By E-mail, through Blog posts, or during class, I have gotten quite a few questions regarding TOEFL iBT integrated writing. This blog post contains answers to those questions.

1. Question: What is the integrated writing section of the TOEFL iBT?

Answer: During the integrated writing task, you will read a 400-500 word passage and then listen to a 3-4 minute lecture, after which you are given a 20 minute writing task. You are asked to show the relationship between the two sources.

2. Question: How is the integrated writing task scored?

Answer: Your integrated writing task will be scored according to a range of 0-5 points, with 5 being the highest. At least two human raters will score your writing task, and your score will be averaged with your independent writing task. The average of your integrated and independent writing task will be converted into points from 0-30, with 30 being the highest. For example, if your score on both writing tasks is 5, your score will be converted into 30 points for TOEFL iBT writing.

3. Question: How do I score high on this writing task?

Answer: Good question! You need to be a good writer in that you need to have a coherent organization, including a sharply focused thesis and topic sentences and using important supporting information, all in the context of a summary.

4. Question: What do you mean when you say that I need a coherent organization?

Answer: A coherent organization means that your thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting details need to connect together.

5. Question: How do I create a thesis statement for this type of writing task?

Answer: Your thesis statement should restate the question being asked. For example, if you are asked, “How is the information in the listening passage related to the information in the reading passage?” you could restate this question in the following way: “The topic of the reading passage is……, and the listening passage is related to the reading passage in that it……..” Using this type of thesis statement allows you to discuss the main points of the reading passage in paragraph two and to discuss the main points of the listening as well as how it relates to the reading passage in paragraph three.

6. Question: I think I am beginning to understand, but it is this relationship between the listening and the reading that I am having difficulty understanding. What types of relationships between the listening and the reading should I look for?

Answer: Now you are really getting into the little known secrets of how to score high on the the TOEFL iBT integrated writing task, for, if you do not explicitly state the relationship between the two sources, you will not be able to score high. Sometimes, the listening passage presents a specific example to support the information in the reading passage. In other cases, the information in the listening passage may present contradictory information which disagrees with the information in the reading passage. Finally, the information in the listening passage could give a cause or effect of what was discussed in the reading passage. Therefore, whether the information in the listening exemplifies, contradicts, or explains a cause or effect relationship to the reading passage, you are expected to name that relationship in the first paragraph in your thesis statement.

7. Question: Let’s say the information in the listening passage gives a specific example to support the information in the reading passage. How would I create a thesis statement to show that relationship?

Answer: To help you understand this important concept of framing your thesis around the writing task and explicitly showing the relationship, imagine that you are asked to read a passage about communism. Shortly after that, you listen to a lecture about how communism was practiced in Russia before its collapse. Obviously, the first thing you have to do is to identify the main idea of the reading passage (i.e., communism), and the second thing you need to do is to identify the main idea of the listening (i.e., an example of how communism was practiced in Russia). Then, you would create a thesis sentence combining the information from the two sources: “The main idea of the reading passage is communism, and the information in the listening passage supports the information in the reading passage in that it gives a specific example of how communism was practiced in Russia.”

8. Question: Wow! I see what I need to do, but the grammar you are using is complicated. Is there an easier way to show these connections between the two sources?

Answer: Yes there is, but you need to be able to use advanced grammar structures if you want to score high on the TOEFL iBT. As such, you should practice taking notes from reading and listening passages and then using appropriate grammar to combine the information from the two sources.

9. Question: You mentioned something about summaries, or summarizing, or something about being in the context of a summary. What do you mean exactly?

Answer: When I use the phrase “all in the context of a summary,” I am emphasizing what the purpose of the integrated writing task is, namely to identify the main ideas and critical supporting points of the reading and listening passages. You should not include your personal opinion, you should not change the meaning of any important information, and you should not include minor details.

10. Question: Great advice! Do you have a final tip you would like to give me concerning TOEFL iBT integrated writing?

Answer: Yes, as you summarize the information in the reading and listening passages, make sure that you use your own words. If you choose to use exact sentences from the sources, you should use quotation marks. If you do not follow this advice, the TOEFL iBT human raters have been instructed to give you a score of zero.

