How Not to Write a TOEFL Introduction
Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2010
by William Sullivan
Cz-Training
Improve your TOEFL writing score by avoiding seven mistakes students often make in the TOEFL essay introduction. Here’s what not to do:
Do not use a memorized template.
It’s true that some books teach students to use a template in the TOEFL essay introduction. However, the writing will look formulaic: it will be obvious to the TOEFL rater that you are not really writing--that you are simply writing down a pattern you have memorized for the TOEFL essay.
The TOEFL essay should be completely self-contained. The reader should understand everything without having to go “outside” the essay and look for the essay question or prompt. A good TOEFL introduction clearly explains what the essay is going to be about.
Do not write a one-sentence introduction.
The purpose of the TOEFL introduction is to introduce the reader to the topic in a natural way. This cannot be accomplished with a single sentence: an effective TOEFL introduction is longer than one sentence.
Never use phrases such as “this essay will be about…” or “this essay will deal with…”
Such direct writing is generally considered bad (i.e., lazy) writing. What’s more, even the Official Guide (2nd edition) recommends against such direct statements in the TOEFL introduction.
Do not use phrases such as “the reasons for my opinion are as follows” or “I will discuss my reasons below.”
The reader already knows that you have reasons for your opinion: he understands and expects that you will discuss these reasons in the essay body. A good TOEFL introduction avoids stating the obvious. (See below.)
Do not write anything obvious or self-evident.
For example, if the topic is air pollution, do not begin with a sentence such as “All people breathe air.” A good TOEFL introduction usually begins with a hook, an interesting topic-related sentence that stimulates curiosity and motivates the reader to continue reading.
TOEFL Writing Practice
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Your suggestions would hold good for article writing as well as the TOEFL introduction!
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