ESL:HACKINGTOEFL&IELTSIN90DAYS

TheUltimateGuidetopassingTOEFL&IELTSwithprovenhackingtipsonreading,writing,listeningandspeaking

©2016TenlaviAllrightsreserved.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,distributedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopying,recordingorotherelectronicormechanicalmethods,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedincriticalreviewsandcertainothernoncommercialusespermittedbycopyrightlaw.Theuseoftrademarksisnotanofficialconsentbythetrademarkownerforthere-useoftheeBookorbrand.Alltrademarksandbrandsinthisbookareforclarifyingpurposesonlyandareownedbyrespectiveowners

IntroductionIwanttothankandcongratulateyoufordownloadingthebook,“ESL:HackingTOEFLandIELTSin90days”.Areyouanon-nativeEnglishspeakerembarkingonanEnglishjourney?HaveyoubeenpreparingforyourTOEFLandIELTSandplantotaketheexamssoon?Thenthisbookisforyou.ThisbookcontainsprovenstepsandstrategiesonhowtopassTOEFLandIELTSatyourconveniencein90days.Iwilltakeyouthroughthebasicsofpreparingfortheexams,thetricksyouneedtolearnandthepracticalguideandexerciseforeachmoduleoftheexams.Thisbookiswritteninsuchawaythatifyouunderstandthebookinitsentirety,youarereadytotakeyourexams.Thankyouagainfordownloadingthisbook,IhopeyouenjoyitasmuchasIhaveenjoyedcompilingit!

TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER1:Gettingstarted

CHAPTER2:Startingearly,finishingstrong

CHAPTER3:Reading

CHAPTER4:Listening

CHAPTER5:Speaking

CHAPTER6:Writing

CHAPTER7:Scheduleplanning

CHAPTER8:Thefinalweek

SupplementA:Additionalonlinecourse

SupplementB:Checklist

CONCLUSION

Chapter1:GettingStarted1.1WhyTOEFLorIELTS?Englishistodaythemostwidelyspokenlanguageintheworld.Itisthelanguageofcommerceandknowledge.MostemployerstodaydemandaminimumdegreeoffamiliaritywithEnglishbecauseofourglobalcommunity.Furthermore,world-renownededucationalinstitutionsalsodemandsomedegreeofEnglishfamiliarityfromitsstaffandstudents.English-languageskillsarealsopartoftherequirementsofimmigrationandresidencesinmanycountries.VariousstandardizedEnglish-languagetestslikeTOEFLandIELTSgiveaspirantsachancetodemonstratetheirproficiencyinthelanguage.TheTestofEnglishasaForeignLanguage(TOEFL),conductedbytheEducationalTestingService(ETS)isacceptedbysome8,500collegesanduniversitiesin130countriesaroundtheworld.TheInternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem(IELTS)isconductedjointlybyBritishCouncil,IDP:IELTSAustraliaandCambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment.Thistestalsohaswideacceptanceandisrecognizedbyover9,000organizationsin130countriesaroundtheworld.1.2Real-worldEnglishTOEFLandIELTSarealittledifferentfromtheEnglishexamswetookinschool.BothTOEFLandIELTStestyourlanguageskillsinfourareas—speaking,listening,reading,andwriting.Buttheydothisin“integratedtasks”whichisacombinationofallthedifferentskillswithinatestquestion.Forinstance,sometestquestionswillrequireyoutoread,listenandthenspeakinresponsetoaquestion,whileinothersyouwillhavetoread,listenandthenwriteyouranswers.InTOEFLandIELTSthefocusismoreaboutapplyingyourknowledgeofthelanguageinconcrete,real-lifesituations.Theywanttoknowifyouwillbeabletounderstandwhatisbeingtaughtinaclassroom,completeyouracademicrequirements,andhaveafriendlysociallifewithpeopleduringyourstayinthecountry.So,themainthingistheyarenotlookingfortextbookknowledgeoftheEnglishlanguage.Theultimatepurposeofboththetestsisthesame,yourfunctionalabilitytounderstandandcommunicateinEnglishinitsoral(speakingandlistening)andwritten(readingandwriting)forms.Thisalsomeansthatyoucanprepareforboththetestsinmuchthesameway.Bystudyingsmartly,youcaneasilymakeupfortheminordifferencesbetweenthesetwotests.1.3SomeTOEFLandIELTSBasicsForfirst-timetest-takers,thedecisiontotakethetestbringswithitmanyoverwhelmingquestions:HowandwherecanItakeTOEFLorIELTS?Whatquestionswilltheyask?HowdoIusethemarksformycollegeadmissionsorimmigrationapplication?Thissectionwillhelpyouwiththeregistrationandtestingprocedureforthesetests.1.3.1RegistrationBothIELTSandTOEFLcanbetakenatover9,000centersacrosstheworld.Youshouldnotethismajordifference–

(a)TOEFLcanbetakeninpaper-basedorcomputer-basedformat;(b)IELTScanonlybetakeninwrittenform.

IELTSallowsyoutheoptiontochoosebetweentheAcademicandGeneralTrainingoptions—choosetheformerifyouareapplyingforhighereducationandthelaterifitisforemploymentorimmigrationpurposes.ButthereisonlyoneTOEFLtest,whichteststheabilitytocommunicateinacademicsettings.Theeasiestwaytoregisterforthesetwotestsistodoitonline.ThedetailsforTOEFLregistrationareprovidedatwww.ets.org/toeflwhilethosetakingIELTScanvisitwww.ielts.org.Thesewebsiteswilltellyoueverythingyouneedtoknowaboutregistration,fees,requireddocuments,testcentersandtestdatesinyourcountry.TOEFLandIELTSareheldalmostfourtimesamonth,whichgivestest-takersalotofflexibilityintheirpreparationschedule.Butdorememberthatbothtestsneedyoutoregisteratleastsevendaysbeforethedateofthetest.1.3.2TestFormatBothTOEFLandIELTSaredividedintofoursections—speaking,listening,readingandwriting.Butasstatedearlier,theirtestformatsareslightlydifferent.TOEFLmustbegiveninasinglesitting.Ittakesaboutfourhourstocompletethetest.ThefirstsectionisReading(60-80minutes),followedbyListening(60-90minutes),thenSpeaking(20minutes)andfinally,Writing(50minutes).Acompulsory10-minutebreakmustbetakenaftertheListeningsection.Youcannotgobacktoasectionafteryouhavecompletedit,exceptintheReadingsectionwhereyoucanreturntopreviousquestionswithinthetimeallotted.Eachsectionisallocated30marks,andthefinalmarkisoutof120.TheIELTSformatisalittlemorecomplicated.TheListening,ReadingandWritingtestsmustbecompletedonthesameday,oneaftertheother,withoutanybreaksinbetween.TheSpeakingtestmaybescheduledonadifferentdayfromtheothers.TheListeningandSpeakingsectionsarethesameforboththeAcademicandGeneralTrainingpapers,buttheReadingandWritingsectionsaredifferent.Thewholetesttakesapproximately2hours45minutestocomplete.Marksforeachsectionaremarkedonabandbetween1to9,andtheoverallmarkisanaverageacrossthefourskills.Markreportsaresentbymailtocandidatessoonafterthetest.Bothtestsalsoallowcandidatestohavetheirmarkssentautomaticallytoasmallnumberofinstitutionsfreeofcharge—TOEFLcansendthecandidatesmarkstofourinstitutionswhileIELTScansendtheresultstofiveinstitutions.Themarksforbothtestsarevalidfortwoyears.1.3.3SomeKeyDifferencesAswesawintheprevioussection,bothTOEFLandIELTSfocusonthesameskillareasbuthaveslightlydifferenttestformats.Asaresultofthis,differentcandidateshavedifferentexperiences.Thesedifferencesaremainlytodowiththedifferenceintestingconditions.Knowingwhattoexpectwillhelpyoufocusonpossibleproblemareasandtoprepareforthetestsituationmorethoroughly.Whilesomecandidatesfindthatthefour-hourdurationofTOEFLisverytiring,othercandidatesfindthatthegapbetweentheSpeakingandothersectionsinIELTSisabigdistraction.AsignificantdifferenceintheSpeakingtestis:

(a)inTOEFL,youspeakintoamicrophonethatrecordsyourspeech;(b)inIELTS,youhavetocarryoutaconversationwithanexaminer.

