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8/3/2019 Writing Strategies for TOEFL IBT from IkigaiBooks

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Strategies for TOEFL iBT Writing Section

The last component in TOEFL iBT is the Writing section. It measures you ability to write in standard

academic English. There are two tasks in TOEFL iBT Writing section - Independent Writing task and

Integrated Writing task.

Within the Independent Writing task students are asked to write an essay on a given general question. Thepurpose of this Writing task is to measure the students' ability to state their opinions or express their

comments on topics which are based on their personal knowledge and experience. The students should also

support their ideas and opinions with examples or details. Students are given 30 minutes to write theiressays. The essay should be approximately 300 words.

Within the Integrated Writing task the students are asked to demonstrate that they have understood material

coming from different sources (reading and listening), that they can combine the information from those

sources in a coherent, well organized, summarized written form, and that they may compare the informationfrom those sources and draw conclusions from them. The time in the integrated task is as follows: You will

have 3 minutes to read a passage of 230-300 words. The reading passage is hidden then and you will listen

to a 2-minute lecture that is related to the reading passage. The listening may add new information orpresent a different point of view. You may take notes during both reading and listening part. Then the

reading passage is shown again on the screen and you are given 20 minutes to write a response to a

question. The response should be between 150-225 words.

Writing Preparation Strategies

Practice writing in English on a computer keyboard. There is no other way in TOEFL iBT than typing

your response. So, practicing on keyboard will help you a lot.

Build your vocabulary systematically. Develop a wordlist with new words and devote time to learning these

words, try to include them in your speaking and writing practice systematically.

When you practice writing try to use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Do not fear touse new words and grammar patterns. That is a way to learn them and use them appropriately. Using rich

vocabulary and variety of grammar is looked upon favorably by the raters.

Learn the essay structure very well and follow this structure closely in your practice and in your real exam.The essay is comprised of three components: Introduction, body and conclusion. Each component has its

important features. Thorough review of the essay structure you may find in the paper TOEFL iBT Essay

Structure on www.i-Courses.org.

Practice organizing your writing. Before starting your written response allow 2-5 minutes to make an outlineof your essay. Do not worry that the time is running, a good outline will save you lots of troubles and time

while writing. The essay outline should include the major ideas for the paragraphs in 2-3 main phrases per

paragraph, as well as some examples and supporting details. Do not write complete sentences, but some

words and phrases that may help you follow that outline and add additional information to develop a well-organized and coherent essay.

Learn to use transition (linking) words to switch between different ideas, add information, provide

examples, compare points, etc. Such words are: furthermore, in addition, for example, for instance, on the


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other hand, to sum up, first, second, etc. A detailed list of such signal words, along with an explanationwhere to use them, is provided on www.i-Courses.org.

Be time effective. At the beginning of your practice you may not comply with the time for the particular

writing task. However, each other time you write, try to get closer to the time requirement for this task.

Monitor your own progress. Ask your tutor to evaluate your writings in accordance with the appropriateTOEFL iBT Writing Rubrics. For best accuracy, take some of www.i-Courses.org writing components

which are scored by professional TOEFL iBT Teachers. You will be provided with accurate and

constructive feedback with guidelines on how to improve your writing and how to continue your TOEFLiBT preparation.

For the independent writing task you will have to write on familiar topics. Make a list with familiar topics

and practice writing on each of them. Do not forget the essay structure. Make an outline and follow it

closely. State your opinion or preference and support it with examples and details.

An important skill to help you on the integrated writing task is the Paraphrasing. Paraphrasing involvesconnecting the ideas from the source material in your own words. Practice paraphrasing purposefully. Do

not just rewrite what is stated but write selectively (only the important points) in your own words. To help

you with paraphrasing, we have created TOEFL iBT Paraphrasing Strategies that you may find on www.i-Courses.org.

At the exam strategies

Do not forget to allot some time before you start your response to organize your writing - the outline. It will

save you time and trouble. Follow it closely.

Pay attention to the time. Do not forget that you have limited time for both tasks. If you have a minute left,

do not move to the next section. Make a quick review on what you have done. You may find errors andcorrect them.

