Exam Tip: TOEFL Essay Topic Samples

Exam Tip: TOEFL Essay Topic SamplesHave you ever considered using essay topic samples as a way to help you write your TOEFL exam? They can be a great way to understand how to structure your essay, but they can also be a good way to help you understand some of the strengths and weaknesses of the material that you will be covering on the test. That's not to say that they will completely guide you to the right answers, but they can help you see where you need to focus your thinking and help you decide whether a specific answer is best. Here are some sample topics and answer choices that can help you see what you might be up against on the TOEFL.The first example is from the U.S. English literature requirement. You are asked to write an essay on the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this example, we can see several possible answer choices for you to consider.If you are describing the soldiers who are fighting to protect their homeland, you have a lot of different choices. You cou ld describe the men who protect their country from enemy attack, or you could show how the military works as a team. There are also a number of points to emphasize, so it's a good example to give you an idea of what sort of ideas you might have when analyzing the example and assessing its strength.Answering 'American soldiers who protect' may be an answer you get if you are writing about other soldiers, like the Taliban, or American soldiers who protect civilians in the country. It may be a good option if you are focusing on the elements of success in combat. You can also choose to show the spirit and commitment of the men and women who are risking their lives to protect the United States. Finally, it may also be a good choice if you're trying to show why military life is so difficult and why some of the soldiers feel that their actions are not worth the sacrifice. The next example is an excerpt from one of the first questions on the TOEFL Practical. It focuses on questions about th e foreign languages that you are most likely to encounter when taking the exam. You'll find it interesting to see what types of topics and answer choices are most likely to appear on your test.You may be asked to describe the characteristics of a Spanish speaker or an English speaker or even a German speaker. You could even be asked to focus on the meaning of words or to consider the ways in which a language is perceived by people. Regardless of what the question is, you should be able to discuss all of the usual questions and difficulties that students face with their own responses.One thing that you should also be aware of, however, is that you will not have a lot of time to analyze your essay topic before the actual exam. This means that if you know you want to write about Spanish for example, you should really consider including some examples to give you some real-world experience in answering the question on TOEFL.Make sure you really get an idea of what it takes to answer the TOEFL question types. By using sample essay topics, you can see if it is something you are comfortable with and how you can use them to help you score better. This also allows you to compare what you learned in that class with what you can expect on the TOEFL exam.