BT TOEFL-writing

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Building
iBT
TOEFL
Skills

Beginning

Ada

rc
Wo

es

ter

r
La

w
Bo

erman

WRITING

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Contents

Table of

Introduction to TOEFL Writing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 1

Thinking and Writing

---------------------------------------------------- 17

Skill A

Integrated Writing:

Organizing Information

Skill B

Integrated Writing:

Paraphrasing

Skill C

Independent Writing:

Brainstorming

Skill D

Independent Writing:

Writing Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 31
--------------------------------------------------------------- 45
------- 59

Vocabulary Review ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

67

Chapter 2 Making Writing Complete

Skill A

Integrated Writing:

Skill B

Independent Writing:

Making Connections
Making Ideas Flow

--------------------------------------------------------- 75
------------------------------------------------------- 89

Vocabulary Review --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 111

Chapter 3 Focus: Writing Grammar

Focus A

Verb Tenses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 124

Focus B

Word Forms ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 126

Focus C

Subject-Verb Agreement ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 128

Focus D

Sentence Fragments and Run-ons -------------------------------------------------------------- 130

Focus E

Noun Phrases and Clauses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 132

Focus F

Coordinating Conjunctions and Coordinating Adverbs ------------------- 135

Practice Test for Writing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 139

Transcripts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 147
Answer Key -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 151

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Skill

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Page 17

Integrated Writing: Organizing Information

Necessary Skills
Understanding information from both reading and listening passages
Taking notes on the reading and listening passages
Using information from your notes in your writing
Synthesizing the information taken from both the reading and listening passages

Process
Read and listen, then
take notes

Strategy
You will not see the prompt until after you finish reading and
writing, so taking notes is essential.
Take notes of major points from both reading and listening.

Read the question and

understand the task

Identify what kind of relationship between the reading and the

listening the question asks you to discuss.

Select ideas from

your notes

Choose the points that you need to discuss. Think about how
the points in the lecture relate to the points in the reading. The
listening passage will present details that will either challenge the
information presented in the reading, present a counter example,
or describe the consequences of an attempt to solve a problem
presented in the reading.

Include information from both the reading and listening passages.

Organize the ideas

Clearly show the relationship between the information presented

in the listening and that presented in the reading passage.
Limit the time for organizing to less than 2 minutes, in order to
give yourself more time for writing and editing.

Integrated Writing: Organizing Information

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Skill A

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Q1

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Culture

Practice 1
Step 1

Read the following passage. Then, look at the note diagram and fill in the missing information.

Should students in Turkey be allowed to wear their head scarves in

class? This issue is currently under debate. There are even politicians in
the Turkish parliament suggesting head scarves be banned by law.
Most universities in Turkey have rules forbidding Muslim students from
wearing head scarves inside buildings, but not all professors agree with
these rules. Many professors are sympathetic toward their female Muslim
students. Muslim women are typically uncomfortable not wearing head
scarves in public.

Issue:

______________ head scarves in class

Pro:

Some ______________ in parliament, most ______________

--- proposed law
--- existing ______________ at universities

Con:

Muslim women, many ______________

--- women ______________ without head scarves

18

Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

issue (n):
a topic of discussion or debate
debate (n):
a discussion in which two or
more different opinions on a
topic are expressed
parliament (n):
the top law-making group of
politicians in a country
ban (v):
to prohibit or forbid; to not
allow
sympathetic (adj):
feeling the same emotions as;
relating to the feelings of

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Step 2

Now listen to a lecture related to the topic in Step 1. Fill in the blanks of the note diagram
below with the keywords or key phrases shown. Not all of the words or phrases will be used.

Problem with head scarves: ______________

image (n):
a style; an opinion based on
physical appearance

--- image of head scarves --- old-fashioned, ______________

--- modern image --- look like a ______________ person

outlaw (v):
to ban by law; to make
something punishable by law

Another example of ______________ fashion: the fez

illegal (adj):
contrary to the law; against the
rules

--- ______________ hat for men

traditional (adj):
in accordance with a standard that
has been used for a long time

--- banned in ______________ 20 century

th

keywords /
key phrases

big deal
public

early
traditional

tarnish (v):
to damage the appearance of; to
make imperfect

image
uncivilized

outlawed
Western

Step 3

Review your notes from both the reading and the lecture. Pay attention to the main ideas and
supporting details. Rewrite the ideas as complete sentences.
Reading:
Main idea: _______________________________________________________________________________
Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________
Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Lecture:
Main idea: _______________________________________________________________________________
Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________
Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Integrated Writing: Organizing Information

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Step 4

Use the main ideas and details from Steps 1, 2, and 3 to complete the passage. Include information
from both the reading and the lecture.
According to the reading, some people in _____________ _____________ to ban head scarves
_____________ _____________. _____________ politicians and _____________ universities are in favor
of _____________ or laws _____________ head scarves in class. However, Muslim women and some
professors are _____________ such rules and laws. Those who are against _____________
_____________ argue that they give Turkey a bad _____________. Women wearing head scarves give
Turkey an _______________________________ or _______________________________ image. This issue
is similar to one in the past when the _____________ in _____________ outlawed _____________ from
wearing the _____________ in public.

