Learn TOEFL writing skills.

Unlike speaking, writing must be explicitly taught.  Therefore, you must learn TOEFL writing skills. Then you will be able to score 24+ on the writing section of the exam.  Writing your introduction and conclusion are two important parts of the independent writing task. This web page will teach you how to improve your introduction and conclusion so you score higher.

Learn TOEFL writing skills
Learn TOEFL writing skills

Learn TOEFL writing skills:  Start generally and then narrow your topic down to the main point in the writing prompt.

To learn TOEFL writing skills, you need to learn how to write a 100+ word introduction for the independent writing task. The sample introduction that you will see will based on the following writing prompt:

What is the most important quality of a good co-worker? Use examples and reasons to support your point of view.

To begin your introduction, you should make some general statements about the topic. For instance,  when I think about working with co-workers, I can imagine that students after they finish college will want to find a good job.  In addition, whether these new workers will find job satisfaction may depend on whom they will work with. Therefore, these are some general ideas that I can include in the introduction. Thus, the introduction could look like this:

After high school, many students decide to attend college. They will choose majors based on what careers they may pursue and how competitive they will be in those careers.  After these pupils complete their undergraduate and sometime graduate study,  they will interview to find their ideal jobs. To be happy in these new jobs, these new workers will want a good location with affordable housing and low crime. In addition, they will want to work in an environment which fosters learning and promotional opportunities. One really important part of any job is the workers themselves.  

Learn TOEFL writing skills: Use the writing prompt itself to frame your thesis and then include 2-3 support points.

Your goal as you learn TOEFL writing skills is to frame a thesis that purposely addresses the writing task. One way to create a thesis is to restate the writing prompt.  If the writing prompt is a question, you simply need to change it to a statement and then add 2-3 support points so that your essay has a specific direction to it.

Therefore, if the writing prompt asks, “What are the most important qualities of a roommate?”

You can change the word order and use some synonyms of some of the key words from the prompt: “The most vital attributes of a good roommate are…”

Then, you can add three support points such as “honesty, team-player, and knowledge.”

Once you add the restated sentence to the three support points, you now have a sharply-focused thesis, around which you can organize the body paragraphs:  “The most vital attributes of a good roommate are honesty, team-player, and knowledge.”

In the case of the writing prompt about an important characteristic of a co-worker, you could create the following thesis:

If I am to have high job satisfaction, I would hope that my co-workers have the vital quality of respect. Without this one important quality, my time at my job would be intolerable. Respectful workers make it easier to collaborate as a team, will create a less stressful environment among co-workers, and will reduce the chances having to replace workers and rehire new ones.

Learn TOEFL writing skills: Restate your purpose and thesis in the conclusion.

Ending the essay with a conclusion helps tie up loose ends with your topic.  It tells your audience that you are bringing your topic to a close. Here are some general guidelines that can help you in framing your TOEFL conclusion. Thus, you will get the highest possible score based on your writing abilities:

  • Use a transition word to signal you are bringing the topic to an end.
  • Restate the thesis + support points but do NOT use exactly the same grammar and vocabulary. Make sure the support points occur in the same order that you mentioned them in your thesis.
  • End by restating your agreement with the writing prompt.
  • Do NOT bring up any new topics.

To sum up, respectful workers will make their workspace a much more rewarding one.  Showing respect to others will make it much easier for everyone to work together as a team. In addition, workers who show respect will remove any unnecessary anxiety, and it will decrease the chance of employees wanting to quit. As a result, being respectful is a crucial characteristic in a co-worker.

Learn TOEFL writing skills: Putting it all together

Hopefully, by now you have been able to learn TOEFL writing skills. Now you know how to write an effective introduction and conclusion.  I do NOT want to end this post without showing how this intro and conclusion fits into the whole essay.

After high school, many students decide to attend college. They will choose majors based on what careers they may pursue and how competitive they will be in those careers.  After these pupils complete their undergraduate and sometimes graduate study,  they will interview to find their ideal jobs. To be happy in these new jobs, these new workers will want a good location with affordable housing and low crime. In addition, they will want to work in an environment which fosters learning and promotional opportunities. One really important part of any job is the workers themselves. If I am to have high job satisfaction, I would hope that my co-workers would have the vital quality of respect. Without this one important quality, my time at my job would be intolerable. Respectful workers make it easier to collaborate as a team, will create a less stressful environment among co-workers, and will reduce the chances having to replace workers and rehire new ones.

It is important for employees to be respectful to others since it will help everyone work together as a team. For instance, I had a friend named Tomas, who worked for Microsoft. In the technology division to which he was assigned, the project manager created a creativity group for Tomas and seven other co-workers. Their task over a period of three months was to develop a better working mouse for its desktop computers. Tomas told me that their group was always considerate to everyone. In fact, according to Tomas, his and others’ opinion were always held in high regard, thereby creating a feeling of respect among the team members.  As a result, the team worked together well and succeeded in reaching their goal.

In addition, respectful workers will create less stress.  To illustrate, I worked for HostGator about 3 years ago for about 18 months.  During my tenure there, my supervisor took time weekly to point out what I was doing right. For example, one time after I had talked to a customer who had subsequently given me a five star rating after I helped him solve a problem with his web site, my supervisor came over to my office and praised me for having given excellent service.  At other times, I would have other co-workers approach me to ask my opinion about work-related matters.  Consequently, I felt that my superiors and other co-workers respected and valued me. These positive attitudes and respect that abounded in my work environment eliminated any stress that I might have had about my job.  I actually enjoyed going to work.

Finally, workers who show respect will reduce the number of people who want to quit. Case in point,  when I worked for a financial firm 1 year ago,  the manager often yelled at me and other co-workers about matters over which we had no control.  In one case, a print shop delayed the printing and binding of our financial reports for the year. This delay meant that we would not have these reports ready for our annual meeting with about 35 of our stockholders.  Frustrated, my boss came into my office and yelled at me and two other co-workers:  “Why the hell can’t we get our reports printed?”  Since my co-workers and I had no control over what the print shop was doing, we were dumbfounded. His yelling at us was clearly a sign of disrespect for our feelings.  Our boss’s impudence continued toward us and other employees.  Therefore, three of us quit working for the company.  The last I heard several more employees have quit since we left. If this manager had showed more respect, I am positive that fewer workers would have quit.

To sum up, respectful workers will make their workspace a much more rewarding one.  Showing respect to others will make it much easier for everyone to work together as a team. In addition, workers who show respect will remove any unnecessary anxiety, and it will decrease the chance of employees wanting to quit. As a result, being respectful is a crucial characteristic in a co-worker.

Learn TOEFL writing skills:  Join STEALTH to practice your writing.

If you are ready to learn TOEFL writing skills, I am ready to help you. By joining my TOEFL Writing Boot Camp course, you will be able to practice your writing and get the feedback that you need in order to score higher than 24 points.  Learn more.

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