Michael Buckhoff’s “7 Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT
Exam!” “Give me a power-packed TOEFL lesson!”
Listen to this post: My score is still low
Do I take the words right out of your mouth? Have you taken the test several times and not gotten the score you want? Are you wondering what you should do to change your ill fate?
First, you should carefully read the competency descriptors that ETS gave you. It is a several page report describing what you can and can not do in terms of listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Which skills are you in need of improvement? Upon determining that, you can focus your attention on my blog messages that you find most relevant to your situation. If you have any TOEFL iBT books, focus your study on those areas of improvement as indicated by the ETS competency descriptors: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/EngLangCompDescriptors.pdf
Second, you may be able to correct your listening and reading skills on your own if you are a self-starter, but you may need some professional help especially with diagnosing your writing and speaking skills. For example, Jason Crenshaw, founder, author, and tutor of the Renshaw Internet School of English (RISE) offers TOEFL iBT speaking mentoring in which you can get either general or extensive feedback after taking six TOEFL iBT speaking tasks. More information about his site can be found at http://www.english-itutor.com/TOEFL_Speaking_Mentor.html . It might be necessary for you to have an expert diagnose your speaking abilities.
Third, the following maxim will most likely apply to you: the closer you get to your target score, the harder you will have to work to make even the smallest of gains. For example, let’s suppose you are aiming for a score of 82. If your current score is 75, it will take extraordinary effort to break through the “82″ ceiling.
Finally, it will be your consistent study over an extended period of time that will finally allow you to reach your TOEFL iBT dreams. And remember this fact: 1000’s of test-takers score high every year, and it will not be long before you reach your goal. Like them, you will also reach your target score. It is just a matter of time. Never give up on your TOEFL iBT dreams!
For more information, go here:
Taking MANY times TOEFL doesn’t means high scores. It only means that you had many failed test experiences.
Maggie,
I did some digging, and I found out why he quit teaching TOEFL! Check out what he wrote at http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/jason_renshaws_web_log/toefl-speaking/:
“I’ve decided that I’m not comfortable charging for access to these resources (and there are a good many of them, built up over several years). It can be depressing making all of your online teaching income based around a loathsome English test, and it has always irked me that the people needing that test result are often some of the most disadvantaged people in the world.
Hence, all of my TOEFL iBT practice test materials, tutorials and sample answers are now 100% free for all learners and teachers to access.
Hope it helps.”
I think I may have solved the mystery!
Michael
Maggie,
Like you I have also tried to contact Jason Renshaw several times over the last two years, but he will not answer any of my messages either. I hold him in high regard, and he had a great speaking and writing service going. Then one day he shut everything down. I do not know why either. In fact, I was been very curious as to what happened to him because he had a very successful TOEFL service. Then he just stopped. Please let me know if you ever hear from him or hear what happened to him.
Whatever happened to Jason Renshaw is by all intents and purposes a mystery. Maybe someone else in the future who reads these comments will be able to shed some light on this perplexing mystery.
Michael
I was one of the subscriber of Jason Renshaw’s service for speaking and writing two years ago. In the writing part, I actually got great help from Jason. The independent writing was “good” although I only used his service less than a month. However, my listening was poor, so I couldn’t fully understand the listening part in the integrat writing. Unfortunately, he is not doing these services any more. I don’t know why. I emailed him twice but didn’t get reply. I guess he has other interests. When I found this blog, I found they have the similarity-both use voxopop to record the audio and get scores from evaluator. Probably Michael’s would be even better because I got prompt response from the founder and I can see the teacher like a “real” tutor who really cares about students.
I was one of the subscriber of Jason Renshaw’s service for speaking and writing two years ago. In the writing part, I actually got great help from Jason. The independent writing was “good” although I only used his service less than a month. However, my listening was poor, so I couldn’t fully understand the listening part in the integrat writing. Unfortunately, he is not doing these services any more. I don’t know why. I emailed him twice but didn’t get reply. I guess he has other interests. When I found this blog, I found they have the similarity-both use voxopop to record the audio and get scores from evaluator. Probably Michael’s would be even better because I got prompt response from the founder and I can see the teacher like a “real” tutor.
It is my pleasure to mention such a high quality site such as yours. Your speaking and writing products offer test-takers valuable feedback to help them get a high TOEFL iBT score.
Thanks for the reference to my site and services, Michael. I’m a big fan of your blog – keep up the great work; I know all the TOEFL test-takers out there really appreciate it!
Jason Renshaw
http://www.english-itutor.com