3 Questions Every TOEFL Tutor Should be Able to Answer
Strictly English has a list of 21 questions about the TOEFL iBT exam that we use when interviewing TOEFL tutors. If they cannot answer these questions correctly, then they don’t get the job!
If you’re looking for an iBT tutor, make sure he or she can answer at least these three questions below. If your tutor cannot answer these questions, then you might want someone who knows more about the test to be teaching you!
QUESTIONS:
1. Can I get a 25 out of 30 on the Speaking section of the iBT?
2. What section of the TOEFL iBT asks you questions that directly test your knowledge of Grammar?
3. On what part of the iBT are you most likely to use modals?
ANSWERS:
1. NO. TOEFL does not give a score of 25 on the Speaking.
2. NONE: There are NO grammar questions on the iBT.
3. Speaking Task 5. It is the only place where you talk about offering suggestions.
EXTRA NOTE: Make sure you see the tutor’s TOEFL SCORE. Even if he/she is a native English speaker, your tutor should have taken the TOEFL so that he/she knows exactly what you’ll experience on test day. Every Strictly English tutor has taken the TOEFL. This also means that we know exactly how the real test is different from what is taught in the books. Much of the information in the books is out of date because the books were published 3-5 years ago. TOEFL books should be updated at least every 2 years if not every year. If your tutor is not taking the test regularly, then he/she is relying on information in the books, which is usually old and out-of-date information.
TOEFL Speaking Task 1: Describe a PERSON
When TOEFL asks you to describe a PERSON in Speaking Task 1, you can talk about that person’s:
Body
Mind
Heart
EX: “I really respected my chemistry teacher because he was SMART (mind) and PATIENT (emotion)”
You can also:
1. Talk about the effect this person has had on you (for example, this person made you more interested in volunteer work, or this person introduced you to jazz music)
Or: 2. talk about why you respect this person (for example, you really respect their work ethic, or you admire their sense of humor).
For more tips on how to generate speaking ideas, come back and read more on our blog!
Improving TOEFL Comprehension via 360 Research
Since TOEFL is a Test of ENGLISH as a Foreign Language, you can greatly improve your TOEFL score by improving your English comprehension. One way to do that is to initiate a 360-review of an academically-oriented or politically-focused news story. 360-Research means looking at the story from all possible angles. For example, you could:
1. Read about the story in respected American news papers such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Huffington Post.
2. Read about the story in respected English-Language magazines, such as The Economist, The New Yorker, and Slate.com.
3. Listen to radio reports about the story on NPR.org or on respected radio shows like On Point, Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, or The Diane Rehm Show.
4. Watch videos about the story on youtube.com or on your local Public Television station.
5. Look up key ideas relevant to the story
6. Follow the story on Twitter.com
7. Read about the story in your own language.
This last point is very helpful. Because it is hard to understand the more subtle ideas in news stories, it is often good to read about the story first in your own language. That way you’ll understand the story, which will improve your comprehension of the story in English. Once you understand the story in your own language, then you’ll be able to focus on how the English is conveying the same idea. This is particularly helpful when the entire story focuses on one central idea or quotation. For example, do a search in your own language for Judge Sotomayor’s statement that “a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” In Spanish, one blogger translated this as una latina inteligente podría tomar mejores decisiones que un hombre blanco que no ha tenido las mismas experiencias vitales”, and if you search the web in Spanish for “Sotomayor,” you’ll find every hit mentions “latina inteligente”. So when you read “wise latina” in English, you’ll quickly figure out that WISE must mean INTELIGENTE, since you’ve seen “latina inteligente” 20-30 times already.
Here are some links to get you started for a more recent story: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
PBS: (click on the STREAMING VIDEO link)
RELEVANT LINKS:
Definition of racial profiling.
article about racial profiling.
Definition of 911 calls.
Definition of sensitivity training.
Article on how diversity training doesn’t work.
Do this once a week on a new topic, and your English will improve much more quickly!
GOOD LUCK!
Praise for Online Tutoring
The following two quotations come from this article:
The Sloan report, based on a poll of academic leaders, says that students generally appear to be at least as satisfied with their on-line classes as they are with traditional ones. In fact, the comprehension is better in a virtual class than in an in-person class.