For more information, go here:

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/index.html (TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page31.html (TOEFL iBT Speaking)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page28.html (TOEFL iBT Writing)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page23.html (TOEFL iBT Reading)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page20.html (TOEFL iBT Listening)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page14.html (TOEFL iBT Pronunciation)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page17.html (TOEFL iBT Grammar)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page10.html (TOEFL iBT Vocabulary)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/newsletter.html

Tags: Audio Recordings on the TOEFL iBT Are Too Clear, Authentic ESL Listening Materials, Being Positive and the TOEFL iBT, Effective Vocabulary Strategies for the TOEFL iBT, ESL and Pronunciation, ESL and Speaking, Having Apppropriate Word Choice, How to Avoid Word Stress Shifts, How to Concentrate Better during the TOEFL iBT Reading, How to Learn TOEFL Vocabulary Quickly and Permanently, Improve TOEFL Reading Comprehension, Improve TOEFL Reading Concentration, Improve your TOEFL iBT Listening, Increase TOEFL Reading Speed, Note-Taking, Punctuating Adjective Clauses, Reading Rhetorically, Speak and Write Naturally during the TOEFL iBT, Successful TOEFL Vocabulary Strategies, TOEFL, toefl essay, toefl exam, TOEFL Grammar, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT and Prewriting Strategies, TOEFL iBT Grammar, TOEFL iBT Listening, TOEFL iBT Note-taking, TOEFL iBT Pronunciation, TOEFL iBT Reading, TOEFL iBT Speaking, TOEFL iBT Vocabulary, TOEFL iBT Vocabulary Fluency, TOEFL iBT Writing, TOEFL Independent Writing, TOEFL Listening, toefl preparation, TOEFL Pronunciation, TOEFL Reading, TOEFL Speaking, TOEFL Vocabulary, toefl writing, Using Notecards and TOEFL iBT Vocabulary, word stress

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Jun

Interview with student, Austin Li, who scored 102 on the TOEFL iBT

Posted by: Michael Buckhoff in TOEFL iBT

Contact me at mbuckhoff@aol.com if you would like to do an TOEFL iBT interview.

Interview with student, Austin Li, who scored 102/120 on the TOEFL iBT

Michael: Thanks for agreeing to do a short interview about TOEFL. Could you tell me about yourself?

Austin: I am a freshman in North Carolina. I took the paper Toefl when I was a first year in High school in Shanghai basically for fun. I guess I was around 580/677 on TOEFL PBT (TOEFL iBT 83) at that time. It was a really a long time ago, and I have a bad memory. And I took my second toefl the winter before I came to the US (sometime around Dec. or Nov. 2007). As far as I can remember, I had a 29 on reading and 27 on listening. I bombed [scored poorly] the speaking section because I was not quite familiar with the format of the test. The oral part was 20/30, and I got 26 on the writing section.

Michael: So, your total score was 102/120, a respectable score by any standard. How long did you have to prepare for the test?

Austin: I only had two months before the college application to prepare for all the tests. As the sat is much harder than Toefl, I spent most my time in Sat rather than toefl. Though I was not too engaged in toefl, I do have some tips that I think can be helpful to other people.

Michael: Essentially, by preparing for the SAT (Scholastic Admissions Test in the US), you were also preparing for the TOEFL iBT. Furthermore, since the SAT tests much higher level language skills than the TOEFL iBT, the TOEFL iBT was a relatively easy test for you. So, what are some tips that you think would help others who have to take the TOEFL iBT?

Austin: First, remember as many words as possible. It’s the basis for this test. I felt the reading and listening was really easy after I had memorized most of the SAT words in a Baron book(I can not remember the book’s name). It’s a list around 3000 words. I think that book is still quite popular now.
Second, Do the practice test before the actual TOEFL iBT. There is a free online practice test on the ETS website, which I discovered after I bombed the TOEFL iBT speakings section. Direct information will always be helpful. A lot of people I know did not take the Online test either?

Michael: I agree with that as well. The only condition ETS stipulates is that you must register and pay the $150.00 for the official TOEFL iBT. Then they allow you access to the practice test. And, students who wish to take the free Online test should make sure that they advance register for the TOEFL iBT so that they have enough time to take the practice TOEFL iBT beforehand. What other advice would you give students?