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Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

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Skill C

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Q2

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Experience

Practice 1
Step 1

Read the question and think about your own experience. List some ideas about your experiences
in the blanks.
Some people learn by reading about things. Others learn by doing things. Which of these methods of
learning is better for you? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
Things I learned by reading:

Things I learned by doing:

math

swimming

changing the ink in my printer

installing programs on my computer

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

Step 2

Read the sample response below and underline three sentences that are central to the organization
of the passage.
We learn new things all the time. When we are children, we learn
information from our parents, from our friends, or from teachers in school.
When we are adults, we learn things from older people, from colleagues,
or even from younger people. Although we are all learning all the time,
people learn in different ways. Some people learn by reading. Others
learn by doing. Personally, I learn better by doing than by reading.
One thing I learned by doing was how to install programs on my
computer. This is a simple thing if you know how to do it. If you do not
already know, it can be confusing. The first time I got a new program
for my computer, I read the instructions for how to install it. I did not really
understand the instructions. It seemed like they were written in a foreign
language. Then, I put the CD in my computer. I pushed buttons and
clicked with my mouse. I installed the program without the instructions
at all. Now, I know how to install any program on my computer.
Some people disagree with my point of view. They say they have
to read the instructions to learn how to do things. They do not want
to make any mistakes. I think it is OK to make mistakes. When I make
a mistake, I learn not to do it that way again. I also learn what happens
when I make that mistake. These are both important things to know
when you learn to do something new.

46

Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

information (n):
facts; knowledge
adult (n):
a person over the age of 18; not
a child
colleague (n):
a coworker
personally (adv):
as far as I'm concerned; in my
case
install (v):
to put in place; to load into a
computer
program (n):
a series of coded instructions
that make a computer perform a
specific function
confusing (adj):
difficult to understand clearly
instructions (n):
directions that tell how to do
something
foreign (adj):
from a different place; different
in origin
mistake (n):
an incorrect act; an error

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Step 3

Answer the following questions in relation to the thesis and topic of the response in Step 2.
1. What is the thesis statement of the essay? (Write it.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the topic sentence of the body paragraph? (Write it.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4

Answer the following questions in relation to the organization of the response in Step 2.
1. Which side of the prompt does this essay take?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. What example does the writer give to support the thesis statement?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Does the writer present a comment or idea from the other side in the conclusion? If so, what is
the comment or idea?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the main idea of the conclusion?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Independent Writing: Brainstorming

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Focus A

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- Verb Tenses

To discuss things in present or past time, use the tenses below.

Tense

Present Simple

Time
Present

Dave teaches history

twice a week.

Tense

Past Simple

Time
Past

Dave taught a history

class yesterday.

Present Continuous

Present Perfect

Right now, Dave is

teaching history in class.

Dave has taught history

for ten years.

Past Continuous

Past Perfect

Dave was teaching

history when I arrived in
class.

Dave had taught

archaeology before he
taught history.

Exercise 1

Each of the paragraphs below has 8 errors in verb tenses. Find the errors and correct them.
1. John has lived in Spain for over six months. He moves here shortly after finishing university. John
spoke Spanish very well, having studied it for many years. He likes Spanish culture, and he is loving
the food also. His plan is being to live in Spain for a few years in order to improve his Spanish, then
he planned to return to England to teach in a university. John going to move back to England in May
because he missed his family. Because his girlfriend has been Spanish, he believes that one day he
might return to Spain and start a family there.
2. Stephen and Sarah got married in May of last year. They married just over a year. They are looking for
a house for over nine months now. Yesterday, they finally found a house that they really liked. They
decide to move in next month, after all of the furniture has been bought. They both work in the
same hospital. Stephen is a doctor and Sarah was a doctor, too. Both of them worked very hard, and
have little time for organizing their new house. As a result, they hire a decorator to buy all the furniture and decorate the house. In a few weeks, they hope everything will had been organized and
they looked forward to living in their new home.

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Chapter 3 Focus: Writing Grammar

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Exercise 2

Write the correct form of the verb.

1. When I traveled around Europe, it was one of the best times of my life. I _____________ (have)
just finished university and I _____________ (decide) I wanted to see some more of the world. It
was amazing to see so many different cultures in such a small area. While I was _____________
(travel) through Germany, I met some people who, like me, were from America. We had a great
time, so we decided to travel together for the rest of the holiday. It was so much fun. We
_____________ (make) a promise that sometime in the future we would return and do it again,
together.
2. Dublin City is home to the worlds tallest sculpture. The Dublin Spire _____________ (be) over 120
meters in height and _____________ (be complete) in January 2003. When the structure was first
being _____________ (build) in 2002, there were delays because of bad weather. However, when the
strong winds _____________ (pass), the spire was eventually able to be finished, and Dublins tallest
structure was finally completed.

Verb Tenses

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