How to master skills for the Toefl: Writing intermediate

Michael A. Putlack I Will Link I Stephen Poirier

N T V

Công ty TNHH

Nhân Trí Việt

NHÀ XUẤT BẲN TỔNG HỢP

THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH

H ow to

Master Skills :

How to M aster Skills for the

TOEFL® iBT Writing Intermediate

Copyright © 2007-2014 Darakwon, Inc.

Published in Vietnam , 2014

This edition is published in Vietnam under a license Agreement between Darakwon Inc.,

and Nhan Tri Viet Co., Ltd. through Imprima Korea Agency.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

How to

Master Skills'0'the

a

N H A X U A T BA N TO NG HO P

T H A N H P H 6 HO CHf M IN H

NTV

Cong ty TNHH

Nhan Tri Viet

Contents

Introduction 6

How to Use This Book 10

PA R I I Integrated W riting

Chapter 1 Casting Doubt

Unit 1 Technology 22

Unit 2 Environment I 30

Unit 3 Sociopolitics 38

Unit 4 Environment II 46

Unit 5 Education 54

Chapter 2 Problem-Solutlon

Unit 6 Business 64

Unit 7 Education 72

Unit 8 Environment 80

PA R T 2 Independent W riting

Chapter 3 Agree I Disagree

Unit 9 Living & Thinking 94

Unit 10 Culture & Leisure 102

Unit 11 School & Education I 110

Unit 12 School & Education II 118

Unit 13 Environment & Science 126

Chapter 4 Preference

Unit 14 Family & Society 136

Unit 15 Environment & Technology 144

i Jnit 16 Business & Economy 152

Essential Essay Topics

Actual Tests

Answer Book

161

171

185

Introduction

A . Information on the TOEFL® ÍBT

The Format of the TOEFL® iBT

Section Number of Questions Timing

• 3 - 5 P assag es

Reading a pproxim ately 700 w ords each

1 2 -1 4 q ue stion s per passage

• 2 - 3 C o n versatio n s

1 2 -2 5 excha ng e s e ach (3 m in )

- 5 questions per conversation

Listening 6 0 -9 0 min.

• 4 - 6 L ectures

- 5 0 0 -8 0 0 w ords e ach (3 -5 m in.)

- 6 q ue stion s p e r lecture

BREAK 10 min

• 2 In d e p e n d e n t Tasks

(preparation: 15 sec. / response: 45 sec.)

O 1 p ersonal e xpe rie n ce

© 1 p ersonal ch oice /op in io n

• 2 In te g rated Tasks: R ead-Listen-S peak

(preparation: 30 sec / response 60 sec.)

O 1 ca m p us situation top ic

- reading: 7 5 -1 0 0 w ords (45 sec )

- co nversation: 1 5 0 -1 8 0 w ords (6 0 -8 0 sec.) Speaking ^ f 20 m in

@ 1 a ca d e m ic co urse to p ic

- reading: 7 5 -1 0 0 w ords (45 sec.)

- lecture: 1 5 0 -2 2 0 w ords (6 0 -9 0 sec )

• 2 In te g rated Tasks: Listen-S peak

(p re pa ra tio n 20 sec / response 60 sec )

O 1 ca m p us situation to p ic

conversation 1 8 0 -2 2 0 w ords (6 0 -9 0 se c )

fc* 1 a cad em ic co urse top ic

lecture: 2 3 0 -2 8 0 w ords (9 0 -1 2 0 sec )

1 In te g rated Task: Read Listen-W rite (20 m in )

reading 2 3 0 -3 0 0 w ords (3 mm )

le c tjre 2 3 0 -3 0 0 w ords (2 mm ;

Writing a sum m ary of 1 5 0 -2 2 5 w ords

1 In d e p e n d e n t Task 1 -i /

a '■nmum.ni 300 wuicJ e ss.!,

Score

30 points

30 points

30 po nts

6

B. Information on the Writing Section

The Writing section of the TOEFL® iBT measures test takers' ability to use writing to communicate in

an academic environment. This section has two writing tasks. For the first writing task, you will read a

passage and listen to a lecture and then answer a question based on what you have read and heard. For

the second writing task, you will answer a question based on your own knowledge and experience.

