I just wanted to thank you for all the videos that you have made. I just received my score and it is 108. It could have been a lot higher but my reading section contained two term-heavy passages about Chinese culture and history which resulted in me doing poorly on the reading from which I received 23. My listening and writing were 30 and 27 respectively, but it was my speaking that took me by surprise. I got a 28 while never being in an English-speaking country in my life. Your templates were the reason why I got a high score.
That's awesome. I'm so happy to have helped a bit. I've always tried to emphasize that test prep doesn't have to be costly. Students can prepare on their own if given the best possible resources. That's what you did!
@Test Resources - TOEFL Preparation you are absolutely correct, especially where I'm from toefl tutors are really expensive and their level of english isn't even that high. Luckily I found an English speaking club which helped me a lot.
Hello Michael! After learning the materials from your video and website, I got TOEFL writing 27 out of 30. Thank you very much. Your video helped a lot!
Great video, here is my response: Personally, i believe that online learning have a great influence on the education system, but, I strongly gravitate toward the traditional way of in-class learning. While Emily raised the relevant point that online learning allows more students to learn, she neglected to clarify that it reduces the comprehension of students, since there's no in-class discussion, which I believe are crucial for students to fully understand the subject, and have all their questions answered. For example, my professor used to always leave ten minutes at the end of each class for communicating with us and clarify any misconception that may occurred during the lecture, which a lot of time declared many question we had about the lecture. Overall, I'd say that even though both methods have advantages, i feel like physical learning is better.
While I appreciate the points mentioned by both Emily and Jack, I really think that letting students take classes from home is a fantastic idea that every universities should consider. With the advent of science and technology, the teaching and learning methodologies are also changed. Nowadays, students living in remote places can access education through online classes, and even earn degrees in their relevant subjects without attending classes physically. Moreover, taking classes from home makes them competent and prepares them to tackle new challenges. Thus, learning from home not only allows students to support their families but also encourages them to pursue their academic career, so this option is probably best for everyone. However, relying solely on internet-based classes doesn't guarantee that they can fully compete with their peers. Due to excessive modernization, competition in all sectors has increased rapidly. Thus, to be a master in an appropriate field, effective theoretical classes taught by qualified professionals are essential. Therefore, it is valuable to attend classes in person rather than relying solely on online education.
This is decent, but you've got some grammar and language use errors. I mean stuff like: "every universities" (should be 'every university') "with the advent of science and technology" (that is weird and should be something like "thanks to new technology") "in their relevant subjects" (should be something like "in their preferred subjects") There are others, but I think you get the point. Slow down a bit to focus on grammar more. And try to resist the urge to use fancy vocabulary. I think this one would score about 24 points. But you can do better!
Hello Michael. Some people are saying that the new listening & reading are going to be a trap for us cause any mistake will directly hurt the score greatly, considering the fact that there will be no experimental section. Please kindly make a video on this if its actually gonna be more difficult as there will be no added section in reading & listening.
That is a fair statement. Every mistake in the reading section will cost you about 1.5 points, if we just go mathematically. I'm not sure what to say about that in a video. It is what it is.
Great video. Seems like the best way to go so far. I would like to experiment with 80+ words templates for people who dont know how to write though. Maybe paraphrase the reading a bit longer as well and see how that goes to show as little of the writer's skill as possible.
Yeah. That is an interesting approach. What if you start with something like "I'm running late for class and will have to keep this brief, but there are a few things I wanted to mention about online classes. First of all, it's commonly argued that...."
Thank you for your great content. I read the samples provided by the ETS and realized that in neither of them anything about the discussion is mentioned. The solutions just use their own ideas and don't counter or confirm any of the students' views. I would really like to hear your take on this matter.
That is a really good point. We might learn later that it is okay to just totally ignore the student responses. It might be okay to not even read them. But for now, I draw my inspiration from the final page in this document: www.ets.org/pdfs/toefl/toefl-ibt-free-practice-test-enhanced.pdf Do you see what I mean? The test-taker does mention one of the points made by the student and the rater comments mention that it is a good thing.
