📋 Written Ability Test (WAT)/Essay Analysis Guide

💡 Topic: Should There Be Global Cooperation on Space Mining to Prevent Future Conflicts Over Space Resources?

🌟 Understanding the Topic’s Importance

The essay explores how the absence of global regulations could lead to disputes over lucrative space resources, potentially mirroring past conflicts over terrestrial resources like oil and minerals. For B-school students, it highlights intersections between global policy, economics, and technological innovation.

⏱️ Effective Planning and Writing

• ⏳ Time Allocation:
• Planning: 5 minutes
• Writing: 20 minutes
• Review: 5 minutes
• 💡 Preparation Tips:
• Note key statistics and treaties (e.g., UN OST).
• Identify major stakeholders and challenges.

✍️ Introduction Techniques for Essays

• ⚖️ Contrast Approach: “While the potential of space mining promises unprecedented economic gains, it also poses risks of geopolitical conflicts akin to historical territorial disputes.”
• 🔑 Solution-Based Approach: “Global cooperation in space mining could transform potential rivalries into opportunities for shared progress and innovation.”

🧩 Structuring the Essay Body

1. 🏆 Achievements:
• Highlight technological progress and private sector innovations.
2. ⚠️ Challenges with Comparative Analysis:
• Discuss regulatory gaps, environmental concerns, and geopolitical rivalries.
3. 🌍 Future Outlook:
• Recommend frameworks like a UN-led regulatory body or global treaties.

📄 Concluding Effectively

• ⚖️ Balanced Approach: “Space mining represents a frontier of immense opportunity and risk. Collaborative frameworks can balance national ambitions with shared global interests.”
• 🌐 Global Comparison: “Drawing from models like Antarctica’s governance, space mining can become a symbol of peaceful global cooperation.”

📊 Analyzing Successes and Shortcomings

• 💪 Key Achievements: SpaceX’s reduced costs, increasing private-public partnerships.
• ⚠️ Ongoing Challenges: Absence of enforceable regulations, potential for militarization.
• 🌍 Global Context: Similarities with disputes over Arctic resources.

🔑 Recommendations for Sustainable Progress

• ✨ Establish an international regulatory body under UN aegis.
• 🤝 Promote technological and research collaboration among nations.
• 🌌 Develop environmental safeguards to prevent orbital pollution.

📝 Sample Short Essays

⚖️ Balanced Perspective:

“Space mining holds transformative potential but requires a global framework to avoid conflicts. The UN must lead efforts to ensure equitable access and environmental protection.”

🔑 Solution-Oriented:

“By fostering cooperation, nations can unlock space mining’s economic benefits while avoiding costly disputes, drawing parallels to successful global treaties like the Antarctica Protocol.”

🌍 Global Comparison:

“As countries race to exploit extraterrestrial resources, lessons from Arctic governance underline the need for cooperative frameworks in space exploration.”