Do not extend you writing well above 300 words for the independent task. For the integrated task it isimportant that you write between 150 and 225 words.

Use appropriate signal and linking words to switch between ideas, to add information, etc. That helps the

reader to follow your writing easily.

Practice you writing skills with i-Courses Writing Components. You will benefit from the professional

scoring that gives you feedback on all the weak points in your papers and ways to overcome those

weaknesses.
http://i-courses.org/?p=learning_centerhttp://i-courses.org/?p=testshttp://i-courses.org/?p=learning_centerhttp://i-courses.org/?p=tests


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Test Tips on TOEFL Integrated Writing

September 25th, 2009 by DavidC

Okay. So without a doubt, the integrated writing section on the TOEFLis approached with apprehension by

students worldwide.How can I possibly understand the lecture? How do I link the reading and the

listening? How on Earth am I going to finish this essay in 20 minutes?

Fear not. Lets take a look at some of the aspects of the integrated writing section and break down some

myths that might surface around this topic.

Aspect #1: Reading vs. Listening: Which one matters the most?

Many students are often thrown off by this question. After all, isnt it an equal divide in terms of both thereading and the listening? Well almost. To be quite honest, the prompt for the integrated writing will

always go as follows:

Summarize the lecture, making sure to cast doubt (or compliment) points made in the reading.

Remember this means your primary task is to summarize the lecture, bringing in information from thereading when its relevant and worthy to do so. All in all, the lecture tends to make up the bulk of your

essay, as its what youre summarizing. The reading is brought in only when it makes sense to do so. So, I

would say the integrated essay, in terms of a breakdown of actual information, goes as follows:Lecture: 60%

Reading: 40%

Again, always make sure to refer back to the directions. Summarize the lecture is always the first threewords of the integrated writing task prompt.

Aspect #2: Point by Point vs. Block Format

Which way is the best to write yourTOEFL essay? Well, there are two ways to do so: point by point and

block. What are the differences? Lets see:

Point-by-point structures the essay according to points, or specific facts and details taken from both thereading and the listening. For example: you make one statement about the lecture and provide either a point

of similarity or contradiction to that point from the reading in the first paragraph. The same for the second

paragraph, the third, etc This is an essay structured around shared information.

Block format is a bit easier in that it structures half of your essay about the lecture and half about thereading. The details, or specific bits of knowledge from each are not juxtaposed against one another as in the

point-by-point.

Which is better, you may ask? Heres my advice: If you have a relatively good grasp of both the content ofthe lecture and the reading go for point by point. If you are unclear about both the reading and the

listening and you are hesitant to attempt to structure such an essay block format is viable.

Words of wisdom: Block format is a last resort. Strive for an integrated essay thats point by point; the

mark of an advanced writer!

Aspect #3:How should my Essay be Structured?
http://www.manhattanreview.com/blog/toefl/test-tips-on-toefl-integrated-writing/http://manhattanreview.com/toefl/http://manhattanreview.com/toefl/http://manhattanreview.com/toefl/http://www.manhattanreview.com/blog/toefl/test-tips-on-toefl-integrated-writing/http://manhattanreview.com/toefl/http://manhattanreview.com/toefl/


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Technically, your essay should be anywhere from 150 225 words. That totals to about two longparagraphs, or three moderately short ones. Do you need an introduction? Absolutely. But, my advice is to

keep it brief. A common way to begin the integrated essay is: Both the reading and the listening talk about

______. Give us a general idea of what the topic is before we get into points of similarity or contradiction.

A conclusion? Well, only if you have time. This essay is roughly half the length or two thirds the length ofyour independent essay, so a conclusion several sentences long is not all that realistic in twenty minutes. If

you have time and are not sacrificing seconds from the editing stage, feel free to include a general

concluding sentence restating what you said in your introduction with more specifics. However, if yourerunning out of time and want to make sure and leave two minutes to edit simply end your integrated essay

with your final point of similarity or contradiction.

Above all draw connections from the reading and the listening whenever possible.

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