@@Toeflresources You're right. I hadn't looked at this one. From the provided samples, I think they are trying to make this task more flexible, both in terms of question type and acceptable answers. However, in my opinion, it's beneficial for test takers to mention at least one of the student responses. First, it can strengthen the connection between their answer and the discussion. Second, it will help with word count, as we can easily get around 15 words by paraphrasing each student's response. Regarding word count, I think it's not a serious challenge here because our response includes at least 3 template sentences: the opinion sentence, one that mentions one of the students, and the concluding sentence. Considering these, we just need around 80 words to reach around 120-130.
Your ideas seem good. There is a lot to think about, isn't there? I wonder what happens if we completely ignore the two student comments. Can we still get a great score?
@@Toeflresources Yeah, there is so much to figure out. I think whether it's okay to ignore students' comments depends on the type of question. If the question has only two sides, for example, "agree or disagree," it would be natural to mention at least one of them because one of the students will be on our side, and it would be a sign of disconnection if we didn't follow the chain of thought. On the other hand, if the question is open-ended, then we could do whatever we want, but I still believe it would be better to mention the discussion. Apparently, ETS, with this change, is rooting for the fact that TOEFL is not just about language proficiency but also communication skills. If this is true, they are just looking for an acceptable contribution to the conversation, regardless of whether our solution explicitly mentions students' ideas or not.
the topic of online classes impact on the students has generated much discussion nowadays even though some adamantly believe that they are not as significant as most people suggest, i strongly believe that this opinion lacks coherence to some extent first and foremost the vast majority of individuals agree with the idea that online classes have brought abought many advantages i totally agree that they have significant impact on the students and education process one important factor is it makes many students especially who are living in rural areas avoid the stress of every day commuting and cut the transportation cost additionally they are the most helpful during disease outbreaks, like what happened during corona pandemic where students from all over the world relied on online classes to continue their education , in summation ,I lean with Emily perspective about the positive impact of online classes
This one has many of the same issues as the one I checked a moment ago. I think it would score about 18 points, but I am sure you can do better. At least use a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence!
I think showing off your vocabulary and grammar would be a challenge because it is a very short integrated question, I cannot imagine how decent students would not get a high score in this task. Is it possible that very few “creative words” would have a huge impact on score ? I am planning to take toefl in few months but i don’t know how to feel toward this question
That is a valid point. I'm not sure how to respond. My approach would be to keep the vocabulary "good" but not really obscure. And to really work at writing at least a couple of compound sentences.
Thank you so much dear! I got a question. What if we ignore the response by both students and directly answer the professor's query and then elaborate on our own original, unique response?
Hello Michael. Thank you very much. here is my response please. In my opinion, I encourage face to face learning. Students need to build good relationships with each other. So, these bonds and the physical interactions bring out a competition and healthy environment between them, and the overall education process will level up. Moreover, it helps learners to have important skills through the participation in seminars and workshops. Also, for in-class learning, individuals benefit from the campus facilities, such as library and other useful resources. On the other hand, I disagree with Emily’s claims about the cost spent on physical education. I think this can be solved by living near the academic buildings of the university or living in student’s residence.
I think this would score about 19 points. As I said a moment ago in a response to your other submission, there are just too many little grammar and language use errors for you to score much higher than that.
Hello, Micheal. First of all, thank you for putting so much effort and enthusiasm in those videos and making them available to us. Could you please evaluate my response on this topic? I would really appreciate it. Thanks anyways. While Emily raised the relevant point that online classes reduce the expenses of education significantly, I think that she overlooked some key points about its disadvantages. Firstly, not all the classes could be taugth profoundly online. For instance, subjects such as Biology and Chemistry require students' presence at laboratory so that they can conduct experiments and improve their practical skills. Besides, cheating on exams is much easier during online classes. As you aren't being physically supervised , you can literally copy everything from your textbook without anyone noticing it , which, obviously, has a negative impact on the grasp of concepts and the quality of education. To sum up, although online classes offer more flexibility to students, the drawbacks certainly outweight its advantages.
Hi, Mihael. Thank you for the video. About the new writting question, I would like to know, why we need writting about the student's opinion that we desagree if the question asks to write about our opinion? It doesn't make sense for me. Should I give my opinion about the topic or about the student's point of view? In that case, should I go through the opinion that I desagree too? Thanks and sorry but I always wanted to know.
