All things TOEFL iBT

Posts tagged ‘writing’

Helping struggling writers

The TOEFL iBT demands good writing. Univserities demand good writing. Life demands good writing.

Strategies to help struggling writers


iPads in the Classroom – A Student’s Perspective

TOEFL Writing task – Read a student’s interview on the use of i-pads in the classroom. List two benefits or two setbacks the project brings and state which jeopardizes the learning more. Give examples to justify your answer.

I had the opportunity to interview a Freshman student, Nick Boone (@2050TGOD) that I coincidentally met on Twitter. He saw a conversation that I was having with a popular YouTube personality, and gave his opinion on iPads in the classroom. I took this chance to contact him and ask if he would answer a few questions. He almost immediately agreed to the interview, which we completed via Google Docs just a matter of a couple hours. Nick had the opportunity to participate in a 1:1 iPad program at his high school…

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Why summarize?

The importance of knowing how to summarize goes beyond the TOEFL iBT – look at how this tweet sums things up quite nicely – thanks to @mdeHSD


The art of essay writing

A quick read but to the point:


Perpetuating Stereotypes


This is an integrated writing task based on the video showing part of a Russel Peters’ presentation.


 Write your answer in no more than 200 words.

A thing or two about writing

Getting straight to the point: 

  • Clarity
  • Objectivity
  • Naturalness 
  • Comprehensibility
  • informativeness
  • Simplicity
  • Effectiveness

Did you guess the WORD? Image


Independent Writing Preview task – The ability to read and write

Answer the question below in a text of AT LEAST 300 words. 

(#163) Is the ability to read and write more important today than in the past? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Important tips

  1. Use NO MORE than 30 minutes to answer the question. Paste the text in the COMMENTS box.
  2. Use the following format to structure your answer. The text should have at least 4 paragraphs:

Introduction: Say if you think the skill of reading and writing is more important today than in the past and mention the REASONS for your view (think of TWO reasons, minimum)

Paragraph 2: Talk about one of the reasons and give examples or ideas to support this reason

Paragraph 3: Talk about ANOTHER reason and give examples or ideas to support it

Conclusion: Summarize the main points you discussed in the text and restate your original view.