We have put together the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) we get from English, baby! members about TOEFL®.
Day: March 5, 2016
Top 10 Speaking Tips for the TOEFL iBT® Test
1. Find friends with whom you can practice speaking English – the more confident you are with speaking English, the easier you will find the TOEFL® speaking section of your exam. Need friends to practice with? Find friends on English, baby!
2. Choose questions from the end of English, baby! lessons and imagine this is the free-choice section of your TOEFL® speaking exam. Plan your response by preparing what you will say for your introduction as well as three supporting ideas. You should aim to do this at least three times a week – the more you practice, the easier you will find responding to questions with limited time to plan your response.
Top 10 Writing Tips for the TOEFL iBT® Test
1. Make a list of familiar topics – English, baby!’s daily lessons are great examples. Practice planning and writing an essay for each topic. First, think of one main idea or opinion for each topic and then think of a few points that support this idea or opinion. When you first start practicing this, take at least forty-five minutes to plan, write and check each essay. Once you improve, you should be able to do this in half an hour or less.
2. Write out every word in full – never use abbreviations! Although you may want to save time, abbreviations such as u instead of you are not acceptable for TOEFL® writing. Save these abbreviations for the English, baby! chat room.
Top 10 Reading Tips for the TOEFL iBT® Test
1. Become familiar with reading in English. You should be reading in English every single day. Read the newspaper or news online, print out the daily lessons on English, baby! and find academic papers at the library or online. Do not just stick to topics related to areas that you are interested in – become familiar with a variety of subjects!
2. Practice skimming passages rather than spending valuable time reading the passage in detail. (Skimming is when you quickly glance through text rather than reading every single word.) Then go back and read the passage more slowly – you will find you understand more now that you know what the key points of the passage are. By practicing using any passage of written English, such as today’s lesson on English, baby! you will dramatically increase your fluency and reading rate.
Top 10 Listening Tips for the TOEFL iBT® Test
Top 10 Listening Tips for the TOEFL iBT® test and Paper English Language Tests
1. Take past TOEFL® listening tests and become familiar with the format. Quickly read the comprehension questions before the recording begins – this helps you to listen out for key points – often there is a lot of content that you will not be tested on – keep your focus and energy for the points that count!
2. Practice note taking whenever you are listening to something in English – only write down key words or phrases, use abbreviations for long words and always write in English. Record only the major points – you will not have time to write down the minor, unimportant details in the exam.