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How I Got the Perfect TOEFL Score (Twice!)

Asanilta Fahda
27 min readJul 25, 2021

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There is a long introduction, so just scroll down if you want to read the tips directly!

Introduction

I ended up writing this guide because I’ve received a lot of requests from other people who are studying for the TOEFL to share some tips. I wrote it in English because some of the people who asked for it aren’t from Indonesia. So, I hope this could be of help to people all around the world! 😊 (I will try to write an Indonesian version if some people request it.)

Before I start, I want to emphasize that no one should ever need to get a perfect score on the TOEFL, as most top schools require a minimum score of 100, with very few (like Oxford) perhaps requiring 110. My own target was not 120; I would’ve been satisfied with a 110, but I still had to give it my all because couldn’t guess how many points they might take off my score for little mistakes. But you know, it is not healthy to aim for perfection anyhow, since there are many external factors that can affect your score. The reason the title of this post starts with “How I Got” instead of “How to Get” is because the experience is different for everybody. It depends on your background, your learning conditions, and your specific D-Day questions, among other things. I cannot promise to help everybody, but I will try my best to share some tips from my own personal experience.

Screenshot of my TOEFL iBT score from July 2021

So the story is, in 2015, I took the TOEFL ITP and scored 677/677. All of the questions were multiple choice, so it’s not as “scary” as the iBT. Then six years later, I finally took the TOEFL iBT and unexpectedly scored 120/120! It’s a huge personal achievement for me, and I believe there were three main reasons I could accomplish it:

  1. I have the privilege to learn English from a young age and to keep practicing it every day
  2. I have a “skill” in “taking exams” (meaning, I know how to study and prepare for them)
  3. I was considerably just very lucky to get the questions that I could answer

I will admit number 1 is obviously a huge (probably the biggest) determinant — I lived in Australia for 3 years during my childhood and never stopped learning after, because I have always been passionate about languages. However, even if you have never lived in an English-speaking country, don’t lose hope because you can still likely achieve a sufficient score for your chosen university as long as you prepare diligently for your exam. If you do live in an English-speaking country, don’t be complacent (smug and lazy) because that by itself doesn’t guarantee any success. In fact, some non-English speaking countries even have higher average TOEFL iBT scores than native English-speaking countries. For example, the average score for India is 95 and the Netherlands is 99. Compare that to the US (91), the UK (94), Canada (94), Australia (95), New Zealand (94), Ireland (93), etc. Of course it doesn’t apply to every country, but Indonesia itself isn’t so bad with its 86 average score. That’s higher than the total average (83)! Reference: https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/94227_unlweb.pdf (TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2019)

Because it’s been so many years since I took the TOEFL ITP, I have unfortunately forgotten a lot of it, thus I can’t give any particular tips on the ITP exam. That’s why this post will focus on the TOEFL iBT only. For my latest TOEFL iBT test, I only had one week to prepare, but I already use English every day (to talk to myself in my mind 😂) so I just needed to practice more on the specific exam mechanics. But if you feel you are not very good in English yet, I would advise you to take a course first to cover all the basics and give yourself at least a few months to study. I’m not able to teach you the very basics of the language like grammar and stuff, but I can refer you to a friend of mine who gives affordable courses!

Okay, let’s start with the studying tips!

Since I had such little time before my exam, I didn’t manage to read any books and I felt it wasn’t necessary either. I only read some articles and general tips online from websites like TST Prep, BestMyTest, TOEFL Resources, etc. then went straight to practice questions. However, I have gathered some e-books and other PDF materials. I’m not sure I can post the link here, but if you think it might be useful for you, you can send me an e-mail at im.busted@gmail.com (my old e-mail address lol) with the subject “Request TOEFL Materials” (without the quotes). It doesn’t matter what you put in the email body, as long as you put those exact words in the subject, then you should receive an automated reply containing the link. Note that some of the information on the e-books might be outdated, especially regarding the recent change in format (number of questions and total time). I also registered for a free TOEFL prep course at edX (https://www.edx.org/course/toefl-test-preparation-the-insiders-guide), but I didn’t end up taking it. You should check it out though if you like online courses. Mainly, I just spent the majority of my time on practice questions, which I will later explain in detail per section below.

