I. GUIDELINES
● The 30-minute time limit includes planning and writing the essay.
● You can handwrite or type the essay.
● You must write about the one question given to you.
● No dictionaries or other aids are allowed.
II. TIPS
● Read the question carefully, understand exactly what you must write about, and stay on topic.
● Take some time to plan the essay (up to 7 minutes is okay).
● TOEFL does not care about your opinion or position – only your ability to express it in written English matters, so do not worry about having a “right” or “wrong” answer.
● If the question asks for “specific reasons”, then provide specific reasons.
● Even an essay assessed at 6 (the highest mark) can contain some mistakes. TOEFL realizes this is the “first draft”, so do not worry about being perfect – it will slow you down.
● Use 4-5 paragraphs in the essay. Showing that you understand English-language essay organization is just as important as content. Include an Introduction, Supporting Paragraphs, and a Conclusion.
● Try to write over 300 words. Officially, there is not word count requirement, but you must write enough to demonstrate your ability to the assessors.
● Make sure the introduction states your topic, main points, and a thesis statement.
● Make sure supporting paragraphs have topic sentences, supporting details and examples.
● Make sure the conclusion restates your thesis, summarizes your main points, and does not include any new information.
III. COMMON STYLISTIC MISTAKES
● failure to restate/introduce topic at the beginning of the essay
● going off-topic
● lack of paragraphs
● use of contractions
● off-topic or irrelevant information
There are many reasons why people travel, especially to interesting places.
● use of platitudes
Health is very important.
● repetitive or redundant words and statements
It is a very hot place, and I was very hot when I was there.
● inconsistent tone in the essay
The advent of the Internet greatly changed the world. I mean, so many people use e-mail nowadays.
● the writing is vague
If you want to live in America, you will need to have a lot of experience.
● first-person narration
Now, I am going to talk about why I think this.
More information
TOEFL website:
http://www.ets.org/toefl/
TOEFL practice test website:
http://www.testmagic.com/index.htm
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