
  • Use ONE concrete example to ground the abstraction

DEVELOPMENT (60-80 words):

  • Explore implications
  • Add nuance or counter-perspective

INSIGHT (40-50 words): Original takeaway that evaluator hasn’t read 50 times

Example for “Blue is better than Yellow”: Blue = calm, strategic; Yellow = flashy, impulsive. Example: Satya Nadella’s quiet Microsoft transformation vs. WeWork’s spectacular collapse.

Current Affairs WAT Template (300 words, 20 min)

CONTEXT (50-60 words): Recent event/data that frames the issue

ANALYSIS (100-120 words):

  • 2-3 dimensions (economic, social, political)
  • Specific examples with recent data
  • Named sources add credibility

COUNTER (50-60 words): Opposing view with brief example

POSITION (60-70 words): Your synthesized view + forward-looking recommendation

Example placement: Opening context (1-2 statistics) + Analysis (1-2 cases) + Counter (1 brief) = 4-5 total, but all quick and specific

Case-Based (IIM-A AWT) Template (300-350 words, 30 min)

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (40-50 words): State the core dilemma clearly

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS (50-60 words): Who is affected? (employees, customers, shareholders, society)

OPTIONS ANALYSIS (80-100 words):

  • Option A: Pros & Cons
  • Option B: Pros & Cons
  • Use real examples of companies that chose each option

RECOMMENDATION (50-60 words): Clear recommendation with justification + implementation considerations

Example usage: Reference actual companies that faced similar dilemmas. “When Infosys faced similar attrition issues in 2015, they implemented…” shows business awareness.

Building Your Example Bank

Having 15-20 high-quality examples ready is the difference between struggling and succeeding. Here’s how to build your bank systematically.

High-Value Examples for 2025 WAT Topics

Category Example Key Facts Use For
Digital India UPI/NPCI 10+ billion transactions/month (2024) Financial inclusion, tech innovation, public goods
Ethics Tata Group 100+ years, free Jamshedpur services since 1912 Long-term thinking, stakeholder capitalism
Innovation Chandrayaan-3 ₹615 Cr (less than Hollywood films) Frugal innovation, Indian capability
Technology ChatGPT 100 million users in 2 months (fastest ever) AI adoption, disruption speed
Labor Gig Economy India 7.7 million workers, <5% social security Worker rights, policy gaps
Purpose Patagonia $3 billion company given to climate trust (2022) Purpose over profit, sustainability
Leadership Satya Nadella Microsoft: $38B → $200B revenue (2014-2024) Culture change, transformation
SaaS Zoho/Freshworks Bootstrapped success from Chennai/Tenkasi Indian entrepreneurship, alternative paths

Practice: Example Mining Drill

Daily Exercise (10 minutes):

  1. Read one news article completely
  2. Extract:
    • One specific statistic with source
    • One named person/company example
    • One potential WAT topic connection
  3. Add to your Example Bank document

Goal: Build a bank of 100+ verified examples over 30 days

Example Bank Building Checklist
0 of 10 complete
  • 5 examples for Digital India/Technology topics
  • 5 examples for Ethics/Leadership topics
  • 5 examples for Economic/Policy topics
  • 5 examples for Social/Environmental topics
  • 3 personal stories from your own experience
  • 5 Indian examples (Tata, UPI, Chandrayaan, etc.)
  • 5 global examples (Patagonia, Microsoft, etc.)
  • Verify all statistics with reliable sources
  • Practice using each example in PEEL format
  • Test recall: Can you cite 10 examples without notes?

Self-Assessment: Your Example Readiness

📊 Example Usage Assessment
Example Bank Size
<10 examples
10-20 examples
20-30 examples
30+ examples
How many specific, verified examples can you recall?
Example Specificity
Names only
Names + basic facts
Names + numbers
Full PEEL ready
Can you cite specific numbers, years, and outcomes?
Topic Coverage
1-2 areas
3-4 areas
5-6 areas
All major topics
Do you have examples for ethics, tech, policy, social, etc.?
Integration Skill
Name-drop
Basic mention
Explained
PEEL mastery
Can you connect examples to thesis with analysis?
Your Assessment
Complete all dimensions to see your example usage readiness profile.
Coach’s Perspective
Students want shortcuts for examples too. “Just give me 10 examples to memorize.” That won’t work. Memorized examples feel fake because you don’t actually understand them. Instead, choose the framework where you have the GREATEST DEPTH of content. If you genuinely understand UPI because you use it daily, that example will be more powerful than a memorized Tata story you’ve never felt. Authenticity in examples comes from genuine engagement with the topic—not from memorization.

Key Takeaways

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Examples in WAT Essay: Summary
  • 1
    One Developed Example Beats Three Sketchy Ones
    In a 250-word essay, you have ~100 words for body content. ONE example with name, number, year, action, and outcome (the 5 elements) creates more credibility than multiple name-drops without development.
  • 2
    Use PEEL for Every Example
    Point → Evidence → Explain → Link. Never drop an example without explaining WHY it supports your thesis. The “Explain” step is where most essays fail—they mention examples without analyzing them.
  • 3
    Personal Stories = 5.2× Higher Scores
    Examples from your own life (the kirana store, the AI job loss, the grandmother’s digital divide) create authenticity that named case studies can’t match. They signal “real person” in a sea of generic essays.
  • 4
    Never Fabricate Statistics
    One made-up number destroys your entire essay’s credibility. Use qualifiers (“research suggests approximately…”) if unsure. Evaluators sometimes Google suspicious figures—and some are industry experts who’ll catch you instantly.
  • 5
    Build a 20+ Example Bank
    Having ready examples across topic categories (tech, ethics, policy, social) lets you write confidently on any topic. Mine news daily, verify facts, practice PEEL integration. 30 days of 10-minute drills = 100+ examples ready.
✍️
Want Expert Feedback on Your WAT Examples?
Building a strong example bank requires practice AND feedback. Let’s review your examples, ensure your statistics are accurate, and help you integrate them using the PEEL framework for maximum impact.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Examples in WAT Essay

For a 250-word WAT essay, use 1-2 well-developed examples maximum. ONE specific example with name, numbers, and analysis is far more effective than 3-4 name-drops without development. Your main body paragraph should have one strong PEEL example, and you might use a brief counter-example in your rebuttal section.

Use qualifiers: “approximately,” “research suggests,” “studies indicate around.” Never fabricate specific numbers—evaluators sometimes verify suspicious statistics, and getting caught destroys your entire essay’s credibility. It’s better to say “significant growth” than to invent “47% growth.” However, building a verified example bank before the exam is the best solution.

Yes—personal examples are often MORE effective than business case studies. Essays with personal stories in the first 50 words score 5.2× higher. Personal examples signal authenticity and stand out from the sea of generic Tata/Apple/Google references. The kirana store opening that converted IIM-A worked precisely because it was personal and specific.

Evaluators specifically mentioned: “If I read about Steve Jobs one more time…” Generic mentions of Gandhi, Apple, and Tesla without specific details are overused. The solution isn’t avoiding these names—it’s using SPECIFIC details others don’t. “When Ratan Tata acquired Corus for $12.1 billion in 2007…” is fine; “Tata shows ethical leadership” is generic.

Use the PEEL framework: Point (state your argument) → Evidence (your example) → Explain (analyze how it proves your point) → Link (connect back to thesis). The “Explain” step is crucial—it’s where you show thinking, not just knowledge. Without explanation, examples feel dropped in; with explanation, they flow naturally as proof of your argument.

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