Improving TOEFL ScoreBy Alice Huang黃士嘉英文四 B

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Full score: 120

My score: 114 and 117

ibt and pbt

Rome was not built in a day

TOEFL Format

Section

Points

Time Limit

Questions Tasks

Reading

30 60-80 minutes

36-56 questions

Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions

Listening

30 60-90 minutes

34-51 questions

Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions

Break 10 minutes

Speaking

30 20 minutes 6 tasks Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks

Writing

30 50 minutes 2 tasks Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing

Ets.org

Reading

Reading Comprehension

Vocabulary

Picking out the main ideas

Tips

Read broad ranges (many topics)

Increase vocabulary (amateur level)

Read question first

Use the sentence to guess the word’s meaning

Practice finding a passage’s key points

Can read again and read the previous questions

Sample: Agriculture, Iron, and the Bantu People

There is evidence of agriculture in Africa prior to 3000 b.c. It may have developed independently, but many scholars believe that the spread of agriculture and iron throughout Africa linked it to the major centers of the Near East and Mediterranean world. The drying up of what is now the Sahara desert had pushed many peoples to the south into sub-Saharan Africa. These peoples settled at first in scattered hunting- and-gathering bands, although in some places near lakes and rivers, people who fished, with a more secure food supply, lived in larger population concentrations. Agriculture seems to have reached these people from the Near East, since the first domesticated crops were millets and sorghums whose origins are not African but West Asian. Once the idea of planting diffused, Africans began to develop their own crops, such as certain varieties of rice, and they demonstrated a continued receptiveness to new imports. The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops lie in a band that extends from Ethiopia across southern Sudan to West Africa. Subsequently, other crops, such as bananas, were introduced from Southeast Asia.

Sample Questions

1. The word “diffused” in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) emerged

(B) was understood

(C) spread(D) developed

2. According to paragraph 1, why do researchers doubt that agriculture developed independently in africa?

(A) African lakes and rivers already provided enough food for people to survive without agriculture.

(B) The earliest examples of cultivated plants discovered in Africa are native to Asia.

(C) Africa’s native plants are very difficult to domesticate.

(D) African communities were not large enough to support agriculture.

2 pts Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Write your answer choices in the spaces where they belong. Agriculture and iron working probably spread to Africa from neighboring regions.

(A)Once Africans developed their own native crops, they no longer borrowed from other regions.

(B)  The harshness of the African climate meant that agriculture could not develop until after the introduction of iron tools.

(C)  The use of livestock improved transportation and trade and allowed for new forms of political control.

(D)  As the Sahara expanded, the camel gained in importance, eventually coming to have religious significance.

(E)  The spread of iron working had far-reaching effects on social, economic, and political organization in Africa.

(F)  Today’s Bantu-speaking peoples are descended from a technologically advanced people who spread throughout Africa.

Listening

Can’t go back to the previous questions

Typically ask about the main idea and supporting details

Some questions ask about a speaker’s purpose or attitude

Sample NotesDrop off graduation form for diploma

Warning flag

Familiar? Yes; 48 total, 24 intermediate or higher, department chair outline

2 years ago meet chair, 8 more courses

Computers reliable

2 basic + field

Only Intro; no intermediate available

Independent field -> count as intermediate

Classmate did so

Depth, enjoyment

Contact chair and call to verify

No deadline soon but might be bad if too late

Sample Questions1. Why does the man go to see the registrar?

(A) To find out why he is not on the list of graduating students

(B) To explain why he has not fulfilled his graduation requirements

(C) To find out the exact requirements for graduation(D) To submit a document required for graduation

2. According to the registrar, what step is currently taken to ensure that students fulfill their graduation requirements?

(A) Academic records are regularly checked by the registrar’s office.

(B) Students meet with a department chairperson to plan their course work.

(C) Students receive letters listing the courses that they still need to take.

(D) Warning letters are sent to students who have fallen behind in their course work.

Attitude or Purpose Question

(A) She is uncertain about the reliability of the computer.

(B) She will approve the man’s form despite her doubts about it.

(C) She needs more information about the man’s credits.

(D) She needs to call someone to help her fix computer errors.

TipsTake good notes

English subtitles or none (NO Chinese!)

Watch English TV shows/movies

Listen to English radio channels

Listen to online videos VOA/ 空中英語 -> TED -> ICRT -> BBC and CNN news

Listen to different accents!!

