TOEFL writing essay

Topics in the following list may appear in your actual test.You should become familiar with this list before you take the the computer-based TOEFT test.

TOEFL writing essay

PART I

INTRODUCTION

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I Purpose

In order to be able to write good essays it is first of all essential to make

sure you understand the purpose of the task It may seem obvious: the

purpose is to test your ability to write essay for university or college in English However, a moment's reflection will make it clear that the test task is quite unlike a university essay, since it is typical one and a half (1

& 1/2) to two (2) pages long and it written on an unprepared topic in about half an hour No university essay is like that Even in university

examinations, where you may have to write about two pages in half an hour, you are expected to have studied the topic in advance

1 Key terms

This is the easiest part of the essay to deal with, usually Normally the key words deal with a familiar topic, such as computer or television in the examples given above This is be cause the examiners are not testing you for knowledge, but rather for you ability to write well Therefore the topics chosen will be about concepts and issues that they expect every educated

person to know something about Common topics include

Education Population The Environment Computers

Lifestyles (including Life in Cities, the Country, Traffic problems)

Culture and Society Foreign languages and travel

Television Health Development Issues

of such information, as are current affairs radio and television programs

2 The aspect of the topic

This is where students often make a mistake because they jump to conclusions about what it is that they are expected to say about the topic

Consider the following topics:

A/ Computers have provided great benefits to modern society Discuss

B/ Computers are the most important invention of this century Do you agree?

C/ Modern society would not be able to operate without computer Do you agree?

In each of the above, the topic is computer, and their importance in modern society However, each topic raises different question and mush

be answered differently It is necessary to study the remaining words carefully to see what is required

(a) have provided great benefits

(b) are the most important invention

(c) would not be able to operate without

Clearly, (a) is a much weaker statement than (b) or (c) In (a) all that is

required if you agree with the statement, (and it would be hard not to) is to list and describe some of the benefits of computers On other hand, for (b)

and (c) it is necessary to argue whether computers are more important

than other inventions This is a much stronger position to take than the one required in topic a/

There is also a difference between (b) and (c), however In (b) you are asked to compare computers with other inventions and to demonstrate that

they are, or are not, more important for modern society That is, you must consider modern society rather than computers as the basic of your

f) Tertiary education is the key to a successful career

g) Discuss the relative influence of the home and the school on a child's intellectual and social development

h) Can modern science and technology solve the problem of feeding the entire population of the world?

i) Feeding the world's growing population is our greatest social problem

Do you agree?

j) Discuss the argument that the problem of feeding the world's growing population is only one of distribution, since there are adequate resources

available through science and technology to supply everyone's basic needs

(Please see Answer keys at the end of this instruction sheets)

3 "Translating" the topic.

All "discussion" topics can be reduced to basic propositions That is to say, all topics which do not require a description or explanation can be expressed in such a way that it becomes clear that there are only about 6

basic answers possible: yes; no; maybe/ it depends; partly; a lot; a little

Look at these topics again:

"Do you consider computers to be indispensable in the modern world?"

"Computers have been the most important development in modern times

Do you agree?"

The simplified answer to these topics must be either yes or no Even if the expressions do you consider or do you agree are left out, the topic must

still be answered with:

Yes, I agree, or: no, I don't agree

Now look at this topic:

"Computers have improved the quality of our lives"

In this case you may not want to say either: yes, I agree, or: no, I don't agree, but just: I partly agree

In this topic:

"Computers are a valuable educational tool"

You may want to answer: it depends (i.e., it depends on how they are

used) instead of simply agreeing or disagreeing

Finally, in a topic like this:

"To what have computers improved modern lifestyles?"

