self-preparationfortoeflibtindependentwritingtask.docVIP

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. 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. 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 Newsweek Weekly Newsmagazine BusinessWeek Bi-weekly Business Magazine FORTUNE Bi-weekly Business Magazine Forbes Bi-weekly Business Magazine National Geographic Monthly Scientific Magazine American Heroes Website http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/DE/research/heroes.html American History Website /history/ Discovery of Heroes Website /myhero/go/directory/index.asp WHO2?-Find Famous People Fast Website / Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia Table 1: Resources for Material Collection Ample events presented