Upon beginning theTWE, it is vitally important to read the question carefully in order to determine the writing task. To illustrate the importance of this, consider the following situation:
Your mother/spouse tells you to remove a food stain from the carpet. She instructs you to use a special chemical called "Stain Be Gone." You go into the laundry room and instead of getting "Stain Be Gone", you get a chemical called "Chlorox," a type of bleach. You begin to clean the carpet with the chemical and what happens? The brown carpet begins to turn an awful shade of yellow! Even though you had good intentions and you worked very hard to clean the carpet, you did not get the results you or your mother/spouse expected because you used the wrong chemical; consequently, you bleached out the carpet.
The same applies to the TWE. If you do not follow the instructions the prompt gives you, no matter how hard you work, the end result will not be what the reader expected. As a result, you will not receive the score you deserve. Consider the following three kinds of TWE prompts:
1. Some people say that it is best to be loyal and to work for one company during one's life. Others take the opposite view and say it is better to change jobs frequently in one's life. Discuss these positions, using specific examples of both. Then tell which one you agree with and explain why.
2. In addition to their specialized classes in their major, students should also be required to take general education classes in a university. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons to support your opinion.
3. The automobile and the airplane are important inventions of the 20th century. Both of these inventions have had an important effect on our lives. Choose another invention that you think is important. Give specific reasons for your choice.
Do these three prompts look the same to you? Do they have the same requirements? If you answered no, you are already on your way to being able to write a successful essay.
The first prompt can be broken into four tasks: The essay asks you to discuss both positions, which means (1) you must write about why some people say that it is best to be loyal to work for one company during one's life; (2) you must write about why others say it is better to change jobs frequently in one's life; (3) you must tell which of the positions you agree with; and (4) you should explain why (i.e., give reasons). Remaining neutral until near the end, you do not state your position first in this type of essay.
The second prompt can be broken into two argumentative tasks: (1) that of choosing whether you agree or disagree with the statement: "In addition to their specialized classes in their major, students should also be required to take general education classes in a university." (2) You should also give reasons to support your opinion. Stating your argument in the introduction in this type of essay, you assert which view you support. Then in the remainder of the essay, you defend why you support that view.
In the third writing prompt, yet another type of argumentative essay, the task is simple: (1) that of choosing another invention that you think is important. (2) You should give specific reasons for your choice. The word "another" means other than the automobile or the airplane. Consequently, if you write about the airplane or the automobile, you have not followed the instructions for this writing prompt.
The concept is simple: spend time thinking before you write. Make sure you understand the nature of the writing task.
Why do I need to write a formal outline since I will receive no points for it and I simply do not have time? By going through these (boring) motions, you are formulating your precise position about which you are about to write. If you write WITHOUT this prewrite, you essay will drift and rammble - entirely non-conducive to effective writing.
It is true one gains no points for an outline. However, conversely, he or she who skimps on an outline is sorely limiting his expected number of points. Remember, every 0.5 extra points on your essay contributes about 5 extra points to your TOEFL score! So the essay is a big deal. And the outline will set you on track to do well - or not ...
The outline seems a time-consuming chore. On the other hand, after a good outline, you write more concentratedly and fluently since you know where you stand in terms of what you need to commit to the page. Your points have been marshalled and you are putting flesh to the already complete skeleton. The question should more likely be phrased - do you have the luxury of skipping an outline?
The 5 steps clarified:
Step1: How many steps (sub-questions) are being asked for in the essay? Count them! List them as step one.
Step 2: Figure out how the list above shapes into an essay. Typically, all but the last step will be addressed in the introduction; the last step (reasons/support) will be the body of the essay.
Step 3: Write a Pre-Introduction sentence (or two). Typically, this involves taking the points required for the introduction and weaving them into one sentence (or possibly two).
Step 4: The last sentence of your introduction reads something like: "There are X reasons why I take such a position." X is the number of support points you feel comfortable writing.
Step 5: Write a Pre-Conclusion sentence (or two) which will read something like: "For the reasons and support given, I am firmly commited to the idea that widgets will be beneficial to my generation since, as I myself recently concluded, without widgets what possible future can widgetless generations expect?."
Note well, how each step leads seemlessly to the next. In order of importance, Step 5 is least simplistic but most important and Step 1 is most simplistic but least important. The beauty of writing out these steps explicitly is that it is a mechanical process not requiring of much though, YET will clarify FOR YOU where precisely you stand on this matter. In terms of actual thought required, Step 5 will really make you think and Step 1 can be done with virtually no thought.
The beauty of this approach is that your introduction and conclusion are ordained BEFORE you begin to write your essay. From the perspective of a TOEFL grader, the body is the least important, the introduction has medium importance and the conclusion has paramount importance. The conclusion ultimately determines whether an essay is low, medium or high quality. Tip: Save your best, most powerful sentence for the last sentence of the essay - make that strong final impression. Having followed all the above, you simply need to re-write Step 5 using your most eloquent English. You will be impressed and so will the grader!
Example: It is generally agreed
that society benefits from the work of its members. Compare the contributions
of artists to society with the contributions of scientists to society. Which
type of contribution do you think is valued more by your society? Give specific
reasons to support your answer.
Correct answer:
1. Compare (i.e., show similarities) the contributions of artists to society with the contributions of scientists to society.
2. Which type of contribution do you think is valued more by your society?
3. Give specific reasons to support your answer.
Step 1: The question asks for 3 things: Compare two things; Contrast two things; State which is more important; Give reasons.
Step 2: From these 3 things, the first two constitute the essay introduction. The third - each of the reasons - will be the essay body.
Step 3. Pre-Intrduction: Contributions made by artists are in some ways vastly different yet in some ways extremely similar to the contributions that scientists make. (The previous sentence addresses both the "compare" and the "contrast" part of the prompt) From looking around me, it appears that our artists are short changed while our science practitioners are rewarded far in excess of their actual contribution. (The previous sentences addresses the "state" part of the prompt)
Step 4: Pre-body: There are two / three reasons why I make such an assertion. First, Second, Third.
Step 5: Pre-conclusion: In conclusion and for the reasons outlined, artists have gotten the short end of the straw in the valuation stakes despite the fact that their contributions are likely to be far more enduring than those made by scientists. O that we could return to the civilisation of Rome when artists were atop the societal hierarchy and scientists lagged in oblivion!
Example2: It has been said, "Not
all learning takes place in the classroom." Compare and contrast knowledge gained
from personal experience with knowledge gained from classroom instruction. In
your opinion, which source is more important? Why?
First, recognise that this essay
contains:
Having made the above assessment in one's mind's eye, we proceed to the 5-step pre-write:
Step 1: The question asks for 4 things: Compare two things; Contrast two things;State which is more important; Give reasons.
Step 2: From these 4 things, the first three constitutes the essay introduction. The fourth - each of the reasons - will be the essay body.
Step 3. Pre-Intrduction: Knowledge gained from personal experience has similarities to as well as differences from knowledge gained from classroom instruction. (The previous sentence addresses both the "compare" and the "contrast" part of the prompt) In my opinion, knowledge gained from personal experience is much more important. (The previous sentences addresses the "state" part of the prompt)
Step 4: Pre-body: There are two / three reasons why I make such an assertion. First, Second, Third.
Step 5: Pre-conclusion: In conclusion and for the reasons outlined, knowledge gained from personal experience is far more valuable in society today.
Click here to practice understanding TWE prompts