ThevoicesintheTOEFLListeningSectionallhaveanAmericanaccent,butifyouappearforIELTS,youwillhavetogetaccustomedtoamuchwiderrangeofaccentsandspeechstyles.Finally,theWritingsectionsaredifferent:

(a)inTOEFL,theanswersmustbetypedoutonacomputerkeyboard;(b)inIELTS,theresponsemustbehandwritten.

Thiscanbeaveryimportantfactor:thoseappearingforTOEFLmustimprovetheirtypingspeedandaccuracytosavetimeinthetest,andIELTScandidatesmustfocusonclear,mistake-freehandwriting.1.4GettingDowntoBusinessBythistimeyourregistrationshouldbecompleted,andyouarereadytostartyourthoroughpreparationforthetestofyourchoice.Overthenextfewchapters,thisbookwillguideyouthroughthevariousaspectsofmasteringEnglishforTOEFL.TheskillsareessentiallytransferableifyouaretakingtheIELTStestinstead.EachchapterwilllayoutasystematicapproachtoReading,Listening,Speaking,andWriting,withexplanations,tricks,andstrategiesthatwillleadyoutosure-shotsuccess.Step-by-step,daybydayandweek-by-week,youwillfindyourselfgrowinginabilityandconfidence.Allitneedsissomepatienceanddiscipline.Attheendof90days,Englishwillnolongerbeanobstacletoyourdreams.Foreaseofreference,IwillrefertoboththeexamsasTOEFL

Chapter2:Starting Early,FinishingStrongAttheendoftheday,tosucceedinTOEFL,youwillhavetoimproveyouroveralllanguageskills;andthiscannothappenovernight.Theonlywaytodothisistopracticeregularlyandsystematically.Inthischapter,wewilllookatsomewaystobuildyourskillsandconfidence.Thetipsinthischapterareaimedatimprovingyourgenerallanguageabilities.Startimplementingthesetricksearlyoninyourpreparationtogetthegreatestbenefits.2.1TechnologyTricksYourSmartphonecanbeyourbiggestassetinpreparingforTOEFL.Itismulti-functionalandcanbeusedanytimeandanywhere.Therearesomeusefulappsthatareavailableforfree.AppssuchasTOEFLFlashcardsareusefulindevelopingcommonvocabularyaswellastechnicalwords.TOEFLPictionaryisagreatappthathelpsyoumemorizenewwordsbyconnectingthemtoapicture.Thesetwoappswillalsohelpinimprovingyourspellingskills.YoushouldalsodownloadavoicerecorderapponyourSmartphonetoaddtoyourspeakingpractice.Recordyourvoiceduringyourspeakingexercisesandthenreplayittotakenoteofmistakesinyourspeech.Payattentiontomistakesinsentenceconstruction,pronunciation,speechclarityandspeakingspeed.Video-sharingsitessuchasYouTubearethebestplacetogetsomelisteningpracticebywatchingshortclipsandcompletevideosofAmericanfilmsandtelevisionshows.Thisisveryusefulfortworeasons:

(a)watchinginterviews,talkshows,lectures,etc.helpdevelopyourlisteningcomprehensionskills;(b)ItletsyougetusedtothestyleandpronunciationofAmericanEnglish.

YouTubechannelssuchasNotefullalsoprovideusefulTOEFLpreparationtipsandtutorials.2.2SpeakUpOneofthebestwaystobuildconfidenceinyourabilitiesistoimproveyourpublicspeakingskills.Ifthereactionsofotherpeoplemakeyouuncomfortableatfirst,usethetelephone—callatoll-freenumberandinquireabouttheirproductsandservices,thensustaintheconversationforaslongasyoucan,payingattentiontoyoursentenceconstruction,pronunciationandsoon.Withalittleimagination,youwillalwaysfindawaytopractice.2.3TypingTroublesIfyouarepreparingforTOEFL,rememberthatyouwillhavetotypeoutyouranswersonacomputerkeyboard.Useyour90-daypreparationperiodtogetusedtotypingwithspeedandwithoutmistakes.Websitessuchaswww.learntyping.organdwww.speedtypingonline.comprovidefreeonlinetutorialsonhigh-speedtouch-typing.2.4TeamUp!Oneofthemosteffectivewaystoimprovelanguageskillsistoworkwithapartner.FindsomeonewhoisalsolookingtoimprovetheirEnglish.Bydoingexercisestogether,youcanhelppointout

eachothers’mistakes.ThisismostusefulwhenyouaredoingSpeakingandListeningpractice.Italsomakesstudysessionsmoreinteresting—sometimes,sharingajokeisthebestwaytostayfocused.2.5ADailyExerciseHereisasmallexercisethatwillhelpyoudevelopyourreading,speakingandwritingskillsallatthesametime.TakeanygoodEnglishnewspaper,pickoutanewsarticleofabout150wordsandsetatimer/alarmfor20minutes.Firstreadthearticlecarefully,underliningthekeydetailsandunfamiliarwordsyoucomeacross.Take30secondstocollectyourthoughtsandwriteoutafewquicksentencestosummarizewhatyoulearnedfromyourreading.Nowspendtwominutesonthinkingabouttheevent,incidentorpersondescribedinthearticleinyouropinion.Switchonyourvoicerecorderandspeakaboutitfor30seconds.Thiswholeexerciseshouldnottakemorethanseventotenminutes.Intheremainingtime,youwillanalyzeyourresponses.Firstmakealistoftheunfamiliarwordsyouhaveunderlined.Next,readyoursummarytoseeifyougottheimportantinformationthrough“theWHs”—who,what,when,where,whyandhow.Finally,listentoyourvoicerecordingandmakeanoteofproblemsinstructure,pronunciationandclarity.Overtime,youshouldmoveontomorecomplextextssuchasshorteditorialsininternationalEnglishmagazines,ortechnicalencyclopediaentries.Thisisashortdailyexercisethatcanbedoneatanytimeoftheday,aslongasyouconcentrateforthedurationoftheexercise.Thissmallinvestmentof20minuteseverydaywillproducegreatresultsbytheendofyourpreparation.2.6BeInspired!Finally,inthemiddleofallthehardwork,takethetimetorememberthatwhatyouaresettingouttodoisbothchallengingaswellasrewarding.Motivateyourselfbylearningaboutinspirationalstoriesofgreathistoricalpersonalitieswhostruggledthroughhardshiptoachievesuccessandrecognition.ThinkaboutthestrugglesofpeoplelikeNelsonMandela,AbrahamLincolnorCharlieChaplin,andneverloseheart!

Chapter3:Reading3.1IntroductionTheReadingsectionismeanttotestyourabilitiesinreadingandabsorbinguniversity-levelacademictexts.Thetextsthemselvesareonmanytopics,butunfamiliaritywiththesubjectneednotbotheryoubecausethequestionsarebasedentirelyonthepassage.Thepurposeofacademicreadingisthree-fold:

(a)readingforinformation;(b)readingforcomprehension,and(c)readingtolearn.

EachoftheseabilitiesistestedintheReadingsection.TheReadingsectionnormallycontainsbetweenthreeandfivepassages,ofapproximately700words.Eachpassageisfollowedby12-14questions.Thetimeallocatedforthesectionvariesbetween60-100minutes.Inthischapter,wewillbeginbylearninghowtoidentifythevarioustypesofpassagesandquestionsthatmaybeaskedbasedonthem.ThenwewillapplythisknowledgetodevelopareadingstrategythatwillensureahighmarkintheReadingsection.3.2TypesofPassagesTheReadingsectionwilltestyouwithdifferenttypesofpassages.Tosucceed,youmustbeabletounderstandtherelationshipsbetweenthedifferentpartsofthetext,andtheroletheyplayinpresentingtheauthor ’sideas.Whilesomecomplexpassagesmayincludemanypointsofviewandlinesofarguments,mostofthemsticktooneofthefollowingtypes:

Classification: This passage usually defines a category or an object and its maincharacteristicsorfunctions.Itmaythengoontoshowthiscategorytohavemanysub-categories,eachwithitsfeatures.Sometimes,thesewillbedefinedbyexamples.

