Quick Guide Toelf 2017 Academic Success

TOEFL
Preparation Course
Prof. Dana Lomagno

info@academic-success.com.ar
dana.aplicaciones.mba@gmail.com
Tel. 15-5563-1018
Skype: dana.romina.lomagno
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Centro de Preparación de Exámenes para Aplicaciones
Internacionales
GMAT – GRE – IELTS – TOEFL – SAT
Aplicaciones – Traducciones
Prof. Dana Lomagno
TOEFL IBT Preparation Course – QUICK GUIDE FOR THE TOEFL IBT
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW OF THE TEST 3

READING SECTION 3
LISTENING SECTION 4
SPEAKING SECTION 6
WRITING SECTION 9
READING SECTION FOR PRACTICE 17
PRACTICE MATERIAL THAT
ACCOMPANY THIS BINDER 40
FOLLOW UP CHART 41
ANNEX 1 – PHRASES FOR THE SPEAKING SECTION 43
ANNEX 2 – PHRASES FOR THE WR
WRITING SECTION 47
2
Prof. Dana Lomagno
OVERVIEW OF THE TEST
This test measures the English proficiency and academic skills of nonnative
speakers of English, it is required primarily by colleges and universities.
Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, businesses, or scholarship
programs may require this test.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST
The iBT version has the following four sections and in this order:
READING SECTION
LISTENING SECTION
SPEAKING SECTION
WRITING SECTION
Each section represents 30 points, being the overall score 120.
THE READING SECTION
It consists of 3 long passages and 39 questions about these passages. The

passages are on academic topics. They are the kind of material that might be found
in an undergraduate university textbook. Students
Students answer questions about:
• Main ideas • References

• Overall ideas • Sentence restatements
• Details • Vocabulary
• Inferences • Function
• Grammar
This section takes 60 minutes. As from December 2011, candidates have 60

minutes to complete the 3 passages. Before that, candidates had 20 minutes
for the first passage and 40 for the other 2. Answers can be changed before
leaving the section.
3
Prof. Dana Lomagno
IMPORTANT
Do not be surprised if you have a fourth reading passage, that means one of them
will be used for research purposes and it will not be taken into account for the
score. However, you do not know which of the four will not count. You may get the
fourth passage (if you get it) at the end, and that will automatically give you 20
other minutes,
tes, or you may have 80 minutes from the beginning, if the latter
la is the
case, take into account that still you have to calculate 20 minutes per passage if you
want to complete the section within the time limit. In some cases, instead of having
an extra reading passage, you can get two or three extra listening passages.
THIS SECTION REQUIRES A LOT OF PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY TO GET FAMILIAR

WITH THE DIFFERENT TOPICS. YOU ARE GOING TO PRACTICE THIS AT HOME
WITH THE CDS THAT ACCOMPANY THIS MATERIAL.
MAKE SURE
E YOU DISTRUBUTE THE NUMBER OF TESTS ALONG THE PERIOD OF
PREPARATION.
TO MAKE SURE ALL THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS ARE CLEAR, YOU ARE GOING TO
DO THE COMPLETE READING SECTION ON PAGE 20, THEN YOU WILL DISCUSS
THE MISTAKES AND DOUBTS IN CLASS BEFORE YOU CONTINUE
CONTINUE PRACTISING ON
YOUR OWN.
THE LISTENING SECTION
It consists of six long passages and 34 questions about the passages. The
situations are divided into two groups:
• CAMPUS CONVERSATIONS
• ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
The first listening passage may last between 2 and 3 minutes, while the last one
may be up to 8 or 9 minutes long.
The questions ask the students to determine:
• Main ideas • Overall organization

• Details
• Function
• Stance
• Inferences
4
Prof. Dana Lomagno
The format of the questions
• Multiple choice with one correct answer

• Multiple choice with more than one correct answer – Read the instructions
carefully, you may need to choose two answers instead of only one
• Complete a chart, always choosing options, never
nev writing words.
This section takes approximately 50 minutes and taking down notes is one of the
most important factors to be successful in this section. Though these notes are not
taken into account for the score, they are of vital importance to choose the correct
answers. Students listen to the passages only once and read the questions and
possible answers only after they have listened to the passage, not before or
during.
IMPORTANT
It may happen that you don’t find this section as difficult or challenging as the
others, of course this depends on the level and the abilities of the students.
However, in general, this section seems to have a level of difficulty which is a bit
below the others.
If, when you start practicing, you don’t find it difficult, do not stop working on it,
the reasons are:
• The topics of the listening passages may be similar to the ones in other
sections, which can help you the day of the exam.
• You incorporate new vocabulary
• You train your ear, therefore, your pronunciation improves
• You practice NOTE TAKING, which will be crucial in the SPEAKING and
WRITING sections.
CONCLUSION, even if you do not find it difficult, keep practicing listening, it may
help in the overall score of your exam.
THE LISTENING PRACTICE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CLASSES, HOWEVER,

