The TOEFL iBT® Test: Improving Your
Writing Skills
Advice for Writing
Skill: Writing based on Knowledge and Experience
Performance Level: Fair
Score Range: 17–23
Skill: Writing based on Knowledge and Experience
Performance Level: Fair
Score Range: 17–23
1. Pay attention to how ideas support a
position and practice generating ideas to support a position.
§ Read articles and essays that
express opinions about an issue (for example, a social, environmental or
educational issue).
o Identify the writer's opinion or
opinions.
o Notice how the writer addresses
possible objections to the opinion, if they are present.
o Outline the article and note the
ways the writer supports the ideas.
§ Write a response to the article or
essay in English, taking the opposite viewpoint.
o Outline your response.
o Note the methods you use to support
your ideas.
§ Reread what you have written.
o Make sure your supporting ideas are
clearly related to your main point.
o Note what method you use to develop
each of your supporting points.
o Make sure you have developed each of
your points in detail. Is there anything more you could have said to strengthen
your points?
2. Pay attention to how you organize
ideas and think about how a reader who isn’t familiar with your topic is going
to be able to follow the information you want to present.
§ Spend time planning and thinking
about how to organize your ideas. Your reader should be able to understand how
your essay is organized.
§ Have a friend or a teacher outline
your essay so that you can see if others can recognize your method of
organization.
§
Make sure you are using the right words to connect your ideas and supporting information in the way you want your reader to understand them.
Make sure you are using the right words to connect your ideas and supporting information in the way you want your reader to understand them.
o Remember that your reader doesn’t
know what you know or what you intend. Is there any way your reader might
misunderstand? If so, consider revising how you present and explain your ideas.
o Ask your teacher to check your use
of topic sentences, paragraphs, and connecting words, phrases, and sentences.
Did you use these correctly and effectively?
3. Think about who will be reading your
writing. In some situations you need to write in a formal manner and your
sentence structure, vocabulary use and general style should reflect that.
4. Work to expand the types of
sentences you write and increase your vocabulary.
§ Write paragraphs in English that
contain several complete sentences.
o Study the basics of English grammar.
o Develop your vocabulary.
o Practice writing correct sentences
in English.
o Ask your teacher to review your
sentences for correctness.
§ Create your own dictionary of
English words.
§ Use those words in your own writing.
§ Try writing longer and more complex
sentences instead of short, simple sentences.
§ Focus on appropriate sentence
formation and accurate word choice.
§ Read short but interesting academic
articles in magazines and on websites in your own language each day.
o As you feel comfortable, write the
ideas from what you read in complex, accurate sentences in English.
o Ask your teacher to review what you
have written for accuracy of content, vocabulary, and grammar.
5. Make your writing clear by avoiding
grammatical mistakes.
§ Avoid using vague words and phrases.
§ Focus on a different aspect of
English grammar each week and complete grammatical exercises that reinforce
this aspect.
§ Read an article or essay in English
in a magazine or on a website each day.
o Summarize and respond to it in
English.
o Proofread and revise your work.
o Ask your teacher to review your
writing to see if your sentences are grammatically correct and if your
sentences and word choice express ideas clearly.
6. Read a lot in English. This will
help you recognize good writing styles.
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