Test preps like GRE and GMAT are intensive studies. In such deep studies, a wholesale classroom treatment can not be as effective as the one-to-one online tutoring. Many who have been gullible victims of the public-meeting type of classroom tutorials with over fifty students and with no chance to clarify their doubts, will understand the difference between mass teaching and private coaching.
So don’t be afraid to sign up for online tutoring!
Kind Words from a Friend of Strictly English
I would like to thank you for the tips on the speaking section, and also for leting me know that the integrated writing had changed. I did not have a lot of time for studying these changes, but I did have some time to search the ETS website for some examples of level 5 essays.
Again, thanks a lot for helping me achieve this score.
Strictly English will Launch TOEFL Videos July 15th!
Strictly English has been working on a series of HOW TO videos about the TOEFL test. For example:
How to sign up at ETS.
How to register for the TOEFL.
How to View your TOEFL results online.
We will also be making videos that will help you improve your TOEFL English!
Improve Your Subject-Verb Agreement When Speaking
Many people—-even the most advanced non-native English speakers—-drop the “S” at the ends of words. And, in all honesty, it is very hard to train yourself to stop doing it. So, here is one trick that will help you a lot: read documents that have every “S” highlighted. This highlighting will draw your attention to each “S” as you read the document aloud. Repeating this every day for one month should completely eliminate the dropped “S”. Here is an example:
Now you can either take the time to highlight the “S”s yourself or you can have your computer do it. I use my computer, and here’s how:
1. Import any text into a word processor of your choice. I usually take my articles from www.NYTimes.com
2. Initiate a FIND AND REPLACE.
3. In the FIND box, put in “s” [space] (if you don’t put a SPACE after the “S”, then you’ll highlight “S”s in the middle of words, which you don’t want.)
4. In the REPLACE box, put in “s” [space]
5. With your cursor still in the REPLCE box, Select HIGHLIGHT in the FORMAT pop-up menu. (The FORMAT pop-up menu might be hard to find depending on the word processor you use.)
6. Select REPLACE ALL
7. Repeat steps 2-7 but this time, put “s.” [space] into both the FIND and REPLCE boxes (notice the PERIOD after the “s”)
8. Repeat steps 2-7 but this time, put “s,” [space] into both the FIND and REPLCE boxes (notice the COMMA after the “s”)
The Dangers of Self-Study
Practicing language production (in other words, Writing and Speaking) on your own can lead to big setbacks because you have a high likelihood of reinforcing bad English instead of reinforcing correct English. Read more here.
For example, if you write a 300 word essay, and in it you made the same grammar error 10-15 times, then you just memorized the incorrect English. This commonly happens with Subject-Verb agreement errors. Students make them so often that they memorize the incorrect grammar.
What you need is a professional ESL instructor sitting with you as your write who can correct your errors as soon as they happen! This maximizes your learning potential and minimizes your study time!
The Statistics on Getting a 26 on the Speaking
One website reports that people who need a 26 on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL take the exam an average of 10 times before passing. In 2008, only 10% of all test takers scored 26 or higher on the test.
Therefore, do not get discouraged if you’ve taken the test multiple times and are still having trouble achieving the score you need/want. You will get there! It just takes much more time than what people initially expect.
GOOD LUCK!
Test Taker’s Feedback
Hi Jon!
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you!
I did my exam ok and I feel quite comfortable with what I have done!
To be honest, the it was a little bit tougher than I thought. The reading I did well. I knew most of the words so I’m quite happy with that! The listening was faster and longer than I expected! The speaking section, I think I did better than ever, I tried to remember what you told me about “pace myself, take a short breath between sentences ..” I felt really calm and seemed not to be nervous at all. So, I answered all the 6 questions quite well. Thank you for that.
Writing was a little bit rushed, I was running out of time but still finished everything, including proof-reading! I wrote quite a lot, about > 350 words for the second essay.
Again, thanks for your help during the time I practiced. you have been a great help for me.! God blesses you!
Hope you are having a nice weekend!
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- TOEFL Speaking Task 1: Describe a PERSON
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