Speaking

Independent Questions 1 & 2

Integrated Questions 3 – 6Campus situations

Academic courses

Question 1 & 2 Format

Topic to speak about with no additional material

15 seconds to prepare

45 seconds to speak

Question 1 speak about a person, place, object or event that is familiar to you

Question 2presented with two situations or opinions, you'll choose which you prefer and explain your choice

Opinion then support

Campus Situations

Question 3Read a passage

Listen to a response

30 seconds to prepare

60 seconds to speak

Question 5Listen to conversation

20 seconds to prepare

60 seconds to speak

Summarize the speaker’s point (Question 3), then give your opinion (Question 5)

Academic Courses

Question 4Read a passage

Listen to lecture

30 seconds to prepare

60 seconds to speak

Question 6Listen to lecture

20 seconds to prepare

60 seconds to speak

TipsTake notes of key points, not full responses

Don’t read or memorize

Speak naturally (not an essay) using connections Because, then, after that …

Clear and fluid speech at a natural pace

Good pronunciation and good intonation

Grammar

Full answer

Don’t repeat (try clarifying or elaborating, think of wording the topic in different ways)

Simple sentences

Practice recording your voice with a timer

Writing

2 Questions

Question 120 minutes

150-225 words

Question 230 minutes

300+ words

Question 1

Reading3 minutes reading for a writing

Look for the main idea (first paragraph)

Notice the relating key points (usually 3)

Don’t memorize

Listening (same topic, different perspective)2 minutes listening

Take notes (opinion usually first)

Look for corresponding details

Question 1

Summarize the reading

Answer how the lecture corresponds to the reading

Question 2

Your opinion on the subjectie which do you prefer, do you agree or disagree, what do you think

Outline

Specific examples supporting your stance

Tips

Read the question carefully

Answer the question (answer only what the question asks, using what the question provides)

Topic sentence – usually first sentence, answering the question

Examples and details for support

Conclude - summary

Ets.org

Points in the Reading Counterpoints in the Lecture

In the memoir, the Chevalier claims thathe was wealthy while living in Switzerland, but since the Chevalier is known to have borrowed money there, he cannot have been very rich.

The Chevalier’s wealth was in the form of property that had to be sold in order to generate cash. So he wasn’t poor; he just had to borrow money for a few days while he waited for his property to be sold.

The memoir claims to recount accurate conversations between the Chevalier and the famous writer Voltaire; this cannot be true, since it was written so many years after the conversations occurred.

Each night after the conversations took place, the Chevalier wrote down everything he could remember from them. Witnesses confirmthat when writing his memoir years later, the Chevalier regularly consulted these notes.

The memoir states that the Chevalier escaped from a Venetian prison by making a hole in the ceiling and climbing through the roof; this is unlikely, since the Chevalier could have asked politically well-connected friends to offer his jailers a bribe to free him.

Other prisoners who had even more powerful political connections were never able tobribe their way to freedom, so the Chevalier probably couldn’t either. Also, prison records indicate that soon after the Chevalier’s escape, the ceiling of his room in the prison had to be repaired.

Tips• Relevance• Organization

Use transitions (first, second, third, finally, in conclusion … )Avoid redundancyWrite in PARAGRAPHS

• Language

GrammarWord choice/vocabulary

Tips

• For Q1, Listen/read to two lectures, write down their main points, summarize them, compare and contrast them

• Timed practice• Learn to recognize your

grammar mistakes and correct them

Concluding Tips

Reviewing for one, is reviewing for all of them

Read broad range of topics

Practice concentration

Double check your stuff the night before

Get a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast

Don’t panic

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

For applying for college

Format (3 hours and 45 minutes + 3 short breaks)

Writing25 minute Essay question

Grammar questions

ReadingReading Comprehension

Vocabulary

MathBasic to algebra, statistics etc

Min

Total Time

Content

Writing (essay) 25 60 The essay measures a student's ability to develop and express a point of view on an issue.

Writing (multiple choice) 25 The multiple-choice questions ask students to:• Recognize sentence errors• Choose the best version of a piece of

writing• Improve paragraphs

Writing (multiple choice) 10

Critical reading (multiple choice)

25 70 The questions assess students' reading skills, such as:• Identifying main and supporting ideas• Determining the meaning of words in

context• Understanding authors' purposes• Understanding the structure and function

of sentences

Critical reading (multiple choice)

25

Critical reading (multiple choice)

20

Mathematics (multiple choice and student-produced response)

25 70 The questions require students to apply mathematical concepts and to use data literacy skills in interpreting tables, charts and graphs. They cover skills in four major areas:• Number and operations• Algebra and functions• Geometry and measurement• Data analysis, statistics and probability

Mathematics (multiple choice)

25

Mathematics (multiple choice)

20

Variable (unscored, multiple choice)

25 25 from CollegeBoard.org

Credits

All samples are taken from ets.org

The TOEFL testing formats are also from ETS

SAT testing formats are from CollegeBoard

Many tips are also stated at ETS (TOEFL video library etc)

Thank you for Coming!