ToeflEssays.com

The TOEFL Independent Writing Task

The writing section of the next generation TOEFL test measures your ability to write in English in an academic setting. There are two writing tasks in the Next Generation TOEFL test:

* Writing based on reading and listening
* Writing based on your own knowledge and experience

This book contains detailed explanations on how to prepare for the knowledge and experience based writing task (e.g. the independent writing task), as well as 185 sample essays written on all the ETS official essay topics. This book will also walk you through on how to write the reading and listening based writing task (the new addition to the TOEFL test).

In the following chapters, we will take you through steps on how to organize your ideas, form an outline and develop organization, write the essay, and finally proofread your essay.

For students who’s English is their second language, the best way to prepare for the TOEFL writing test is to familiar themselves with all the official writing topics, read through sample essays in this book, and practice to write at least ten essays.

The writing section directions and sample questions can be found at ETS’s official website:

http://www.ets.org/toefl/nextgen/samples/ng220.html

Download a full collection of official TOEFL Writing Topics:

http://ftp.ets.org/pub/toefl/989563wt.pdf

You can find the TOEFL essay scoring guide at:

http://www.ets.org/toefl/learners/pbt/writingscore.html

Test of Written English Guide and sample essays:

http://ftp.ets.org/pub/toefl/tweguid.pdf

1.1.1. Understanding the question

For the independent writing task (writing based on knowledge and experience), there are eight types of essay questions:

* Agree/Disagree
* Choice/Preference
* Compare/Contrast
* Good/Bad
* If/What
* What/How
* Why
* Describe

The purpose of this classification is to help you get started with understanding the essay questions, and avoid spending too much time on the planning phase.

Types of Questions

1. Agree/ Disagree – This type of question lists an opinion and asks if you agree with it or not, then explain
2. Choice/ Preference – This type of question lists two options and asks you to take a side, then explain your choice
3. Compare/ Contrast – You need to compare and/or contrast 2 or more things/views
4. Good/ Bad – First decide which is good, and then explain. Sometimes you need to discuss both sides (advantages/disadvantages)
5. If/What – What will do you in a certain scenario?
6. What/How – Answer the topic question then explain your answer
7. Why – Answer the topic question then explain your answer
8. Describe – Describe something or a phenomenon.

* For more information about the book, How to Prepare for the TOEFL Essay – Next Generation TOEFL – A Complete Course with 187 Sample Essays, click here.