HOWEVER YOU
HAVE RECEIVED ALL THE NECESSARY MATERIALS TO PRACTICE THIS AT HOME.
IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU PRACTICE THIS SECTION BEFORE GOING TO THE

WRITING AND THE SPEAKING. IN THIS WAY YOU WILL GET FAMILIAR WITH
DIFFERENT TOPICS AND YOU WILL TRAIN YOUR EAR.
5
Prof. Dana Lomagno
THE SPEAKING SECTION
The whole section takes approximately 20 minutes. This section is recorded on the
computer, however, it will be corrected by teachers, who will take into account the
following criteria:
• Is the student answering to the question?

• Comprehensibility
• Fluency
• Organization
• Pronunciation
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
INDEPENDENT 1. Free choice response PT: 15 seconds

TASKS RT: 45 seconds
2. Paired choice response PT: 15 seconds

RT: 45 seconds
INTEGRATED 3. Campus conversation Reading T: 45 seconds

TASKS PT: 30 seconds
RT: 60 seconds
R+L→S
4. Academic Presentation Reading T: 45 seconds
PT: 30 seconds
RT: 60 seconds
INTEGRATED 5. Campus Conversation Listening T: varies

TASKS Conflict / Problem / Viewpoint PT: 20 seconds
Suggestions / Solutions / Views RT: 60 seconds
L→S Your opinion / Reason
6. Academic Presentation Listening T: varies

PT: 20 seconds
RT: 60 seconds
PT: Preparation Time // RT: Response Time // Reading T: Reading Time

//Listening
Listening T: Listening Tim
Time
6
Prof. Dana Lomagno
IMPORTANT
Some tips to take into account for the SPEAKING section
1) Free choice response
• This question sometimes seems to be extremely easy, however, it may turn

out to be difficult since you do not know what to say. Among the
possibilities, just in case, be ready to answer any of the following:
What’s your favorite …… ?
FOOD / SUBJECT / HOLIDAY / VACATION PLACE / BOOK / MOVIE /

KIND OF MUSIC / SPORT / FAMOUSE PERSONALITY etc
What are the characteristics of a good …. ?
TEACHER / FRIEND / BROTHER or SISTER / PARENT / BOSS /

NEIGHBOUR etc
Remember that in all cases you will have to provide REASONS,

EXAMPLES and/or DETAILS
THESE ARE JUST POSSIBILITIES, OF COURSE, QUESTION 1 MAY BE

OF A DIFFERENT KIND, SUCH AS Explain how technology has
life.. HOWEVER, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE WHAT’S-
changed your life WHAT’S
YOUR-FAVOURITE
FAVOURITE KIND OF QUESTION, OR THE OTHER ONE
PRESENTED, SEEM TO BE EASY, BUT A ARE
RE THE MOST DIFFICULT
ONES TO ANSWER.
2) Paired choice response
• Here, you have to choose one side, and stick to it, in that way, you will keep
focused on your answer, and you will be organized
• RECOMMENDATION: go to the point as fast as you can, give your an answer in
the first 3 or 4 seconds and the give the reasons and details for that.
3) Integrated task in a campus situation with reading
• You will have 45 seconds to read the passage and then, it will disappear
from the screen. This passage will give you background
background information to
understand the context of the dialogue.
• You do not need to take down notes, but if you have time, just in case, you
can jot down some ideas, or words that might be useful in your answer.
• During the listening, take down notes of as many details as possible. Think
of the relationship between the speakers and why they are having that
conversation. Generally, only one of them gives the information, generally it
7
Prof. Dana Lomagno
is an opinion on something, or describing requirements, advantages, etc of

something.
• You may feel that 60 seconds of response time seems to be eternity. So, be
ready to include as many details as possible to fill in the time
4) Integrated task in an academic presentation
• The same as in the previous question, the information in the RP serves as

background information. You may need it for your response, and you won’t
have the RP on the screen while preparing your response, even if you had it,
you wouldn’t have time to read it, analyze it and prepare your response
• Different from the previ
previous
ous question, you may feel that 60 seconds is too
short to give an appropriate response. Be concise and go to the point! Be
organized in your note taking, and make sure you are answering to the
question.
5) Integrated task in a campus situation without reading