I don't think it is mandatory to write about the other opinion. I recommend it because I think it is a good idea, but you can feel free to omit that and focus on your own ideas.
Hi Michael, thank you for the video. I want to ask you 2 q . First can we 15:02 finish the writing without the conclusion And how can we ignore/skim the students opinions. I am afraid that if I skip the students ideas I might repeat something they said instead of coming up with my ideas.
When seeing the sample, I am wondering whether I can make use of the content from two students, or it is just a hint that I should type my answer in the same way.
i was continuously struggling with this new writing section. can anyone please rate this? it would really help me. My personal belief is that online learning has a mixed impact on our education. I agree with emily’s point that online education offers great flexibility at a lesser cost but we also have to consider the infrastructure that university provides for learning purposes like computers and research labs which have a great role in shaping a student’s career. I understand sam’s concern that online education offers lesser physical collaboration but that doesn’t necessarily make it lesser appealing as this type of learning may include short discussions or quiz which may encourage people to participate and thereby create the learning atmosphere more energetic.
Capitalize people's names, as they are proper nouns. It doesn't really look like you expressed an opinion here. You can't have it both ways. You really should have a solid stance. Don't just say that you agree with both students. You need your own unique arguments.
Hello, thank you so much for this video. So I have a question please answer me. Did you take toefl test if you did how many score you got and if you did not can you score 120?
Hi! Please check my response and score: From my point of view, online classes have several impacts, and I want to write two important impacts of online classes. First of all, online classes cause diverse students with variety of ethnicities, and believes connect with each other. It helps them to learn new things from their partiners who gather from the whole world. Secondly, online classes contribute students who may not be able to continue their education in a class. For instance, nowadays in Afghanistan girls are not allowed to study ofline; therefore, online classes help them to continue their education online with abroad universities which has a vital effect on them, and their future. Finally, online classes have two authentic impacts which I provided in my essay.
Hello! This is my first attempt at answering an academic discussion question under time pressure, and I would greatly appreciate your feedback on my response. I'm particularly interested in knowing my likely score and any suggestions you may have for improvement. Your expertise would be incredibly valuable in helping me enhance my writing skills. Drafted response: "I believe learning from online classes are less effective than physical ones. As Jack has mentioned above, it’s difficult to make online classes engaging. While one-way teaching is still feasible on the screen, other interactive elements like group project discussions and debates are difficult to be conducted online. On the other hand, it’s also more difficult for professor to observe visual cues. For example, a professor maybe able to adjust his way of elaborating on certain concepts if professors see their student looking confused or they could quickly check whether the students could grasp the content by a quick show of hands. In contrast, students are less engaged in online lectures, with more distraction at home." Thank you!!
I think this one would score about 22 or 23 points. There are grammar and language use issues like: "learning from online classes are less effective" (should be "learning from online classes is less effective") "on the screen" (better is something like "online") "difficult to be conducted online" (should be "difficult to do online") There are others, but I will leave it at that for now. You may wish to try something like Grammarly to identify more mistakes in your work.
I just wanted to thank you for all the videos that you have made. I just received my score and it is 108. It could have been a lot higher but my reading section contained two term-heavy passages about Chinese culture and history which resulted in me doing poorly on the reading from which I received 23. My listening and writing were 30 and 27 respectively, but it was my speaking that took me by surprise. I got a 28 while never being in an English-speaking country in my life. Your templates were the reason why I got a high score.
That's awesome. I'm so happy to have helped a bit. I've always tried to emphasize that test prep doesn't have to be costly. Students can prepare on their own if given the best possible resources. That's what you did!
@Test Resources - TOEFL Preparation you are absolutely correct, especially where I'm from toefl tutors are really expensive and their level of english isn't even that high. Luckily I found an English speaking club which helped me a lot.
I'm glad you were able to get a great score without a ton of expensive test prep. I've upset a lot of tutors by saying that's an option. :)
@arthur0023 thank you for sharing about the test
@@glauserra you can ask me anything you want regarding the test
Hello Michael! After learning the materials from your video and website, I got TOEFL writing 27 out of 30. Thank you very much. Your video helped a lot!
