Get to know the latest changes to the TOEFL

by Joe Yu

You've probably heard that the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has recently made some changes to the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) which are supposed to improve your experience as a test taker and increase your chances of meeting university admission requirements. This new version of the test took effect on August 1, 2019, and is now only three hours long, which is 30 minutes less than the old test. It has fewer questions in the Reading and Speaking sections, and fewer lectures in the Listening section. One benefit according to ETS is a reduction in test-taking fatigue which is likely to lead to better test performance. ETS maintains that while the new version has less testing material it retains its quality and its ability to assess how prepared you are for academic coursework. Here is a breakdown of the changes.

CHANGES TO THE FOUR SECTIONS:

The READING SECTION now only has 10 questions per passage, while keeping the same number of passages for both short and long versions of the test. Plan to spend 18 minutes per passage and pace yourself appropriately. Because the question types are the same, you may continue using old study materials to practice for the test. 

The LISTENING SECTION now has one less lecture while keeping the same number of conversations and number of questions for each listening. The short version will only have 3 lectures, instead of the 4 in the old test; the long version will have 4 lectures, instead of the 6 in the old test. As in the reading section, you may continue to use old study materials as question types on the listening section remain the same.

The SPEAKING SECTION now only has 4 tasks. Questions 1 and 5 from the old version were the ones eliminated, leaving the new test with 1 independent question and 3 integrated questions. Preparation and speaking times stay the same.

Another change in the SPEAKING SECTION is in how ETS scores your recorded answers. Now your answers will be assessed by both human evaluators and a SpeechRater scoring engine. ETS had been using their scoring engine for their practice tests online since 2006 and have been analyzing its capabilities. You can find more information about the SpeechRater engine at the ETS website here: https://www.ets.org/research/topics/as_nlp/speech/

There were no changes made to the WRITING SECTION, so you will continue responding to the integrated task for 20 minutes and to the independent task for 30 minutes.

CHANGES TO SCORE REPORTING: 

In addition to the reduction in test material and test length, ETS is also now reporting your "superscores," which they are calling "MyBest Scores." This new feature shows both your scores for the test you just took as well as the best scores that you’ve received in each section in the last two years. ETS reports that 70% of universities wanted this feature, and this gives you better chances of meeting program admission requirements as your superscores for each section will also add up to a higher total score. However, as not all universities accept MyBest Scores, ETS recommends checking your school’s website to check their policy on accepting superscores.

CHANGES TO PREPARATION, REGISTRATION, & TESTING:

In addition, ETS says they are adding more testing slots at participating testing centers and for those of you who are not morning people, afternoon testing schedules are also now available. If you have taken the test before, you are supposed to notice a better registration experience online with easy access to test prep and testing resources. Last, the TOEFL Official App will be available in a number of countries starting September 2019 and in the U.S. in October 2019. The app is said to provide even greater convenience with everything that you need to register and prepare for the TOEFL in the palm of your hand.

For more information on the new version of the TOEFL, visit ETS at https://www.ets.org/toefl/better_test_experience

TIPS for the TOEFL Integrated Essay

by Mia Della Pietra

The TOEFL has two essays and each essay is scored out of 5. Both scores are then added up and converted to a scaled score that is out of 30.  

The first essay that you write is the integrated essay.  This essay tests your ability to integrate two different opinions and ideas about the same topic.  This essay does NOT test your ability to choose the best opinion of the two presented.  The trick is to hold these two ideas in your head at the same time and weigh them both equally in your writing. 

Procedure and Format:

First a reading passage will appear on the screen and you will have 3 minutes to read and take notes.  The passage will present 3 different points related to the topic.  Your notes should look like this. 

Reading

1. FIRST POINT
2. SECOND POINT
3. THIRD POINT

Modern Day American Slang

A major challenge that a lot of ESL students face is understanding and becoming familiar with the 15,000+ idioms/slang terms used in American English.  Slang words are informal terms that are very common in speech and, these days, in social media. While some slang words come and go, others last much longer and become commonly used terms for a very long time.

New slang emerge in pop culture all the time and it can confuse even native English speakers!

So to help us keep up, here are some commonly used in our language. Which ones do you already know and use?

Ain't- informal contraction of (Be) not; is not, are not, am not 
"Dime"/"Dime Piece"- (n) a perfect ten, an extremely attractive person
Bae- (n) abbreviation of "Before Anyone Else" -n- significant other
Boo- (n) significant other, boyfriend or girlfriend
Twerk- (n/v)- rump shaking dance
Nut Job/ Whack job- (n) crazy person
Turn up- (v)- to be excited and party
Mad- (adj)- very or a lot

--Slang Words and Definitions Provided by NYLC Instructor Andrew Tate

NYS TESOL Writing & Storytelling Contest

New York Language Center is participating in NYS TESOL's Annual Essay Writing and Digital Storytelling Contest, which is now in its 11th year. The topic this year is "Collaboration." 

We invite all students in the High Intermediate, Advanced, and Post-Advanced levels to participate. Click on "Read more" below to read the full instructions. You may write an essay or submit a digital file to share your story. Some teachers at school may also incorporate this as an activity in class. 

Each branch will choose a winner and two runners up, and the winner chosen by NYS TESOL will be recognized at the 46th Annual NYS TESOL conference in Syracuse, New York, in November 2016.

For more information on how to submit, ask your teacher or the academic coordinator at your branch. 

Good luck to all participants! 

Do you BINGE-WATCH?

Emma about to BINGE-WATCH a whole season of "Mad Men"!