Austin: Third, don’t put your life only on learning TOEFL iBT test-taking strategies. Well, a lot of test skills are indeed helpful to the test. But take it like this: these skills are summarized by past tests, and you are going to have a completely new test. What if the test changes just when you take it? Just learn from the tests but do not try to summarize anything. There is definitely no common rule in this test except that the right answer is based on a good command of the language.

Michael: You took the words right out of my mouth. While it is important for test-takers to be familiar with how to take the TOEFL iBT, they should not try to memorize vocabulary, reading passages or anything else from previous TOEFL iBT tests. The real purpose for most test-takers to to develop the kind of academic English proficiency expected at English-speaking universities. Do you have any tips of what to do the day before the test?

Austin: Fourth, get a good sleep the night before the test. VERYVERY important for most people. Keep awake and do your best during a test weighs more than any last minute memorizing. I think I was trying to writing my college application essay the night before the test, and I fell asleep in the middle of the writing part. Though I finished it, I did not have anytime to review my writing, which made me worry a lot.

Michael: It is amazing how many students tell me that they fell asleep during the TOEFL iBT. I mean here you are, taking the one of the most important tests in your life, a test that will detemine your academic future. And you fall asleep!? Like you said, it is important not to TOEFL cram the night before taking TOEFL iBT. There is no way to prepare for the TOEFL iBT in one day. Following a step by step regular study routine over an extended period of time, you can adequately prepare yourself for taking the TOEFL iBT. We have a saying in American culture: “Rome was not built in a day.”

Austin: Finally, don’t regard toefl the final boss for the college life. Basically it’s just a start. The reading in Toefl seems to be quite stereotypical. (I think the ibt reading itself didn’t change much from the last paper toefl I took.) College reading needs deeper understanding. And the TOEFL writing is really formatted. Good college-level writers will not be restricted by these formats. I think this tip can be quite helpful at least to me. If someone had told me this, I would have been more serious about English, and likely would have felt much better in my college right now.

Michael: Far too many students study English just so they can pass the TOEFL, but they still do NOT have the reading and writing skills needed when taking university courses. Like you said, the TOEFL reading passages have a very predictable organization, and there is a predictable way to organize TOEFL iBT writing tasks. However, actual university reading and writing assignments are far more complex than that. Even during TOEFL iBT listening, the speakers use pronunciation which is too perfect and is in no way representative of the kind of English students will listen to at college campuses in the US. Austin, thank you very much for taking the time to share your story. Good luck to you in your university studies!

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/index.html (TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page31.html (TOEFL iBT Speaking)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page28.html (TOEFL iBT Writing)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page23.html (TOEFL iBT Reading)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page20.html (TOEFL iBT Listening)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page14.html (TOEFL iBT Pronunciation)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page17.html (TOEFL iBT Grammar)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page10.html (TOEFL iBT Vocabulary)

Tags: Audio Recordings on the TOEFL iBT Are Too Clear, Authentic ESL Listening Materials, Being Positive and the TOEFL iBT, Effective Vocabulary Strategies for the TOEFL iBT, ESL and Pronunciation, ESL and Speaking, Having Apppropriate Word Choice, How to Avoid Word Stress Shifts, How to Concentrate Better during the TOEFL iBT Reading, How to Learn TOEFL Vocabulary Quickly and Permanently, Improve TOEFL Reading Comprehension, Improve TOEFL Reading Concentration, Improve your TOEFL iBT Listening, Increase TOEFL Reading Speed, Note-Taking, Punctuating Adjective Clauses, Reading Rhetorically, Speak and Write Naturally during the TOEFL iBT, Successful TOEFL Vocabulary Strategies, TOEFL, toefl essay, TOEFL Grammar, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT and Prewriting Strategies, TOEFL iBT Grammar, TOEFL iBT Listening, TOEFL iBT Note-taking, TOEFL iBT Pronunciation, TOEFL iBT Reading, TOEFL iBT Speaking, TOEFL iBT Vocabulary, TOEFL iBT Vocabulary Fluency, TOEFL iBT Writing, TOEFL Independent Writing, TOEFL Listening, toefl preparation, TOEFL Pronunciation, TOEFL Reading, TOEFL Speaking, TOEFL Vocabulary, toefl writing, Using Notecards and TOEFL iBT Vocabulary, word stress

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Jun

TOEFL iBT Listening Practice Test (Diamonds)

Posted by: Michael Buckhoff in TOEFL iBT Listening

Get ready to take notes!