Reading

The Reading section consists of 3 passages (4 if you’re part of the experimental group), each with 10 questions, and has a total time of 54 minutes (72 if experimental).

Before you start practicing on Reading questions, read the “Ten Awesome Tips for the Reading Section of the TOEFL Test” (https://tstprep.com/ten-awesome-tips-for-the-reading-section-of-the-toefl-test/) article first. It’s got some good basic info.

If you already have a good understanding of high-level English text, or if you don’t have much time to prepare for the exam, I would suggest focusing on practice questions only. But if you do have the need and time to practice reading long-term, many people encourage reading books, newspapers, or online articles every single day to practice your reading skills, while paying attention to words, phrases, or sentences you are not familiar with.

One particular website which I think might be helpful for more beginner learners is “Breaking News English” (https://breakingnewsenglish.com/). They have thousands of short news lessons divided into levels (from level 0 to level 6), each with their own sets of questions and vocabularies. Please note that the TOEFL Reading passages are much longer and more difficult than the lessons on those websites, so eventually, you will have to practice more from the TOEFL sets as well.

Another interesting news source to read from is Mental Floss (https://www.mentalfloss.com). Read this article from Magoosh that discusses the interesting tags to visit at Mental Floss (https://magoosh.com/toefl/use-mental-floss-for-toefl-practice/). Their Science and History sections are my favorites.

If you still have problems in vocabulary, I’d recommend practicing on that first, just to get it over with. Here are some resources for learning TOEFL vocabulary. I haven’t tried any of them myself but I have used other resources from the same makers so I assume these are pretty legit.

If you think your vocab is already adequate, don’t waste much time on the flashcards because honestly, I think the vocabulary questions on the TOEFL are much easier than some other tests like GRE. Even if you don’t know the meaning of the word in question, you can often guess the right answer from the context.

When you’re ready to work on Reading practice question sets, here are some of the resources I used:

In the TOEFL Reading section, I normally don’t read the whole passage from start to finish first because I don’t have that kind of patience 😆 I just go straight to the questions. I know some people are more comfortable skimming or completely reading the whole passage beforehand, but I feel like it doesn’t give me much benefit. So what I do is, I read the question and its choices carefully, then I fully read the paragraph that the question refers to. It’s easier for me to read very thoroughly in bite sizes (just one paragraph) rather than the whole thing at once because I’m less likely to get bored and zone out during reading. In the end, we’d still have to read the entire passage though, because we must select the three main ideas from it, but I find it easier to do at the last stage because by then I already have a basic grasp and understanding of what the passage is about based on the previous questions, rather than trying to comprehend everything from the very beginning. This method might not work for you though, it’s more of a personal preference based on my own condition.

I practiced on hundreds of Reading questions (it’s the easiest to practice since the others require note-taking), but since Reading is statistically the easiest section, once you feel familiar with the format and confident about reaching your target score, you should probably use your time to practice other sections instead.

Listening

The Listening section consists of 2 conversations (3 if you’re part of the experimental group), each with 5 questions, plus 3 lectures (4 if experimental), each with 6 questions. It has a total time of 41 minutes (57 if experimental).

Note: If you’re taking the Home Edition (which I don’t recommend, read end of post), you have to use a portable whiteboard or an erasable transparent sheet to take notes. Therefore, it’s important that you remember the number of questions per listening passage (5 per conversation, 6 per lecture)! Let’s say you listened to a lecture and you clicked “Next” multiple times after answering each question, once you’ve selected the answer for the 6th question on that lecture, please erase your notes first and make sure you’re ready before clicking “Next”! Otherwise, you’d be frantically trying to erase your notes while the next lecture is already automatically playing, like me 😅

For me, the hardest part of the Listening section was not the actual listening, but learning to take notes while doing so. You can only listen to the conversation/lecture once so don’t get too caught up in one certain part that you miss out on the next sentence. You don’t have to write everything down if it’s an obvious piece of info or if you’re certain you can remember it. For example, while it’s very important to identify and understand the main purpose or topic of the conversation/lecture (you will be asked about it), you don’t have to write it down because you are not likely to forget it. You should write down keywords from the examples, steps, requirements, and other details mentioned throughout the lecture which you might need to read back on. Shorten the words and use symbols like arrows so you can write down the important points fast.

