雖然這位英文母語人士考的是2019改版前的托福，不過這篇文章依然好，
許多心得也依然可以參照！和同學們分享：
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一位在加拿大出生長大到20多歲，母語是英文的女生，上了SK2 衝刺班的
口說課，覺得很有收穫。她覺得並不是母語人士就能輕鬆考到托福高分，
因此有些心得想和大家分享。
她也說她以前她考托福的成績單上，每一次口說的comment area都會有下列
評語：
- You have minor pronunciation problems
- You have minor grammatical problems
但她是加拿大人啊！！
所以提醒大家，文法和發音上很小的小錯誤不會影響你的分數，
不要因為文法和發音讓你自己卡了，放開來講吧！
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Reflections on the TOEFL Exam
Some may think that for native English speakers, getting a perfect
score in standardized tests, such as IELTS or TOEFL, comes easily;
however, as a native speaker who grew up in Canada, I can honestly
say that that is not the case.
I have taken the TOEFL exam three times:
1st attempt: R:30 L:30 S:28 W:27 = 115
2nd attempt: R:30 L:29 S:28 W:30 = 117
after attending SK2 speaking classes
3rd attempt: R:30 L:29 S:29 W:30 = 118
So here, I would like to share my own 2 cents on my own TOEFL
experiences and some tips that might come in handy for other test
takers.
＊＊＊READING:
Simply put, reading 3 long academic passages and answering 40
questions within 60 minutes is inhumane. The first time I took the
TOEFL test, I barely finished the reading section. By the time I
finished the last question, I only had 3 seconds left with no time
to check my answers at all.
So, what I did the second time when the passage appeared was:
Read the TITLE
MOVE ON to the QUESTIONS!
Some might suggest reading the topic sentences to get an overview
of what the passage is all about, but I wouldn’t worry about
that. Luckily, the questions in TOEFL reading go in the order of
the paragraphs, so we don’t have to jump around looking for
answers.
＊＊＊LISTENING:
Again, the listening part is painfully long. The first time I took
the TOEFL test, I sat through 9 listening passages trying to focus
on what the people are saying and frantically taking notes. Later
did I know that the last 3 listening passages would not be
included in the score and was for ETS’s reference only.
For those who have taken TOEFL more than once would probably be
familiar with the following 3 topics:
The classification of Rafflesia
Writing a paper on bird migration
Piano and ragtime music
These 3 recordings and their questions would not be counted
towards your grade! So, see this as a time to relax your brain a
little bit. Of course, that’s not to say that you should just
space out, but you certainly don’t need to be overstressed about
not doing well in these 3 passages.
So, now we know that we only need to focus on 6 listening
passages, but the problem is how do we keep up with the speed of
the speaker? We simply can’t take notes fast enough!
First, I would suggest using some common abbreviations.
Because = b/c
People = ppl
Students = Ss
Another way to abbreviate is to take out the vowels.
Hybernate = Hbrnt
Colonize = Clnz
If you’re comfortable with Chinese, use Chinese. Or you could
also make up your own symbols.
Second, take your notes vertically and not horizontally because it
makes your notes easier to read.
＊＊＊SPEAKING:
For those who have yet to take the TOEFL exam, you need to know
what kind of questions you will encounter. The first time I took
TOEFL, I went in with 0 preparations, not knowing what kinds of
questions they will ask and I ended up taking a lot of notes that
I actually didn’t need.
So, it is very important that you know very well what each of the
6 speaking tasks is about so you will know what to look for and
not be overwhelmed by too much information.
Independent Speaking: Task 1 & 2
Refer to David’s Word Bank.
http://sk2toefl.blogspot.tw/p/david_20.html
Integrated Speaking: Task 3-6
Refer to David’s Tables
For me, this is probably the most difficult section, and the only
one I have yet to achieve a 30/30. Even though I have scored a 9/9
in IELTS Speaking, TOEFL Speaking is more difficult for me in
terms of TIME MANAGEMENT, DISTRACTIONS, and CONTROL OF MY VOICE.
1. TIME MANAGEMENT:
Unlike IELTS where the examiner usually waits for you to finish
your sentence/statement, TOEFL cuts you off right away. So, my
automatic reaction is to speed up when I’m about to get cut off
or sometimes I start a second example or statement when I only
have 10 seconds left, so obviously, my answer gets cut off.
For example, one time I encountered a question like this:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People
cannot remain friends when they disagree with each other.