readi
• As in any campus situation, there is an informal dialogue between two

students, a teacher and a student, a tutor and a student, etc. It is always in a
campus context.
• One of the two speakers will have:
o PROBLEM
o Or a CONFLICT
o Or a VIEWPOINT
• The other speakers
peakers then will give:
o SUGGESTIONS
o POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
LUTIONS
o A DIFFERENT VIEW
• Most probably you will be asked to give your opinion and the reason for
that opinion.
• IMPORTANT. Even though these are the most common possibilities,
sometimes there are variations to the this questions, like for example:
o One of the two speakers has a concern
o They describe advantages and disadvantages of something
o IN ANY CASE, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY
AND THAT YOU ANSWER TO THE QUESTION CORRECTLY AND
WITHIN THE RESPONSE TIME.
6) Integrated task in a academic presentation without reading
• The last question is an academic presentation without a reading

passage,, most probably you will have to take down notes of a lot of
details, do not miss anything!! You do not know what you will be asked
about.
8
Prof. Dana Lomagno
• Generally, this lecture is full of details, stages, examples; or the lecturer

may describe how a machine works.works. You will need to take down a lot of
notes and you will need to summarize the information as much as
possible.
THE WRITING SECTION
The WRITING SECTION measures your ability to communicate in English. Several

aspects are evaluated:
• Are you answering to the question?

• Comprehensibility
• Organization
• Flow of ideas
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
This section consists of two tasks: INTEGRATED AND INDEPENDENT TASKS.

TASKS
INTEGRATED WRITING
The INTEGRATED (20 MINUTES) one measures your ability to understand,
analyze and relate information which, most of the times, might be unfamiliar to
you. That is why it is so important to take down notes and understand all the
details, even if you think they do not seem to be signif
significant.
The integrated task consists of a 250-300

250 300 word reading passage (for which you
have 3 minutes) and a 1--2 2 minute lecture on the same academic topic. The
information in the reading passage and the information in the listening passage are
related, but the
he listening passage does not simply repeat what is in the reading
passage. You take should notes of the information in each of the passages, and then
you must write a 150 - 225 word response about how the information in the two
passages is related. Even though
hough the reading passage will remain on the screen
while you are writing, make sure you understand the information during the
preparation time before listening to the lecture.
9
Prof. Dana Lomagno
The information from the listening passage will be related to the informati
information from
the reading passage in different ways. Remember you won’t see the question until
the end, so it is better if you can anticipate. The relationships may be the following:
IS AN EXAMPLE OF
THE INFORMATION FROM CONTRASTS THE INFORMATION FROM

THE LISTENING PASSAGE THE READ
READING PASSAGE
SHEDS LIGHT ON
CASTS DOUBT ON
ADDS INFORMATION TO
IMPORTANT
Remember that the information you get from the Reading Passage is key for your
writing. Even though the reading passage will remain on the scr
screen
een while you are
writing, do not take it for granted that you will have enough time to work on the
reading passage while you are writing. Also, having a good comprehension of the RP
will help you understand the ideas in the Listening passage much better, therefore,
you will get more details for your writing.
Organization is key in this task, as well as the level of details you include in
your writing. There are many ways of approaching this writing, however, we
suggest the following:
In this set of materials, the reading passage describes ….. (here, include
all the details you need to include about the reading passage) (even if
the question seems to focus more on the LP, you always need to say
something about the RP)
Make the connection (using the vocabulary

cabulary presented before) and
support the information giving the details of the Listening Passage. Eg.
However, the lecturer casts doubt on the points from the reading passage
when (he) says that …. (here, give as many details as possible taken
from the listening
istening passage)
10
Prof. Dana Lomagno
The question in this task may vary, for example:
- Summarize the main points of the reading passage and explain how the
information in the listening passage is connected to it.
- Summarize the main points of the reading passage and explain how the professor
(casts doubt on this)
- Explain how the listening passage is connected to the reading passage.
- Explain how the listening passage (contrasts) the reading passage.
Notice that the question may ask, or not, about the reading passage, in any case, whatever
you say about the listening passage should be based on the reading passage. What will
vary is how many lines you devote to the information of the reading passage and the
information of the listening passage.
11
Prof. Dana Lomagno
INDEPENDENT TASK (30 MINUTES)
In this task, you are supposed to write about a topic that is familiar to you, i.e. it is
something you should be able to talk about, you have to come up with the ideas, and the
answer
swer is in an essay format. The number of words you are expected to write is between
350 – 450 words, we can say that the accepted number of words is at least 300 300-320,
writing fewer words than that will have a negative impact on your score.
It is important that you read the statement carefully, since the format of the essay and the
way you present the information will vary according to the statement. There are 4 types of
essays.
Have a look at the following statement taken from real TOEFL iBT exams. Together
Togethe with
your teacher, think of the structure to follow to write an effective essay.
A) If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would
you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
Introduction
Development
Conclusion
12
Prof. Dana Lomagno
B) It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do