The simplified answer would be: a lot; a little or: partly

Exercise 3.1

Look at the following topics and decide which of the above basic answers you would give:

a) The environment has been said to be the single most important issue

in the world today

b) The responsibility for protecting the environment rests with the individual and not only with the government

c) To what extent should industry be made to pay environmental pollution?

d) Modernization is leading to the destruction of the earth as a home for humans and animals

e) To what extent can individual ensure that the environment is protected from pollution?

f) Mankind will destroy the planet within the next century Discuss

(Please see Answer keys at the end of this instruction sheets)

Whatever essay topics you are dealing with, first decide whether they involve a

"discussion" type of answer, and if so, work out which of the above basic answers is appropriate This will make your task of writing the essay much simpler

4 Defining the Terms

Some books and teachers tell you that you must define the terms you use

so that the reader will understand you This is sometimes true, but it is necessary to be sensible about it For example, look again at the above example:

a) Computers have provided great benefits to modern society Discuss

b) Computers are the most important invention of this century Do you agree? c) Modern society would not be able to operate without computers Do you agree?

In all these questions, the key term computers does not need defining, since everyone understands this term in the same way The term modern society could be a little more problematic, since there are so many

different aspects of society, that not everyone may be thinking of the same thing when they use this term However, in a short essay like this it is not necessary to become a social scientist and to define a term which is

generally understood in the same way by most people

However, in an essay in which you are asked to argue a point, it is

necessary to evaluate concepts and in that case you must at least have some sort of definition of your values in your head, even if you do not define them in words It is here that a definition is useful and important tool to help to you write your essay Let me explain this from the above examples

In topic a): the evaluation term is benefits What do you mean be benefits? Dose everyone have the same idea about what a benefit is? Probably most people would agree in most cases for example saving time and saving money are generally as beneficial by most people In this case, therefore, it

is not necessary to worry about writing a definition of benefits, but it is helpful for you, when deciding what to include in your essay, to think about exactly what you mean by this concept

In topic b): the restricting words are most important invention Now, there

is no problem with the word invention, but how do we determine

importance? Does everyone have the same idea of it? Essentially this topic really requires you to deal with the concept of importance as much as with the concept of computers In other words, it is not enough to list some of the benefits of computers here-it is necessary to demonstrate what one means by important and then to show how computers fulfil this function

In other words, one must establish one's criteria for determining

importance in this context For example, one can say that computers are good for playing kinds of games, but is this an important function?

In the above examples, the words benefit and important are terms that clearly indicate the need for evaluation Sometimes, however, the

evaluation is indirectly indicated, as in example c)

In topic c): the restricting terms are would not be able to operate without This raises a more interesting problem of definition What dose operate mean in this context? If we are talking about a machine, there is no

problem in discussing how to operate it, and everyone will have the same idea But what does it mean to say that a society is operating? Would we all have same idea? And, even more confusing, how can we say it is NOT operating? What is actually required here is a discussion that implies that

modern society can or cannot operate well without computers How well? Well, that is what needs to be evaluated by the write!

e) Computers have improved the quality of our lives

f) People in modern cities live under too much stress

(Please see Answer keys at the end of this instruction sheets)

II- Writing

1 Selecting And Organising Language.

Now that you have selected and organized your content, you can focus on the actual writing We will consider the traditional division of an essay into introduction, body, conclusion and decide what goes into each of them But it is also necessary to be aware of what is the appropriate style

of these essays, and how to deal with problems of grammar and vocabulary

2 The Introduction

The purpose of the introduction is to let the reader know

a) the topic b) the aspect of the topic

c) the stand taken by the writer

In other words, the introduction actually contains the conclusion!

For example, if the topic is:

(Topic a): Do children watch too much television nowadays?

You should let your reader know in the introduction whether your answer

is yes or no

The rest of the essay then provides support for your argument

The structure of the introduction follows a common pattern

To introduce the topic and explain why it is worth talking about, you will normally need a statement something like this:

( Topic b): Television is so common that nowadays it is hard to

imagine life without it

That is, the first sentence typically makes a general statement about a situation

The next statement then narrows the topic down to the specific aspect the write will deal with

Many people complain nowadays that children spend a great proportion

of their lives watching television

Then the second sentence would be more likely to present the opposite view, such as:

This may be true in some cases, but it is certainly not common enough to

be serious problem

It is, however, not always the case that the second sentence contains a but

or however It may also support and strengthen the first sentence Here are some examples:

(Topic a): Do children watch too much television nowadays?

