Task 1 総合ライティング問題では、求められている解答は、
150〜225語という比較的短いものですが、
得点を上げるためには、” well organized ” （構成が整っている）が必要です。
構成が整っているエッセイはTOEFLの得点が高くなる
ばかりではなく、あなたのエッセイに読み手を引き込むことができるのです。
” well organized ” （構成が整っている）にするために役立つのがTransition word ＆phrasesです。
▮ Transition word &phrasesは段落、文章同士の接着剤
Transition word &phrasesとは、各文章や段落を結ぶ言葉やフレーズです。
各段落がストーリーとして結ばれて初めてエッセイとして成り立ちます。 段落、文章同士の接着剤のような役目ですね。
序文（Introduction)で示したthesis statement(主文）の具体的な内容を、本文（body)の中で、
Transition word ＆phrasesを上手に使うことで、一つひとつ、論理的に説明を展開していきます。
つまり、Transition word ＆phrasesは”well organize” エッセイの構成に大変重要なのです。
以下に、代表的なTransition word ＆phrasesを紹介しますので、是非、覚えて使えるようになってください。
▮ 代表的なTransition word ＆phrases
1. TIME – when explaining sequence of events ( 事の経緯を説明するときに使います） Before next then often After during always sometime Since at the same time while meanwhile 2. DEGREE – when explaining why one thing is more or less important than another thing
(より重要か又は重要でないかを説明するときに使います）
Most important first primarily essentially Less important second secondary principally Basically subordinate lesser chiefly 3. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST – when explaining how two or more things are similar or different （２つの意見を比較して、相違点又は類似点を説明するときに使います）
To Compare （類似するときに使います） Similar to similarly like, alike either/or Correspondingly resemblance almost the same as at the same time as As just as in a like manner in the same way Common in than also neither/nor To Contrast （相違するときに使います） Differ from however otherwise still Nevertheless even though different from less than More than unlike in contrast to on the other hand Although while yet but instead 4. CAUSE AND EFFECT – when explaining how something caused a change in something else
（物事の変化を説明するときに使います） So thus consequently therefore For this reason as a result because, because of owing to Since due to although so that 5. EXPLANATION – when explaining what something is by giving an example or when restating something for emphasis
（例えを出したり、強調するために言い換えに使います） In other words to clarify to explain to paraphrase As like that is for example Such as for instance to illustrate namely 6. ADDING MORE INFORMATION – when adding information to make your point stronger
（主張を強調するための情報を加えるときに使います） In addition besides furthermore as well as Moreover similarly also what’s more
1. Practice listening to different kinds of materials in English everyday. Listen to short audio clips first and gradually increase the length of audio materials you listen to.
2. Avoid distractions and always listen actively.
3. Try to answer the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” questions about the topic. Carefully think about the speaker’s purpose of the lecture.
4.Pay attention to the difference between the main ideas and details presented. Be mindful of details like facts, examples, or opinions presented.
5. Learn to recognize different styles of organization such as theory and evidence, cause and effect, steps of a process, and comparison of two things.
6. Take down notes while listening so that you can gather important details, relevant points, and new expressions or vocabularies. Write down only the information that you hear. Do not attempt to interpret anything based on your personal understanding or knowledge of the topic.
7. Listen to keywords or signal words like the following:
Opinion (I think, It appears that, It is thought that)
theory (In theory)
inference (therefore, then)
negatives (not, words that begin with “un,” “non,” “dis” “a”)
fillers (non-essential information) (uh, er, um)
reasons (because, since)
results (as a result, so, therefore, thus, consequently)
examples (for example, such as)
comparisons (in contrast, than)
an opposing idea (on the other hand, however)
another idea (furthermore, moreover, besides)
a similar idea (similarly, likewise)
restatements of information (in other words, that is)
conclusions (in conclusion, in summary)
8. Pay attention to pacing, intonation and other ways that speakers indicate that information is important like repeatition of information, paraphrasing of sentences, or stressing of words.
9. After each listening activity, write a short summary on the topic explaining the main idea and what the speaker is trying to say.