you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your
essay
Introduction
Development
Conclusion
C) Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to
the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of
learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages
of these two different ways
ways of learning about life. Which do you think is
preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference.
Introduction
Development
Conclusion
13
Prof. Dana Lomagno
D) The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some
people think that our community would be a good place to locate the
university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new
university in your community. Use details in your discussion.
Introduction
Development
Conclusion
The following are different topics taken from real TOEFL iBT tests for you to practice.
First, read the statements and think which format corresponds to each.
1. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new
experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people
attend college or university? Use specific reasons and example to support your
answer.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement

statement? Parents are the best
teachers.. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way
people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
4. It has been said

id that, ‘Not everything that is learned is contained in books.’
Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained
from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why? Use specific
reasons and examples to support your answer.
14
Prof. Dana Lomagno
5. Students at universities often have a choice of places to live. They may choose to
live in university dorms, or they may choose to live in apartments in the
community. Compare the advantages of living in university housing with the
advantages of living in an apartment in the community. Where would you prefer to
live? Give reasons for your preference.
6. If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what
would you choose? Explain your choice, use reasons and specific examples to
support your answer.
7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed
communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your answer.
8. Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to
prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and
examples to support your response.
9. When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs
of the new country. Others p
prefer
refer to keep their own customs. Compare these two
choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.
10. Some people choose to have friends who are different from themselves. Others
choose friends who are similar to themselves. Comp
Compareare the advantages of having
friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are
similar to you. Which kind of friend do you prefer for yourself? Why?
11. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Only people who ear
earn a lot
of money are successful. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer.
12. If you could travel back in time and meet a famous person from history, what
person would like to meet? Use specific reasons and examples to support your
choice.
13. “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with
success.” Do you agree or disagree with this quotation? Use specific reasons and
examples to explain your position.
14. Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways,
highways, or
should governments spend more money on improving public transportation
(buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your
essay.
15
Prof. Dana Lomagno
15. It has recently been announced that a new movie theater may be built in your
neighborhood.
hood. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new
development? Use details and examples to develop your essay.
16. Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other
countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons
reasons and examples.
17. Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers. Do you agree or disagree?
Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.
18. Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others
choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of
planning free-time
time activities with the benefits of not making plans
plans.. Which do you
prefer – planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and
examples to explain your choice.
19. Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults.
Other people think that friends are the m
most
ost important influence on young adults.
Which view do you agree with? Use examples to explain your position.
20. While some people prefer to work for an employer, other prefer to own a business.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being self-employed?
employed? Use specific
reasons and examples to explain your position.
16
Prof. Dana Lomagno
THE READING SECTION
This section measures your ability to understand written academic passages.

pa
You will be asked to read between 3 academic passages and answer between
12 and 14 questions for each. All the information needed to ansswer the
questions is found within the passage. It is not necessary to have any prior
knowledge on the subject to
o answer the questions.
Most questions in this section
on are worth one point. The last question inn each set
is worth more than one point.
po The tool bar on the computer screen will
w allow
you to see the total number
ber of questions within each part and the number
nu of
the item you are answeringg. There will also be a clock that shows the he number
of minutes and seconds left.. You can hide the clock if you want, anyway.
When reading the passage,, you may see a word or phrase underlined ned and in
blue, that means that the definition
de is available when clicking on it. Thhis is not
the case for the words, only
on those that are not being tested or the ones o you
might not be familiar with and you are not expected to. After reading the whole
passage, start answering the
he questions by clicking on NEXT. You can also a click
BACK if you want to comeome back to the previous question. Howeveer, try to
answer in order. If you want to skip one question to go back to it later, just click
on SKIP, and click on REVIE
IEW if you want to see which part you havee already
answered.
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
ROVE YOUR READING FLUENCY
• Read extensively. T The more you read, the better reader you ou will
become. The largerr vocabulary you can, the less time you will spend
trying to understand
and unfamiliar words.
• Read challenging maaterial
• Read about topics com ommonly found in the TOEFL test, such as
technology, social scciences, science, humanities, etc.
• Read actively, i.e. thiink about what you are reading
• Increase your formal al and academic vocabulary
STRATEGIES TO USE FOR THE READING SECTION OF THE TOEF