My answer went like this:
“I partially disagree with this statement because when people
disagree with each other, they can actually share their point of
views and different perspectives. For example, when my friend and
I go to the movies, we often come out having different opinions
about whether the movies are good or not. My friend might think
the most important thing about a movie is the CGI effect, whereas
I think the most important thing is the storyline. We have a
friendly debate about the movie and have fun listening to each
other’s opinions. So, people can still be friends when they have
different opinions.
(Mind you, by this time, I only had 10 seconds left.)
However, it may be true that when people disagree with each other,
their tone of voice and how they express themselves may affect the
outcome. Some may…”
So, as you probably expected, I ran out of time and couldn’t
elaborate on my second statement. I made the serious mistake of
giving too much information by choosing to partially disagree.
So I think for the Agree or Disagree questions, we should save
ourselves the misery and simply go with either AGREE or DISAGREE,
and try to avoid a neutral or partial standpoint.
2. DISTRACTIONS:
Unlike the IELTS test where you are in the room alone with the
examiner, in TOEFL test, you’re usually speaking with a handful
of other test takers simultaneously. It is so hard not to be
distracted, given that you can’t wear ear plugs during the
speaking section. So, if you can, try practicing under a lot of
distractions to get used to it.
3. VOICE CONTROL:
Yes, you do need to speak in a roomful of people. Some may feel
uncomfortable speaking in a high voice in this kind of environment
whether it is because they feel embarrassed about letting others
hear their answers or they don’t want to distract others.
Coming from my own experience, I realize that this is a crucial
barrier that I have to conquer as well. When I lowered my voice, I
noticed that my intonation was not as recognizable. Intonation can
really help us deliver our messages in a more effective way and
help engage our listeners. So, for people who are having the same
trouble, we should try to speak in a louder voice with more
intonation even if it makes us feel a little bit uncomfortable.
＊＊＊WRITING:
Part 1: Integrated Writing
I’m guessing most of you are using a template for this integrated
writing, and I think it works just fine as long as your general
outline is like this:
Introduction: The reading passage is about (TOPIC). The lecturer
in the listening AGREES/DISAGREES with the writing and offers the
following reasons to support his view.
Body 1/2/3: The reading says XXX, but the professor argues YYY
because…
Conclusion: In conclusion, the professor believes/doesn’t believe
the point stated in the reading passage to be valid.
Part 2: Independent Writing
I think in TOEFL Writing, more than 70% of the time you will
encounter these types of questions.
AGREE or DISAGREE
SUPPORT or OPPOSE
Do you choose A or B
I’m sure there is more than 1 way to get a 30/30. However, I
found one kind of structure particularly useful and helped me
score 30/30 two consecutive times.
Introduction:
Make your standpoint – AGREE or DISAGREE
Body 1:
WHY do you agree or disagree? Support with your most powerful
reason and example.
Body 2:
Try to think like your ‘opponent’, meaning talk about why some
people may disagree with you. Then, COUNTER their argument with
supporting example.
Body 3:
Build upon your reason 1 with more support.
Conclusion:
For reasons stated in Body 1/3, I believe…
You may wonder why I would choose to structure essay like this as
oppose to the normal “I agree/disagree with this statement
because of reasons 1, 2, and 3.” This is because I think if we
only mention one side of opinion, we fail to make comparisons and
point out WHAT makes this side better than the other.
And, the reason why I choose to mention the other side of argument
in the 2nd body paragraph is because our 1st and 3rd body
paragraphs should be the strongest, giving the reader a strong
start and a strong finish. So, it would be much more effective to
argue for our own side in body 1 and 3 rather than 1 and 2.
To clarify, let’s look at the following:
STRUCTURE 1
Introduction
Body 1:
I agree with this statement because XXX
Body 2:
I agree with this statement because YYY
Body 3:
Some people may disagree because ZZZ. However, I believe… So, ZZZ
is not as good as XXX and YYY.
Conclusion
STRUCTURE 2
Introduction
Body 1:
I agree with this statement because XXX
Body 2:
Some people may disagree because ZZZ. However, I believe…
Body 3:
So we understand that ZZZ is not as effective as XXX mentioned in
Body 1. In addition, we can also use YYY in support of XXX.
Conclusion
So, as we can see, when the reader finishes reading STRUCTURE 2
essay would have a stronger memory of why XXX and YYY are better
than ZZZ.
I hope this reflection can help you a little bit~~~~
Until next time ☺
相信大家讀完，也感到練了一次英文閱讀，
也可以看看加拿大人考托福的心得、建議，從中學習。
也歡迎來聽加拿大人都感到受益的SK2 托福公開課！
http://sk2toefl.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_20.html