These are the sources I used to practice Listening questions:

If you are bored of listening to the practice sets, you can also practice your listening skills with podcasts. You can find many podcasts that talk about a specific topic like science, economy, technology, history, etc. and contain more advanced vocabulary, similar to the academic lectures in TOEFL. It will also help you familiarize yourself with those topics.

Here are some examples of podcasts which could be of interest (all available on Spotify):

  • Science: WIRED Science, 60-Second Science (Scientific American), BBC Earth Podcast, Science Weekly (The Guardian), BBC Inside Science, The Naked Scientists Podcast (they also have Naked Astronomy and Naked Archaeology podcasts), TED Health
  • History: Art History For All (I just listened to this and it’s very similar in accent and content to some TOEFL lectures!), History Extra Podcast, Homeschool History (from BBC Radio 4), In Our Time (also from BBC Radio 4)
  • Economy/Business: Think Like An Economist, Freakonomics Radio, Money Talks from The Economist, TED Business
  • Learning English from BBC: 6 Minute English, 6 Minute Vocabulary, 6 Minute Grammar, Learning English News Review, The English We Speak, Learning English Drama

Speaking

The Speaking section contains 4 tasks, which consists of 1 independent and 3 integrated tasks, with a total time of 17 minutes.

This was by far the hardest section for me due to my anxiety and time management. During practice, I never managed to complete all four questions perfectly. Sometimes I would stop in the middle of talking, be confused, and yell out “Noooo I can’t do this!!!” Or I’d panic at the end because the time ran out. But on the actual day, I managed to stay relatively calm and answer properly because I guess all the practice really did help me, even if it was subconsciously, lol.

Make sure you speak with some intonation to sound like you’re talking naturally with another person instead of speaking in a flat monotone manner, because that could influence the score. You don’t need a “native speaker” accent, but your pronunciation should be correct and your speech must be clear. If you are not 100% sure of the meaning or pronunciation of a word, try to avoid it, use another word that you are more familiar with. I’ve found it’s acceptable to use slightly more basic vocabulary in Speaking, as opposed to Writing.

For the practice sets, I used the same resources as the Listening section (TOEFL Bank and those three YouTube channels, you can also just search “TOEFL speaking practice” on YouTube for more practice sets). There’s also a pretty cool “Speaking — TOEFL® Speaking Questions & Answers” app from Milinix (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.milinix.toeflspeaking).

For me, the number one tip for the Speaking section is to use templates! It’s not obligatory, but it helps a lot in structuring your answer. There are many TOEFL Speaking templates online, find one that feels natural to you or modify it like how you would be comfortable saying it. Here’s a good resource for templates from TOEFL Resources, their videos also have great explanations on the different types of Speaking tasks: https://www.toeflresources.com/speaking-section/toefl-speaking-templates/

BestMyTest also has good videos on guides and examples for Speaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFXnKVszOeI&list=PL1VV_9yqK5azntyiNOXrGSq5md-wWk-GF

I also made some speaking templates for myself, which you can find per task below. Before we start, I was given a pretty useful tip from my husband. Instead of jumping into multiple different questions from the beginning, try to practice by answering the same question over and over again (at least 10 times) for each task first until you get the hang of the right timing and you’re familiar with the template. Once you’ve gotten the feel of it, then you can try applying the templates on other questions.

Independent Task

You’ll be asked to select between one of two choices, or whether you agree/disagree with a statement. You have 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to answer. It’s generally not recommended to give a “both sides” answer for Speaking or Writing because you are more likely to get a better score if you pick just one, backed up by at least two reasons like this:

Personally, I [believe that/would (dis)agree that/would prefer to] […], and I hold this opinion because of two reasons. First of all, [first reason]. [Example of/elaboration on first reason]. And the second reason is, [second reason]. [Example of/elaboration on second reason].

Optional conclusion: So, those are the reasons for my opinion/preference/choice (regarding this matter/on […]).