This practice test measures your ability to understand English lectures.

As you listen, I encourage you to take notes. You can use your notes to help you answer the questions.

Right click and open file in new window and then come back to this web page to listen to a 4 minute lecture about diamonds: lecture-eighteen-diamonds

1. What is the main idea of this lecture?

Where diamonds are found.

How to determine the value of a diamond.

How diamonds are formed.

Precious minerals found under the earth’s surface.

2. From which element do diamonds come?

Hydrogen.

Kimberlite.

Carbon.

Volcanic ash.

3. Which aspect of a diamond is most directly affected by man?

Cut.

Clarity.

Color.

Carat.

4. What can be inferred about a diamond which has an H rating?

It has less color than a diamond with a D rating.

It has more value than a diamond with a D rating.

It has essentially no value at all.

It has more color than a diamond with a D rating.

5. Which of the following characteristics would most likely refer to a “blemished” diamond?

Flawless to the naked eye.

A slight internal inclusion or external irregularity.

Free of external or internal imperfections.

Highly polished.

6. Which of the following refers to the weight and size of a diamond?

Carat.

Cut.

Clarity.

Color.

7. What can be inferred about how diamonds were weighed after the standardization of the weight and size of diamonds took place?

Diamonds and gemstones were weighed against the seeds of the carob tree.

A consistent, more uniform system of measurement was developed.

Diamonds were now compared to the seeds of the Ceratonia siliqua tree.

Diamonds were no longer weighed.

Click to see listening script and answers: diamonds

or scroll down this page…..

1. B

2. C

3. A

4. D

5. B

6. A

7. B

**To practice your pronunciation, I suggest that, as you read the transcript, you read along with me. Practice reading with me until you can read at the same pace without too many stumbles or stutters.**

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/index.html (TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page31.html (TOEFL iBT Speaking)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page28.html (TOEFL iBT Writing)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page23.html (TOEFL iBT Reading)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page20.html (TOEFL iBT Listening)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page14.html (TOEFL iBT Pronunciation)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page17.html (TOEFL iBT Grammar)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page10.html (TOEFL iBT Vocabulary)

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May

TOEFL iBT Grammar: Auxiliary Verb + Main Verb Sentence Contructions (Seven Important Rules)

Posted by: Michael Buckhoff in TOEFL iBT Grammar

Do you have problems using auxiliary and main verbs during TOEFL iBT sepaking and writing?

Do you have problems using auxiliary and main verbs during TOEFL iBT speaking and writing?

Listen to this post: aux-main-verb-usage

To score high on TOEFL iBT speaking and writing, you should use advanced grammar with a miminal number of errors and, when using basic grammar, you should make as few errors as possible. An example of basic grammar is when you use auxiliary verbs with main verbs. There are seven rules of which you should be aware.

1. Rule: Auxiliary verbs usually appear before main verbs

Example: Do you want to ride to the store?

Common list of auxiliary verbs
have, has, had, having
be, is, are, am, was, were, been, being
can, could, will, would, shall, should
may, might, must, ought to
do, does, did

2. Rule: After modals can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, and ought to, use the base form of the verb.

Incorrect: I could talked to my friend yesterday.

Revised: I could have talked to my friend yesterday.

3. Rule: After do, use a base form of the verb.

Incorrect: She does likes to study at the library with her friends.

Revised: She does like to study at the library with her friends.

4. Rule: Use have, has, or had with the past participle form of the verb.

Incorrect: He might have offer to purchase the automobile if he had been given a better deal.

Revised: He might have offered to purchase the automobile if he had been given a better deal.

5. Rule: Use a form of the verb “be” with the present participle form of the verb.

Incorrect: John is study in his house today.

