Objectives:
- To develop brainstorming strategies which facilitate ideas development.
- To develop time management skills and exam planning techniques.
About Ideas and Opinions…
Sometimes it is difficult to think of ideas if you are given a topic that is not of personal interest to you. It’s even more difficult to do this when you are under pressure in an exam situation. When you are faced with a topic you don’t have strong ideas about, try not to worry too much about figuring out what you really believe, just choose a point of view and stick with it. Remember:
- The person grading your exam is not responding to your opinion, but how you express and support it.
- There are no ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ opinions for the TOEFL exam.
- TOEFL is not testing your ideas, just how well you can communicate them.
About Time…
Time management is an essential skill for exam writing. This week we are focusing on strategies to develop and plan your written response, which is an essential stage of the writing process, do not skip it! It is also a stage that you need to practice completing quickly and efficiently, to maximize your writing time. For TOEFL writing, your goal is to be able to complete the ideas development and planning stage in 5 minutes.
Step 1: Read the question carefully
- Many mistakes are made in exams because students do not take the time to read the question properly.
Even if you write a fantastic essay, if it doesn’t answer the question the mark will be very low. Don’t make this mistake!
- Identify the directive verb? typical directive verbs are ‘agree or disagree’ or ‘choose’.
Sometimes these verbs are paraphrased (written in other words), for example, ‘choose’ can be ‘which do you prefer?’ or ‘which is better?’.
This verb is very important because it tells you what to do!
- Identify the key words in the question, which represent the topic of the essay, circle or highlight them.
Step 2: Brainstorm
- Vocabulary storm? quickly note as many words/phrases as you can think of that are related to the topic? what are their synonyms/antonyms (words with the same or opposite meanings)?
- Opinion Storm? what do you think? If you are not sure, think about people you know, friends, parents, grandparents, what would they think? Choose an opinion to support in your essay. What are two or three main points or arguments to support this opinion?
- Example Storm? What details and examples can you think of to support the opinions?
Step 3: Plan
- Choose a thesis or statement of opinion. Remember it doesn’t have to be an opinion you really hold, just one you can argue for and support in the essay.
- Outline the essay visually in note form:
Paragraph 1:Introduction In my opinion…(thesis)
Paragraph 2: Main Point 1 The first point to support my opinion is…(+ examples/detail)
Paragraph 3: Main Point 2 The second point to support my opinion is…(+ examples/detail)
Paragraph 4: Main Point 3 The Third reason to support my opinion is…(+ examples/detail)
Paragraph 5: Conclusion In summary…(summarize the main points)
In conclusion…(restate your thesis)
Example:
WEEK 1
Question:
Nowadays many older people live alone, and not with their children and grandchildren. Some people say this is better for them, as they have a more peaceful life, and don’t have to take care of their grandchildren all day. Do you agree or disagree?
Older people/family/live alone
Paragraph 1:Introduction In my opinion old p should live w extended family
Paragraph 2: Main Point 1 The first point to support my opinion is lonely/widow/depressed
Paragraph 3: Main Point 2 The second point to support my opinion is economics/childcare
Paragraph 4: Main Point 3 The Third reason to support my opinion is cooperation/values
Paragraph 5: Conclusion In summary…(summarize the main points) In conclusion…(restate your thesis)