To BINGE is to endulge in something. This means to eat, use, or do a lot of something that you enjoy. People BINGE-EAT when they are starving and there's a lot of food; you might BINGE ON chocolate cake or potato chips or candy when you love to eat these and the food is in front of you. Unfortunately, a stomach ache usually follows. BINGE-DRINKING can be a problem on college campuses. Some college students think BINGING ON alcohol is a lot of fun.

These days, a lot of people BINGE-WATCH their favorite shows. If you want to watch episode after episode of "House of Cards" or "The Walking Dead" or "Blindspot," you might spend a whole weekend watching only that show so you don't miss anything and you get caught up on the storyline. Most people do this because they don't have time to follow the show once a week or because they missed a couple of episodes or because friends have told them how awesome a show is and they want to check it out, themselves. Once they find out they like it, they BINGE-WATCH!

Are you A SMART COOKIE?

The theme for Friday Lab in Midtown this week is EDUCATION, and here are some #vocabulary & #idioms to get you in the mood for Lab. :-)

CRAM for an exam (study a lot of material in a short time)

• Tom's cramming for his exam tomorrow.

ACE a test (do very well/get a 100% on a test)

A SMART COOKIE (an intelligent person)

• Sally aced her test again. She's such a smart cookie!

 

KEEP IT DOWN (don't make a lot of noise)

PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER (Study/work all night)

• Let's keep it down. John is pulling an all-nighter. He has to finish a huge project.

 

MAJOR IN (focus on a field of study)

• Sue's majoring in engineering. Her sister Patty is majoring in political science.

 

HAND IN (submit; turn in)

• The teacher asked his students to hand in their homework at the beginning of class.

 

Using SO and SUCH

This frozen yogurt was SO yummy. It was SUCH a treat at the end of a long day.

We often use SO or SUCH when we want to intensify our descriptions and opinions of people or things. For example, we say, "This is SUCH a good restaurant. Their food is SO delicious." Another example: The students worked SO hard and did SUCH a great job.

Because these two words are quite common, learning how to use them correctly is a very good idea. It can easily and suddenly come in handy when you're talking to someone. Fortunately, the rules are not difficult at all.

• COME IN HANDY - be useful; be ready to use 

What's UP YOUR ALLEY?

An alley in the Beacon Hill area of Boston, Masachusetts

You might say, "There's a garbage can up my alley," or "There's a bunch of trash up my alley." Alleys or alleyways are tiny, narrow paths or passages between buildings. They're usually dark and dirty although once in a while you'll run into a clean one like this alley in the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts.

• ONCE IN A WHILE - sometimes
• RUN INTO - find; meet; come across

The idiomatic expression "UP YOUR ALLEY," however, has nothing to do with a physical alleyway; it has more to do with someone's interest or expertise. For example, if you're a web designer, then designing web pages is UP YOUR ALLEY. If you're a car mechanic, fixing cars is UP YOUR ALLEY. If you're studying film, then perhaps acting or directing or film editing is UP YOUR ALLEY. You get the picture.

• YOU GET THE PICTURE - You get the idea; you understand

Getting Around & Getting Around To

When you're very busy and don't have a lot of extra time, GETTING AROUND TO buying your groceries can be challenging. On the other hand, some people find ways to GET AROUND going to the supermarket by shopping online and having their groceries delivered. 

GET AROUND and GET AROUND TO look very similar but these phrasal verbs actually have very different meanings that are kind of opposite from each other. One means to avoid doing something, while the other means to manage to do something.

GETTING AROUND means to stay away from a requirement or something annoying or unpleasant. We usually use this phrasal verb when we talk about avoiding a necessary activity that we don't like. If we say, "We can't GET AROUND taking that exam," or "There's no GETTING AROUND that exam," we mean that the exam is a requirement and that everyone has to take it. We can't avoid it if we want to get a certificate or receive a degree or apply to college.

Useful WINTER vocabulary

Snow day on the corner of Broadway and 37th Street, near NYLC in Midtown Manhattan

 

It's the beginning of February, and it definitely feels like the middle of winter here in New York City. The temperatures have DIPPED well below the freezing point and the weather has brought us a couple of snowstorms, especially in just the last week.

• DIP - go, reach down

One snowstorm, in fact, was thought to be so HUMONGOUS that the city decided to shut down MASS TRANSIT as everyone prepared for the worst. Luckily, the city was SPARED the BRUNT of the storm and was able to get things back to normal sooner than expected. A DECENT 8 inches or so BLANKETED most of NYC, but most of the snow and damaging winds hit Boston, parts of Long Island, and other areas north of us. 

• HUMONGOUS - huge; enormous
• MASS TRANSIT - subway, buses, commuter rail
• SPARED - saved or kept from experiencing
• BRUNT - main, strongest force
• DECENT - a good, significant amount
• BLANKET - to cover

Here's to not DROPPING THE BALL this year!

Former NYLC students working together on a project. I don't think anyone in this group DROPPED THE BALL. Nice job, guys!

 

It's now a week and a half into 2015, and we hope your new year is going really well. If you made new year's resolutions, we hope that you are making them happen and that they will last a very, very long time--at least to the end of the year. :-)

On New Year's Eve, as you know, they dropped a huge, heavy, expensive ball made of crystals at the top of a building in Time Square to welcome the new year. It's a New York tradition that's called the New Year's Eve Ball-drop. Did you see the event? The ball wasn't actually dropped though, but was made to slide slowly down a pole. It would be a disaster if a 12-foot-wide crystal ball were dropped on top of a building, wouldn't it?

In any workplace or school setting when you're doing a project with others, it can also be a disaster if you DROP THE BALL. This happens when you make a mistake or forget to do something that has negative consequences on the company or on the group you are working together with. The analogy comes from sports. When you are playing with friends and you are supposed to catch the ball but you don't, you let the team down. You DROPPED THE BALL!