From ETS: TOEFL tips for preparing for the writing tasks

[toeflsmeagle]

Writing Tips

Integrated Writing Tasks
• Find a textbook that includes questions about the material at the end of chapters. Practice writing answers to the questions.
• Read an article that is about 300–400 words long. Make an outline that includes the major points and important details of the article. Use the outline to write a summary of the information and ideas. Summaries are brief and clearly communicate only the major points and important details. Be sure to paraphrase using different words and grammatical structures. (See tips on paraphrasing below.)
• Practice paraphrasing frequently. Paraphrasing involves restating something from the source material in one’s own words. It is critical to use different words and grammar to convey the same ideas when paraphrasing. In English-speaking countries, you must follow the rules for citing when you use the same words of the original speaker or author. If you do not do this, it is considered a form of intellectual stealing, called plagiarism. While this may be accepted in some cultures, it is not acceptable in most English-speaking academic settings. Therefore, paraphrasing skills are important to learn.
• Learn to find synonyms with ease. Pick ten to fifteen words or phrases in a reading passage and quickly think of synonyms without looking in a dictionary or thesaurus.
• When writing a paraphrase of a reading passage, use only your notes. If you haven’t taken notes, write the paraphrase without looking at the original passage. Then check the paraphrase with the original passage to make sure that it is factually accurate and that you have used different words and grammatical structures.
• Learn and carefully follow the rules for citing known and unknown sources that you have quoted or paraphrased. See page 48 for Web sites that give additional advice on paraphrasing, summarizing, and citing sources.
• Find listening and reading material on the same topic. The material can provide similar or different views. The Internet and the library are good places to find such information.
• Take notes on the listening and reading material and do the following:
1. Summarize the information and ideas in both.
2. Synthesize the information in both and discuss how the reading and listening material relate.
Explain how the ideas are alike, how one idea expands upon another, or how the ideas are different or contradict each other.
Independent Writing Tasks
• Make a list of familiar topics and practice writing about them.
• For each topic state an opinion or a preference and then support it with evidence.
• Practice planning and writing at least one essay for each topic. Be sure to take 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise each essay.
• Think about and list all ideas related to a topic or task before writing. This is also called “prewriting.”
• Identify one main idea and some major points to support that idea, and plan how to communicate them (for example, by creating an outline to organize your ideas).
• Create a focused thesis statement and use it to develop all the ideas presented in the essay.
• Develop the essay by using appropriate explanation and detail.

All Writing Tasks
• Increase your vocabulary and learn to use idiomatic speech appropriately.
• Learn grammatical structures so well that you can use them naturally when writing.
• Learn the conventions of spelling, punctuation, and layout (paragraph creation, etc.).
• Express information in an organized manner, displaying unity of thought and coherence.
• Use signal words and phrases, such as “on one hand” or “in conclusion” to create a clear structure for your response.
• Ask an English teacher or tutor to evaluate your writing by using the appropriate TOEFL iBT Writing rubric.