TOEFL iBT Writing Section

Pooja Desai Exam Presentation, TOEFL iBT TOELF iBT Writing 0

Introduction to TOEFL iBT Writing Section

TOEFL iBT is a standardized test to measure English language efficiency. It consists of four sections. TOEFL iBT is a rescue to a lot of things foreign learners struggle with. Hence giving TOEFL iBT prepares students for university or job abroad. This article will help you to better understand about the TOEFL iBT Writing Section.

TOEFL iBT exam is scored on a scale of 0-120 points with each section scaled from 0-30. 120 is a perfect score to get.

The cost for the TOEFL iBT examination is $170. TOEFL scores are valid for the span of 2 years. TOEFL is accepted in more than 10,000 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries. Students or others who wish to move abroad for studying or job prospects must give this test in order to boost English skills and build a powerful resume.

As we all know, there are four important modules in the TOEFL iBT examination. They are:-

TOEFL iBT Reading Module
TOEFL iBT Listening Module
TOEFL iBT Speaking Module
TOEFL iBT Writing Module

So, Writing comes as a last module to the candidate appearing for the test.

Note that the order of the modules is fixed for years and would never change.

Module 2: TOEFL iBT Writing module

Let’s have detailed guidelines for this section:

Writing Section in TOEFL iBT is of 50 minutes duration. This section requires students to demonstrate their grammatical skills and vocabulary and write about given topics.

This section is graded by four graders. The primary criteria used by graders to evaluate essays are development, organization and language use. Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The test-takers receive a scaled writing section score of 0-30 along with brief and general comments on both essays. The writing section makes 25% of your total TOEFL score.

Overview of the TOEFL iBT Writing Section

Writing section of TOEFL iBT consists of two tasks- Integrated Writing and Independent Writing which work together to test your ability to communicate through writing in an academic environment.

Integrated section:

The integrated section focuses on three skills- read, listen and write. This task requires students to first read a short passage for which a total of three minutes will be allotted then listen to a two-minute lecture about the same given topic. After this, the student is required to write an essay that uses information from both of these sources.

On the actual test, this will be referred to as “Writing Based on Reading and Listening.” The students get 20 minutes to type their answer onto the computer. There is no specific length but it is recommended that the response should be approximately 150 and 225 words.

Note that during the writing time, students are allowed to look at the passage again but cannot re-hear the audio clip.

The students are judged on the basis of their writing skills that how well they describe the audio-clip, the passage and their association.

Students must not try and inject their own opinion.

Independent section:

The independent task will be just like speaking task 2 which will ask students to use personal experience or give an opinion on the given topic. The students get 30 minutes to type their answer onto the computer.

On the actual test, this section will be referred to as “Writing Based on Knowledge and Experience.”It is always recommended to have a response of 300 words for this task. Students are judged on how well they are able to develop their ideas, how well can they deliver the essay and how accurate the English words are used. This essay is all about creating a small argument for the opinion. Students must always think about quality and not quantity because they cannot try and exaggerate a topic so much. It better that the relevant topics are covered in proper English skills and in a given period of time.

Note if you are not aware of the topic then choose whichever side you feel where a stronger essay can be built.

Tips to Prepare for TOEFL iBT Wring Module:

Following are some key points which students should keep in mind while appearing for the TOEFL iBT writing module:

Read as many articles and essays as possible about a particular issue.
Identify the writer’s opinions and notice his objections.
Outline your response and note the methods you use to support your ideas.
Re-read your response and make sure that your supporting ideas are related to your main point.
Pay attention to how you organize ideas and think about how a reader, who isn’t familiar with the topic, is going to be able to follow the information you are presenting.
Graders are mainly concerned with essay content, and it is possible to earn a high score in spite of a few spelling mistakes if you accurately explain most importantly related points within the essay.
Work to expand the types of sentences you are writing and increase your vocabulary.
Try writing longer and more complex sentences instead of short and simple ones.
Timing yourself when you write will help you be more prepared on the day of the examination.
Frequently refer back to the passage when making an argument.
Read a lot in English. This will help you recognize good writing styles.