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This type of question asks you to look at only ONE side of the issue…the side you agree with. DON’T
write about both sides. You tell which side you agree with and support your ideas with details and
examples.
2. Describe something.
Example: If you could invent something NEW, what product would you develop? Use specific details to
explain why this invention is needed?
In answering this type of question, you MUST be creative. It asks you to describe something NEW,
something that does not exist. You must describe it in detail AND tell why it is necessary.
3. Compare two points of view and tell which one you agree with.
Example: Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and
should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most
of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why?
In this type of question, you must write about BOTH sides of this issue and then tell which side you agree
with. You may NOT say that you agree with both sides. You MUST make a choice. First, give support,
details and examples of both sides of the issue. Then, tell which side you agree with and why.
In this type of question, you MUST agree or disagree. You cannot be unsure or indecisive. After you have
said whether you agree or disagree, you must give convincing reasons and examples for your choice.
In this question, you should use lots of examples. (For this question, you would use examples of gifts one
might receive and tell why those gifts are memorable). Do not write in the first person, “I.” Write in more
general terms.
In this question, first tell whether you support or oppose the plan and then tell why. Since this question is
somewhat personal, it is ok to use personal pronouns such as: “I, me, my” in your answer.
B. The body:
The body of your essay is also the “heart” of your essay. It will include your main ideas and details and
examples to support those ideas. Each new idea should be a new paragraph. Typically, a TOEFL essay
will have 3 – 4 body paragraphs.
C. The conclusion:
The conclusion will be your final paragraph. It will summarize all the main ideas in your essay and it may
also include your opinion.
Let’s look at some more essay questions to see how to restate the question and how to write your thesis
statement.
Analysis:
The restatement mentions the two types of options people have for eating and tells which one the author
prefers. In addition, it gives three reasons for that preference. These three reasons will make up the three
main idea paragraphs in the body of the essay.
Essay structure
Your essay has to follow the English essay structure. In fact, even native speakers of
English have to use this essay structure when they write-if they don't use it, then their essay
won't be a very good one! Fortunately, the essay structure is easy to learn. There are only
three main parts:
introduction
body
conclusion
Without this basic structure, your thoughts will not be organized and it will be very difficult
for the TOEFL assessors to understand your writing. This is not an exaggeration. The
essay structure puts your thoughts and ideas in a logical order. It arranges your ideas in a
way that is natural to native speakers of English.
Thesis statement
Your introduction must have a thesis statement. This is the last sentence in the first
paragraph. It is also the most important sentence in your essay because it tells the reader
exactly what your opinion is. It should be simple and direct. Here are some examples:
Topic sentences
Every paragraph in the essay body begins with a topic sentence. A good topic sentence
does two things. First, it gives one reason why your thesis statement is true. Second, it tells
the reader what the paragraph is about. In other words, the topic sentence looks forward
and backwards: it refers to the rest of the paragraph and it refers back to the thesis
statement.
Conclusion
This is the last paragraph in the essay. It is also a very important paragraph. Put simply, it
is a summary of the main points of your essay: thesis statement + topic sentences. Of
course, you shouldn't copy your thesis and topic sentences exactly.
If you organize your writing by following this essay structure, you will see a big
improvement. All of the essay parts (introduction, thesis statement, topic sentences,
supporting ideas, conclusion) work together and not only make your writing stronger, but
also make your ideas easier to understand.
To Add:
and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly,
what's more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)
To Compare:
whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, by comparison, where,
compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all,
in contrast, although this may be true
To Prove:
because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides,
indeed, in fact, in addition, in any case, that is
To Show Exception:
yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes
To Show Time:
immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first
(second, etc.), next, and then
To Repeat:
in brief, as I have said, as I have noted, as has been noted
To Emphasize:
definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally,
surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a
doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation
To Show Sequence:
first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at
this point, after, afterward, subsequently, finally, consequently, previously, before this,
simultaneously, concurrently, thus, therefore, hence, next, and then, soon
To Give an Example:
for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the
case of, to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate
To Summarize or Conclude:
in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have shown, as I have said,
hence, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, consequently
Addition Thus
Fortunately
Some transitional words are used to
indicate similarity or addition. These Sequence
include, but are not limited to:
These transitional words help to put
Again thoughts or events in an essay into
Also chronological order or into some sort of
And sequence. These include:
Another
Besides First
As well as Second
Likewise After
Moreover Throughout
Similarly Presently
Furthermore In the beginning
In addition During
Earlier
Contradiction Finally
To begin with
Other transitional words can show Next
dissimilarity or contradiction. These are: Now
Once
Although
And yet Exemplifying
Even though
On the contrary When the essay writer is trying to show an
Otherwise example of something, they will often use
On the other hand exemplifying transitions such as:
However
In comparison Chiefly
Instead Especially
Nevertheless For instance
Yet In particular
While Specifically
Such as
Consequence Namely
Definition:
Compare/Contrast:
Cause/Effect:
If this cause essay were about a volcanic eruption, it might go something like:
"Pressure and heat built up beneath the earth's surface; theeffect of this was an enormous volcanic
eruption."
The next example shows an effect essay, one that would explain all the effects that happened after a
If this effect essay were about a volcanic eruption again, it might go something like:
"The eruption caused many terrible things to happen; it destroyed homes, forests, and polluted the
atmosphere."
Narrative:
Examples:A narrative essay could tell of . . .
* my brother's and my fishing trips;
* a boring trip to the grocery store;
* my near-death experience at the beach.
The narrative essay tells a story. It can also be called a "short story." Generally the narrative essay is
conversational in style, and tells of a personal experience. It is most commonly written in the first person
(uses I). This essay could tell of a single, life-shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience.
Process:
A process essay describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that should be
performed in a series. It can explain in detail how to accomplish a specific task, or it can show how an
individual came to a certain personal awareness. The essay could be in the form of step-by-step
instructions, or in story form, with the instructions/explanations subtly given along the way.
Argumentative:
An argumentative essay is one that attempts to persuade the reader to the writer's point of view. The
writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her
opinion. The essay may argue openly, or it may attempt to subtly persuade the reader by using irony or
sarcasm.
Critical:
A critical essay analyzes the strengths, weaknesses and methods of someone else's work. Generally
these essays begin with a brief overview of the main points of the text, movie, or piece of art, followed by
an analysis of the work's meaning. It should then discuss how well the author/creator accomplishes
his/her goals and makes his/her points. A critical essay can be written about another essay, story, book,
poem, movie, or work of art.