TOEFL iBT General strategies
The times listed do not include the time needed to read and listen to section directions.
The time listed for the Listening and Speaking sections are close approximations.There is a 10-minute break after the Listening section.
Reading
The Reading section is the first section of the TOEFL.In this section,you must read three or five passages of approximately 700 words, and answer questions that test your comprehension after each passage.All the reading passages are about the same length,but the number of passages,questions,and the total amount of time for this section can vary.On any TOEFL administration,you can receive between three and five passages,and you have anywhere from 60 to 100 minutes to read passages and answer the questions,depending on the number of passages.Also,each passage can have 12 to 14 questions,and the time is divided as follows:
20 minutes for the first passage
40 minutes for the second and third passages
40 minutes for the fourth and fifth passages
However,not all tests will have five passages ;some have only three
The variation in the number of passages,questions,and amount of time is due to the curriculum development of the test writers for exam.The test writers sometimes include new passages and/or questions in order to assess their level difficulty.You are not graded on these passages or questions,but your performance on them is used to modify the questions for later tests.The problem is,you are not told which passages or questions are counted toward your mark,so you must read all passages and answer all questions as well as you can.In other words,you must assume that all of your answers will be used to calculate your score.
All of the reading passages have academic topics from fields commonly found in North American colleges and universities.The fields include the arts,the hard science(physics,chemistry,biology,math,etc.),the applied sciences(engineering,architecture,etc.), and the social sciences(psychology,sociology,etc.).You are not required to have any specialized or advanced knowledge in these fields.The reading passages and questions test your ability to read about an unfamiliar topic,comprehend, and learn.
The passages fall into one of three types:exposition,narrative,or argument.An exposition,or expository passage, is a description and explanation of a topic.A narrative is a story,and usually an academic narrative is really a type of exposition since it describes and explanation what happened.An argument,however,is an opinion or point of view about the topic,usually a position for or against a particular theory or plan.Unlike an exposition,an argument is persuasive,which means that the writer wants to persuade-or to convince-the reader to agree with his opinion.
After you read a passage,you must answer to questions.These questions test your comprehension of the writer`s explanation or argument by asking about the detail,vocabulary,organization,key points,and implication,in the passage.Each question type is examined thoroughly below,but there is a review of basic General reading strategies.
Listening
The listening section of the TOEFL is the second part of exam.This section include both conversations and lectures:two or three conversations with five questions per conversation,and between four and six lectures with six questions per lecture.Depending on the number of passages,this section lasts 60 to 90 minutes.At the start of the section,an instruction appears,telling you to put on your headphones.Once you are wearing your headphones,you are also shown how to adjust the volume by clicking on volume icon with your mouse.You can adjust your volume anytime during exam.Once you begin the first passage,the time remaining is indicated by a digital timer at the top of the screen,and you have the option of showing or hiding the time.Also,you can move on to the next question.Once you finalize your answer, you cannot return to the question later.When the Listening section is over,it is followed by mandatory 10-minute break.
There are several things you need to do to perform well on the Listening section of the TOEFL.
You must :
Familiarize yourself with the question types
Have the right skills to listen intelligently
Take good notes
Avoid incorrect answers
Speaking
The Speaking section of the TOEFL is the third section of the exam.It follows a mandatory 10-minute break after the listening section,so you should be relaxed when you get to this portion.Instruction appear on the screen at the beginning of this section,telling you to put on your headphones.The microphone that you speak into is attached to the headphones,and you also need the headphones to hear the narrator`s instructions and listen to the various conversations and lectures.So you should keep your headphones on throughout the section.
There are six tasks in the Speaking section,and the entire section takes 20 minutes to complete.
First two tasks: Independent(which means that you speak about familiar topics without reading or listening to any passages beforehand)
Last four tasks: Integrated(which means that you must first read and/or listen to a passage,and then speak about what you have read and heard )
To perform well on the Speaking section of the TOEFL,you must be able to generate ideas quickly,listen and read actively,record notes efficiently,speak clearly from fragmented notes,and accurately summarize passages in your own words.The following strategies review the necessary skills for each Speaking task on the exam.After reviewing each type,you can practice a question similar to the one you will get on the actual TOEFL and then read a sample response.
Writing
The writing section of the TOEFL is the fourth and final section.There are two parts to this section:
First you will have an integrated task,in which you must read an academic passage,then to a related academic lecture,and finally write a summary of both.Second you will have an independent persuasive essay similar to one you may have seen in the old computer-based TOEFL test.
When the Writing section begins,you should still be wearing your headphones.You should keep the headphones on because the first task involves listening.Moreover ,the headphones block out noise and reduce distractions,so it would be a good idea to keep them on for the entire section.
Some of the strategies to be used here are similar to those used for the Speaking section,since the two Writing tasks resemble the second and fourth Speaking tasks.Of course,the Writing section involves written English,not spoken, so the strategies below have been adjusted accordingly.Also,both Writing tasks are longer than those in the Speaking section,which allows for more planning and review.
General Writing strategies
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