Toefl practice

ESSAY
General strategies for the essay:

Remember to brainstorm specific points/ examples before you start writing

Never start writing the essay om the scrap paper with the idea of copying it over.
Decide before you start taking the toefl if youll be handwriting or typing.
Remember to use a 14-16 word a minute typing test to help you decide.

(copy of the toefl test bulletin)

TOEFL Writing Topic Type 1: Choose a Side

This is by far the most common type of independent writing question. These TOEFL
prompts ask you to choose A or B then explain your decision. There are a couple of
different approaches to writing this type of essay, but the simplest form is the five
paragraph essay. Usually this is actually only four paragraphs, because you dont have
that much timethe test only gives you 30 minutes to complete your independent
essay.
So if you choose A, you might write an essay that looks like this:
Intro
A is better
Body 1
Reason 1 and examples of why A is better
Short contrast with B
Body 2
Reason 2 and examples of why A is better
Short contrast with B
Conclusion
Why this is significant in the real world
Of course, there are other ways to write an essay, but its a good idea to use a
relatively simple structure for clarity. This is more true for the TOEFL than it is for
essays on other tests, like the GRE, because the TOEFL is really a test of
communication and how well you can write in English.

Here are some examples of the choose a side writing topics:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best
teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone.
Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity.
Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your
opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your
neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and
details to support your answer

There are a few common phrases which you will see in these essay topics, so
theyre easy to spot those phrases are bold in the examples above.

You might also get a slightly more complicated version of the choose a side prompt
that asks you to compare sides, like this one:

When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs
of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two
choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.

In that case, you could still use the structure I showed above, but you would
emphasize the contrasts with B and write a bit more about them.

Writing Topic Type 2: View Both Sides

This is actually very similar to the choose a side type of essay subject, but its a
little bit more complicated because you have to think from two different standpoints.
Thankfully, its also not as common.

Here are a few examples:

The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people
think that your community would be a good place to locate the university. Compare
the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new university in your
community. Use specific details in your discussion.

Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your answer.

There are a couple of different ways you might structure an essay like, but the
simplest one may be the best.

Intro
General statements about issue
Body 1
Advantages and examples
Body 2
Disadvantages and examples
Conclusion
Why this is significant in the real world

Writing Topic Type 3: Describe or Explain

In a way, this is the most difficult type of independent essay question because it
doesnt give you an A or B situation. Instead, you have to think of your own subject
from a very big pool of possibilities.

What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your
country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will
bring? Use examples and details in your answer.

What change would make your hometown more appealing to people your age? Use
specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what
would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.

If you could invent something new, what product would you develop? Use specific
details to explain why this invention is needed.

Because these writing topics dont give you a yesno or AB choice, its easy to get
stuck in the planning phase. (By the way, planning is incredibly important for writing
any standardized test essay; dont skip it!)

The structure doesnt have to be very different, though. Heres a rough idea of how
you might organize a descriptive essay:

Intro
Your choice/subject
Body 1
Reason 1 and examples
Body 2

Reason 2 and examples

Body 3
Reason 3 and examples
Conclusion
Why this is significant in the real world
Notice I added one more body paragraph. Because theres no other side to deal
with, you have more time to explain the one topic you chose. So why not use that
time for another paragraph!

Best examples responses Essay Toelf

1. Are parents the best teachers?
Obviously, the first teachers we have in our lives in most cases are our parents.
They teach us to walk, to speak, and to have good manners before we reach "the
real world." More than even the professional teachers that we have in school,
parents are generally the most involved in the development and education of
children.
Almost for sure our parents are the best teachers at the beginning of our lives,
which actually corresponds to the parents' role in nature. Parents are most
committed and involved in teaching their children; they have a kind of instinct to
sacrifice a part of themselves for the betterment of their children. They love us
and have great patience while passing down their knowledge to us. They wish us
a success and thus will not teach us bad things. And of course, implicit learning
occurs when children unconsciously copy some of their parents' habits and styles
of behavior.
During the second stage of child development, adolescence, parents can still be
in the best position to offer advice even though the children might not accept it. In
this case, perhaps the child's friends would be the best teachers. Adolescents are
notoriously rebellious in many cultures and may automatically reject any advice
from their parents. My first marriage for instance, was solely a matter of doing the
opposite when my parents tried to intrude in offering their advice. So in such
matters, parents should be much more flexible and be rather the partners with
their children. So we can see that being a teacher of growing child become more
and more complicated case as the time passes and many parents are simply not
able to meet the increased demands.

On the other hand, I would say that parents are not professional teachers and
they tend to be very biased by their love of their children. So wishing good things
and an easy life may prevent children from maturation. In any case, parents
usually can present only one viewpoint of the world, while good teaching should
be based on different attitudes. Thus, when children go to school and have a
great diversity of teachers, they learn much more than their parents could
probably give them. Furthermore, once our parents get older, they become more
conservative and cannot always be objective in regard to modern trends and
fashions. Thus we need to take their advice with caution during that period.
However, some kind of intuition which I believe shared between relatives about
what everybody needs and great love which exists in a families still makes our
parents very good teachers and advisers at any time.
In conclusion, while parents are not the ideal teachers, and well-rounded children
will generally need a great diversity of teachers in their lives in order to have a
more accurate view of the world, parents are generally the most committed of all
teachers and have the greatest emotional investment in their children and their
future.