FL
iBT TEST
• Read the entire passage

pa first. As the texts are too long to o fit the
computer screen, usse the scroll bar to go down. You have to scrroll down
the entire passage too move on to the questions, otherwise the program
will not allow it. The
T main topic is usually at the beginningng of the
passage.
• Understanding the m main topic and identifying the ideas that support
suppo the
topic will help you ans
answer the questions concerning the overall
organization.
• Do not spend time trtrying to understand every single detail.
17
Prof. Dana Lomagno
• Use context clues to understand the passage

• Read the whole passa
assage even if you are familiar with the topic
• Use you time wisely.. Be familiar with the question types and tesst
directions, so that you
ou can move on faster.
• Be familiar with scroolling techniques and the buttons on the scree
een.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
IN THE FORMAT OF MULTIPLE CHOICE
• General comprehension
• Specific comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Rephrase
• Inference
• Except
• Insert a sentence
All of these questions are worth one point each
SUMMARY QUESTION
• In this question you will be given one idea and 6 sentences

• You will have to choose the three sentences that summarize the idea given.
• The order in which you choose the sentences doesn’t matter as long as you
choose the three correct sentences.
This question is worth 2 points, and you will 0 or

or 2 depending on the number of
correct answers:
• 0 correct answers – 0 points

• 1 correct answer – 0 points
• 2 correct answers – 1 point
18
Prof. Dana Lomagno
CATEGORY CHART
• In this question you will be given 10 sentences and 2 categories

• You have to send 3 sentences to one group and 4 to the other
• This question measures your overall comprehension
This question is worth 4 points, and you will 0 or 4 depending on the number of
correct answers:

• 1 correct answer – 0 p
points
• 2 correct answers – 1 point
NOW, GET READY TO PRACTICE. HERE YOU HAVE A WHOLE READING

SECTION. MAKE SURE YOU START MONITORING THE TIME. THE FIRST TIME
THAT YOU DO IT, IT MAY TAKE YOU LONGER THAN ONE HOUR, BUT IT IS OK.
THEN WITH THE PRACTICE, THIS ASPECT WILL IMPROVE. STILL, IF YOU CAN,
START CONSIDERING 20 MINUTES PER PASSAGE WITH THE
CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS.
REMEMBER THAT IN THE CAMBRIDGE CD, YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES FOR THE
FIRST PASSAGE, AND 40 FOR THE OTHER TWO. IN THE ACTUAL TEST, YOU
WILL HAVE ONE HOUR FOR THE WHOLE SECTION. SO LEARN TO MANAGE
THE TIME.
ALSO, DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF YOU NOTICE YOU HAVE 80 MINUTES

INSTEAD OF 60, THAT MEANS YOU WILL GET 4 PASSAGES. ONE OF THEM
WILL BE USED FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES, OF COURSE, YOU DO NOT KNOW
WHICH OF THE FOUR WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE SCORE. IF THIS DOES
NOT HAPPEN, YOU MAY GET 3 EXTRA LISTENING PASSAGES!!
PASSA
19
Prof. Dana Lomagno
20
Prof. Dana Lomagno
21
Prof. Dana Lomagno
22
Prof. Dana Lomagno
23
Prof. Dana Lomagno
24
Prof. Dana Lomagno
25
Prof. Dana Lomagno
26
Prof. Dana Lomagno
27
Prof. Dana Lomagno
28
Prof. Dana Lomagno
29
Prof. Dana Lomagno
30
Prof. Dana Lomagno
31
Prof. Dana Lomagno
32
Prof. Dana Lomagno
33
Prof. Dana Lomagno
34
Prof. Dana Lomagno
35
Prof. Dana Lomagno
36
Prof. Dana Lomagno
37
Prof. Dana Lomagno
38
Prof. Dana Lomagno
39
Prof. Dana Lomagno
KEY
1. D 21. B
2. D 22. A
3. D 23. C
4. B 24. C
5. D 25. B–D–E
6. B 26. B
7. C 27. C
8. A 28. D
9. B 29. A
10. C 30. A
11. C 31. D
12. C - E - F // A - D - I – J 32. B
13. B 33. B
14. C 34. A
15. D 35. C
16. B 36. A
17. D 37. D
18. A 38. A
19. A 39. A–B–F
20. B
40
Prof. Dana Lomagno
PRACTICE MATERIALS THAT ACCOMPANY THIS BINDER – HOW

