Hakan Gür THE TOEFL iBT – WRITING SECTION GENERAL INFORMATION • • • • • • • Read the question sentence carefully. You must fully understand what you are expected to do before you start writing. Make a plan before you start writing. Unless you organize your writing beforehand, you will have a large introduction, a relatively shorter body section, and a very short ending which you will probably have no time to finish. Always spare the last 3 to 5 minutes of the time to check your composition EVEN IF you may not have reached the minimum word limit. Presenting a shorter composition with fewer mistakes is much better than presenting a longer composition with many mistakes. Making use of appropriate connectors is important. Your composition will look “bland” if sentences are linked with several “and”, “but” and “so” words only. Practice typing many compositions before the actual test so that you can gain speed in typing. It will be a pity if your English is almost perfect but your typing is too slow. Do not use SHORT FORMS like “don’t” or “can’t”. You are expected to write ACADEMIC writing pieces. Therefore, use full forms (“do not, “cannot”, etc.). Do not use language that you use while chatting or emailing people. Once again, this is ACADEMIC writing. INTEGRATED COMPOSITION • • • • • • • First, you read a short passage in THREE minutes. If you cannot read the passage in this time, this is not a big problem because the same passage appears and remains on the screen while you write your composition. Then, you listen to a lecture on the same topic. Take notes as you listen. Note-taking is an essential and very important part of the TOEFL iBT. When listening is over, you are asked to write a composition of 150-225 words in 20 minutes. Depending on the question, you may have to compare or contrast the reading passage with the lecture, summarize both, or focus mainly on the listening. You MUST write your composition by using the keyboard. You CANNOT submit it on paper. All TOEFL iBT test centers use QWERTY layout keyboards. You are expected to write MINIMUM 150 words. This should be your target. A counter on the screen indicates the number of words you type in. When you are writing your composition, you are expected to focus mainly on the lecture, not the reading passage. If you fail to understand the lecture well and use information from the reading passage to write your composition, you cannot get a good mark even if you write well. This is because the reading passage is already on the screen and it is only of secondary value. Do not ever use phrases like “I think”, “I agree that”, “For example, one day I ...”, etc. In other words, do not ever add personal remarks unless you are asked to do so. This test has been designed to understand how well you can combine written and spoken material at university level. You will express your personal views on another topic in the independent writing section. When the time is over, you writing is automatically saved; therefore, use the time efficiently until the last moment.
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INDEPENDENT COMPOSITION • • • • • • • You are given ONE topic to write on. There are no several alternatives to choose from. You have 30 minutes to plan, write and check your writing. You MUST write your composition by using the keyboard. You CANNOT submit it on paper. All TOEFL iBT test centers use QWERTY layout keyboards. You are expected to write MINIMUM 300 words. A counter on the screen indicates the number of words you type in. On the screen, there are three buttons only: Cut, Copy, Paste. Remember that there is not a word processor like Microsoft Word available to check and correct your spelling and grammar mistakes. When the time is over, you writing is automatically saved; therefore, use the time efficiently until the last moment. 1
Hakan Gür COMMON STRUCTURES Reference ... • As can be seen from the statement / example, ... If a newly-bought item proves broken, the consumer can return the item to the seller and ask for replacement. As can be seen from the example, rights of consumers are widely protected. History is too serious a matter to be left to historians. It can be seen from this statement that people other than historians should also deal with a study of history.
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It can be seen from the statement / example that ...
Comparison and contrast ... • X is considerably / much / somewhat / a bit / hardly smaller / bigger / ... than Y. X is exactly / more or less / nearly / about the same as Y. Problems of today are much more complex than those of the past.
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The capacity of a laptop computer is more or less the same as the capacity of a personal computer. X is totally / entirely / quite Younger generation of today are quite different from the different than Y. young generation of the 70’s. Brand names is supermarkets X is (twice/three times/..) are twice as expensive as as big / expensive / .. as own-brand goods. Y. Personal computers and Mac X and Y are different / computers are dissimilar in dissimilar in every way / every aspect. aspect. The government systems of X and Y are totally / China and Hong Kong were entirely / quite different. entirely different.
Location ... • • X is to the north/west/east/ south of Y The north/west/east/south of X is industrialized/developed/p opulated/.. Istanbul is to the north-west of Turkey. The west of Turkey is industrialized.
Cause and effect ... • • • • The cause of X is Y. The reason for X is Y. One consequence / result of X is Y. X causes / results in / leads to / produces Y. 2 The cause of unemployed used to be technological developments. The reason for global warming is relentless industrialization. One result of global warming is that the ice-caps have started to diminish in size. Global warming results in the danger of greenhouse effect.
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Exemplifying ... • • A case in point is ... An example of X is Y. Today, modern life is almost impossible to escape from. A case is point is mobile phones. An example of those modern gadgets is mobile phone.
Classification ... • • Countries can be classified according to size, population and level of development. Countries can be divided into X can be divided into ... several sub-groups: densely(=two/three/several, ..) sub-groups / sub-classes / populated countries, sub-divisions / categories / moderately-populated countries, countries with a low .. population. Countries may be classified X may be classified according to their population. according to ... X may be classified on the Countries may be classified on the basis of their population. basis of ... Countries may be classified X may be classified depending on their population. depending (up)on ... X can be classified according to W, Y and Z
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Defining ... • • X may be defined as ..... which ..... X is concerned with ... A dictionary may be defined as a book which explains the meaning of words. A dictionary is concerned with explaining the meaning of words.