Alternative conclusion: That’s why, I [repeat/reword opinion from first sentence].

Pay attention to the time. Generally, when you have approximately 20 seconds left on the clock, it’s time to move to the second reason. At the end, if you still have many seconds left and you’re not sure what to say, you can add the optional conclusion to fill the silence. You really don’t have to force it in if you don’t have much time left. In my case, I was left with maybe around 4 seconds and I was afraid of being cut off, so I just stayed silent for the rest of the time. In fact, I don’t think I used conclusions at all in any of my Speaking tasks.

To answer the Independent Task, what I did was just pick whichever choice I could quickly think of 2 easily explainable reasons for. They don’t really care about your choice and whether it’s factually/morally correct or not as long as you can explain it clearly. If you absolutely can’t come up with two reasons, pick the choice that you can elaborate on the longest. In that case, you might answer something like:

Personally, I [believe that/would (dis)agree that/would prefer to] [….], and here is why I hold that opinion. The thing is, [reason]. [Example/elaboration on this reason].

Optional conclusion: So, that is the main reason for my opinion/preference/choice (regarding this matter/on […]).

Alternative conclusion: That’s why, I [repeat/reword opinion from first sentence].

To illustrate, here is a sample answer I gave to a practice question using the templates above.

Some people believe that people who play video games are learning important life skills. Others believe that video game players are wasting their time. Which view do you agree with and why? Include details and examples in your explanation.

Personally, I believe that video games are indeed a big waste of time, and I hold this opinion because of two reasons. First of all, video games are very addictive. Many people could go for hours playing video games nonstop without even realizing it. Meanwhile, that time could be used on more productive things like reading books or cleaning up the house. And the second reason is, video games often contain violence and other dangerous content. Even if there are some educational video games, the most popular ones are generally not of that kind. So instead of teaching important life skills, they are actually more likely to have a harmful influence on the players. (That’s why, I firmly hold the opinion that video games are not beneficial for the players.)

You could also elaborate using personal examples (even if they’re fictional 🤭) like this:

Personally, I believe that video games are indeed a big waste of time, and here is why I hold that opinion. The thing is, video games are highly addictive by nature. Many people could go for hours playing video games nonstop without even realizing it. From my own experience, I once spent the whole night playing a video game and I couldn’t get myself to stop until morning even though I had an exam the next day, which terribly messed up my grades. If it weren’t for the video game, I could have done something more productive, like read some books to study, or get a good night’s rest, and I’m sure many others all over the world have had a similar experience in wasting their time on video games. (So, that is the main reason for my opinion regarding this matter.)

It doesn’t matter if I actually like playing video games in real life or not, because it was much easier for me to come up with clear supporting arguments against them instead of for them.

Integrated Task 1

You will read a passage containing a school announcement or a student’s proposal, then listen to a conversation where one student will ask another on their opinion on it, and the other student will explain their stance and reasoning. You will have to summarize the reading passage and restate that student’s opinion as well as their reasoning, without giving your own personal opinion. For all the integrated tasks, you have 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to answer.

Remember to take notes from the passage. Just the main idea is fine, but if you have time, it’s good to make a brief summary of the reasons given in the reading passage too. For the conversation, it’s essential that you take note of the student’s stance and their reasons, with at least one supporting detail for each reason. For instance, I might write something like:

p: [proposal/policy]
r1: [reason 1]
r2: [reason 2]
— — — — — — — — —
man/woman V/X (meaning: agrees/disagrees)
r1: [reason1]
[details]
r2: [reason2]
[details]

My strategy in writing notes for the Listening section and the Speaking section is a bit different. In Listening, I can just write the keywords all over the place, unstructured, with whatever word order as long as I can understand it when I read the notes later. However, in Speaking, I have to write the words in exactly the order of how I would say it so that I don’t have to form the complete sentence in my mind later while speaking (sometimes I get tongue-tied!). I also write down the verbs or adjectives which I might say for my answer, not just the main noun keywords. That way, I can speak while reading my notes by only adding some connecting words. For example, I might write down: “ug live dorms, lack kitchen eq, cant prac cook”, which I would say out loud as “The undergraduates often live in dorms which lack proper kitchen equipment, meaning that they can’t practice their cooking skills there.”