TO USE THEM
CD PRACTICE AND THE REAL EXAM
You have received two CDs together with this binder
- ETS
- CAMBRIDGE
Even though ETS is the official material, Cambridge seems to be a bit more
accurate with the real level of difficulty of the exam, that is why we recommend to
start with ETS and continue with Cambridge. If you do not have enough time to do
many tests, then do Cambridge only.
Another point to take into account is that in the actual exam you may have some
extra activity which will not be taken into account for the score, ie you may have an
extra reading passage or tw two extra listening passages. However, you willw never
know which is not taken into account for the score. Do not be surprised if you have
80 minutes for the reading section, that means you will have to do 4 instead of 3
passages.
Keeping record of you have already practice will help you identify the weakest
points, so use the following charts in class and in your house to keep record of the
activities you have already done and the tests you have already practiced with.
CAMBRIDGE CD
In this CD in the READING SECTION you will see that you have 20 minutes for the
first reading passage and 40 minutes for the other two. In the actual exam you will
have 60 minutes for the three passages. In the exam you will be able to go back and
change anyny question in the section only before you leave the section, once you pass
on to the next one, you cannot go back.
We highly recommend that you start practicing with the ETS CD which is a bit
easier than the Cambridge one, which in fact is more similar to
to the actual test.
TESTS MODE AND PRACTICE MODE
- If you do it in the TEST MODE, you have to do the complete and you will get
the scores over 30 for the reading and listening sections.
- If you do it in the PRACTICE MODE, you can do section by section but you
won’t get the score, instead you will get the number of correct answers. If
you want to calculate the score, use the reference table that follows:
41
Prof. Dana Lomagno
REFERENCE TABLE – TOEFL IBT
READING SECTION LISTEING SECTION SPEAKING SECTION

RAW SCALED RAW SCALED RAW SCALED
SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE
39 30 34 30 4.0 30
38 29 33 29 3.5 27
37 29 32 28 3.0 23
36 28 31 28 2.5 19
35 27 30 27 2.0 15
34 27 29 26 1.5 11
33 26 28 25 1.0 8
32 25 27 25 0 0
31 24 26 24
30 23 25 23 WRITING SECTION
29 23 24 22 5.0 30
28 22 23 22 4.5 28
27 22 22 21 4.0 25
26 21 21 21 3.5 22
25 20 20 20 3.0 20
24 20 19 19 2.5 17
23 19 18 19 2.0 14
22 19 17 18 1.5 11
21 18 16 17 1.0 8
20 18 15 17 0 0
19 17 14 16
18 17 13 15
17 16 12 15
16 16 11 14
15 15 10 13
14 15 9 13
13 14 8 12
12 13 7 11
11 12 6 9
10 11 5 8
9 10 4 6
8 9 3 5
7 8 2 4
6 6 1 2
5 5 0 0
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
42
Prof. Dana Lomagno
The following charts will help you keep your own records of your practices,
especially in the sections of READING and LISTENING.
ETS CD
READING LISTENING SPEAKING WRITING
# Score # Score Raw Converted Raw Converted
Correct over Correct over score score score score
answers 30 answers 30 over 30 over 30
TEST
1
TEST
2
TEST
3
CAMBRIDGE CD
READING LISTENING SPEAKING WRITING

# Score # Score Raw Converted Raw Converted
Correct over Correct over score score score score
answers 30 answers 30 over 30 over 30
TEST
1
TEST
2
TEST
3
TEST
4
TEST
5
TEST
6
TEST
7
43
Prof. Dana Lomagno
TOEFL IBT – PHRASES AND VOCABULARY FOR THE SPEAKING SECTION
ANNEX 1 – SPEAKING SECTION
Phrases and Vocabulary for the Speaking Section with

Reference to Skill and Purpose
These are useful phrases you can use in your answers. Remember that it is important
to use connectors and linking phrases/words, as long as you the correct one in each
context. Also, make sure you do not overuse them.
To Give an Opinion
• (Why) I believe • I think

• I'd like to explain why • In my opinion
• Personally • As far as I'm concerned
• I'd enjoy • It seems to me
• I would prefer/be • I'd/He feel/feels
To Set Up a Condition
• If • Whether (or not) to

• Even if • …as though
• If I could
To Further the Argument
• First (of all) …Second ... Third • Further

• In addition • As an example
• There are (three) reasons why • For instance
• Similarly • What's more
• Furthermore • …a good idea
• Moreover • …in favor of
To Summarize/Conclude
• In conclusion • Then
• Finally • In brief
• As a result • On the whole
• In summary • To conclude
• Therefore • As we have seen,
• To sum up • As has been said,
• In other words • Thereby
• To summarize • Most importantly
44
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Show Ability
• (I'd be) able to • I'd be capable of

