2016-11-16 TOEFL: independent writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: do the reading about Gandhi (Oxford p. 72-74)
1 c
2 b
3 c
4 c
5 c
6 c
7 b
8 d
9 b
10 b (not “the magician” because that wasn’t his name, not the governor because context should tell you this clause is about Gandhi)
11 d
12 b
13 c
14 c
15 b
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both/either/neither mean all/any/none of exactly two things
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Independent Writing - last task on the test (after integrated writing)
- Write an essay about your own opinion on a given topic. (You’re given a choice between two options or between agreeing or disagreeing with a statement.)
- You have 30 minutes to write about 300 words.
Format (typical 5-paragraph essay):
1 Introduction - general idea and background, plus thesis statement with your position
2 Supporting point 1, plus examples/details
3 Supporting point 2, plus examples/details
4 Supporting point 3, plus examples/details
5 Conclusion - summary of the reasons and restatement of the thesis, generalization to a wider context or predictions/advice for the future
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2 supporting points are okay, if you give enough detail about both of them
4 is also fine, but cut out any beyond 4, because you won’t have time to support more points than that
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In pairs, take 5 minutes to write an outline for a response to this prompt:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
People behave differently when they wear different clothes.
Do you agree that different clothes influence the way people behave? Use specific examples to support your answer.
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In general, it’s easier to demonstrate a positive (people do behave differently) than a negative (people don’t behave differently), so that’s often the option that’s simpler to write about.
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Useful language for each part:
1 - A lot of people talk about… / Many people think… / Others believe… / In my opinion… / I have three reasons for this position.
2 - The first reason is… / First of all… / One reason is… / First… / For example,... / For instance,... / Another example…
3 - The second reason is… / Secondly… / Another reason is… / For example…
4 - The third reason… / Thirdly… / A final reason… / Last but not least… / Finally… / For example…
5 - In conclusion… / To sum up… / For these reasons… / Due to… / In the future…
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Make another outline for:
Some people think that the automobile has improved modern life. Others think that the automobile has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
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Clearly these are both true statements. To pick one, you would argue that it’s the more significant effect of the automobile.
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There’s often not a really clear logical way to order your supporting points, but you can do something like most-to-least or least-to-most important.
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Prompt:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Universities should give the same amount of money to their students’ sports activities as they give to their university libraries.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
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BREAK
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In the computer lab - two sample independent writing tasks (ETS past tests 2 and 3)