So my speaking template for this task is:

If discussing a school announcement: According to the school announcement, [main policy/change/idea] (because [reason 1] and [reason 2]).

If discussing a student’s proposal: The student’s writing/proposal in the newsletter/article/passage discussed/suggested that [main topic] (because [reason 1] and [reason 2]).

The man/woman in the conversation agrees/disagrees with this policy/decision/proposal/idea and he/she provides two reasons for his/her opinion. To start with, he/she mentions that [first reason]. [Elaborate on first reason]. In addition/Other than that/Moreover, he/she also states that [second reason]. [Elaborate on second reason].

Optional conclusion: Based on these statements, it is clear that the man/woman is (not) supportive of the school’s/student’s policy/decision/proposal/idea (to [main idea]).

Note: If the student supports the reasons instead of opposes them, I feel like you don’t have to mention the reasons at the beginning (when talking about the school announcement) because they are usually the same reasons as the ones you will mention when talking about the speaker’s opinion.

One important thing to note in any integrated task is to always keep a consistent tense. Preferably, use only the simple present tense because it’s the easiest. Don’t use the past tense in one sentence and present tense in the next (e.g. don’t say something like “she stated that …, she also mentions …”).

Integrated Task 2

You will read a passage containing an explanation of a certain theory or topic, then hear an academic lecture explaining specific examples on the same topic. When you read the passage, you should write down one complete sentence to define that topic. You don’t need to write down nor mention the additional information given in the passage other than the main definition of the topic. Then, the speaker in the lecture will usually provide 1–2 examples or explain 2 categories from the topic described in the passage.

So I’d write down:

t: [topic, should be the title of the passage]
d: [definition (word-for-word from the passage is okay)
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
e1 or c1: [example/category 1]
- [detail]
- [detail]

e1 or c2: [example/category2]
- [detail]
- [detail]

And answer something like:

The reading passage [introduces the topic of/is about] [topic], which is defined/described as [definition]. The professor further elaborates on this concept by [illustrating a specific example/giving two examples/explaining the two different categories]. (The first is […]. [Details]. The next one is […]. [Details].)

Optional conclusion: So, with [that explanation/those examples], the professor demonstrates how […].

By the way, the professor can also be called the speaker, the teacher, or the lecturer, but I usually use the professor because it feels most natural to me. Use whatever you like.

Integrated Task 3

In the last task, you will listen to a full academic lecture and summarize it.

In the lecture, the professor talks about [short description of topic]. S/he expands on this topic by discussing two different categories/examples. The first is […]. [Details]. The second is […]. [Details].

Optional conclusion: Based on [that explanation/those examples], the professor illustrates how […].

Writing

The Speaking section consists of 1 integrated task which takes 20 minutes and 1 independent task which takes 30 minutes.

I think Writing is easier than Speaking, but you still need to know what the reviewers and e-graders are looking for in your essay. For Writing, there are several tips which were helpful to me:

  • You can read some sample essays from other people to get the hang of it first. The “Writing — TOEFL® Essays : Useful Words & Tips” app from Milinix (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.milinix.toeflwriting) has a lot of sample topics and essays. There are a lot of sample essays online too, like from TOEFL Resources here: https://www.toeflresources.com/sample-toefl-essays/
  • If you have a lot of time before your exam, practice typing faster. I type at around 140 wpm and that definitely helped me complete a long essay in the short time.
  • Practice writing your essays using a word counter tool (like wordcounter.net or wordcounter.io) which counts the total number of words and also tells you which words or phrases are repeated multiple times. Write down the words or phrases that you tend to repeat often across all your writings, find synonyms for these words, and memorize them. Also make sure you use a timer when practicing. Don’t turn on the spelling/grammar checker when you’re currently writing the essay, then turn it on after you’re finished. Take note of your common mistakes.
  • The test gives a suggested length of 150–225 words for the Integrated Task and 250–300 words for the Independent Task, but it’s not really accurate. Don’t follow it. The truth is, you probably need to write more than that for a great score, maybe at least 300 words. The more words you write, the more likely you’ll get a higher score (as long as the content is good too). IIRC, my answers were around 400–500 words. But I suppose it’s not just about increasing the word count by using longer phrases and such, it’s really more about how many relevant details, examples, and supporting statements you can put into your writing.
  • Master and use conditional sentences! They will boost your score because TOEFL loves conditional sentences. I’ll give some examples in each part. You can also watch this video from TST Prep which dives deeper into conditional sentences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JRztUKgeI
  • If you’re unsure of the spelling or meaning of a certain word that you want to put in your writing, try to avoid it. Change the sentence or use a synonym.
  • Read and review your writing in the end, but don’t change anything at all in the last minute! This tip is from my own personal experience. I was making some unnecessary last-minute edits in my writing, and suddenly the time ran out. Therefore, I ended up submitting the text “Due to the reasons menI firmly believe” when I meant to write “Due to the reasons mentioned above, I firmly believe” 🤦‍♀️ Thankfully, it seems that one small error didn’t affect my score because the human reviewer scored it holistically, but we may never know. So, to be safe, don’t make the same mistake I did!