Comparison/Contrast:Sucharticlesdescribethecharacteristicsoftheobjectandplacethemalongside thoseofanother.Theywillgoon toshowrelationsofsimilaritiesanddifferences between the two. They usually do this by showing the advantages ordisadvantagesofoneovertheother.

Cause/effect:Thesepassageswilldiscusstheconsequencesofanactionorthereasonsforaparticularaction.Thearticlessometimesdescribeaprocessofsomekind.Insuchcases,theideaofcauseandeffectisoftenusedtoconnectvariousstagesintheprocess.Problem/Solution: In such passages, a problem of some sort is first defined. Thenreasonsaregivenfortheproblemsandfinallyasuggestionismadeonhowtorectifyit.Inthiscategory,commontopicsaregunsviolenceandsocialconflicts.

3.3TypesofQuestionsThequestionsthatfollowthereadingpassageusuallyfallundersomecategories.Inthissectionwewilllookatthevariouskindsofquestionsyoucanexpecttobeasked,andafewhintsonhowto

identifythem.3.3.1FactualInformationQuestionsFactualquestionsaskforspecificinformationthatisusuallyfoundinoneortwosentenceswithinthepassage.Thisisusuallyclearstatementsoffactthatdealwithnames,dates,definitions,etc.Theycanbeoftwokinds:factualandnegativefactualquestions.Factualquestionsareusuallyofthesort“whichofthefollowingaretrue?”or“accordingtotheparagraph,XdidYbecause...”Negativefactualquestionscanbeidentifiedalmostimmediatelybecausetheyhavetheword“not”or“except”inthem.Youcanexpectbetweenthreeandeightquestionsonsuchdetailsoffactsandnegativefacts.3.3.2QuestionsbasedonInferenceThereareusuallybetweenoneandthreeinference-basedquestionsperpassage.Inthese,youwillbeaskedquestionsaboutsomethinginthearticlethatisnotdirectlystated,butonlyindirectlyhintedat.Forthesequestions,youneedtobeabletofollowthelogicoftheauthor ’sargument.Theyareusuallyframedas“theauthorofthepassageimpliesthat…”or“whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromtheparagraph…”3.3.3RhetoricalPurposeQuestionsThesearequestionswhereyouwillbeaskedwhytheauthorhaschosentosaysomethingthewayhe/shehas.Youmaybeaskedwhytheauthorhaschosentoquoteaparticularauthororreferredtoaparticularsource.Oryoumaybeaskedtoexplaintherelationshipbetweentwoparagraphs/ideas/linesinthepassage.Therearenormally,atleast,oneortworhetoricalpurposequestionsaftereverypassage.3.3.4VocabularyQuestionsThesearequestionsthatwilltestyourknowledgeofthewords,phrasesorexpressionsusedinthepassage.Youmaybeaskedsynonyms,antonyms,orwords“closestinmeaning”toaparticularword.Thesequestionsusuallytestunfamiliarortechnicalwordsthatareneverthelesscriticaltothemeaningofthepassage.Expectbetweenthreetofivevocabulary-basedquestionsforeverypassage.3.3.5ReferenceQuestionsThesearequestionsthatwilltestyourgrammarskills,particularlyontherulesofreference.Forinstance,youmayberequiredtoidentifytherelationbetweenapronounandthenounthatitrefersto.Theremaybeuptotwosuchquestionsinaset.3.3.6SentenceSimplificationQuestionsThistypeofquestiondoesnotappearveryfrequently.Insentencesimplification,youwillneedtoselectoneoutofthegivenoptionsthatcontainthemeaningofthequotedsentence.Forexample,“whichofthefollowingbestexpressestheinformationinthehighlightedsentence?”3.3.7TextInsertionQuestionsThepassageusuallycontainsone“inserttext”typequestion.Asyoureadthetext,youwillseeblacksquaresatsomeplaceswithinthepassage.Thequestionwillprovideyouwithasentence,andwillaskyoutoinsertitinplaceofoneofthefourblacksquaresinthepassage.Textinsertionquestionstestyourlanguageskillsattwolevels:

(a)inunderstandingthecontentoftheparagraphinquestion;and

(b)inunderstandingthegrammaticalstructureofthesentenceitself.

3.3.8ProseSummaryQuestionsThesequestionstestyourgraspofthepassageasawhole,andtheorganizationofideaswithinit.Thesequestionswillaskyoutodifferentiatebetweenmajorandminorpointspresentedinthepassage.Usually,youarepresentedwithsixstatementsaboutthepassage.Whileeachofthemistrueinitself,youwillneedtojudgetheirrelativeimportanceintheauthor ’sargumentandaccordinglychoosethethreemainpointsmadeinthepassage.3.3.9Table-basedQuestionsThisisanothertypeofquestionthattestsyourabilitytosummarizeandabsorbtheinformationinthepassage.Youmustbeabletojudgethedifferencebetweenessentialandnonessentialaspectsoftheargumentpresentedbytheauthor.Thisisavariationontheprosesummaryquestions.Theskillstestedarethesame,butheretherearealotmoreoptionsthatneedtobeplacedcorrectlyunderthedifferentsubheadsprovided.Eachpassagecontainsoneofeitherprosesummaryortable-basedquestions.3.4HowtoReadThereadingskillsforatestlikeTOEFLaredifferentfromthosethatweuseinourdailylives.Thestricttimelimitationsinthissection—fivepassagesin60-100minutes—meanthatitisimpossibletodoacloseword-by-wordreadingofthetextpassages.Infact,theexaminersdon’texpectyoutoreadthewholepassage!SuccessintheReadingsectiondependsonyourmasteryoftheskillsof“skimming”and“scanning”throughagiventext.Skimmingisafast-readingtechniqueinwhichyoureadonlythefirstandlastsentencesoftheopeningparagraph,andthenthefirstsentenceofeachparagraphafterthat.Theaimistodoaninitialquickreadingthatwillgiveyouagistofwhatitcontains,notthedetails.Asyouskim,identifywhattypeofpassageitis.Also,youwillgetagoodideaofwhatiscontainedineachoftheparagraphs,andhoweachislinkedtotheother.Skimmingisimportantfortworeasons:-

(a)ithelpsyougraspthewholepassage,and(b)itprovidesaguidetoquicklylocatingthepossibleanswersforthequestions.

Scanningisaslowermethodinwhichyoureadfromthebeginningofthepassagetofindaspecificansweryouarelookingfor,andthenstopwhenyoufindit.Thenrepeatforeachquestion.Asyougothroughmorequestions,youwillgettoknowmoreaboutthedetailsofthepassage,sothatbytheendyouwillhaveagoodideaofthestructureaswellasthedetailsofthepassage.Youcanachievethebestresultsbycombiningskimmingandscanning.First,doaquickskimmingreading.Inyournotes,makeanoutlineofthepassagestructure,withjustalineofeachparagraphgiven.Fornow,focusontheconnectionsbetweenparagraphs.Afterthis,readthroughallthequestionsonce,identifyingtheirtypes.Nowbeginwiththefirstquestionandusethescanningmethodtofindtheanswerinthetext.Dothiswitheachquestion.Allthetimekeepaddingkeyinformationtotheoutline.Nowyoucanusethesenotestoanswerthemorecomplex“readingtolearn”questionsandtablesattheend.

3.5SomeTipsforPracticeWhiletheskimmingandscanningskillsaremostimportantintheReadingsection,thereareotheraspectsofyourreadingabilitiesthatyoualsoneedtopayattentionto:

Vocabulary:Havingastrongvocabularyisessentialtobothunderstandingandspeakinganylanguage.UseSmartphoneapps(asshowninChapter2)toimproveyourknowledgeofwords.Also,carryaroundasmallnotebookinwhichyouwritedownnewwordstoaddtoyourwordlist.Readaswidelyasyoucan.Try“guessthemeaning”.Pickupanyreadingmaterialandlookforwordsyoudonotunderstand.Now,insteadofcheckinginadictionary,trytoguessthemeaningfromthelinesbeforeandafterit(context).Doingthisimprovesyourvocabularyaswellasskillsofinference.Connectthepronouns.Takeanysamplereadingpassageandunderlineallthepronounsthatoccurinit.Nowtrytoconnecteachpronounusedtothenounthatitisreferringto.Doingthiswillimproveyourskillsingrammarandsentenceconstruction.Practiceparaphrasing.Takeapassagefromamagazineortextbookandskimthroughit,makingnotesalong theway.Take20seconds to thinkabout thearticleasawholeandthenquicklytrytocapturethegistofthepassageinsevenoreightsentences.Practicethisasfrequentlyaspossibleandonallsortsofreadingmaterial.

