Toefl Writing Part

TOEFL
WRITING PART
April 2nd 2020

• In the TOEFL writing section, there are two essay questions. First is the
integrated essay question, and second is the independent essay question.
The integrated essay requires you to write an essay comparing an article
and a lecture on the same topic. Write about 300 words in that essay. For
the independent essay, you’ll give your personal opinion on a single topic
(often related to education, work, life choices, technology and society).
Aim for about 400 words
Sample TOEFL Independent Essays
• There are four different styles of independent questions in the TOEFL

writing section – agree/disagree, multiple choice, paired choice and
preference.
• Grades encourage students to work harder at school. Do you agree or disa
gree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In my country, yo
ung people have a better life today than their parents enjoyed when they w
ere young. Use reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The knowledge w
e gain from personal experiences is more valuable than the knowledge we
gain from books. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answ
er. Do not use memorized examples.
• People in society work in many different settings, and for a variety of reas
ons. What do you think is the main reason why people have jobs?
• to feel happier about their lives
• to save money for the future
• to develop new skills
• Use specific examples and details to support your answer.
• The people we work with have many different characteristics and all of th
em affect the quality of our time at work. Of the following, what do you th
ink is the most important quality for a boss or supervisor to have?
• a serious attitude about their work
• a lot of related experience
• a tendency to always tell the truth
• All around the world, people are living longer than ever before. Which of t
he following do you think are the main causes of this phenomenon? You
may choose more than one option.
• The development of new technology
• Changes to our eating habits
• Improvements to our working conditions
ADVICE
• The last section of the TOEFL is Writing, which lasts for about 50
minutes. It consists of two parts: the integrated writing task (150-225
words) and the independent writing task (300-350 words)
• If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing so much in such a short
time, remember that writing is a skill that can be developed. Many TOEFL
guidebooks, such as Delta, Longman, Cambridge, and Barron's, present
detailed strategies to help you organize and focus your writing. They also
provide sample essays and an analysis of high- and low-scoring responses.
• INTEGRATED WRITING
The integrated writing task comes first and is organized in the following
way:
• You read a passage - 3 minutes
• You listen to a related lecture - 2 minutes
• You write an essay - 20 minutes
• In your response to the integrated question, you will be asked to summarize
the points made in the lecture and either show how the lecture supports the
points made in the reading passage or show how the lecture casts doubt on
the points made in the reading passage.
• It is helpful to make notes of the main points as you read, though the
reading passage does reappear when it is time to write. More
importantly, you must make notes while listening, as you have only one
opportunity to hear the lecture. Listen carefully
for arguments, explanations and examples which support or challenge the
points made in the reading. It is essential that you take detailed notes while
listening or you won’t have enough material to write about.
• Your essay may be set up as one long paragraph or three paragraphs.
In terms of organization, you have two ways in which you could structure
your response: You could compare and contrast each point as you go
along. For example, “The reading passage states that….” , “On the other
hand, the lecture argues that… .” Alternatively, you could list all of the
points made in the reading passage in one paragraph and all the points
made in the lecture in the next paragraph.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
• The second task in the Writing section is the independent essay. You have
30 minutes to write a four or five paragraph essay (about 300-350 words)
in response to a single question.
• The first thing you need to do is to identify the task clearly. The
question may ask you to agree or disagree, make an argument, give an
explanation or state a preference. Make sure you understand what you are
being asked to do.
• The next point is to take up to 5 minutes to plan your essay. Sometimes
students avoid doing this because they feel it will take away from the limited time
they have to write the essay. However, by planning in advance, you focus first
on what to write and can then concentrate on how best to express your ideas.
• You will also be able to organize your essay more effectively by setting out the
points and examples in advance. Use concept maps, venn diagrams, mind maps or
other brainstorming tools to help you conceptualize your essay. These planning
techniques, along with practice exercises, are explained at length in Barron's
How to Prepare for the TOEFL Essay.
• If, while planning, you discover that you can’t think of enough reasons or
examples to write a convincing essay, then you might consider adopting
the opposite point of view. The emphasis is on generating lots of ideas and
examples to write a strong essay, even if it’s not your true view on the
subject. Having enough "meat" in your essay is more important than
choosing a particular point of view.
• You then have 20 minutes to write your essay. After deciding on your approach, state
your position clearly in the first line or at least in the first paragraph. The examiner should
not be left guessing where you stand on the given topic. After the introductory paragraph,
you need to write two or three supporting paragraphs, which provide reasons and
examples, and last, the conclusion. Always begin your essay with a strong introduction
and end with a powerful conclusion so that the first impression and the last one are
powerful and convincing.
• Try to allot about 5 minutes at the end to review your essay and correct any obvious
spelling, grammatical or vocabulary errors. If you're running out of time, try to add at
least a one-line conclusion, so that your essay gives the impression of being complete.
• Practice writing essays within the 30-minute time limit so that you feel
comfortable doing so on the day of the test. Lastly, familiarize yourself
with the full list of topics given in the ETS guidebook,
The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT, so that you know the kind of
topics to expect on your test.

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TOEFL

April 2nd 2020

• There are four different styles of independent questions in the TOEFL

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