1. Types of W riting Tasks

( I) Integrated Writing Task

• Read -Y o u will read a short text o f about 2 3 0-300 words on an academic topic for 3

minutes. You may take notes on the reading passage.

• Listen-A fter reading the text, you will listen to a lecture discussing the same topic from a

different perspective for about 2 minutes. You may take notes on the lecture.

• Write - You will have 20 minutes to write a 150- to 225-word summary in response to the

following kinds o f questions:

Casting Doubt

- Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on

specific points made in the reading passage.

- Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge specific

claims/arguments made in the reading passage.

cf. This question type accounts for almost all o f the questions that have been asked on the

TOEFL® iBT so far.

Problem-SoLution

- Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to specifically explain how they answer

the problems raised in the reading passage.

(1 Integrated Writing Task

You will have 30 minutes to write an essay o f at least 300 words in response to the following

kinds of questions:

- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? / A sentence or sentences that present

an issue] Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

i f. This question type accounts for almost all o f the essay topics that have been asked on

the TOEFL1 iBT so far.

Prafararisa

Some people say X. Others believe Y. Which opinion do you agree with? Use specific

reasons and examples to support your answer.

- Some people do X. Other people do Y. Which do you think is better? Use specific reasons

and examples to support your opinion.

7

2. W riting Scoring Rubrics

1 11 Integrated Task (Question 1)

Your response to the Integrated Task will be scored according to these criteria:

Score Task Description

A response at this level is a well-organized sum m ary of the lecture in connection

with the reading. The response includes im portant points m a d e in the lecture and

5 a ppropriately explains how they are related to im portant points m ade in the reading

It shows appropriate language structure and usage, with only occasional m inor errors

w hich do not interfere with conveying inform ation and connections

A response at this level contains most of the im portant points from the lecture and the

reading and is generally good in relating the information from the lecture to that from

the reading. But it may omit som e points or explain them im precisely. It m ay also

show noticeable minor language errors or an occasional lack of clarity.

A response at this level includes som e im portant inform ation from the lecture and

connects it with the relevant inform ation from the reading. But it m ay om it one key

point m ade in the lecture and shows only lim ited understanding of the information.

Som e content o r connections between id ea s m ay be incom plete or incorrect; errors

in gram m ar or usage m ake som e sentences unclear.

A response at this level does not include sufficient relevant inform ation from the

lecture and the reading and is not successful in relating the inform ation from the

lecture to that from the reading. It is ch aracte rize d by language errors o r expressions

that make it difficult for the reader to understand key ideas or to follow connections

am ong ideas.

A response at this level contains little or no im portant points from the lecture and fails

to relate inform ation from the lecture and the reading It is poorly written and contains

so m any language errors that it is difficult to understand it

A response at this level only copies sentences from the reading, is not related to the

topic, is written in a language other than English, or is blank

8

(21 jidependent Task (Question 2)

your essay for the Independent Task will be scored according to these criteria:

Score

5

4

3

2

1

Task Description

An essay at this level effectively responds to the top ic and task by clearly stating an

opinion and is easy to understand. It is well organized and shows unity, progression,

and coherence. It is well developed with clearly appropriate exam ples, reasons,

a nd/or details, and it d isplays a good com m and of language, including a variety of

sentence structures and well-suited choices of w ords and idiom s to express ideas.

An essay at this level responds to the top ic and task well, but som e points m ay not

be fully supported. It is generally well organized and shows unity, progression, and

coherence with only occasional redundancy or lack of clarity. It is also generally well

developed with appropriate exam ples, reasons, and/or details, and it dem onstrates a

good use of language, including various sentence structures and range of vocabulary

with o ccasio n al language errors that do not obscure the meaning.

An essay at this level responds to the top ic and task on a basic level with somewhat

d eveloped exam ples, reasons, and/or details. It shows unity, progression, and

coherence in spite of occasional, unclear connections am ong ideas It is also

characterized by correct but lim ited use of gram m ar and vocabulary, including errors

in sentence form ation and word choice that m ay make som e sentences unclear or

difficult to understand.