• I can/could • …enables
• I'm able to
To Show Cause/Reason and Effect/Result
• As a result • If this occurs, then

• Consequently • To this end
• Because (of) • Since
• Due to • For this reason
• Thanks to
To Show Time Relationships
• Immediately • During
• Then • As soon as
• Later • As
• Afterwards • Sometimes
• After • When
• Before • Ever/Never
• While • Every day/month/year
To Generalize
• Overall • Generally speaking

• For the most part • By and large
• In general
To Show Contrast
• Some may argue that • Despite

• Although • Unlike
• Even though • On the contrary
• Whereas • But
• While • Neither/nor
• Instead • ... rather than
• In contrast • … mistakenly
• On the one hand • Curiously
• On the other hand • Not until
• However • Surprisingly
• In spite of
45
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Show Emphasis
• Above all • Definitely

• Obviously • Extremely
• Clearly • Indeed
• Evidently • Absolutely
• Actually • Positively
• In fact • Unquestionably
• Certainly • Without a doubt
To Argue a Point/Make a Suggestion
• ...seems to warrant • ...proposes

• ...contends • Both ...and
• ...argues • Also
• ...justifies • …claims
• This observation is supported by • …states
• ...to plead • The suggestion is
• ...suggests • Not only ... but also
• The suggestion is valid • There are benefits
To Show Disagreement
• ...objects (to) • ...opposes

• ...disagrees with • …contradicts
• …are invalid • Others may argue
To Choose one Option Over Another
• …might be/is the better option

• …makes it a better policy
• ...is the better alternative
To Show Similarity
• Just as • Likewise
• As ...as • As in/as with/as was/etc.
• In the same way • Like
• Similarly
46
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Show Purpose
• In order to • So as to
• For • ...compensation for
• So that
To Show Evidence/Give an Example
• As evidence of • A few of these are

• The legitimacy of • In the case of
• Such as • In addition (to)
• For example • For one thing ...for another
To State the Problem
• The problem is (how)
To State the Options
• She is considering two (various) • ...might/may be an/the easier/better

options option
• One option is • ...has (two) alternatives
• The other option is
47
Prof. Dana Lomagno
TOEFL IBT – PHRASES AND VOCABULARY FOR THE WRITING SECTION
ANNEX 2 – WRITING SECTION
Phrases
es and Vocabulary for the Writi
Writing
ng Section with
Reference to Skill and Purpose
These are useful phrases you can use in your answers. Remember that it is important
to use connectors and linking phrases/words, as long as you the correct one in each
context. Also, make sure you do not overuse them.
To State the Reasons
• There are different reasons why

• There are several explanations for
• There are many positive/negative reasons for
• There
here are some/more/fewer benefits/disadvantages to
Give an Opinion
• (Why) I believe • I think

• I'd like to explain why • In my opinion
• Personally • As far as I'm concerned
• I'd enjoy • It seems to me
• I would prefer • I suggest
To Set Up a Condition
• If • Whether (or not)

• Even if • …may/might
• If I could • …can be
To Further the Argument
• First (of all) … Second ... Third • For instance

• In addition • What's more
• There are three reasons why • Not only … but also
• Similarly • … including
• Furthermore • More than
• Moreover • Also
• Further • …coupled with
• As an example • Both … and
48
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Summarize/Conclude
• In conclusion • To summarize
• Finally • Then
• As a result (of) • In brief
• In summary • On the whole
• Therefore • To conclude
• To sum up • As we have seen
• In other words • As has been said
To Restate or Repeat an Argument
• To put it differently • That is

• To repeat • In other words
• Namely
To Show Cause/Reason and Effect/Result
• Consequently • To this end

• Because (of) • Since
• Due to • For this reason
• Thanks to • As a result
• If this occurs, then • Caused by
To Show Time Relationships
• Immediately • As
• Then • Sometimes
• Later • Last
• Afterwards • Frequently
• After • When
• Before • Once
• While • Often
• During • Oftentimes
• As soon as
To Generalize
• Overall • Generally speaking

• For the most part • By and large
• In general
49
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Show Contrast/Make an Exception
• Some may argue that • Unlike • Nevertheless

• Although • On the contrary • Nonetheless
• Even though • But • Sometimes
• Whereas • Yet • Once in a while
• Instead • Rather than • Occasionally
• In contrast • Either • Some … other(s)
• On the one hand • Or • Other(s)
• On the other hand • Nor • Often
• However • Neither • None
• In spite of • Either … or
• Despite • Neither … nor
To Emphasize
• Above all • Indeed