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Hakan Gür GRAMMATICAL CONNECTIONS Simple and, or, but, not only ... but also, either ... or, neither ... nor, not ... but, both ... and. Complex Time: until, till, by, by the time, before, as, as long as, while, when, whenever, now that, during, after, as soon as, once, since, no sooner ... than, hardly ... when Condition: if, as long as, assuming, provided, in case, in the event that, on condition that, unless Concession: although, though, even if, whereas, while, despite, in spite of, regardless of Reason: because, since, because of, due to, owing to, what with Purpose: in order to, in order that, for fear that Result: so that, such that, thereby Similarity: as, like, as if Exception: but that, except that, save that Place: where, wherever
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COMMON CONNECTORS THOSE MEANING “AND”
1. LISTING A. Enumeration Heading first, to begin with, to start with first(ly), to first and start with, to foremost begin with first and most important(ly ) furthermore, second(ly), in the second place, moreover third(ly), last finally, lastly but not least above all
Middle Ending finally, last but not least, above all
Use: “__________, .....”. For example: “To begin with, English is an international language. ...” B. Addition B1. Sameness Structure equally likewise similarly correspondingly in the same way B2. Highlighting Structure also again further(more) moreover what is more then in addition besides above all as well (as) too B3. Factual addition Structure indeed actually in (actual) fact in reality as a matter of fact Generally used as ... Indeed, ..... Actually, ..... In (actual) fact, ..... In reality, ..... As a matter of fact, ..... Generally used as ... Also, ..... Again, ..... Further(more), ..... Moreover, ..... What is more, ..... Then, ..... In addition, ..... Besides, ..... Above all, ..... X as well as Y ... OR ......, as well. ....., too. Generally used as ... Equally, ..... Subject, likewise, ..... Similarly, ..... Correspondingly, ..... In the same way, .....
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Hakan Gür 2. TRANSITION Structure with reference to with respect to with regard to regarding as for as to 3. SUMMARIZING Structure in conclusion to conclude to sum up briefly in brief, to summarize altogether therefore thus 4. FURTHER INFORMATION Structure that is that’s to say in other words Also, to give examples: Structure for example for instance such as including 5. RESULT Structure so therefore the result is that consequently thus hence because of this/that for this/that reason Generally used as ... So, ..... Therefore, ..... The result is that + sentence Consequently, ..... Thus, ..... Hence, ..... Because of this/that, ..... For this reason, ..... Generally used as ... For example, ..... OR ....., for example, ..... For instance, ..... OR ....., for instance, ..... Sentence, such as + example. OR Sentence, such as, example. Sentence, including + example. Generally used as ... That is, ..... That’s to say, .... In other words, ..... Generally used as ... In conclusion, ..... To conclude, ..... To sum up briefly, ..... In brief, ..... To summarize, ..... Altogether, ..... Therefore, ..... Thus, ..... Generally used as ... With reference to + previously stated topic, ... With respect to + previously stated topic, ... With regard to + previously stated topic, ... Regarding + previously stated topic, ... As for + previously stated topic, ... As to + previously stated topic, ...
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Hakan Gür 6. INFERENCE Structure then in other words in that case otherwise if so if not my conclusion is Generally used as ... Then, ..... In other words, ..... In that case, ..... Otherwise, ..... If so, ..... If not, ..... My conclusion is (that) + sentence
THOSE MEANING “BUT”
1. CONTRAST Structure instead conversely on the contrary in comparison on the one hand ; on the other hand 2. CONTRAST TO THE WHOLE Structure besides however nevertheless nonetheless although yet in any case, at any rate, for all that in spite of that despite that all the same even if/though Generally used as ... Besides, ..... However, ..... OR Subject, however, ..... . Nevertheless, ..... Nonetheless, ..... Although + sentence, ..... Yet, ..... In any case, ..... At any rate, ..... For all that, ..... In spite of that, ..... Despite that, ..... All the same, ..... Even if/though + sentence, ..... . Generally used as ... Instead, ..... OR ....., instead. Conversely, ..... On the contrary, ..... In comparison, ..... On the one hand, ...... . On the other hand, .....
THOSE MEANING “OR”
1. RESTATEMENT Structure better in other words in that case to put it simply 2. REPLACEMENT Structure alternatively on the other hand the alternative is Generally used as ... Alternatively, ..... On the other hand, ..... The alternative is + noun/to+V/Ving/that + sentence another possibility Another possibility would be + noun/to+V/ would be Ving/that + sentence Generally used as ... Better, ..... In other words, ..... In that case, ..... To put it simply, .....
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SUPPORTING SENTENCES
Natural Result: • • • • It is natural that ..... It is not surprising that ..... It would not be wrong to say that ..... I/We can safely say that .....
Appearance: • • • We see that ..... We understand that ..... It seems that .....
Certainty and Possibility: • • • • • • • • • • It is certain that ..... It is obvious that ..... It is a fact that ..... We know that ..... It is likely that ..... It is possible that ..... It is doubtless that ..... Doubtless to say, ..... Doubtlessly, ..... There is no doubt that .....
Doubt: • • It is doubtful that ..... One cannot help wondering + WH + sentence
Suggestion: • • • I would suggest that ..... I propose that ..... I would like to put forward the idea that .....
Nonsense: • • It is nonsensical to argue that ..... It is pointless to argue / suggest that .....
Argument: • • • • • It is argued / claimed that ..... (Some) people say / are of the opinion that ..... (Some) people claim / suggest / assert that ..... I think ..... I believe (very strongly) that .....
Inference: • • • This indicates / suggests / implies that ..... The implications of this are that ..... This is indicated / shown / demonstrated / illustrated / exemplified by the fact that ..... 8