Revised: John is studying in his house today.

Incorrect: Susan is studied with her friends tonight.

Revised: Susan is studying with her friends tonight.

6. Rule: When using passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of doing it.

To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice, there are three steps:

A. The object becomes the subject of the sentence.
B. Use a form of the verb “be” with the past participle form of the verb.
C. Use the preposition “by” with the subject.

7. Rule: When using passive voice, use a form of the verb “be” with the past participle form of the verb.

Active : John purchased a sweater.

Passive: The sweater was purchased by John.

Active: The students played soccer at the stadium.

Passive: At the stadium, soccer was played by the students.

Incorrect: The Sound and the Fury wrote by William Faulkner.

Revised: The Sound and the Fury was written by William Faulkner.

Incorrect: The music was play by the orchestra.

Revised: The music was played by the orchestra.

For more information, go here:

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/index.html (TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page31.html (TOEFL iBT Speaking)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page28.html (TOEFL iBT Writing)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page23.html (TOEFL iBT Reading)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page20.html (TOEFL iBT Listening)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page14.html (TOEFL iBT Pronunciation)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page17.html (TOEFL iBT Grammar)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page10.html (TOEFL iBT Vocabulary)

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May

TOEFL iBT Reading: Using the Novel “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane to Build Reading and Vocabulary Fluency

Posted by: Michael Buckhoff in TOEFL iBT Reading

: Will you take my challege and read “The Red Badge of Courage?”

Listen to this post: red-badge-of-courage-and-toefl-ibt-reading

The purpose of this post is to give you some specific tips to improve your TOEFL iBT reading and vocabulary skills. I suggest that you read the novel “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, maintain a response journal of reading notes as you read, and create vocabulary notecards from the unfamiliar words you study.

Building Reading Fluency

The more you read, the better you will become at reading. As a result, you should read extensively each day. Reading each day will help to build your vocabulary, which will allow you to spend less time in trying to understand words in context. Ultimately, you will spend more time on accurate reading.

It is also important to read challenging material. Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage will accomplish this purpose. As you read, you should be asking yourself who the main characters are, what the plot is, what the setting is, what the key facts are about the writer and the book. Asking questions about the book as you read will help you to read more critically. Being a critical reader will help you to score high on TOEFL iBT.
To help you approach reading this Online novel more critically, it is recommended that you keep a journal. The following are some instructions on how to keep a response journal:

You should have your response journal beside you as you read Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage and you need to make regular weekly entries in it. Its purpose is to assist you in becoming an active rather than a passive reader of English. Furthermore, the response journal will help prepare you for the integrated writing and integrated speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT.

Reserve either a separate notebook or a section of a loose leaf notebook for the response journal for this course. Draw a vertical line down the middle of each page. The right-hand side of the page is for your summaries of each assigned chapter in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. The left-hand side is for your response to what you have read as you read. Please note also that the journal is not designed as finished, presentation writing, and hence need not be edited for form.

Vocabulary Building Strategies:

When you come across a word you do not know in The Red Badge of Courage, quickly write it down onto a 3 x 5 inch notecard (use one word on each notecard). However, since you will be able to understand many words through the context of the passage, you should continue reading until the end of that chapter. Then, after you have finished that chapter, on the back of the notecard, write down the meaning of the word and any other information (i.e., pronunciation, part of speech, sample sentence, origin of word) that might help you to remember that word.

You can build your vocabulary by studying your notecards regularly. Write sentences using the new words. Add synonyms and antonyms to your notecards everyday. Little by little you will begin to increase your knowledge of informal, formal, and academic vocabulary.

Introduction to The Red Badge of Courage:

These vocabularywords are listed by order of their appearance in chapter 1- 24. You will need to purchase some notecards so you can write these down. It is recommended that, after looking the unfamiliar words up in a dictionary, you write down the meaning, pronunciation, part of speech, sample sentence, and origin of word onto your notecards, with one word being used on one notecard.

