TOEFL Writing

Independent Writing
一． 题目问法
一般托福独立写作的题目都包含三部分：问题（Question）+题给观点（Given Opinion）+要求（Requirement）。
其中问题和要求大部分都是固定的：
Question：Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Requirement：Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Given Opinion 一般有如下四种可能：

1. 陈述某一样东西有什么特点，或应该不应该怎么做等；
TPO 29
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
To improve the quality of education, universities should spend more money on salaries for
university professors.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

2. 比较某两样东西的特点，或比较某一样东西在不同时间点的变化；
TPO 30
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is more enjoyable to have a job where you work only three days a week for long hours than to
have a job where you work five days a week for shorter hours.
TPO 34
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Educating children is a more difficult task today than it was in the past because they spend so
much time on cell phone, online games, and social networking Web site.

3. 绝对化的表述，如 the most, only, always, never, cannot 等；

TPO 38
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Leadership comes naturally: one cannot learn to be a leader.

4. 就某一问题给出三个选项，要求进行比较选择最合适的一个。
TPO43
Imagine that you are in a classroom or a meeting. The teacher or the meeting leader says
something incorrect. In your opinion, which of the following is the best thing to do?
1. Interrupt and correct the mistake right away;
2. Wait until the class or meeting is over and the people are gone, and then talk to the teacher or
meeting leader;
3. Say nothing.

二． 话题范围
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 托福独立写作话题范围广泛，涉及到学习生活社会政府等各方面，出现频率较多的话题有：教育（学校、家庭），社会生活，年轻人（儿童），
科技媒体，政府措施等。不同的话题虽不要求掌握专业的知识术语，但需要有一定的话题相关的知识储备及表达。

三． 评分标准
托福独立写作 5 分
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following: Effectively addresses the topic
and task ； Is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations,
exemplification, and/or details； Displays unity, progression, and coherence；Displays consistent
facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and
idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors.
托福独立写作 4 分
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following: Effectively addresses the topic
and task well, though some points may not be fully elaborated； Is well generally organized and
well developed, using appropriate and sufficient explanations, exemplification, and/or details ；
Displays unity, progression, and coherence, though it may contain occasional redundancy,
digression or unclear connections ； Displays facility in the use of language, demonstrating
syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and range of vocabulary, though it may have
occasional noticeable minor errors in structure, word form, or use of idiomatic language that do
not interfere with meaning.

四． 展开写作
TPO 30 社会类话题：工作
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is more enjoyable to have a job where you work only three days a week for long hours than
to have a job where you work five days a week for shorter hours.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
1. 审题：
题给观点：A>B
你的观点：agree
理由： more enjoyable: 1. More efficient; work 2. More spare time

2. 篇章结构：“GSG”
开头段： Topic/ Background; given opinion : It is claimed that ; My opinion
In current society, many employees are used to working five days a week. However, there is a
sound claiming that it would be more enjoyable to have a job where you work only three days
weekly for long hours compared with to have a job where you work five days a week for shorter
hours. In my opinion, I approve this point.
主体段一：
主体段二：
主体段三：
结尾段：
3. 段落结构：G - S - G
主题句：Topic sentence
道理论证：explanation
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细节论证：exemplication/ data/ comparison/ contrast
总结句：
4. 常用论证方式 Ways of Argumentation：
解释说明 Explanation: That is to say, / In other words,/ To be specific, / Especially,
举 例 子 Exemplification: For example,/ For instance,/ Take …as an example./ … is a good
example/proof.
比 较 对 比 Comparison&Contrast: However,/ In contrast,/ On the contrary,/ Without …/ Compared
with…
引用数据/报告 Quotation (data/reports): According to …,/ A recent study on … reveals that …

Sample Writing:
The average employee today works five days a week, and we are long used to the social norm
“eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” However, it has little to do with
efficiency or productivity. Personally speaking, I prefer working long hours instead of spending
time traveling to work on daily basis.

First, time an individual spends commuting everyday can be spent with their families, doing
exercise routine, or taking care of diet. In this way, when they come back to work, employers will
have energetic workers with clear mind, thus boosting their output and profit as a result. If it’s not
enough, people who have long time to relax have been proved to be more creative and productive.
When Henry Ford in 1914 famously took the radical step of doubling his workers’ pay, and cut
shifts in Ford plants from nine hours to eight, he got bitterly criticized by the association of
manufacturers. However, when his competitors saw Ford’s business boomed in the next few years,
they adopted the same hourly rate. Especially in innovative industries, employees with more spare
time always tend to be more creative, for they have more time to reflect on their current works and
breed new ideas.

Second, working long hours also means achieve consistency. People cannot guarantee that all
ones' work can be finished within eight hours. Here comes the dilemma. One can either work late
to finish it, or restart the work next day. Anyone who has been in this situation knows the latter
one means spending more time on it and low efficiency, while the first one means, willingly or
not, one has to work in unpaid overtime. In this respect, allowing people to arrange their time
flexibly is a way to fix this problem. If employees choose to work long hours to finish their work
within a day, they should get paid and be allowed to rest in the following day to compensate “off-
the-clock” hours.

Admittedly, working long hours can increase health risks and generate more stress. But we are not
talking about it as daily routine. We are talking about having this schedule less than half of a week.
So by allocating time wisely, in most cases one can avoid those negative impacts and enjoy their
lives more. People take for granted of the eight hour workday, rarely raising questions about the
efficiency and the effectiveness as consequences. If professionals are given other options, I believe
they will appreciate the shorter week more, and so as for employers.

Related Questions:
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TPO 20
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Successful people try new things and take risks rather than only doing what they know how to do
well.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

TPO 27
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
If people have the opportunity to get a secure job, they should take it right away rather than wait
for a job that would be more satisfying.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Homework：
1. 完成 TPO1 的综合写作；
2. TPO30 独立写作完成剩下段落；
3. 完成 TPO27 的独立写作。

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