Chapter4:Listening4.1IntroductionTheListeningsectiontestsyourskillsinlisteningtoclassroomlecturesaswellasinunderstandingeverydayconversationwithintheuniversityandoutside.Thelanguageyouwillencounterintheselectureswillbeofthestandardyoucanexpecttobeexposedtoinauniversityclassroom.Youwillneedtolistentoaboutfourtosixlecturesof500-800wordseach,inatimelimitof60-90minutes.Eachlecturewillbefollowedbysixquestions.Also,youwillhavetoanswerquestionsrelatedtotwoorthreeconversationsinaperiodof60-90minutes.Theconversationsareaboutthreeminutesinlengthwithabout12-25exchangesbetweenthespeakers.Eachconversationwillbefollowedbyfivequestions.4.2TypesoflecturesThelecturepassagescanbeverydemandingonthelistener.Youwillneedtoabsorblargeamountsofinformationthatispresentedtoyouinaconstantflow.Unlikereading,youcannotpausewheneveryouneedto.Youmustcatchasmanywordsasyoucan.Thelecturesareusuallyoftwotypes,thosethatfeatureonlytheprofessorspeakinginaclassroomscenario,andothersinwhichtheprofessorandstudentsbothspeak.ThelecturesareusuallyfromtopicsontheArts,PhysicalScience,LifeScience,andSocialScience.Theconversationquestionsusuallyhaveeitherapersonalizedinteractionbetweenaprofessorandstudent,oraserviceencounterlikemakinganinquiryinthelibraryorcompletingclassorexamregistrations.Conversationstestskillsaredifferentfromlisteningskills.Conversationsareusuallyshorterandcancoverbothacademicandnon-academictopics.Whilethekeyskillinthelecturescanfollowthespokencontentclosely,theconversationsaregearedtowardstestingyourskillsatinterpretinginferences,idiomaticusageoflanguageandtonesofvoice/emotioninthevoice.Butonthedownside,theconversationusuallymovesmuchfasterthanalecture,anditrequiresyoutoknowamoreinformalvocabularythatisusuallynotfoundinotherTOEFLreadingandlisteningsections.4.3TypesofQuestionsInthissection,wewilllookatthemaintypesofquestionsthatmaybeaskedintheListeningtasks.Bylearningtoidentifyandcategorizethequestions,youwillbeinabetterpositiontoanswerthemcorrectly.4.3.1QuestionsonGist-contentThesearebasiccomprehensionquestionthattestsyourabilitytograspthemainpointbeingdiscussedinthespokenpassage.Thesequestionsdealwiththeoverallcontentofthespeech,andmayrequireyoutodrawonbothinferredaswellasexplicitmeanings.Questionsthataskforthe“mainproblem,”“maintopic,”andsoonareoftengist-contentquestionsandshouldbeansweredaccordingly.4.3.2QuestionsonGist-purposeThegist-purposequestionsshouldnotbeconfusedwiththegist-contenttype.Gist-purposequestions

areusuallyaskedforconversationsratherthanlectures.Here,thequestionsareaboutthereasontheconversationisbeingheld,andaboutthecontentofwhatisbeingsaidintheconversation.Thesequestionsareusuallyintheformof“whydoestheprofessorsay…”or“whydoesthestudentvisittheadmissionsoffice?”etc.Gist-purposequestionscanbetrickybecausesometimesthepurposeoftheconversationmaynotcoincidewiththemaintopicbeingdiscussed.4.3.3QuestionsonDetailsInthesequestions,youwillneedtoreproducespecificdetailsfromwhatyouheard.Usuallymentioneddirectlyinthelecture/conversation,sometimestheymayalsobemoreimplicitinnature.Often,ifthereisalongdigressionfromthemaintopicofdiscussion,thenyoucanexpectadetailquestiontobeaskedfromthis.4.3.4QuestionsontheFunctionof‘WhatisSaid.'Thesequestionstypicallyrequireyoutolistentoapartofthelectureorconversationagainandthenaskyouaboutthesignificanceofwhatissaid.Here,youmustpayattentiontothefunctionalaspectofwhatissaid,ratherthantheexactcontent.4.3.5QuestionsabouttheSpeaker’sAttitudeTheseareparticularlytrickyquestionsbecausetheyrequireyoutodevelopasenseofthespeaker ’spersonalityitself.Youmustbeabletomakeouttheperson’sopinionsandattitudestowhatisbeingdiscussedthroughlittlehintsthataregiveninthediscussion.Theyaresometimesintheformofshortreactionstootherpeople’scomments,orclearstatementsofone’slikesanddislikes.Itisusefultoppaycloseattentiontothespeaker ’stoneofvoiceandvolumetogetcluestohisattitudes.4.3.6QuestionsonOrganizationThesearequestionsthattestyourabilitytoconsolidateandorganizeinformation.Youwillusuallybeaskedabouthowthespeakerhasstructuredhis/herlecture.Dotheyprovideahistoricalaccount?Aretheycomparingandcontrastingdifferentexamples?Aretheydescribingaprocess?Sometimesyoumaybeaskedabouthowaparticularstatementfunctionswithintheorganizationofthelectureasawhole.4.3.7ConnectingContentQuestionsThesequestionsrequireyoutounderstandandinfertheinformationprovidedinalecture.Theywillthenaskyoutorepresentwhatyouhavelearnedintheformoftablesandcharts.Attimes,youwillberequiredtoclarifyrelationships,contradictionsorcauseandeffect.4.3.8QuestionsBasedonInferenceHereyouwillbetestedonyourabilitytodrawconclusionsandunderstandtheimplicationsofwhatyouhaveheardinalectureorconversation.Youwillhavetodrawfromthefactspresentedtomakelogicalpredictionsonthefuturecourseofaction,oryoumayhavetounderstandtheimplicitcontentofwhatissaid.4.4HowtoListenThelisteningtaskscanbeverydemandingbecauseittestsbothyourlanguageskillsaswellasabilitiesofinferenceandcomprehension.Thekeytosuccessisefficientnote-taking.Note-takingfortheListeningtaskisallaboutbeingabletotakedownthemainpointssothatbytheend,youhaveabasicflowoftheconversationavailableinwriting.Butasyouhavealreadynoted,thelectureand

conversationpassagestestslightlydifferentaspectsofyourlisteningabilities.Asaresult,yourstyleofnote-takingwillalsobealittledifferentforeachofthese.Inthelectures,youwillbegivenalotofdetailedinformation.Thetrickistofocusonthecontentofthespeechinthesepassages.Sowhenyoubegintakingnotesinalecture,makethreeheadings,“mainidea”,“majorpoints”and“minorpoints.”Asyougothroughthelecture,allyouneedtodoisfillinthevariouspointsunderthesethreeheadings.Bytheend,youwillhaveacondensedversionofthelectureinaformthatcanbeusedtoanswerthequestionsthatfollow.Yourtableshouldlooklikethis–

MainIdea MajorPoint MinorPoint

Intheconversations,thepaceoftalkingisfaster,therearemorespeakers.Theydrawonyourabilitiestocatchimplicitmeanings.Sowhentakingnotes,itismoreimportanttogettheflowoftheconversationthanallthelittledetails.Todothis,firstdivideyourpageintotwoorthreeparts,dependingonthenumberofspeakers.Nowaseachpersonspeaks,makenotesintheappropriatecolumn,maintainingtheflowofquestionandanswer,argument,andrefutation.Youcannoweasilyseeinavisualformtherelationshipsbetweenwhatthedifferentpeoplearesaying.Hereisanillustration–