Chapters 1-8:

hilarious, mournful, assemblage, impregnable, ecstasy, seminary, vivacious, expenditure, speculate, oblige, dexterous, ceaseless, ominous, perception, vindication, convulse, pilfer, indignant, babble, pontoon, spatter, skirmish, recede, encounter, totter, crescendo, straggler, flank, scamper, appall, quake, prominence, exquisite, shrill, incessant, interval, divinity, rueful, exultant, repulse, leer, scrutinize, affable, luster, proverbial, zeal, impending, paean, commendable, aggravate, menace, clangor, transfix, enshrine, gawk, sullen, melancholy

Chapters 9-18:

repel, propel, anguish, battery, imp, tatter, wriggle, persistence, vigilance, sinuous, calamity, piteous, vindication, virtuous, sham, invincible, mutilation, gauntlet, remonstrance, munitions, audacious, ethereal, foliage, languor, condemnation, perceive, blatant, glee, swagger, deprecate, persistent, rejoice, condescension, pompous, retribution, desecration, conjure, compelled, reverberation, omen, valor, illuminate, ruthless, contemplative, tousle, grope, wrathful, delirious, gesticulate, reposefully, engross, assent

Chapters 19-24:

lurid, crimson, delirium, ominous, cower, ironical, incomprehensible, berate, indignation, obstinate, ludicrous, harangue, treachery, whim, impetus, gaunt, exertion, reproach, intention, prodigious, jaunty, denounce, clamor, grotesque, retaliation, ominous, jaded, exhilarate, frenzy, concussion, disdain, dwindle, quiver, contrivance, stoic, perfunctory, intermittent, debris, deflection, gilded, reproach, brood, assertive, tranquilly, sultry

The Red Badge of Courage is a story which takes place during the Civil War. If you do not know what this American war was about, when it took place, or who won the war, you should do some Online research now so that you have some background knowledge before reading the novel. This will help you to have better comprehension. Go to www.yahoo.com, type in “history or the civil war” and see what you find.

Additionally, you can do the following activities to prepare you for your reading:

1) Interview a relative or friend who has been in combat and ask him/her about courage and fear.

2) Listen to music that was popular during different wars and write down the thoughts and feelings it evokes.

3) Explore Internet sites for drawings and photos of Civil War soldiers and battles.

For more information, go to

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/newsletter.html (Detailed lessons to help you pass the TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/index.html (TOEFL iBT)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page31.html(TOEFL iBT Speaking)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page28.html(TOEFL iBT Writing)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page23.html(TOEFL iBT Reading)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page20.html(TOEFL iBT Listening)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page14.html(TOEFL iBT Pronunciation)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page17.html(TOEFL iBT Grammar)

http://www.michaelbuckhoff.com/page10.html(TOEFL iBT Vocabulary)

Tags: "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane, Add new tag, TOEFL iBT Reading, TOEFL iBT Vocabulary

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Previous Entries

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An answer to a TOEFLer’s question: “How do I improve my TOEFL iBT integrated speaking and pronunciation skills?”

TOEFL iBT Speaking: How to Prepare for Academic Speaking Tasks 4 and 6 (Read this if your speaking score is between 18 and 25 points.)

TOEFL iBT Integrated Writing: Ten Questions (And my answers!)

Interview with student, Austin Li, who scored 102 on the TOEFL iBT

Interview with student, Austin Li, who scored 102/120 on the TOEFL iBT

TOEFL iBT Listening Practice Test (Diamonds)

TOEFL iBT Grammar: Auxiliary Verb + Main Verb Sentence Contructions (Seven Important Rules)

1. Rule: Auxiliary verbs usually appear before main verbs

2. Rule: After modals can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, and ought to, use the base form of the verb.

3. Rule: After do, use a base form of the verb.

4. Rule: Use have, has, or had with the past participle form of the verb.

5. Rule: Use a form of the verb “be” with the present participle form of the verb.

6. Rule: When using passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of doing it.

7. Rule: When using passive voice, use a form of the verb “be” with the past participle form of the verb.

TOEFL iBT Reading: Using the Novel “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane to Build Reading and Vocabulary Fluency

Building Reading Fluency

Vocabulary Building Strategies:

Introduction to The Red Badge of Courage:

Chapters 1-8:

Chapters 9-18:

Chapters 19-24:

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