WORKSHOP ON THE TOEFL ITP

VALESKA VIRGÍNIA SOARES SOUZAvaleskasouza@iftm.edu.br

A Reliable Assessment of Academic English• The TOEFL® ITP tests are paper-based and use 100 percent

academic content to evaluate the English-language proficiency of nonnative English speakers, giving you confidence about your students' ability in a real-world academic setting. All questions are multiple choice and students answer questions by filling in an answer sheet. The tests evaluate skills in three areas:

• Listening Comprehension measures the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in colleges and universities

• Structure and Written Expression measures recognition of selected structural and grammatical points in standard written English

• Reading Comprehension measures the ability to read and understand academic reading material in English

WHAT KINDS OF TOPICS WOULD YOU PREDICT TO BE ON THE TOEFL ITP?LET’S BRAINSTORM!

Guessing game

Paleontology

Astronomy

Field trips

Marketing

RegistrationSocialevents

Content and Settings for the TOEFL ITP tests• Academic Topics

– Arts: fine arts, crafts, theater, dance, architecture, literature, music, film, photography

– Humanities: history, political science, government, philosophy, law– Life Sciences: paleontology, biochemistry, animal behavior, ecology,

anatomy, physiology, genetics, health science, biology, agriculture– Physical Sciences: geology, astronomy, chemistry, geology, earth science,

engineering, meteorology, energy, technology, oceanography, physics– Social Sciences: anthropology, sociology, education, geography,

archaeology, psychology, economics, business, management, marketing, communications

• Campus-life Topics– Classes: class schedules, class requirements, library references, assignments

(papers, presentations, readings), professors, studying, field trips– Campus administration: registration, housing on and off campus, study

abroad, internships, university policies– Campus activities: clubs, committees, social events

WeatherRequests for information Leaving messages

Personal schedules

Public transportation

• General Topics– Business: management, offices, official documents, law– Environment: weather, nature, climate, environment– Food: types of food, restaurants– Language and communication: mail, email, telephone use, leaving

messages, requests for information– Media: TV, newspapers, Internet– Objects: descriptions of objects, equipment– Personal: family members, friends, health, emotions, physical

characteristics, daily routines– Planning and time management: future events, invitations, personal

schedules– Purchases: clothing, shopping, banking, money– Recreation: sports, games, concerts, plays, art, books, photography,

music, parties and gatherings, public lectures– Transportation: travel, driving, parking, public transportation, travel

reservations– Workplace: applying for a job, on-campus employment, work schedules

The TOEFL ITP Assessment at a Glance

MORE INFO: http://www.ets.org/toefl_itp

Grading system

48 + 50 + 55 = 153/3 = 510

310-677

TOEFL ITP

Now let’s prepare for the listening section of the test!

In this section of the test, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to understand conversations and talks in English.

General strategies for listening comprehension

1. Be familiar with the directions2. Listen carefully to the passages3. Know where the easier and the more

difficult questions are generally found4. Be familiar with the pacing of the test5. Never leave any answers blank on your

answer sheet6. Use any remaining time to look ahead at

the answers to the questions that follow

Structure of listening comprehension

1. Short Dialogues are two-line dialogues between two speakers, each followed by a multiple choice question.

2. Long conversations are 60-90 second conversations on casual topics between students, each followed by a number of multiple choice questions.

3. Talks are commonly shortened versions of lectures from courses taught in American colleges and universities, each followed by questions.

• You will listen to each dialogue, long conversation, talk and questions once.

Observe this example:– (man) That exam was really awful.– (woman) Oh, it could have been worse.– (woman) What does the woman mean?

• (A) The exam was really awful.• (B) It was the worst exam she had ever seen.• (C) It couldn’t have been more difficult.• (D) It wasn’t that hard.

TOEFL ITP

Now let’s prepare for the structure section of the test!

This section is designed to measure your ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. There are two types of questions in this section, with special directions for each type.

STRUCTURE

• The president _____ the election by a landslide.

• (A) won• (B) he won• (C) yesterday• (D) fortunately

WRITTEN EXPRESSION

• The four string on a violin are tuned.

• (A) The• (B) string• (C) are• (D) tuned

Since there is a subject ‘The president’, the sentence is missing a verb, so the correct answer is (A) won.

The number ‘four’ calls for a plural noun, so (B) ‘string’ should be ‘strings’. You should choose what makes the sentence wrong.

Procedures for the structure questions1. First, study the sentence. Your purpose is to

determine what is needed to complete the sentence correctly.

2. Then study each answer based on how well it completes the sentence. Eliminate answers that do not complete the sentence correctly.

3. Do not try to eliminate incorrect answers by looking only at the answers. The incorrect answers are generally correct by themselves. The incorrect answers are generally incorrect only when used to complete the sentences.

TOEFL ITP

Now let’s prepare for the reading comprehension section of the test!

This section is designed to measure your ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American universities and colleges. To avoid creating an advantage to individuals in any one field of study, sufficient context is provided so that no subject-specific familiarity with the subject matter is required to answer the questions.

What is the main idea of the passage?

• (A) In modern society we must make more time for our neighbors.

• (B) The traditions of society are timeless.

• (C) An accepted way of measuring time is essential for the smooth functioning of society.

• (D) Society judges people by the times at which they conduct certain activities.

The main idea of the passage is that societies need to agree about how time is measured in order to function smoothly. Therefore, you should choose answer C.

In line 7, the phrase "this tradition" refers to

• (A) the practice of starting the business day at dawn.

• (B) friendly relations between neighbors.

• (C) the railroad's reliance on time schedules.

• (D) people's agreement on the measurement of time.

The phrase "this tradition" refers to the preceding clause, "people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day." Therefore, you should choose answer D.