Speaker1 Speaker2 Speaker3 Speaker4

4.5SomeTipsforPracticeTheListeningtasks,infact,drawonsomeotherskillsthatalsoneedtobedeveloped.Hereareafewthingsyoucanpracticeimprovingyourmarksinthissection:

(a)SummarizeandparaphraseSummarizing and paraphrasing are two of themost useful skills in the Listening section.While these skills aremore important in theReadingandSpeaking sections, theListeningsection is unique because it does not allow a gap between receiving the information andsummarizing it. Here, you have to use to draw an inference at the same time as you arelistening.(b)Note-takingsystemInadditiontodevelopinganefficientnote-takingsystem,youmustpayattentiontothespeedat which you take notes. Over the course of these 90 days of preparation develop yourshorthand code language through which you can make your notes shorter, quicker andclearer.(c)AccentsOne of the biggest obstacles to understanding English speech is the accents and styles ofspeechthatnativespeakersuse.Theonlywaytogetaroundis tobecomefamiliarwith thedifferentaccentsandpronunciationsusedbyAmericans in theirspeech.Topreparefor the

lectures,youcanwatchAmericandocumentariesonvarioustopicsrelatedtoart,scienceandsociety.Fortheconversations,ontheother,hand,itisbettertowatchtelevisionsitcomsandHollywoodfilms.Theseallowampleopportunitytounderstandthenuancesoftoneofvoiceand emotion in various conversational situations and also expose you to more a moreinformallanguageofcommunication.Video-sharingwebsitessuchasYouTubearethebestplacetofindawiderangeofvideosthatyoucanpracticewith.

Chapter5:Speaking5.1IntroductionTheSpeakingsectionstestyourabilityinanacademicenvironmenttoclearlyandfluentlyconverseinEnglish.Ittriestoassesswhetheryouwillbeabletoengagefruitfullyindiscussionswithfellowstudentsandprofessorsinanacademicaswellasanon-academicsetting;toexpressyourideasandopinions;andyourabilitytocarryoutgeneralsocialconversation.ManycandidatesfindtheSpeakingsectionchallengingbecauseitgoesbysofast.Itisoverbeforeyouknowit—itlastsjust20minutesandquicklyputsyouthroughsixtasks.Thereisverylittletimetorecoverfromlapsesinperformances.ThischapterwillgiveyouanideaofwhattoexpectintheSpeakingsection,andhowbesttoprepareforit.5.2TypesofTasksTheSpeakingsectioncomprisesofsometasksthatfallundertwotypes:independentandintegrated.Theindependenttasksarethoseinwhichyouaresimplygivenatopic,onwhichyoumustspeakwithminimalpreparationtime.Thesetasksaremeanttotestyouropinionsandthoughtonvariousfamiliarsubjects,theclaritywithwhichyouorganizeyourthoughtsandyourabilitytothinkonyourfeet.Sincetheindependenttaskrequiresyoutospeakonafamiliartopic,itisthebestopportunitytoplaytoyourstrengths.Inthesetasks,youcanbeconfidentandmusttrytodisplayyourlanguageabilitiestothefullest.Theintegratedtask,ontheotherhand,isamoremultimediaaffair.Inthese,youwillhavetocombineyourlistening,readingandspeakingskillstounderstandandthenexpressyourthoughtsonagivenissueorsituation.Insomeofthetasks,youwillneedfirsttolistentoalectureorconversationbeforeyourespondtowhatissaid.Inothers,youwillalsoneedtoreadanadditionalpassagebeforeyouprovideanoralanswer.Thesetaskstestyourskillsinabsorbingnewinformationquickly,andincollatinginformationfromdifferentinformationmedia.Theintegratedtaskchallengesyourskillsininferringmeaningsand,onceagain,you’resummarizingskills.5.3TypesofQuestionsTheSpeakingsectioniscomprisedof:

(a)twoindependenttasks–Fortheindependenttasks,youarerequiredtospeakfor45secondsafterapreparationtimeofonly15seconds;and(b)fourintegratedtasks–Inthefourintegratedtasksinwhichyouwillhavetoreadandlisten,andthenspeakinresponse.Youwillbeallowed30secondsofspeakingtimeand60secondsofresponsetimeforthetworeading-listening-speakingtasks.Thetwolistening-speakingintegratedtaskswillgiveyouapreparationtimeof20secondsandresponsetimeof60seconds.

Forthetest,youwillhavetospeakintoamicrophone.Yourvoicewillbedigitallyrecordedandsenttocertifiedexaminerswhowillassessyourresponsesusingvariouscriteria.

5.3.1IndependentQuestionsQuestions1and2areindependenttasks.InQuestion1youwillbeaskedtospeakaboutaplace,person,andeventorobjectthatyouarepersonallyfamiliarwith.Whiletheremaybesomevariationinthespecificsofthequestion,itwillalwaysrequireyoutodrawonyourpersonalexperience.Inthisquestion,youwillbeaskedtoanswerthequestioninseveralparts.Yourresponseisexpectedtoincludeadescriptioncomponentandthenitssubstantiation—youwillhavetodescribesomething(yourfavoriteteacher,yourfavoriteholidaydestination,etc.)andthenprovidereasonsforyourchoice.Youareexpectedtoprovidesomedetailedinformationandacoherentjustification.InQuestion2,youwillbepresentedwithtwopossiblecoursesofactioninagivensituation.Youwillhavetocompareandcontrasttherelativemeritsanddemeritsofthechoicesandexplainwhichoneyoupreferandgiveyourjustification.Thetopicswilleitherdealwithsomethingfamiliartoyouinyoureverydaylifeoranissueofgeneralinteresttostudents.5.3.2IntegratedQuestionsQuestions3and4areintegratedreading-listening-speakingtasks.InQuestion3youwillfirstreadashortpassageonsomegeneralissuerelatedtocampuslife.Thismaybeanythingfromanofficialnoticetoanewspaperarticle.Youwillalsohavetolistentoabriefconversationbetweentwopeopleexpressingtheiropinionsonthesameissue.Youwillthenhavetorespondorallytoaquestionthatisbasedonthetextandconversationprovided.Question4isalsoareading-listening-speakingtask,theonlydifferencebeingthathereyouwillbedealingwithanacademictopic.Youwillfirstreadanacademicextract,followedbyaprofessor ’slectureonthesametopic.Youwillthenbeaskedaquestionbasedonwhatyouhavereadandheard.Questions5and6arelistening-speakingtasks.Inbothofthese,youwillhavetolistentoabriefconversation/lecturebeforeprovidinganoralresponsetothegivenquestion.Question5willtypicallybeaconversationbetweentwopeopleaboutaproblemfacedbyoneofthem.Itwillprovideyouwithtwopossiblesolutionstotheproblem.Youwillbeaskedtosummarizethediscussionandprovideyouropiniononthesolutionsofferedbythespeakers.Question6willhaveyoulistentoashortexcerptfromaprofessor ’slectureonanacademicsubject.Thelecturecanbeonanythingfromthearts,physicalscience,socialscienceandnaturalscience.Youwillthenbeaskedtosummarizewhatyouheardinthelecture.5.4HowtoSpeakThebestwaytopreparefortheSpeakingsectionistogetanideaofhowyourresponseswillbeevaluated.InaccessingyourperformanceintheSpeakingsection,theexaminersadoptaholisticapproach.Theytakeinaccountvariousaspectsofyourspeakingandwillgiveacombinedmark.Thisisbecausespeakingisnotaseasilyquantifiableastheotherskills,and‘goodspeaking’combinesdifferentaspectsindifferentmeasures.Mostimportantamongthesearespeechdelivery,languageuse,andtopicdevelopment.Languagedeliveryisconcernedwithhowclearlyyouspeak,andhoweasilyyoucanbeunderstood.Thisincludestheuseofcleardictionandintonation;naturalnessandeaseofspeaking;and,thenaturalnessofyourspeakingpace.Languageuseparametersmeasurethecorrectnessofthelanguageyouusewhilespeaking.Itdealswiththerangeofyourvocabularyandapplicationoftherulesofgrammar,syntaxandsentence

construction.Finally,topicdevelopmentisaboutthecontentofwhatyouhavesaid.Itassessesyourabilitiesinthepresentationofideas,logicalprogressionandoverallorganizationandstructure.Whenyoupracticeyourspeakingsessions,itisbeneficialtorecordyourself—youcaneasilyuseaSmartphoneapptodothis.Onceyouhavearecordedsample,listentoitcarefullyandnotedownthemistakesyoumadeinyourdelivery,languageuseandtopicdevelopment.Now,repeatwhatyousaidbutthistimewithoutthemistakes.Recordyourvoiceagain.Analyzeagain.Thisisaveryusefulexercise,fortworeasons.First,repeatingthesamepassagemanytimesismoreeffectiveinfixingyourmistakesthanspeakingonadifferenttopiceverytime.Second,thisexercisewillgiveyouagoodideaoftiming.Areyoufinishingtoosoon?Areyouspeakingtoofastwhenthetimeisrunningout?5.5TipsforpracticeTheSpeakingsectionrequiresregularpractice,andyourskillscannotbedevelopedovernight.Hereareafewtricksthatcanhelpyoufocusonimprovingyourskillsinawell-roundedmanner.

