The second essay on the TOEFL is the Independent Essay. This essay will ask you to respond to a familiar topic or question. You will have 30 minutes to write the essay and typically a good response is 300 words at the minimum and no longer than 400 words. (To give you an idea this article is about 600 words.)
There are a variety of ways to approach this essay, and it is much less formulaic than the Integrated Essay. Your writing can be conversational, or formal, the style should be whatever you feel most comfortable with. Here are a few universal tips to keep in mind as you are writing.
by Mia Della Pietra
Take a side!
One of the most common questions I get from my students is “But what if I can see both sides of the question? Can’t I just support both sides?!” The short answer is No. The long answer is, while of course you can try to support both sides of an argument with enough evidence and development in 30 minutes, after taking three and a half hours of the TOEFL test, that sounds like a lot of work. Make it easy on yourself! Just choose one side to support and develop fully. Don’t create extra work for yourself trying to see the topic from all different angles.
...and choose the easiest side!
When you read the question for the first time, think about which side is the easiest to support, not which side you agree with. Usually you can think of more examples and evidence that match your personal opinion on the question, but not always! Don’t be afraid to take a stance that you don’t believe in if you think that it will help you write a stronger essay.
- STANCE - opinion; position on a topic
Make it personal!
Many of the the TOEFL independent essay questions can be answered with examples that are drawn from your life or past experiences. This is a great way to support an opinion that you have, and it makes coming up with ideas on the spot much easier. When you are studying, practice writing familiar stories about your life. Think of a time you overcame an obstacle, or did something that you were really proud of, or that you regret. Stories like that can really come in handy, depending on what the question is.
Show, don’t tell!
This rule applies to all writing, not just TOEFL writing. And if you can master this in your TOEFL practice it will definitely pay off once you are at university. If you want your reader to believe what you are writing, you need to show them why it is true, not just tell them. If you tell your readers, “My friend Sally is really smart,” we don’t really believe you. But if you show your readers, “My friend Sally got a perfect score on her entrance examinations to university. She studied at Harvard for her Master’s degree, and now she is a college professor. She received an award last year for her research,” then we really believe you that Sally is quite intelligent. Make sure that you are showing why your personal examples and stories apply to the question, not just telling us.
With these tips hopefully writing the Independent Essay will be less intimidating. Remember: this is the last thing you will do on the TOEFL test. You will be tired, and you will want to get it over with! So try to make it as easy as possible on yourself, and make sure that you give it some extra practice so that you can do it even when you are exhausted.
Good luck, and happy studying!
Mia teaches TOEFL Preparation at NYLC's Upper West Side location. She enjoys meeting students from a wide variety of countries, cultures, and backgrounds on a daily basis and takes pleasure in putting her students at ease by finding the humor in the challenges of learning English.
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