Let’s first look and some overarching principles that you should always remember when writing:
1.Go with what you know. Often when students write, they choose ideas that they don't know about or they write about information that they don't know. If a topic is about the qualities of good leaders, students often will give examples like Steve Jobs, Barack Obama or Bill Gates. The problem is that usually the reader like myself knows more about them that the student does. It is because they are not writing about what they know.
So how can you write about what you know? Consider these sources of what you know: my family, friends, job, education, city, country, hobbies, current events or what I’ve read or listened to
2.The more specific you get, the better. Students will write “People go to college to get a better education. They want to learn. This is not specific and they are not going with what they know.
How do you plan for the Independent Writing? Let’s look at our process for writing the Independent TOEFL.
Step 1: Brainstorm ideas and choose 2. (Make sure you go with what you know when choosing your 2 ideas).
Step 2: Create your thesis statement and topic sentence. How do you create them?
A thesis statement is the topic (question) + the controlling ideas (the answers). It is at the end of the introduction and is only 1 sentence.
A topic sentence is the topic (question) + the controlling idea (the answer) for each body paragraph. The TOEFL requires 2 body paragraphs.
To create the thesis statement or topic sentence, follow these 3 steps:
1.Delete the wh question.
2.Delete do/does or did OR move am/is/are/will/should/could/can after the subject
3.Add the 2 answers you chose.
Step 3: Plan your support.
There are several things we need to remember:
1.Definitions of explanation and example.
An explanation could be a definition, a description or specific facts. For our purposes, we are going to look at specific facts first. How do you get specific facts, use the question how or in what was is that idea true?
An example is a name + a specific situation. Remember our sources of support? This is something I watched recently. A leader never gives up even when it seems impossible. In the TV show "This is Us," the father went to his son karate lessons and the teacher asked the father to show his son that he supports him. The teacher asked the father to do pushups but not with his son. He asked them to do pushups with his son on his back. Other fathers watched and so did his wife. This father kept going even when you thought there is no way he can do it. He did it. Leaders don't give up when it's tough.
2.Cohesion and writing. When you write, look at the end of the previous sentence and write about that idea. Do not repeat the beginning of the sentence because if you do you won’t be writing a good explanation. You will just be repeating the same idea.
3.Determine the support you use. Now that you know this important information, ask yourself first “Do I have an example for the idea?” If you do, write that information as in “name + specific situation.” If you don’t, write how or in what ways is that idea true? Write that idea and that is how you will begin your explanation.
Step 4. Plan your introduction
Here when you write your introduction, you are NOT writing a hook. The introduction doesn’t need to be introduction. Instead, you will write an explanation. How can you write an introduction? There are several ways. We are going to start with one that will work for any topic.
Choose the most sophisticated word or phrase in the question that is not the type of organization. Then write a definition about that idea.
Step 5: Write your essay and edit your grammar.
How do you edit for grammar? You need to know the major mistakes you make in grammar and how to fix them. How will you know? Well, after you write, I will read your essays and tell you.