Volume 1
Spring 2008
Self-Access Language Learning in Hong Kong
Self-Preparation for TOEFL iBT
Independent Writing Task
- Intended for Hong Kong Test Takers
Dong Ye, Carol
TOEFL iBT, a widely accepted English proficiency test, is one of the university entrance
requirements in North America, Australia and New Zealand1. Presumably, for most Hong Kong
test takers, the Independent Writing Task (Figure 1) in TOEFL is an obstacle to high scores. In
order to help them pass the section with ease, tips and advice aiming to sharpen one’s writing
skills through self-access language learning will be provided in this article from four aspects:
material collection, essay construction, wording, and practice.
Task Description
“• Test takers write an essay that states, explains, and supports their
opinion on an issue. An effective essay will usually contain a minimum
of 300 words; however, test takers may write more if they wish.
• Test takers must support their opinions or choices, rather than
simply list personal preferences or choices.
• Typical essay questions begin with statements such as:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Use
reasons and specific details to support your answer.
Some people believe X. Other people believe Y. Which of
these two positions do you prefer/agree with? Give reasons and
specific details.”2
Figure 1: Independent Writing Task
Description
Material Collection
In the Independent Writing Task, test takers are required to express ideas about a given issue in
a well-organized manner, with convincing argument and warranted evidence2. Nevertheless, it is
unlikely for test takers to think of materials germane to their topic all of a sudden, which makes
advance resource collection significant.
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To make an essay substantial in content, relevant examples from current news, notables’
biographies or other social concerns are indispensable. Stockpiles of such information can be
easily found in daily newspapers, periodical magazines, and authoritative websites. Thus,
extensive reading serves to enrich one’s material storage. The following is a reading list worthy
of recommendation.
TITLE
CATEGORY
WEBSITE
The New York Times
Daily Newspaper
TIME
Weekly Newsmagazine
http://www.time.com
Newsweek
Weekly Newsmagazine
http://www.newsweek.com
BusinessWeek
Bi-weekly Business
Magazine
http://www.businessweek.com
FORTUNE
Bi-weekly Business
Magazine
http://www.fortune.com
Forbes
Bi-weekly Business
Magazine
http://www.forbes.com
National
Geographic
Monthly Scientific
Magazine
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
American Heroes
Website
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/DE/research/her
oes.html
American History
Website
http://www.thrall.org/history/
Discovery of Heroes
Website
http://myhero.com/myhero/go/directory/index.a
sp
WHO2?-Find
Famous People Fast
Website
http://www.who2.com/
Wikipedia
Online Encyclopedia
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.wikipedia.org
Table 1: Resources for Material Collection
Ample events presented in the above reading materials can be used as supportive evidence in
an essay. It is pretty helpful for test takers to spend half an hour per day gathering information
from these recommended resources and making notes in notebooks. Yet, apart from scale,
diversification of material collection is of equal importance. After all, even massive examples in
business would pale in utility when it comes to an artistic topic. Therefore, test takers, instead of
seeking information in a narrow field, are strongly recommended to collect materials from a
wide range of realms, such as politics, economics, history, and culture. Moreover, the number of
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examples should be moderate, for excessive information contributes little and is a burden on
memory. Thus, it is desirable for test takers to prepare eight examples at most for each area and
review them frequently.
Essay Construction
In addition to content, essay structure carries considerable weight in grading as well. While
there are numerous techniques of article construction, given a short preparation period, it is
more practical for test takers to meet the basic but essential criterion of a high-scoring essay,
that is, clarity and coherence.
To express opinions clearly, test takers are supposed to compose an essay of three parts:
“introduction”, “main body”, and “conclusion”. Emphasis should be assigned to the body of an
essay, while brief summaries are adequate for an introduction and conclusion. Adding to that,
the article structure would be refined if each paragraph starts with a theme sentence. Here are
several study materials furnishing instrumental guidance in these respects:
TITLE
CATEGORY
OTHER INFORMATION
Writing Machine
Website
http://www.ec.hku.hk/writingmachine/
The Purdue Online Writing Lab
Website
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Book
Imprint: ToeflEssays.com, 2004
Book
Author: Lougheed, Lin
Imprint: Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's
Educational Series, 2004
Edition: 2nd ed.