Great job! I am so happy to have helped a bit. What's next for you?
Great video, here is my response:
Personally, i believe that online learning have a great influence on the education system, but, I strongly gravitate toward the traditional way of in-class learning. While Emily raised the relevant point that online learning allows more students to learn, she neglected to clarify that it reduces the comprehension of students, since there's no in-class discussion, which I believe are crucial for students to fully understand the subject, and have all their questions answered. For example, my professor used to always leave ten minutes at the end of each class for communicating with us and clarify any misconception that may occurred during the lecture, which a lot of time declared many question we had about the lecture. Overall, I'd say that even though both methods have advantages, i feel like physical learning is better.
While I appreciate the points mentioned by both Emily and Jack, I really think that letting students take classes from home is a fantastic idea that every universities should consider. With the advent of science and technology, the teaching and learning methodologies are also changed. Nowadays, students living in remote places can access education through online classes, and even earn degrees in their relevant subjects without attending classes physically. Moreover, taking classes from home makes them competent and prepares them to tackle new challenges. Thus, learning from home not only allows students to support their families but also encourages them to pursue their academic career, so this option is probably best for everyone. However, relying solely on internet-based classes doesn't guarantee that they can fully compete with their peers. Due to excessive modernization, competition in all sectors has increased rapidly. Thus, to be a master in an appropriate field, effective theoretical classes taught by qualified professionals are essential. Therefore, it is valuable to attend classes in person rather than relying solely on online education.
This is decent, but you've got some grammar and language use errors. I mean stuff like:
"every universities" (should be 'every university')
"with the advent of science and technology" (that is weird and should be something like "thanks to new technology")
"in their relevant subjects" (should be something like "in their preferred subjects")
There are others, but I think you get the point. Slow down a bit to focus on grammar more. And try to resist the urge to use fancy vocabulary.
I think this one would score about 24 points. But you can do better!
Hello Michael. Some people are saying that the new listening & reading are going to be a trap for us cause any mistake will directly hurt the score greatly, considering the fact that there will be no experimental section. Please kindly make a video on this if its actually gonna be more difficult as there will be no added section in reading & listening.
That is a fair statement. Every mistake in the reading section will cost you about 1.5 points, if we just go mathematically. I'm not sure what to say about that in a video. It is what it is.
Great video. Seems like the best way to go so far.
I would like to experiment with 80+ words templates for people who dont know how to write though. Maybe paraphrase the reading a bit longer as well and see how that goes to show as little of the writer's skill as possible.
Yeah. That is an interesting approach. What if you start with something like "I'm running late for class and will have to keep this brief, but there are a few things I wanted to mention about online classes. First of all, it's commonly argued that...."
Hi Michael, really like your explanation and teaching style.
Thanks for the kind words. They mean a lot to me!
@@Toeflresources You're welcome. I've been a TOEFL Tutor since 2007, and it's rare to find a teacher like you. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks for the kind words. They mean a lot to me.
Thank you for your great content.
I read the samples provided by the ETS and realized that in neither of them anything about the discussion is mentioned. The solutions just use their own ideas and don't counter or confirm any of the students' views. I would really like to hear your take on this matter.
That is a really good point. We might learn later that it is okay to just totally ignore the student responses. It might be okay to not even read them.
But for now, I draw my inspiration from the final page in this document: www.ets.org/pdfs/toefl/toefl-ibt-free-practice-test-enhanced.pdf
Do you see what I mean? The test-taker does mention one of the points made by the student and the rater comments mention that it is a good thing.
@@Toeflresources You're right. I hadn't looked at this one. From the provided samples, I think they are trying to make this task more flexible, both in terms of question type and acceptable answers. However, in my opinion, it's beneficial for test takers to mention at least one of the student responses. First, it can strengthen the connection between their answer and the discussion. Second, it will help with word count, as we can easily get around 15 words by paraphrasing each student's response.
Regarding word count, I think it's not a serious challenge here because our response includes at least 3 template sentences: the opinion sentence, one that mentions one of the students, and the concluding sentence. Considering these, we just need around 80 words to reach around 120-130.