• Obviously • Absolutely
• Clearly • Positively
• Evidently • Surprisingly
• Actually • Unquestionably
• In fact • Without a doubt
• Certainly • Objectively
• Definitely • In fact
• Extremely
To Argue/Make a Suggestion
• … seems to warrant • ... propose/s

• … contend/s • ... claim/s
• ... argue/s • ... state/s
• ... justify/ies • ... clearly proof enough
• This observation is supported by • If I had the choice
• To plead • ... examine/s
• ... suggest/s • …assert/s
• The suggestion is valid
50
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To Show Disagreement
• ... object/s (to)

• ... disagree/s with
• ... contradict/s
• ... doesn't/don't support
• ... is/are invalid
• These arguments, onee by one, can be challenged
• ... is absurd/ridiculous/unfounded/illogical
• ... not to be taken seriously
• … has/have no scientific basis
• … dispute/s
To Choose One Option over Another
• ... might be the better option

• ... make/s it a better policy
• It's beneficial/better/positive
• It's detrimental/worse/negative
• ... is true/false
• The assertion that ...
• ... seem/s to offer strong arguments for/against
• ... is/are better/worse than
To Show Similarity
• Just as • Similarly
• As ... as • Likewise
• In the same way • As in/as with/as was/etc.
To Show Purpose
• In order to • So that
• For • So as to
To Show Evidence/Give an Example
• As evidence of • A few of these are

• The legitimacy of • In the case of
• Such as • In addition
• For example • For one thing ... for another
51
Prof. Dana Lomagno
To State the Problem
• The problem is (how)

• The question is
• What is being asked/challenged
To State the Options
• One option is
• The other option is
52

Quick Guide Toelf 2017 Academic Success

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Quick Guide Toelf 2017 Academic Success

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TOEFL

Prof. Dana Lomagno

OVERVIEW OF THE TEST 3

OVERVIEW OF THE TEST

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST

Each section represents 30 points, being the overall score 120.

THE READING SECTION

It consists of 3 long passages and 39 questions about these passages. The

• Main ideas • References

This section takes 60 minutes. As from December 2011, candidates have 60

THIS SECTION REQUIRES A LOT OF PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY TO GET FAMILIAR

THE LISTENING SECTION

The questions ask the students to determine:

• Main ideas • Overall organization

The format of the questions

• Multiple choice with one correct answer

THE LISTENING PRACTICE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CLASSES, HOWEVER,

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU PRACTICE THIS SECTION BEFORE GOING TO THE

THE SPEAKING SECTION

• Is the student answering to the question?

INDEPENDENT 1. Free choice response PT: 15 seconds

2. Paired choice response PT: 15 seconds

INTEGRATED 3. Campus conversation Reading T: 45 seconds

INTEGRATED 5. Campus Conversation Listening T: varies

6. Academic Presentation Listening T: varies

PT: Preparation Time // RT: Response Time // Reading T: Reading Time

Some tips to take into account for the SPEAKING section

1) Free choice response

• This question sometimes seems to be extremely easy, however, it may turn

What’s your favorite …… ?

FOOD / SUBJECT / HOLIDAY / VACATION PLACE / BOOK / MOVIE /

What are the characteristics of a good …. ?

TEACHER / FRIEND / BROTHER or SISTER / PARENT / BOSS /

Remember that in all cases you will have to provide REASONS,

THESE ARE JUST POSSIBILITIES, OF COURSE, QUESTION 1 MAY BE

2) Paired choice response

3) Integrated task in a campus situation with reading

is an opinion on something, or describing requirements, advantages, etc of

4) Integrated task in an academic presentation

• The same as in the previous question, the information in the RP serves as

5) Integrated task in a campus situation without reading

• As in any campus situation, there is an informal dialogue between two

6) Integrated task in a academic presentation without reading

• The last question is an academic presentation without a reading

• Generally, this lecture is full of details, stages, examples; or the lecturer

THE WRITING SECTION

The WRITING SECTION measures your ability to communicate in English. Several

• Are you answering to the question?

This section consists of two tasks: INTEGRATED AND INDEPENDENT TASKS.

The integrated task consists of a 250-300

THE INFORMATION FROM CONTRASTS THE INFORMATION FROM

Make the connection (using the vocabulary

The question in this task may vary, for example:

INDEPENDENT TASK (30 MINUTES)

B) It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do

2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement

4. It has been said

THE READING SECTION

This section measures your ability to understand written academic passages.

STRATEGIES TO USE FOR THE READING SECTION OF THE TOEF

• Read the entire passage

• Use context clues to understand the passage

IN THE FORMAT OF MULTIPLE CHOICE

All of these questions are worth one point each