Improveyourimpromptuspeaking.Speakingwithoutpreparationisaskillthatwillstandyou in good stead for the TOEFL test. Pick any simple topic of your choice, take 30secondsofpreparation time,and thenspeakon thesubject forawholeminutewithoutinterruption. Start initiallywith topics you are very comfortablewith.As you becomemore fluentover time,moveon tounfamiliar subject—pickupyourdailynewspaper,lookatthetopicforthemaineditorialarticleanddoanimpromptuspeechonthattopic.You can even replicate an integrated task for yourself: on any prominent newsissue/controversyoftheday;readanarticleandlistentoareportonthesameineveningnews;nowproduceyourimpromptusummaryoftheissueathand.

Speakingisoftenmarkedbyerrorsthatarehabitualinnature—peculiarpronunciations,repeatedgrammaticalerrorsandconfusingofsimilartonameafew.Thesemistakescanonlyberectifiedthroughasystematicapproachthatconsciouslytrackyourprogress.Itmight be a useful idea to maintain an audio diary. An audio diary is essentially acollection of your speaking samples, built up over time. This can be done easily bymaking good use of a voice recording app on your Smartphone. Since it provides along-termrecord,anaudiodiaryhelpsyoutogetagoodideaoftheprogressyouaremakinginrectifyingparticularmistakes.

OneofthemostdistractingthingsabouttheSpeakingtestisthateveryoneistakingtheirsatthesametime.Thevoicesofsomanypeopletalkingtogethercanbequitedistracting,eventhoughthenoise-reductionheadphones.Thebestwaytogetaccustomedtothisistodosomespeakingpracticedrillsinapublicspacesuchasacafé,crowdedpark,orsomeothersuchbustlingpublicplace.

Chapter6:Writing6.1IntroductionTheWritingsectionisdesignedtotestyourskillsinwrittenexpression.Itwilldrawonthesamepowersofcomprehensionandinferencethatwe’reusedintheothersections,butonlyinthewrittenform.ItiseasytobecomecomplacentabouttheWritingsection,asitisthelastofthefourskillstested.Onthefaceofit,thewritingsectionseemseasy.Thereareonlytwotaskstobecompletedwithalmostanhourtospend.Thisleadsmanycandidatestobecomecomplacentinthissection.Butasweshallsee,theWritingsectioniswhereyourtimemanagementskillsaremostimportant.Thetasksrequireyoutomakeuseofyourreadingandlisteningskillsalongwithyourwritingskills.AnotherreasontheWritingsectioncanbedifficultisthatthisiswhereyourdeficienciesingrammar,spellingandpunctuationbecomevisible.ItmighthavebeenpossibletodisguisetheseintheSpeakingsection,buttheWritingtasksleaveyouwithnowheretohide.

Forthesereasons,theWritingsectionneedsregularpracticeandcloseattention.Inthischapter,youwilllearnabouttheformatoftheWritingsectionalongwithafewstrategiesandtipstogetthemaximummarkspossible.6.2TypesofTasksTheWritingsectioniscomprisedoftwotasks:theintegratedtaskandtheindependenttask.Whilethelatterissolelyawritingtask,theformerwillalsodrawonotheraspectsofyourlinguisticabilities.Bothwillrequireessay-typeresponses,butwithdifferentemphasis.6.2.1IntegratedtaskTheintegratedtaskisareading-listening-writingexerciseandmustbecompletedwithin20minutes.Youwillreadapassageonanacademictopicfor3minutesthanlistentoashortlectureonthesamesubject.Youwillbeaskedtosummarizethedetailsprovidedinthelectureandexplainhowtheyrelatetothepointsmadeintheexcerptedtext.Thelecturemaystrengthen,refuteorchallengetheinformationgiveninthewrittenpassage.Keepinmindthatyouarenotbeingaskedforyouropinion.Youhavetoexplaintherelationshipsbetweenthetextandthelecture.Moreoftenthannot,thequestionitselfgivesagoodideaofhowyouaresupposedtounderstandtherelationship.Ifthereiscontradiction/disparity,thequestionwillusuallyaskyoutoshowthewaysinwhichthelecture“castsdoubt”or“challenges”thereadingpassage.Whenthepassageandthelectureareinagreement,thequestionwillalsorequireyoutoshowhowone“supports”or“strengthens”or“elaborateson”theagreedideas.Thewordcountforresponsesisusuallybetween150and225words.Youwillnotbepenalizedforexceedingit,aslongastheansweriscoherentandcomplete.6.2.2IndependenttaskYouwillbegiven30minutesinwhichyouwillhavetowriteashortessayonthegivenquestion.Thequestionwillaskyoutogiveyouropiniononaparticularissue,whichyouwillhavetojustifywithsuitableexamples.Thereisnoupperwordlimit,butyoushouldwriteaminimumof300words.Accordingtoexperts,youwillneedtowriteatleastthismuchtodisplaythelevelofideasandorganizationexpectedinthetest.Youneedtostrikeabalancebetweenthenumberofideasyouputdownandtheoveralleffectivenessofyourcommunication.6.3HowtowriteTheWritingsectiontestsyourskillsinorganizationandwrittenpresentationofideas,notyourpriorknowledgeofthegivensubject.Yourresponsesareevaluatedonthreecriteria:

(a)development;(b)organization;and(c)languageuse.

Youressayshouldbewelldeveloped,usingadequateandappropriatedetails,explanationsandexamples.Italsoneedstobewell-organizedwithaclearlineofthoughtandprecisearguments.Finally,yourlanguageuseshouldbeproficient,withminimalerrorsingrammarandspellings.Smallerrorsmaybeoverlookediftheyarenottoofrequent,anddonotdistorttheintendedmeaning.

Note-takingisofparamountimportanceinthissection.Thereneedstobeaclearandparallellinkbetweenyourdraftnotesand“finalcopy”.Youdonothaveenoughtimetoprepareadetailedoutline.Youonlyneedaroughoutlineofthemajorideayouwillcover,alongwithatmostthreeexamples.Beyondthis,youwillneedto“makeup”thedetailsasyougoalong.Youshouldnotunderestimatetheimportanceofgoodnotes,butatthesametime,youhavetobeflexibleinyourapproachinthenotessection.Agoodessayrequiresaclearandconcisethesisstatement.Usually,thiscanbegeneratedoutofthequestionitself.Allyouneedtodoistakethemainwordsfromtheoriginalquestionandrephrasethemintoastrongstatementofyouropinion.Also,makesuretoincludeinyourresponsedetailsandexamplesthatcangivesubstancetoyourargument.Editingisessentialtocheckforstructureandflowofideasinyouressay.Keepatleast3minutesintheintegratedtaskand5minutesintheindependenttaskforrecheckingandediting.OnethingtorememberintheWritingsectionisthatyoumustfocusonthequalityofwriting,notthequantity.Yourwritingneedstobeclearandprecise.Thiscanbeachievedonlythroughabalancingofthenote-taking,writingandeditingstepsoftheprocess.Sometimeswritinglongessayscanevenbecounter-productive,sincethemoretimeyouspendonwriting,thelesstimeyouspendoneditingandimprovingthewriting.6.4TipsforPracticeHereareafewwaysinwhichyoucanmakethemosteffectiveuseofyourWritingPractice:

Practicetimedwriting.WritingforTOEFLisnotthesameaswritinganessayforyourcollege assignment. Time management is crucial. Some people cannot handle thepressureandendupwritingalmostnothing.Othersareunabletofinishtheiressaysontime.WhilepracticingfortheWritingsection,alwaysuseanalarmandfinisheverythingwithinthegiventime.

