Remember, the professor will introduce the topic. Then, two students will give their opinions. You will be asked to write a response that contributes to the discussion. The instructions are as follows:
Your professor is teaching a class on (topic)
Write a post responding to your professor’s question. In your response, you should:
- Express and support your personal opinion
- Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words
Your response will contain about 100 words. Here is my paraphrased example of the task I answered:
Dr. Ahmed:
Population trends in rural areas have been changing a lot. More and more people are choosing to live in cities. Many do not wish to live in rural areas, even though it is often cheaper. If the government wanted to encourage people to live in more remote areas, what actions should it take?
Jennifer:
I think the government should provide monetary subsidies to farmers. After all, it’s very expensive to start a farm. If the government wants people to move to the countryside, they need to help them financially. I would love to live on a farm with my family if I had financial assistance.
Craig:
In my country, the city is full of amazing opportunities and entertainment. The problem with the countryside is that it can be dull. In the city there are concerts and museums, as well as plenty of businesses. If the government truly wants people to move to more rural areas, they need to make culture more accessible to the people who live there.
Here is my response. I got a 5/5. I will explain why I got a good score after you read it:
In my opinion, there is a lot the government can do to attract the average person to move to the countryside, but an investment in entertainment and business would be the most helpful. While I do agree with Jennifer that money for farming would help, it should be noted that not everyone wants to become a farmer. It might be helpful to offer subsidies to those interested in that field but will not cause a major shift in population.
I think Craig’s point is stronger. People live in cities because there is such a wide range of activities compared to rural areas. For instance, I currently live in Los Angeles. There are museums, concert halls, and symphonies. There are also restaurants that offer cuisine from all over the world. The government would need to invest in infrastructure that can accommodate businesses and cultural attractions. This would go a long way towards meeting their goal of attracting more people to live in the countryside.
In a nutshell, I believe both students raised good points. Overall, I am more in favor of Craig’s perspective and believe he is on the right track.
So, why do I believe I got a 5/5? Obviously, my grammar is good, but I’m a native speaker so that is expected. Note that I addressed the perspectives of both students. I started my first sentence with a “thesis” type statement: my opinion. I did not use a template; rather, I wrote naturally about how I felt about Jennifer’s opinion. I conceded that she was partially right. Then, I left a space before I addressed Craig’s point of view. As you can see, I was more in favor of his perspective. Note that I did not know what I was going to write before I started: this is NOT a template. I used a variety of language; for instance, I changed “rural areas” to “the countryside.” I used transitions like “while,” and “but” and “for instance.” I used a variety of verb tenses including the passive voice (“It should be noted….”) and the active voice (I think Craig’s point…”) I also used details: if you look at paragraph two, I actually gave examples of what Los Angeles has to offer- museums, concert halls, and symphonies. I used the idioms “In a nutshell” and “on the right track” in the last paragraph. Please note you should only use idioms you are confident with using. For your concluding sentences, you can just repeat why you have your perspective.
By now, some test-takers are thinking, “These are the same types of things Kathy has been saying will get you a good score on the independent essay that we have now.” You are right. I believe they are looking for very similar skills: verb tense variety, vocabulary variety, transitions, and details.
Here is a link to the rubric:
https://www.ets.org/pdfs/toefl/toefl-ibt-writing-rubrics-enhanced.pdf
I did go over 100 words. As usual, ETS minimums are not usually enough to be effective. I recommend close to 120- 150 words. My answer was 188 words, but I type very quickly. You do not need this many words to get a full score.
That’s all I have to say about this for now. In the future, I will be writing more.
Here is a link to the original test I took, which you can take yourself:
(I took test #1)
https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt-enhancements/prep.html
Here is a list of transitional words and phrases:
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/transitions/
Contact me at
houseoftoefl@gmail.com
