Here you have two templates that will help you improve the Speaking and Writing TOEFL

sections.

TOEFL SPEAKING TEMPLATE:

Independent Tasks

Question 1: Personal Preference

Describe something (favorite thing/person/etc.). Present/past tenses, or conditional situation. Personally, I would have to say that ... **** my favorite X is/was ... **** if I got the opportunity to ... First of all, ... Secondly ... So, that's why ... [restate]

Question 2: Choice between two.

I definitely ... ****prefer X rather than Y ****agree that X rather than Y ... because of many reasons: First, ... Second, ... So that's why I prefer/agree that. Integrated Tasks

Question 3: Campus situation: fit and explain.

Short passage explaining a new policy/proposal/etc in campus + conversation. On the one hand, in the reading, there is a ... about ... In fact, the University/College/School is ... The main reasons are... On the other hand, the student/man/woman agrees/disagrees with the policy/proposal. His/Hers/Theirs reasons are:

First, ... Second, ...

Question 4: Academic course: General/Specific.

Short passage + lecture. The passage explains something in general terms, and the professors usually gives examples or applications of the concept. Based on the passage, the X is ... During the lecture, the professor explains further the topic by giving two examples/applications. The first example he/she gives is... The second ... These examples are useful to understand the concept of X.

Question 5: Campus situation: Problem/Solution.

Conversation between two students about some problem in campus. According to the conversation, the woman/man has a problem about ... His/her friend, gives him/her two suggestions. First, ... Second, ... In my opinion, he/she should do ... because ... Here is VERY important that you give your opinion. Therefore, don't spend too much time describing the situation. Try to choose which option do you prefer while listening the conversation, and start thinking why is better that solution. Do not restate the SAME arguments of the adviser, so try to find any other advantage of that solution from your personal experience.

Question 6: Academic course: Summary.

The lecturer is talking about ... in the scope of a ... class. According to him, the X is ... Here there isn't an easy template to use. Usually, the speaker explains something by giving examples, steps in a process or facts in chronological order. The key here is to pick the dates/steps of the process/etc during the speech. Forget about other

details. You have to paraphrase the explanation by giving the most important ideas, not the details.

TOEFL WRITING TEMPLATE:

The Reading-Listening-Writing Integrated Task

You read a short passage about something. Usually it gives three evidences that support a theory. Then you will listen a lecture about the topic and the speaker will cast doubts on the theory. In the two TOEFL exams I've taken, the professor mentions the three article evidences and contradicts all of them. It is crucial that you understand and note the ideas the professor makes to undermine the article points. Forget about taking notes in the reading as it will appear again during your writing. Remember that you should not give your opinion, you should summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading. Introduction On the one hand, the article discusses the topic of ... and bases its argument on the fact that... On the other hand, the professor discusses article's theory/argument and casts doubts on its validity. First paragraph First, the reading passage states that [x]. In contrast, the professor provides information that [y]. Hence, he/she casts doubts on the evidence exhibited by the passage. As a result, .... Second paragraph Second, the article pushes forth the idea that [x]. However, the speaker contradicts the idea by ..... Consequently, we can argue that indeed .... Third paragraph Finally, and most importantly, the professor mentions that [x]. However, the lecturer again contradicts the claim as .... Conclusion In summary, the professor casts doubts on the main standpoint of the passage. We can safely assume that indeed...... Therefore, the passage fails to ...

Independent Writing Task

This is the same question as GMAT's "Analysis of an Issue" but much easier topic. You will be given a prompt with two different opinions. You will have to choose one side and support it with reasons and examples (important). The prompt is like: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Introduction Some people think that.... Others think that... [restate] The issue is a controversial one, but in my opinion a closer examination reveals that ... [take position]... for several reasons. I this essay I will explain my position providing examples to support my claims. First paragraph One reason is... For example,.... Clearly,.... Second paragraph Another reason is To illustrate this point, let's take the example of.... Therefore.... Third paragraph On the other hand, some may argue that [the other side]... These individuals may point to examples of ... However, .... [cast doubts on that opinion]. Conclusion In summary, while there are arguments to be made for both sides, it is clear that there are greater advantages [of | for X to provide] ... ... because ... of the above mentioned reasons. Certainly...... Any suggestions please let me know. Hope it helps!