Itisusefultopreparesomebasicsentencepatternsandtransitionwordsforuseinyourwriting. Learn to use phrases like “for example,” “also,” “furthermore,” “on thecontrary,”and“atthesametime.”Theseareusefulforthefollowingthreereasons:

(a)theyallowyoutoexhibityouradvancedsentenceconstructionskills;(b)theyhelpyoutofillinasurprisinglylargeamountofinformationeveninasmallparagraph;and(c)theygiveaclearorganizationtoyourwriting.

Readwidelyandbewell-informedaboutcurrentevents,peopleandtrendsintheworld.The Writing questions offer no options, so whatever you are asked will come as asurprise.Theonlywaytoprepareforthisistobeinformedonawiderangeoftopicssothatyouhavesomethingsubstantivetowriteinyourresponse.

Stayonthesubject!RememberthatTOEFLmarkersarealwaysexpectingpre-preparedanswers, which are only vaguely related to the topic given in the question. To avoidgiving this impression, stay on topic. In trying to do this, youmay sometimes end upwritingalittlelesswhenconfrontedwithadifficultorunfamiliartopic.Buteventhisisfinebecausethosefewlineswillhavesomethingimportanttosay.

Practice typing skills. Though it may be called the “writing” section, your responseneedstobetypedonakeyboardforTOEFL.Youcanendupwastingalotoftimeandmakingmanymistakesifyouarenotproficientintyping.

Practiceparaphrasing sentences/ideas.Youwillbegivenzero ifyourwritten responseonly containswords and phrases copied down from the reading passage.You need toinclude all the information but written down in your words. Practice paraphrasing tomakeyourexpressiondirectandinformative.

Chapter7:SchedulePlanning7.1HowtoPrepareBythispoint,youhaveaclearideaofwhattoexpectineachsectionofthetestandhowtohandleit.Butthisisonlyhalftheworkdone—withoutproperplanningandpreparation,allthestrategiesyouhavelearnedmaywellgotowaste.With90daysinhand,youcanaffordtheluxuryoffocusingonquality.Youcanprepareforeachsectionatapacecomfortableforyou.Startingyourpreparationsearlyisespeciallyusefulwhenyoucannotdevotealotoftime,duetothedemandsofyourjoborotherstudies.Startingearlygivesyouthreeadvantages:

(a)regularpracticeimprovesyourspeedandfamiliaritywiththetest;(b)youcanpayadequateattentiontorectifyingyourmistakes,and(c)youwillhavetimetoworkfurtheronimprovingyouralreadystrongareas.

7.2ExtraMaterialIfyouwanttosucceedinTOEFL,youhavetogetasmuchpracticeasyoucan.ForfreeTOEFLpracticequestionsandtests,takealookatthe“TOEFLiBTInteractiveSampler”,“TOEFLiBTTestQuestions”and“TOEFLiBTQuickPrep”packagesthatareprovidedontheofficialTOEFLwebsite,www.ets.org.MostsuccessfulcandidatesalsorecommendyoubuysometestsdesignedbyreputedagenciessuchasETS.Youcanbuythe“OfficialGuidetotheTOEFL,”“OfficialTOEFLiBTTestswithAudio,”and“TOEFLPracticeOnline”modules.Whilethesearenotfree,theyoffertheclosestexperiencetorealtestsituations,withaudioclippingsandcomputer-basedinterface.7.3PlanYourStudyHowmuchtimedoyouneedtostudyeveryweek?Itisbettertodoalittleworkeverydaythantoleaveitallfortheweekend.Whileadailysessionofabouttwohoursisadvisable,youcancomfortablystartoffwithshorter45–minutesessionsandtakingaone-daybreakduringtheweek.Youshoulddivideyour90-daypreparationperiodintothreestages,eachperiod,beingamonthlong.Overthecourseofthesethreemonths,youwillgraduallydevelopyourrelevantskillsandbytheend,youwillbeamasterateachofthefoursectionsoftheTOEFLtest.StageIThisperiodwillcoveryourfirstfourweeksofpreparation.Inthistime,youwillspenduptoaweekofstudytimeoneachofthesections,Reading,Speaking,Listening,andWriting.Proceedslowly,andtryandmastereachofthestrategiesoutlinedinthepreviouschapters.Thisisthestagewhereyoulaythefoundationsforyourprocessoflearninganewlanguage.Don’ttryandrushthroughthebasics.StageII.Fromweek5tillweek8,continuedoingonesectionperweek.Butnow,youmustmovefromjust

studyingtopracticing.Starttaking,atleast,twosectiontestseveryweek,forinstance,onWednesdaysandFridays.Also,trytohaveatwo-hoursessiononatleastonedayeveryweek,preferablyThursdays.Finally,attheendofweek6andweek8(Saturdays),youshouldattemptafull-lengthpracticetestfromthePBTset.Tryandincreasethecomplexityofyourstudymaterial—readmoredifficultpassages,speakforlonger,andstartlisteningtoacademiclecturesonYouTube.StageIIITheperiodfromweek9toweek11—isthemostintensiveofthethree.Youshouldfrequentlyputyourselfthroughsampletestssoastobecomefamiliarwiththetestingenvironmentandyouneedtointegrateyourknowledgewithextendedperiodsofconcentration.Inthisperiod,youshouldcontinuedoingmoresectiontests,butatintermediateandadvancedlevels.Inweek10and11,tryandextendyourstudysessionstoamaximumof2hours30minutes,sothatyoucanstartpreparingforthelongsessionsyouwillhavetositthroughonthedayofthetest.Finally,oneachSaturdayforthesethreeweeks,youmustattemptafull-lengthtest.7.4EvaluateYourselfApartfromregularpractice,itisimportantalsotoundertakeself-evaluation.Afterafewfull-lengthtests,criticallystudytheresultsandidentifystrongandweakareas.Thissectionwillgivearoughguidetointerpretingyourmarks.ReadingsectionFortheReadingsection,amarkabove22isconsideredgood,whileanythingbelow14requiresseriousattention.Thekeytoimprovementinthissectionistopayattentiontotheconceptsandstructureofargumentinthepassages.Becomeanexpertatthe“skimming”techniquediscussedinChapter3anduseittoidentifythemaincomponentsinagivenpassage.Startwitharticlesofgeneralinterestandgraduatetomoretechnical,academicpassagesasyourmarkimproves.ListeningsectionFortheListeningsection,amarkbetween15and21isconsideredaverage.Toimproveyourmarksinthissection,workonyournote-takingskills.Strikeabalancebetweendetailandselectivefocus.Yournotesarethebuildingblocksonwhichyoucandevelopasummaryoftheconversation.Thedifferencebetweenagoodandapoormarkoftendependsontheeffortyouputintomakingnotes.SpeakingsectionIntheSpeakingsection,amarkabove22isconsideredtobeverygood.Ifyourmarkisbelow12,youshouldpayattentiontoimpromptuspeaking.Tryspeakingatlengthfirstaboutfamiliartopicsandgraduallymoveontospeakingforlongerintervalsaboutmoredifficultacademicsubjects.WritingsectionInthewritingsection,giveequalattentiontotheintegratedandindependenttasks.Ifyouareconsistentlygettingaself-assessmentmarkoflessthan14,theproblemcanusuallybetracedtodifficultiesinexpression.Takeeveryopportunitytowriteabriefresponsetosomethingyoumayhaveread,seenorheard.Paycloseattentiontosentenceconstruction,grammar,andspellings—marksaredeductedforsuchmistakes.7.5ModifyasRequiredThescheduledetailedinthischapterismeanttoworkasaroughguideforyoutofollowwhen

planningyourexampreparation.Itgivesyouabroadideaofhowtoorganizeyourworkbutleavesitflexibleenoughforyoutochangeforyourconvenience.Throughconstantpracticeandself-evaluation,youwillgetabetterideaofhowyoucantweaksomeaspectsofthisprogramtosuityourindividualrequirements.So,bedisciplined,bedeterminedandbecreative!TOEFLsuccessisjustdaysaway.

