Is There a Technique to Decode the TOEFL iBT Writing Task?
Don’t start the TOEFL iBT Writing Task without reading this first!
Upon beginning a TOEFL Writing Exam, it is important to read the question very carefully. You should determine what the writing task is. To illustrate the importance of this, consider the following situation: Your mom tells you to remove a food stain from the carpet. She instructs you to use a special chemical called “Stain Be Gone.” You go into the laundry room and instead of getting “Stain Be Gone”, you get a chemical called “Clorox,” a type of bleach. You begin to clean the carpet with the chemical and what happens? The brown carpet begins to turn an awful shade of yellow! Even though you had good intentions and you worked very hard to clean the carpet, you did not get the results you or your mom expected because you used the wrong chemical; consequently, you bleached out the carpet.
The same applies to TOEFL iBT writing. If you do not follow the instructions the prompt gives you, no matter how hard you work the end result will not be what the reader expected. As a result, you will not receive the score you deserve. Consider the following three writing prompts:
1. There are a few people who would say that it is best to be loyal and to work for one company during one’s life. Other people would take the opposite point of view and say it is better to change jobs frequently in one’s life. Compare these positions, using specific examples of both. Then tell which one you agree with and explain your position.
2. Students should be required to take general education classes in a university, in addition to specialized classes in their major. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give specific examples to support your position.
3. The automobile as well as the airplane are important inventions of the 20th century. Both of these inventions have had a major change on our lives. Think of another invention that you think is important. Give clear reasons for your choice.
Are these three prompts the same to you? Are they asking the same requirements? If you answered no, you are already ready to being able to write a successful essay.
The first prompt may be broken into four different tasks: The essay asks you to discuss both positions, which signifies (1) you must write a little bit about why some people say that it is best to be loyal to work for one company during one’s life; (2) you must write a little bit about why others say it is better to change jobs frequently in one’s life; (3) you need to tell which of the positions you agree with; and (4) you should defend why (i.e., give reasons). It is best to remain neutral until near the end, you do not state your opinion first in this type of writing style.
The second prompt is able to be broken down into two argumentative tasks- (1) that of selecting whether you agree or disagree with the statement: “In addition to their specialized classes in their major, students should also be required to take general education classes in a university.” (2) You need to also give some reasons to support your opinion. Declaring your argument first, in the introduction, in this type of essay, you assert which view you support. Afterward, in the remainder of the essay, you defend why you support that opinion.
During the third writing prompt, yet another style of argumentative essay is introduced, the task is straight forward- (1) that of using another invention that you believe is important. (2) You have to give specific reasons for your choice. The word “another” means something other than the automobile or the airplane. Consequently, if you begin to write about the airplane or the automobile, you will be penalized for not following the instructions provided for this writing prompt.
The concept is simple: think before you write. Make sure you understand what the writing task is.