An essay at this level displays lim ited developm ent in response to the topic and

task, w ith inappropriate or insufficient supporting details. It has poor organization or

connections am ong ideas and is marked by obviously inappropriate word choice or

word form s and an accum ulation of errors in gram m ar and/or usage.

An essay at this level responds to the task co nfu sing ly It lacks any organization and

developm ent It contains little or no detail or details that are not related to the task,

and it show s serious and frequent errors in gram m ar and usage

An essay at this level only contains words from the topic, is not related to the topic, is

w ritten in a language other than English, or is blank

9

How to Use This Book

How to M aster Skills fo r the TOEFL® iBT Writing Intermediate is designed to be used eithe

as a textbook for a TOEFL® iBT writing preparation course or as a tool for individual leamei

who are preparing for the TOEFL® test on their own. With a total of 16 units, this book i

organized to prepare you for the test by providing you with a comprehensive understandin

o f the test and thorough practice of essential skills and question types to address the writin

tasks on the TOEFL® iBT. Each unit provides a step-by-step program that can enhance yoi

writing ability as well as familiarize you with the question types asked on the TOEFL® iBl

At the back of the book are a list of essential essay topics and two actual tests of the Writin

section of the TOEFL® iBT.

P A R T 1 Integrated Writing

o Note Taking & Outlining

In this section, you will practice taking

n o te s w h ile re a d in g an a c a d e m ic

passage and listening to a lecture on

the same topic. Also, you will practice

id e n tify in g and e xp re ssin g th e m ain

a rgum ents from both the reading and

the lecture on a sentence level.

0 Paraphrasing & ----------------

Summarizing

T h is s e c tio n h e lp s yo u to p ra c tic e

p a r a p h r a s in g s o m e im p o r t a n t

in fo rm a tio n fro m th e re a d in g a nd

lecture in your o w n w ords as w ell as

summarizing both the reading passage

and the lecture.

10

0 Synthesizing &

Organizing

T h is se ction a llo w s you to p ra c tic e

com bining th e main a rg um e n ts from

both the reading and the lecture in one

sentence. It also provides you w ith a

useful tem plate for writing a response.

O Writing & Checking

In this part, you will read the academ ic

passage and listen to the lecture once

a ga in and w ill be a s k e d to w rite a

completely new response on your own.

You can evaluate your response with the

given checklist.

11

PA R T 2 Independent W riting

© Understanding the Topic | --------•

Brainstorming

These sections help you understand the

essay topic and brainstorm your ideas

about the top ic. In the U nderstanding

the Topic section, you will learn w hat

kinds of questions you should ask to

understand the topic appropriately. In the

Brainstorming section, you can practice

brainstorming your ideas in a structured

way by using a mind map.

@ Outlining | Writing the

Thesis Statement & -----------------•

Topic Sentences

These sections help you practice making

an outline of your ideas and translating

them into sentences. In the O utlining

s e ctio n , you w ill p ra c tic e o rg an izin g

your brainstorm ed ideas into a logical

se qu en ce . In th e W ritin g the T hesis

Statem ent & Topic Sentences section,

yo u w ill p ra c tic e w ritin g th e m o s t

im portant sentences in an essay—the

thesis statement, topic sentences, and

the summary sentence(s).

© Writing the Details

This section will ask you to co m p lete

your essay based on your outline. You

should support your thesis statem ent

and topic sentences with details, such

as general state m e nts, reasons, and

examples.

0 Com pleting & Checking

Your Essay

This part offers a new essay to p ic on

w hich you should w rite an essay. You

have to plan your time to write the essay

in 30 m inutes. You can evaluate your

essay with the given checklist.

0 Essential Essay Topics

This p a rt p ro v id e s you w ith a list of Essential Essay

Topics (or

essential essay to p ic s re c o n s tru c te d Independent Writing

from th e ones tha t have so far been

asked on the TOEFL® iBT. By practicing

writing your essays on these topics, you

'wiD effectively prepare yourself for the

Independent W riting o f the TOEFL® iBT.

vt* Actual Tests ----------------------

This part offers two full practice tests that

are modeled on the Writing section of the

TOEFL* iBT. These tests will familiarize

you w ith the actual test form a t o f the

TOEFL* iBT

13