Your ideas seem good. There is a lot to think about, isn't there? I wonder what happens if we completely ignore the two student comments. Can we still get a great score?
@@Toeflresources Yeah, there is so much to figure out. I think whether it's okay to ignore students' comments depends on the type of question. If the question has only two sides, for example, "agree or disagree," it would be natural to mention at least one of them because one of the students will be on our side, and it would be a sign of disconnection if we didn't follow the chain of thought. On the other hand, if the question is open-ended, then we could do whatever we want, but I still believe it would be better to mention the discussion.
Apparently, ETS, with this change, is rooting for the fact that TOEFL is not just about language proficiency but also communication skills. If this is true, they are just looking for an acceptable contribution to the conversation, regardless of whether our solution explicitly mentions students' ideas or not.
the topic of online classes impact on the students has generated much discussion nowadays
even though some adamantly believe that they are not as significant as most people suggest, i strongly believe that this opinion lacks coherence to some extent
first and foremost the vast majority of individuals agree with the idea that online classes have brought abought many advantages
i totally agree that they have significant impact on the students and education process
one important factor is it makes many students especially who are living in rural areas avoid the stress of every day commuting and cut the transportation cost
additionally they are the most helpful during disease outbreaks, like what happened during corona pandemic where students from all over the world relied on online classes to continue their education , in summation ,I lean with Emily perspective about the positive impact of online classes
This one has many of the same issues as the one I checked a moment ago. I think it would score about 18 points, but I am sure you can do better. At least use a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence!
Hi Michael, thank you so much for the video.
Where can I find more examples for this task?
Right here: www.toeflresources.com/toefl-writing-sample-questions-and-answers-discussion-board-questions/
I think showing off your vocabulary and grammar would be a challenge because it is a very short integrated question, I cannot imagine how decent students would not get a high score in this task.
Is it possible that very few “creative words” would have a huge impact on score ? I am planning to take toefl in few months but i don’t know how to feel toward this question
BTW Thank you and keep up your great work!
That is a valid point. I'm not sure how to respond. My approach would be to keep the vocabulary "good" but not really obscure. And to really work at writing at least a couple of compound sentences.
Thank you so much dear! I got a question.
What if we ignore the response by both students and directly answer the professor's query and then elaborate on our own original, unique response?
Totally fine. I recommend it to many students.
Hello Michael. Thank you very much.
here is my response please.
In my opinion, I encourage face to face learning. Students need to build good relationships with each other. So, these bonds and the physical interactions bring out a competition and healthy environment between them, and the overall education process will level up. Moreover, it helps learners to have important skills through the participation in seminars and workshops. Also, for in-class learning, individuals benefit from the campus facilities, such as library and other useful resources. On the other hand, I disagree with Emily’s claims about the cost spent on physical education. I think this can be solved by living near the academic buildings of the university or living in student’s residence.
I think this would score about 19 points. As I said a moment ago in a response to your other submission, there are just too many little grammar and language use errors for you to score much higher than that.
Thanks.
You're welcome
Hello, Micheal. First of all, thank you for putting so much effort and enthusiasm in those videos and making them available to us. Could you please evaluate my response on this topic? I would really appreciate it. Thanks anyways.
While Emily raised the relevant point that online classes reduce the expenses of education significantly, I think that she overlooked some key points about its disadvantages. Firstly, not all the classes could be taugth profoundly online. For instance, subjects such as Biology and Chemistry require students' presence at laboratory so that they can conduct experiments and improve their practical skills. Besides, cheating on exams is much easier during online classes. As you aren't being physically supervised , you can literally copy everything from your textbook without anyone noticing it , which, obviously, has a negative impact on the grasp of concepts and the quality of education. To sum up, although online classes offer more flexibility to students, the drawbacks certainly outweight its advantages.
Hi, Mihael. Thank you for the video. About the new writting question, I would like to know, why we need writting about the student's opinion that we desagree if the question asks to write about our opinion? It doesn't make sense for me. Should I give my opinion about the topic or about the student's point of view? In that case, should I go through the opinion that I desagree too? Thanks and sorry but I always wanted to know.