Television has become so much a part of lives, that many people do not realize how many hours they actually spend watching it In fact, it has been pointed out that most children watch far more television than is good for them

( Topic b): The environment has been said to be the single most important issue in the world today Discuss

People are gradually becoming aware of the fact that we are destroying our natural environment We should realize that more of the other problems we face more important than this one

a/ watch too much television have been paraphrased in the examples to

become: spend too much time in front of television and: spend a great proportion of their lives watching television

Here is another example from Topic

b/ there are many problems facing the world today, including warfare,

population growth and famine However, none of these problems is as serious as the destruction of our natural environment

The above examples, the writer's argument (i.e the conclusion) is made clear in the second sentence

The introduction therefore contains one statement which introduces the topic and a second statement which presents the author's stand, or attitude

to the topic Sometimes this statement, also known as the thesis or proposition, occurs in the third sentence

Exercise 2.1

The following are five introductions to the essay topic:

"Technology can contribute to human misery as well as to human success"

However, they have been jumbled Find the first and second sentences which belong

together in each case, to make five different introductions

1) Every country in the world is aiming for technology development

2) It is not, however, the technological development which causes the problems, but rather the fact that societies do not make the necessary adjustments

3) For most people, technological development means an improvement

6) However, it is wrong to blame technology for our social problems

7) Technology has brought many changes in people's lives, not all of which are beneficial

8) There are always people who will argue against any kind of technological change

9) In fact, in many cases, people have suffered enormously because of these changes

10) However, while some people enjoy an easier life, others are usually made unemployed as a result of new technology

(Please see Answer keys at the end of this instruction sheets)

Exercise 2.2

Here are three topics on the same subject, followed by six possible opening

sentences Match each topic with the best opening sentence

1/ children's viewing of television should be controlled

2/ Television does more harm than good Do you agree?

3/ Discuss the role of television in modern society

a/ Television is a relatively recent invention, but it has become a basic aspect of life in all modern societies

b/ In modern society, everyone likes watching television

c/ Children usually have their favourite television programs, which they like to watch regularly

d/ Children in many countries watch television for several hours each day, so it is important to think about what it is they are watching

e/ Although television can be a valuable source of entertainment and information, it also has serious drawbacks

f/ Television is a system of conveying both sound and picture waves from

a studio or other source into people's homes

(Please see Answer keys at the end of this instruction sheets)

Language Use

Useful expressions for the thesis statement or proposition include:

Effect important harmful Result advantageous problem

Factor benefit dangerous Aspect beneficial detrimental

Phenomenon valuable detrimental Useful damaging Drawback

Having positive or negative effects

Note: Make sure that you know the exact meaning and the correct use of any of theses terms that you want to use Check them with your dictionaries

3 The Body.

The body will typically consist of about three paragraphs, presenting points to support your argument You will have worked out ideas in the planning stage, when organizing your brainstormed ideas Now it is simply a matter of presenting one main point in each paragraph

A paragraph is like a mini-essay, since it also is also is a unit of writing That means that, like in an essay, you must let your reader know as soon

as possible what your proposition or statement is, and then support it This

is usually done with a topic sentence Let us look at the example:

"Computers have provided great benefits to modern society Discuss."

Let us use the first system of organization we identified:

Save time, space and therefore money through a) storing and retrieval of info (e g business, libraries); b) calculations (e g business- accounting, science, engineering); c) word processing (bus; students)

Our first paragraph would be about storing and retrieval A topic sentence could be:

The most important use of computers is in the storing of information which can be retrieved quickly and easily when it is needed

We could then go on with:

For example, in any kind of business

The next paragraph introduces the point about calculations Here is a possible topic sentence:

Another very common use of computers is to make quick and accurate calculations