Sunday, August 1, 2021

TOEFL Writing Tips

CHALLENGE: "I'm afraid that the raters will not understand the ideas in my essay."

SOLUTION: Use transition words. Transition words are expressions that connect two sentences together

by indicating a shift in focus, continuing in the same line of thinking, drawing a conclusion, clarifying a point, indicating sequence, etc. if you use transition words throughout your essay, you will be able to improve the flow of your response and make it easier to understand. Use the following table as a reference of transition language and their uses:

Function

Transition Language

Shift in focus

but                                          nonetheless

conversely                             on the contrary

despite                                   on the other hand

however,                                still

in contrast                              though

nevertheless                          yet

Continuing in the same line of thinking

additionally                           furthermore

also                                         in addition

and                                          likewise

besides that                           moreover

Drawing a conclusion

accordingly                            hence

as a result                               indeed

consequently                         therefore

for that reason                      thus

Clarifying a point

in other words                       that is to say

specifically                              namely

Indicating Sequence

after                                         later

as soon as                               meanwhile

before                                      next

finally                                       soon

in the first place                     then

Giving Examples

For example,...

Take X, for instance.

One example of X is...

 

CHALLENGE: "I have trouble talking about opinions."

SOLUTION: Know when you will be required to express opinions. Question I (Integrated Writing) asks you to describe the opinions of the professor while Question 2 (Independent Writing) requires you to give your opinion. Knowing this information will help you prepare before you take the test. Use the table below to help you know when and how to use opinion language.

Question

Whose Opinion Will You Give?

Expressions You Can Use in Your Response

Question 1:

Academic Reading /

Listening Synthesis Task

State the opinion of professor

The professor will dearly

express agreement or

disagreement with the main

topic and provide three

reasons to support this

position.

Do not give your own opinion

for this task!

·  The professor feels that ...

·  In the lecture, the professor says that X is a good / bad idea.

·  The professor says she supports / opposes...

·  In the professor's opinion, X is good / bad...

·  The professor's view is that X is positive / negative...

·  The professor agrees / disagrees with the claim that...

Question 2: Personal

Experience Task

Give your own opinion about

whether you agree or disagree with the statement

·  While some people think that X, I personally believe that...

·  I know that some people feel differently, but it’s my opinion

·  It's my opinion that .. .

·  I agree/disagree with the idea that...

·  Other people might disagree, but my view is that...

 

Expressions for Citing the Source

The author / professor thinks / feels that ...

The author / professor agrees / disagrees / opposes / supports...

According to the passage / professor, ...

In the conversation, the professor says / argues / points out / makes the point that...

In the reading / lecture, the author / professor says....

The author / professor supports X by saying / pointing out / arguing / giving an example of...

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