Chapter8:TheFinalWeekYouhavecomealongwayinthese90days.Youhavecoveredeachsectionofthetestthoroughly,andevaluatedyourselfthroughpracticeexercises.EnteringthelastweekofyourTOEFLpreparation,themostimportantthingisconfidence.Inthelastfewdays,Lightenyourstudyload.Itistoolatetolearnsomethingentirelynewortoimproveevenyourskillssignificantly.Atthispoint,focusonlyontherevisionofyourwordlists,rulesofsentenceconstructionandpronunciation.Getgoodrestintheselastfewdays.Tryandexercisealittle,orgooutforalongwalk.Thiswillhelpyouwithstandthephysicalstrainofthefour-hourtestandboostyourgeneralmorale.TheBigDayHereareafewthingstokeepinmindonthefinaldaysothatyouarecalmandrelaxedforthetest.

Wakeupearly,sothatyoudon’thavetorushthroughonthemorningofyourtest.Startearly,dosomelightstretchingexercisesandstayinagoodmoodbydoingsomethingthathelpsyourelax—listentosomemusic,orwateryourpottedplants.Haveagoodbreakfastbeforeleavinghome.Thetestislongandtiring.Also,takealongasmallsnacklikeasandwichorsomebiscuitsandasugareddrink,justincaseyourfeellowonenergy.Dresscomfortably.It isagoodideatodressinmultiplelayers—thetemperatureinthetestingareamaybehigherorlowerthanwhatyouarecomfortablewith.Leavehomewell in timeandreachthetestcenterat least30-45minutesaheadofyourtest.Ifpossible,tryandvisitthetestcenterafewdaysbeforesothatyouwon’thavetotakethestressoflocatingitonthemorningofthetest.Carryproperidentificationproofandyourregistrationdocuments.Theywillbecheckedandverifiedbeforeyouareallowedtositforthetest.You will also be photographed before your test. So make sure your look smart andconfident!Afterall,thisphotowillbeonyoumarkedtestreportaswell.Keepinmindthatyouwillnotbeallowedtotakeanyelectronicdevicesinsidethetestingarea.Soitmightbeagoodideatoleaveyourmobilephone,musicplayer,etc.athome.Inthetestitself,paceyourself.Don’tgotoofastortooslow,andattempteachquestioncarefullysinceyoucannotgoback toa sectiononce it iscompleted.Since there isnonegativemarkingfor incorrect responses,makesureyouanswereveryquestion to thebestofyourability.And finally, nomatterwhat happens, don’t panic.Remind yourself that youwill be atyourbestonlyifyouarecalm.Thereisalwaysscopetomakeupforafewbadquestionslaterinthesection.

SupplementA:SomeAdditionalOnlineSources

Thisbookhastriedtoemphasizetheimportanceofadequatepracticeandself-evaluationofresultsandskills.Givenbelowareafewonlineresourcesthatareavailabletoyoufreeofcost.ThesewebsitesarealldesignedspecificallytocatertotheneedsofthosewhoarelearningEnglishasaSecondLanguage.Whilesomeofthesewebsitesprovideresourcessuchastutorials,videos,worksheetsandflashcardstohelpinyourlearningofthelanguage,othersprovideyouwithsamplequestionsandtimedteststhatwillfamiliarizeyouwiththedemandsoftheTOEFLtestitself.EnglishasSecondLanguageResources

www.rong-change.comisanexcellentplaceforpracticetestsandexercisesinlistening,speaking,writing,grammar,vocabulary.www.mes-english.com is a good place for resources like flashcards and languageworksheets.www.online-utility.org is another site that provides tips and exercises on reading,vocabulary,usageandwriting.Randall’sESLCyberListeningLab—www.esl-lab.com—isagreatresourceforalargebankoflisteningandspeakingsamplesofallkindsESLPod—www.eslpod.com—is a very useful site that allows you to listen to its vastdatabase of conversations that can be played back at slower speeds. Those with weaklisteningskillswouldfindthissourcetobeparticularlybeneficial.

PracticeTestsandSampleQuestions

www.etsglobal.orgistheofficialresourcewebsiteforTOEFLpreparation.Ithasalargenumber of sample questions andpractice tests.Questions fromprevious years’ papersarealsoavailable.These sites alsoprovideexcellent free tests andquestionbanks thatwill aidgreatly inyourpreparationforallthefoursections,i.e.Reading,Listening,SpeakingandWriting:www.4tests.com; www.testden.com; www.magoosh.com; www.examenglish.com;www.graduateshotline.com;www.englishclub.com

SupplementB:ChecklistItwouldbeamplycleartoyoubynowthatTOEFLpreparationisnotjustaboutknowingEnglish.Itrequiressystematicplanninganddedicatedpreparation.Inmanyways,itneedsyoutokeepinmindyourfinalgoal,evenasyouaretryingtoimproveandworkonyourspecificskillssets.AccordingtoanoldIndianproverb,“thepitcherisfilledupdropbydrop”.TOEFLpreparationisalsolikethat.Smallgainsmadeoveralongperiodwilleventuallyleadtoahighmarkonthetest.Allitneedsisdisciplineandpassion.Hereisaquickchecklistofthemainthingsyoushouldhavelearnedfromthebook.Refertothislistatanypointduringyourpreparationtoperiodicallycheckontheprogressyouhavemade.

Theformatofthetest:thedetailsaboutthevarioussections,theirduration,theirorder,andthenumberofquestions;

Masteryoftheskillsofskimmingandscanning;Theabilitytoparaphraseandsummarizeeffectivelyandprecisely;Adegreeofcomfortwithimpromptuspeakingonfamiliaraswellasacademicsubjects;Awritingstylethatisbasedonpreciseargumentsandcoherentorganization;A systematic way to approach integrated tasks in both Speaking as well as Writingsections;Arealisticideaofthekindoftestconditionstoexpect;Guidelinesonhowtoplanyourpreparation;Somestrategiestoeffectivelymonitorandanalyzeyourprogress;andTheniftywaysinwhichtechnologycanbeusedtoenhanceyourpreparation,throughtheeffectiveuseoftheinternetandSmartphoneapps

ConclusionTOEFLandIELTSaremoreoftenthannot,requiredforinternationaltrade,tertiaryinstitutionadmissionsandimmigrationpurposes.AnyonecanlearnandmastertheseskillsasIhaveshowninthisbookbutthiscanonlybeachievedwithcommitmentfromyou.Withconfidenceandperseverancefromyou,coupledwiththeuseofflashcards,groupworkandpractice,practicepractice,youwillbeabletoattainyourgoalin90days.Thebookisdividedintospecificchaptersforreading,listening,speakingandwriting.Whenyouknowthepurposeofacademicreadingwhichisforinformationgathering,comprehensionandlearning,itwillbeapieceofcakeonceyou’reconfrontedwithitduringtheexams.Similarlywithlistening,knowingthenumberofspeakersandtheirmainpointsandideasanddistinguishingdifferentaccentswillhastentheprocessofyourlisteningskills.Astospeaking,thereisnobetterteacherthanpracticingandfinallyyourwritingskills.Yourwritingskillsanditsclaritycanbeseenonlyifyouknowhowtodevelopanidea,howtoorganiseyourideaandthelangaugethatyouuse.Onceyoumasterthese4skills,youshouldbeonyourwaytosucessfullyhackingTOEFLandIELTSin90days.Finally,settingaconsistenttimeforyourstudieswillsetupapartfromothers.Congratulationsformakingitthisfarsonow,usethisguideonadailybasisandstartyour90dayjourney.Rememberyouwillonlybeabletosuccessfullyreachyourgoalifyoufollowthisbooktotheletter.Goodluck

Finally,pleasetelluswhatyouthinkaboutthisbookbyleavingareviewonAmazon.