10. Listen to the same audio clip and review your notes and summary. Change or add more details if necessary.
11. Use different sources of English listening materials: News, Audio Books, Television Programs, Movies, Music, etc.
12. You can also go to these websites for listening practice:
*National Public Radio (www.npr.org)
*CBS News (www.cbsnews.com)
*Randall’s Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com)
*BBC World Service.com Learning English (www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish)
13. Exchange conversations with an English speaker. It will help improve your ability to comprehend and quickly respond.
14. Attend academic lectures, presentations, or gatherings in English.
15. Make it a hobby to be an attentive listener. Practice, practice, practice!
In TOEFL Writing Integrated Task, reading is the first part of the exercise followed by listening. You are given 3 minutes to read a passage which is mostly about academic topics. Reading within 3 minutes is easy for most of us. However, reading and understanding is another story. Reading without comprehension is absolutely useless when answering the TOEFL Integrated Task. Reading comprehension is one of the skills that you need to be good at when taking the exam, so it is of utmost importance that you practice reading. Make it a habit to read textbooks, journals, academic passages, research articles, and encyclopaedias. Though you don’t need to know about any certain subjects, it would be useful if your familiar on how the academic materials are presented.
Basically, TOEFL evaluates your skills in succeeding in an American university or college, while some countries that speak English also use the TOEFL score as a pre-requisite for admission. Thus, you should focus on studying the language that you would normally hear in school. It would be very helpful to learn academic English, and one way to do that is through reading.
Now, let’s discuss about how you can improve your readingskills.
-TIPS-
1. To start, choose any article or topic that you find interesting to read. After few reading practices, choose subjects that are not familiar to you. Make it a point to read articles that are 300-400 words long.
2. Always have a pen and paper on hand while reading so you can easily take down valuable information, interesting phrases, or even difficult words.
2. Read aloud and be aware of your pronunciation and intonation. This helps you to slow down while reading, thus you can comprehend more.
3. Avoid distractions by finding a quiet and comfortable reading place where you could spend long hours of reading without any disturbance or discomfort.
4. Define vocabulary words ahead of time through pre-reading. That way, you can give meaning to uncommon words and you’ll understand the context better while reading.
5. Summarize what you just read based on your notes and review your answer by checking the article if you have covered all important information.
6. Re-read. Read the same articles over and over again to gain fluency and better comprehension.
7. Read daily. Yes, make it a habit to read, read, read!
When preparing for TOEFL, there are many books that can help you on how to make a good response, however, there is almost none that discusses about Typing Skills. Little do test takers know, Typing is the one that can make or break your TOEFL score. No matter how good you are in making your answer and how perfect your essay response is, if you have bad typing skills, it may still lead you to getting a low score.
Why?
Because in TOEFL Integrated Essay, you are required to type your response on the computer. Typing is the only way to answer the task so it is very important that you have good typing skills. You need to have high accuracy and good speed. Accuracy means you need to spell every word perfectly, place every punctuation mark correctly, and arrange every the sentence grammatically right. On the other hand, speed means you need to type your response in time. You don’t have to be a fast typist but it is important that you submit your complete response on time.
So how do you achieve acceptable accuracy and speed? First of all, you need to be comfortable in using a computer and be familiar with how it works. These days, it seems that desktop and laptop computers have been replaced by smartphones and tablets. Most of the people are typing on a keyboard screen instead of using actual computer keyboards. Also, there are some people that rely on few fingers when typing, which makes typing speed slow. So before taking the TOEFL test, you need to consider improving your typing skills first.
How to Improve your Typing Skills
1. Sit comfortably with good posture. It can make you feel relaxed and focused. You’ll have higher energy level and will make your fingers rest correctly on the home keys.
2. Type with both hands and position your fingers correctly. Left hand fingers will have A, S, D, and F, while the right hand fingers will have for J, K, L, and ;.
3. Everytime you have to type something, try not to look at the keyboard. Keep your eyes on the monitor when typing and try to memorize the keys while thinking of what you have to type. Take short quick glances if needed.
4. Take free online typing tests and play typing games that will encourage speedy improvement of your skills. There are many free typing websites that can check your accuracy and speed, and have many typing drills on different types of levels.
5. Instead of always relying on tablets or smartphones, prefer using actual keyboard on desktop computers or laptops when browsing online, sending emails, typing documents, and connecting socially.
6. Be patient and practice, practice, practice.
