WRITING in TOEFL iBT

1.     Plan before you write!

Before you begin your writing, it’s better to read the question or the topic for your next writing. After that, you must prepare a plan for your response. Make an outline about the main topics that you are going to write.

Example:

Introduction: Advantages of working in international company Paragraph 1: Opportunity to learn from many people Paragraph 2: Learn and use different language and culture Conclusion: Self-improvement will be learnt

2.     How many kinds are there in a sentence?

There are four kinds of sentences:

  • Simple Sentence
  • Compound Sentence
  • Complex Sentence
  • Compound Complex Sentence

A.     Simple Sentence

Simple sentence is a sentence which is usually short, has a subject and a verb or predicate, and has one complete thought.

Example:

I wake up at 6 a.m.
She sells matches.
Tom likes to eat grapes.

*Although simple sentence is short and clear, the usage of this type in writing will make the writing becomes dull and the story or idea won’t flow smoothly.

B.  Compound Sentence

Compound sentence is a sentence made up of two clauses or complete sentences but they are connected with a conjunction such as “and, but, or”

Example:

I wake up and go to school at 7 a.m.
She sells matches, but her brother sells newspapers.
Tom usually goes home by bus or train.

*Compound sentence is good in combining two ideas in a sentence but sometimes it doesn’t strongly reflect the connection or the relationship between those two ideas. The word “and” in the 1st example, only adds one idea of going to school, but the readers have no idea how “waking up” and “going to school” are related.

C.  Complex Sentence

A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is similar to an independent clause, or complete sentence, but it lacks one of the elements that would make it a complete sentence.

  • Examples of dependent clauses:
  • because Lily and Lani are afraid.
  • while she is waiting for her boyfriend.
  • before you eat.

These dependent clauses have 1 subject and 1 verb, however they can’t stand by itself as a whole sentence because the idea is not complete yet.

D.   Compound Complex Sentence

A complex sentence is made up of two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. This is a complicated type of sentence when we try to analyse but it will make the writing becomes more interesting as it makes the reader think more.

  • Examples of Compound Complex sentence:
  • Although I like watching movies, I haven’t had time to do it and I have a lot of assignments to do.

Independent clause 1: I haven’t had time to do it Independent clause 2: I have a lot of assignments to do Dependant clause: Although I like watching movies ….