Kaplan's English/TOEFL Edge

In this issue: TOEFL Practice TOEFL Vocabulary		Sponsored by www.kaplanenglish.com. Test-Taking Tips and Strategies In the last TOEFL News column, you learned about the Writing Section of the TOEFL iBT. Very briefly, the major change is that the new test has two writing tasks. One of these is similar to the type of writing task on the older version of the TOEFL: you are presented with a prompt and asked to respond to this general prompt with your ideas or opinion. This is called an 'independent' writing task. The new task requires you to gather information from a lecture and reading passage, then write a response that synthesizes information from both of these sources. This new task, called an 'integrated' task, evaluates your writing skills as well as your reading, listening, note-taking, and paraphrasing ability. It may help you to prepare for the Writing Section if you understand how your writing will be evaluated. The writing component of the TOEFL iBT is worth 30 points, as are the reading, listening, and speaking components. The response to each task is evaluated on the basis of several factors. A well-written response: Adequately addresses the task Shows good organization and development: for example, has suitable supporting information—appropriate examples, explanations, or details Uses various sentence structure types and well-chosen vocabulary, but may include minor grammatical errors Take a free mini practice test in preparation for the TOEFL iBT. A Question of Global Warming Imagine the following integrated writing task. You are required to: Read a passage that discusses the negative effects of global warming. Listen to a professor lecture on the common misconceptions about global warming. The prompt asks you to: Give a summary of the reading passage. Then discuss ways in which the lecture contrasts with the reading passage. Read the sample response to the prompt below: While the reading explains the negative effects of global warming, the professor proposes that global warming is hardly even existent. He claims that for the past three decades, observations have been made by satellite, balloon, and other techniques to investigate the issue of so-called global warming. While the results have shown that there has been a slight warming of 0.6 to 0.8 degrees C over the last one hundred years, these changes are not significant. One must also take into account that these observations have been made in urban and industrial environments. It is known that the ground temperature in such areas is warmer than it is in rural areas due to the density of population. Therefore, the professor concludes that there is no real evidence of global warming. Question: What are the major weaknesses of the sample response? 1. It does not adequately address the task. 2. It does not show good organization and development. 3. It does not use varied sentence structure and well-chosen vocabulary. 4. All of the above integrated (adjective) Combined with something else to work together in a system. The author's integrated style combined both poetry and prose.   Back to Top The Correct Answer to the Question above is: (1) The task is to summarize the reading passage and discuss how the lecture contrasts with the reading passage. In this sample response, the summary of the reading passage is missing—there is no discussion of the negative effects of global warming. The response is well organized, so (2) is not correct. The response uses a variety of sentence structures and the vocabulary is sophisticated and appropriate; therefore, (3) is not correct. Obviously, (4) is not correct because neither (2) or (3) are weaknesses of the response. Back to Top Making Subscription Changes: You are receiving this email newsletter from Kaplan because you are currently a subscriber. To modify or cancel your subscription to the Kaplan Edge, go to http://www.kaptest.com/edge_modify.jhtml. If you need additional help, please visit kaptest.com/contactus. *TOEFL® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service.
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