Integrated Task

In the integrated task, you will be given 3 minutes to read a passage, which will contain 3 main points that support a main hypothesis. You will be able to read the passage again when you write your answer, so you don’t have to write the details down. What you need to do is take note of these 4 things:

t: [main idea/hypothesis/problem/topic, from 1st paragraph]
r1: [1st reason, from 2nd paragraph]
r2: [2nd reason, from 3rd paragraph]
r3: [3rd reason, from 4th paragraph]

By the way, even though you can read the passage again when writing your answer, it is extremely important to paraphrase both the main idea and the reasons from the passage because copying the exact words from it will reduce your score! So you should try to summarize each paragraph into one sentence using your own words.

After reading the passage, you’ll listen to a lecture, and you have to take note of the speaker’s 3 main points as well as the supporting details. These 3 points are usually directly connected to the other 3 points previously given in the passage. Basically, the speaker will either try to prove the author’s 3 arguments wrong or provide a solution to the 3 problems given in the passage. Write down as much info as you can from the lecture, so you can include them as supporting sentences in your writing. You should always add more details from the lecture than from the article. And don’t add your own opinion anywhere here!

Before we begin with the template, I find it crucial to memorize these synonym lists below because you will be using them a lot in this task. Try not to use the same word or phrase more than twice.

Arg synonym: argument(s), point(s), reason(s), claim(s), statement(s), explanation(s), reasoning(s)

Author’s reporting verb: alleges, speculates, claims, declares, proclaims, theorizes, suggests, notes, writes, states, observes, indicates

Speaker’s opposing verb: disagrees with, opposes, debates, refutes, disputes, disproves, contests, challenges, casts doubt on, invalidates, rejects, does not support

Speaker’s reporting verb: contends, argues, points out, mentions, notes, insists, declares, tells us, asserts, claims, states, says, reveals, informs the class

Contrasting transition: However, Meanwhile, On the contrary, Despite this, Nevertheless, Nonetheless, On the other hand, Be as it may, Yet, Even so, Conversely, In contrast

Consequence transition (can be used in the last sentence of body/conclusion paragraph): Therefore, Thus, Consequently, Because of this, Due to this, That’s why, Accordingly, As a result, In consequence

Additional transition (can be used in detail sentences): Aside from that, Furthermore, Moreover, In addition, Other than that

Here’s my writing template:

Both the reading passage and the lecture discuss the [topic/problem/issue] of [topic]. The author of the article presents three [arg synonym]s to [author’s main purpose]. [Contrasting transition], the professor in the lecture [speaker’s opposing verb] the [arg synonym]s made in the passage. Instead, s/he believes that [speaker’s main stance].

[First of all/To begin with/To start off], the writer [author’s reporting verb] that [author’s first reason]. [Optional short detail, 1 sentence max]. [Contrasting transition], the professor [speaker’s opposing verb] this [arg synonym] because [speaker’s first reason]. [Longer detail, 1–3 sentences].

[Next/Secondly], it is mentioned in the article that [author’s second reason]. [Optional short detail, 1 sentence max]. [Contrasting transition], the professor is not convinced by this [arg synonym]. S/he [speaker’s reporting verb] that [second reason]. [Longer detail, 1–3 sentences].

