Tips for TOEFL writing and reading sections

While writing your TOEFL essay, try to use words that express the idea more precisely.

Correct: While holidaying in London, Susie acquired a strong British accent.

Incorrect: While holidaying in London, Susie got a strong British accent.

If you use so many general words, the examiner will not be too happy with your essay.

Use familiar and natural sentence structures

While evaluating your essay, the examiner will play close attention to your grammatical range and accuracy. That means you will not get a good score if you only write short and simple sentences of the same pattern. If you repeat the same sentence patterns, it will make your writing boring. To avoid this try to use different sentence structures. Also write sentences of various lengths. For example, by writing a long sentence after one or two short sentences you can add variety to your writing. However, you must not use different sentence structures just for the sake of adding variety. Avoid unfamiliar sentence patterns because you are more likely to make grammar mistakes while writing them.

Also avoid extremely long sentences. Instead, keep your sentences relatively short.

TOEFL Reading

Pay careful attention to modifying phrases and expressions

Modifying expressions specify ideas such as time, place, person, cause, effect, intention, condition and contrast. Incorrect answer choices may omit or alter the modifying expressions given in the passage. For example, the modifier some does not mean the same as the modifier all.

Study the sentence given below.

Some forms of cancer are curable.

This sentence doesn’t mean that all forms of cancer are curable. If you read the passage too quickly you may miss these modifiers and choose incorrect answer options.