2017-07-20 TOEFL: ind writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
Homework: Answer the “test question” parts for the rest of the Oxford handout
	3L10, 3L12, 3L14
p. 169 3L10 - b
p. 170 3L12 - d
p. 172 3L14
1 b
2 a 2
  b 3
  c 1
3 d
4 d
5 a c
6 b c
---
Writing Section: last section on the test, about 1 hour total
- two tasks: integrated and independent
1 3 minutes to read a text, listen to a lecture on the same topic, 20 minutes to write about how the lecture relates to the reading
2 read a prompt and write for 30 minutes to answer the question in the prompt
---
Independent Writing - This is the very last portion of the test.
- The independent prompt is almost always a choice question (like the second speaking task)
	some people / other people
	agree / disagree
- Your response should be around 300 words in 4-5 paragraphs
---
“Some people prefer a high-paying job with long hours that gives little time to spend with friends and family. Others prefer a lower-paying job with shorter hours that gives more time to spend with family and friends. Which do you think is better? Use reasons and examples to support your response.”
---
What are some reasons for the first choice?
What are some reasons for the second choice?
What are some ways you could choose both or neither or a third option?
- It depends on your age and stage of life. (For example, work long hours to save money when you’re young and then shorter hours to spend time with your kids when you’re older.)
---
“A friend of yours has received some money and plans to spend all of it either to go on vacation or to buy a car. Your friend has asked you for advice. Compare your friend’s two choices and explain which one you think your friend should choose. Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.”
---
With your partner, brainstorm some reasons for the choice I assigned to you.
Then switch partners and compare your reasons. Decide (as a pair) which choice would be better to write about.
---
A typical good response has five paragraphs.
1 Introduction
	- general background and a description of the options you’re choosing between
	- thesis statement (“In my opinion, it is better to…”)
	- lead-in (“I have three reasons for this opinion.”)
2 Body 1 - First reason, with details and examples
3 Body 2 - Second reason, with details and examples
4 Body 3 - Third reason, with details and examples
5 Conclusion - restate your position (and maybe summarize your reasons), add a recommendation or prediction for the future
---
Try to spend only 5 minutes on each paragraph. If you see that five minutes have passed, start working on the next paragraph even if you’re not done with the current one.
---
You could start by typing a skeleton or framework of transitions and key words before you add details.

Some people think
Others believe
In my opinion
because

The first reason is
For example
This means
(same for the second and third reason)

To sum up, because of
I believe
In the future,
---
As you add details, you should change (or remove) some of these transitions and perhaps switch the order around, but this can help you remember what things you need to include in your response.
---
When graders score your response, they look at four main things
- content: Did you give good details and explanations to support your answer to the question?
- organization: Is your response unified (all the details support the main ideas) and coherent (all the ideas fit together logically)?
- grammar: Is the grammar good enough that the ideas are easy to understand? (Does the student demonstrate knowledge of varied grammatical structures?)
- vocabulary: Is the vocabulary (and spelling) good enough to be easily understood? (Does the student show a good command of a large variety of words?)
---
What should each paragraph accomplish?
Introduction: Explain the options you’re choosing between, and ideally explain why the reader should care. Then state your opinion.
Body paragraphs: Present reasons that support your opinion, and convince the reader that the reason is true and that it really does support your opinion.
Conclusion: Remind the reader of the reasons to believe your opinion and give the reader something to take way from the essay.
---
DELTA p. 419 - Read the descriptions of the score levels for independent writing.
---
BREAK
---
Independent Writing Practice - ETS 2 tests 1 and 4