I don't think it is mandatory to write about the other opinion. I recommend it because I think it is a good idea, but you can feel free to omit that and focus on your own ideas.
@@Toeflresources thank you, Michael. You are the best.
Thanks for your kind words!
@@Toeflresources It's true: you're the best!
Hi Michael, thank you for the video.
I want to ask you 2 q . First can we 15:02 finish the writing without the conclusion
And how can we ignore/skim the students opinions. I am afraid that if I skip the students ideas I might repeat something they said instead of coming up with my ideas.
You can omit the conclusion. You should skim the opinions enough to avoid repeating their ideas, at least.
hi I do have a question: can i paraphrase some points stated by students bc im really struggling to find new argument ?
You should come up with your own argument.
thank you for the response .
My pleasure! When will you take the test?
@@Toeflresources I will sit for it next month.
When seeing the sample, I am wondering whether I can make use of the content from two students, or it is just a hint that I should type my answer in the same way.
You can use the content from the other students. Or you can mostly ignore it. I think it is up to you.
i was continuously struggling with this new writing section. can anyone please rate this? it would really help me.
My personal belief is that online learning has a mixed impact on our education. I agree with emily’s point that online education offers great flexibility at a lesser cost but we also have to consider the infrastructure that university provides for learning purposes like computers and research labs which have a great role in shaping a student’s career. I understand sam’s concern that online education offers lesser physical collaboration but that doesn’t necessarily make it lesser appealing as this type of learning may include short discussions or quiz which may encourage people to participate and thereby create the learning atmosphere more energetic.
Capitalize people's names, as they are proper nouns. It doesn't really look like you expressed an opinion here. You can't have it both ways. You really should have a solid stance. Don't just say that you agree with both students. You need your own unique arguments.
I heard somewhere on RUclips that we could support both ways, so should I just stick to one side?
@@abhishekjha2182 you could possibly do that. I don't recommend it, but it isn't specifically mentioned in the rubrics. Do what you think is best.
I m struggling with listening so need mentoring please
Well, let me know if you have any questions!
Hello, thank you so much for this video. So I have a question please answer me. Did you take toefl test if you did how many score you got and if you did not can you score 120?
Last time I took the test I think I got 117 points.
Just wanted to know, the difficulty level of the TOEFL new version is going to be the same as old reading and listening?
Yeah. Same difficulty level. Same stuff. Just less of it.
Hello sir but the is very short for academic dissection .omg 10 minutes
Yes. Very short indeed. You should do a ton of practice questions so you can work on your time management.
Hi!
Please check my response and score:
From my point of view, online classes have several impacts, and I want to write two important impacts of online classes. First of all, online classes cause diverse students with variety of ethnicities, and believes connect with each other. It helps them to learn new things from their partiners who gather from the whole world. Secondly, online classes contribute students who may not be able to continue their education in a class. For instance, nowadays in Afghanistan girls are not allowed to study ofline; therefore, online classes help them to continue their education online with abroad universities which has a vital effect on them, and their future. Finally, online classes have two authentic impacts which I provided in my essay.
Hello! This is my first attempt at answering an academic discussion question under time pressure, and I would greatly appreciate your feedback on my response. I'm particularly interested in knowing my likely score and any suggestions you may have for improvement. Your expertise would be incredibly valuable in helping me enhance my writing skills. Drafted response: "I believe learning from online classes are less effective than physical ones. As Jack has mentioned above, it’s difficult to make online classes engaging. While one-way teaching is still feasible on the screen, other interactive elements like group project discussions and debates are difficult to be conducted online. On the other hand, it’s also more difficult for professor to observe visual cues. For example, a professor maybe able to adjust his way of elaborating on certain concepts if professors see their student looking confused or they could quickly check whether the students could grasp the content by a quick show of hands. In contrast, students are less engaged in online lectures, with more distraction at home." Thank you!!
I think this one would score about 22 or 23 points. There are grammar and language use issues like:
"learning from online classes are less effective" (should be "learning from online classes is less effective")
"on the screen" (better is something like "online")
"difficult to be conducted online" (should be "difficult to do online")
There are others, but I will leave it at that for now. You may wish to try something like Grammarly to identify more mistakes in your work.