How to prepare for the writing tasks of
the next generation TOEFL : a complete
course with 187 sample essays
Barron's how to prepare for the TOEFL
essay : test of English as a foreign
language
Table 2: Resources for Instructions on Article Construction
After the framework of an essay is set up, attention should be drawn to the coherence between
paragraphs and sentences. Proper use of conjunctions facilitates reviewers to keep up with the
transitions in content, which, in turn, enhances the clarity of argument. Helpful instructions on
connecting words are accessible from the following resources:
TITLE
CATEGORY
Write better in English
Program
Cracking the TOEFL iBT
Book
OTHER INFORMATION
Imprint: AmEnglish
Author: Douglas Pierce and Sean Kinsell
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Imprint: New York, N.Y. : Random House, c2005
Edition: 2006 ed.
Longman preparation course for
the TOEFL test : next generation
iBT
Book
Author: Deborah Phillips
Imprint: White Plains, NY : Pearson/Longman,
c2005
Longman Grammar of Spoken and
Written English
Book
Author: Douglas Biber … [et al.]
Imprint: Harlow, Essex : Longman, 1999
Guide to Grammar & Writing
Website
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Table 3: Resources for Instructions on Conjunction Words
Wording
For some test takers, even though they have profound ideas in minds, a limited vocabulary is
really a bind that leads to monotonous language and plain expressions. Hence, to polish up
wording is undoubtedly a necessary step in test preparation. There are mainly two ways of
vocabulary expansion: dictionary referring and large-volume reading. Comparatively, the latter
is probably preferable to the former, which requires tremendous patience and persistence. Thus,
to know new words through reading is an effective method of vocabulary extension. Test takers
can mark down nice words, phrases or incisive idioms and adages from the articles read when
collecting writing materials. In case of misuse, test takers are also advised to look up the exact
meaning of every newly recorded word or phrase in a dictionary. Here are websites of two
online dictionaries:
TITLE
WEBSITE
Cambridge Dictionaries Online
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online http://www.ldoceonline.com/
Table 4: Online Dictionary
Writing Practice
As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”. Intensive writing exercises add fuel to progress. In
fact, TOEFL has a pool of writing topics3, one of which is selected randomly for each test. Thus, it
is strategically necessary for test takers to accomplish at least 15 mocks and 20 outlines on
those sample topics during the weeks prior to a real test. The set of topics is available at the
website provided in Table 5. Furthermore, careful revision and modification are of great value
for writing skill improvement as well. It would be highly appreciated if test takers could ask
peers, teachers or other authorities for feedback on their essays. Extra resources are listed as
follows:
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TITLE
CATEGORY
OTHER INFORMATION
Writing Topics
PDF file
http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/989563w
t.pdf
Official Guide to the
New TOEFL® iBT
Book +
CD-ROM
Imprint: ETS
Edition: 2nd ed.
TOEFL® Practice Online
Program
Imprint: ETS
TOEFL Sample Test
Book + Tape
Imprint: ETS
Table 5: Resources for TOEFL Sample Practice and Tests
In sum, to strengthen English writing ability and obtain high scores in TOEFL iBT Independent
Writing Task, test takers should make sustainable efforts to embellish their essays in content,
structure, and wording. It is hoped the above learning strategies will be beneficial to your
preparation and elevate your writing ability. Good luck!
References
1. English Testing Service Why Take the TOEFL Test? [online]. ©2008.. Available:
http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgn
extoid=2c01c6c96e6a6110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=9701197a484f40
10VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD Accessed: 2008 April 8.
2. English Testing Service. TOEFL ®iBT Tips – How to prepare for the iBT [online]. ©2008.
Available: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/TOEFL_Tips.pdf Accessed: 2008 April
8.
3. English Testing Service. Writing Topics [online]. [undated]. Available:
http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/989563wt.pdf Accessed: 2008 April 8.
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