Professors on TV: a TOEFL Integrated Essay

The following TOEFL Integrated Essay was written in class during a writing exercise. For TOEFL Integrated Essays, test takers are instructed to read a short passage for 3 minutes, after which they listen to part of a lecture on the same topic. They are then asked to answer a question in the form of an essay and are given 20 minutes to plan, write, and edit their essays.

This essay was in response to the writing task in Test 2 of "The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test, Fourth Edition" by ETS. This was written by the instructor during the 20-minute activity.

WRITING TASK: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.

ESSAY:
This set of materials discusses the tendency of some professors to appear on tv. While the reading passage examines the advantages of such pursuits, the listening focuses on the negative effects and consequences that result when professors spend time being on television.

One reason the reading mentions is an advantage to appearing on television is the professor’s ability to reach a wider audience, instead of the smaller university community. The listening, on the other hand, argues that appearing on tv labels the professor as not a serious scholar or educator among his or her colleagues. He is looked upon as an entertainer, not an educator. This results in the professor not being invited to important academic functions or not receiving necessary grants for research.

A TOEFL Independent Essay: Do older people have more fun?

TOEFL test takers are given 30 minutes to plan, write, and edit an Independent Essay, which asks them to give their opinions, including specific details and examples. The following essay was written in class by the instructor during a writing exercise. It is in response to the question in Test 2 of "The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test, Fourth Edition" by ETS.

WRITING TASK: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Young people enjoy life more than older people do. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

In my opinion, the old enjoy life much more than the young. Young people have their youth and the boundless energy that goes with it, but the elderly have their wisdom, their experience and, often, the financial resources to live life to the fullest.

Because older people have lived longer than young people, they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge that gives them the wisdom to do things the right way, and the right way for them is easy to decide as they have the experience to know what works and what doesn’t work. They know full well what kind of activities they enjoy and how to enjoy them. Life is less of a trial and error for them and more of a certainty that what they are going to do will bring great enjoyment.

TOEFL Integrated Essay: the philosophy of Realism

This sample TOEFL Integrated Essay responds to the Test 4 writing task on page 200 of "DELTA’s Key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test, Six Practice Tests for the iBT." This was written by the instructor during the 20-minute writing activity.

WRITING TASK: Summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they contradict points made in the reading.

ESSAY:
Both the reading and listening passages discuss the philosophy of realism. However, while the reading explains what realism is, the lecture gives reasons why this way of thinking does not promote an ideal environment or solve the world’s problems.

The professor first defines that the philosophy of realism, as mentioned in the reading, as the belief in scientific facts and reason and the commitment to scientific thinking. Then she gives reasons why critics of realism are against this philosophy. One such reason is the fact that realism ignores passion, emotion, and feeling, which also make up the individual. Critics say that not everything, including a person’s feelings and thoughts, can be measured scientifically as proponents of realism argue.

EVEN THOUGH, DESPITE, & NEVERTHELESS

• People are beginning to spend more time outdoors EVEN THOUGH it's still chilly out.
• New Yorkers are beginning to wear summer clothing DESPITE the chilly temperatures still in NYC.
• It's still a bit chilly. NEVERTHELESS, New Yorkers are beginning to wear shorts & t-shirts.

How ADEPT are you at using even though or although, despite or in spite of, nevertheless or nonetheless? Do you need a quick review and some practice? Then HEAD OVER to our main blog for a quick lesson on how to use these words correctly!

ADEPT at something - skilled; good at something
HEAD OVER - go somewhere

Good luck!

Integrated essays on Method Acting & the Fight or Flight Syndrome

The TOEFL Preparation class practiced independent and integrating writing this past week. The following essays are examples of the two integrated essays we wrote in class within the prescribed time limit.

For the TOEFL integrated essay, students are given 3 minutes to read a passage; they then listen to a lecture on the same topic, and are given 20 minutes to plan, write, and edit their essays.

As the reading passage reappears on one side of the computer screen while they write on the other, students were reminded not to simply copy phrases from the passage into their essays. It's important to paraphrase and say everything in their own words to make it clear that they understood the passage and show that they can express their ideas well.

This integrated essay is from page 428 of the DELTA'S Key to the TOEFL iBT Advanced Skill Practice textbook.

The reading passage in this set of materials discusses Method Acting, which requires an actor to immerse himself in all aspects of the character he is playing. The professor in the listening passage, on the other hand, cites problems with this type of acting and says why he doesn’t agree with this method.

The professor first mentions that the playwright or the script writer is the person who creates the character. The actor’s job is merely to convey the writer’s message. According to the professor, it is not the writer’s job to interpret how a character feels as this has already been done by the writer. This is in contrast to the reading passage which mentions that the actor has to interpret a character when using Method acting.

A second feature of Method acting is the expectation that actors draw from their own experiences to produce the emotions of the characters they are playing. The professor disagrees with this concept as he thinks that actors who have never experienced certain emotions, such as those of a murderer, would not be able to accomplish this as they would have nothing in their past to draw from.

The professor also maintains that instead of spending time working on the emotions or “living the part” of the characters, as the reading discusses, actors should be trained in certain skills, instead, such as speaking clearly, projecting, and body language. Extra commitment is unnecessary for actors. In fact, the professor speaks of one actor who didn’t sleep or bathe for a whole week to practice Method acting. The professor said that this was definitely going too far.

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