[Third/Finally], the author also [author’s reporting verb] that [author’s third reason]. [Optional short detail, 1 sentence max]. [Contrasting transition], it is worth noting from the lecture that [third reason]. [Longer detail, 1–3 sentences].

Optional conclusion:

In conclusion, the author provides three [arg synonym]s in the article [paraphrase author’s main stance]. However, each of these [arg synonym]s is answered with a contrasting point by the professor in the lecture. [Consequence transition], it is clear that the author and speaker are of opposing opinions regarding the issue of […].

Examples of the author’s and speaker’s main stance, which can be inserted in the introductory paragraph, can be found below.

Author’s main purpose:

  • describe the main benefits/advantages of X (e.g. benefits of deforestation)
  • support the claim that X is superior to Y (e.g. crewless cargo ships are better than crewed vessels)
  • support the claim that X is the most credible theory behind the issue of Y (e.g. pollution is the most plausible cause behind the declining population of sea otters)
  • support the claim that X can solve the issue of Y (e.g. aquaculture or fish farming can solve the scarcity of wild fish)
  • describe the main causes behind the issue of Y (e.g. reasons for the shortage of primary care doctors)

Speaker’s main stance:

  • the arguments are exaggerated or not entirely true
  • there are other solutions that address the issue
  • X is not a very likely theory
  • Y is the more probable theory
  • Y is still a better option
  • there are several problems that can’t be solved with X
  • there are other problems that arises with X

You don’t have to memorize the whole template, it’s just a basic guideline, but memorizing the synonym lists above would really help because they will be used in every paragraph of your writing. You should also use conditional sentences in the integrated task to explain the professor’s arguments. Let’s say the writer gave argument X, but the speaker said that there is Y evidence against X that disproves the argument… You can turn that into a conditional sentence! Examples:

If the T.rex’s arms really were necessary for their survival, there would have been many T.rex deaths caused by broken arms. However, as the professor points out in the lecture, this has not been the case throughout history.

If so many sea otters actually died due to chemical substances in the water, their bodies would have drifted off to the shores. Meanwhile, the professor reveals that there is lack of dead sea otters found along the coast of beaches, indicating that they were most likely eaten by whales, thereby leaving no physical remains behind.

Independent Task

You will be given a prompt similar to the independent task in Speaking, and you should answer with a minimum of 4 paragraphs. The content of the paragraph itself is more flexible than the previous, feel free to use your own knowledge, experience, and imagination. Just like Speaking, you should stick to one side only and give at least two arguments to persuade the reader.

[Introduction, 1–2 sentences long, usually something general about humans, the world today, society etc. leading up to the main problem or topic (don’t spend too much time on it).] This has raised the question of whether [paraphrase the statement in the question]. Personally, I believe that [your choice]. I will explain the two main reasons for my opinion below

[First of all/To begin with/To start off], [first reason]. [Explanation sentence.] For example, [give an example]. [Add a few sentences to elaborate on the example or give supporting details.] [Consequence transition], [paragraph conclusion].

[Moreover/ In addition/Aside from that/Another reason is/The second reason is], [second reason]. [Explanation sentence.] To illustrate, [give an example]. [Add a few sentences to elaborate on the example or give supporting details.] [Consequence transition], [paragraph conclusion].

In conclusion, based on the arguments mentioned in this essay, I firmly hold the opinion that [paraphrase your choice]. This is because [paraphrase first reason], and furthermore, [paraphrase second reason].

In my test answer, I didn’t write about any personal experiences but I did provide some specific examples as to how humans today have advanced in the past and how we might advance more in the future. I also added some details, like results from a research I recently read that was relevant to my argument.

If you disagree with a statement, instead of only talking about the reasons behind your disagreement, you could also use a paragraph to propose an alternative solution. For instance, let’s say I disagree with the ban on plastic bags to reduce water pollution. In the first paragraph, I might say that I disagree plastic bags should be banned because there are currently no alternatives that could replace the cost, convenience, and the different uses of plastic bags. In the second paragraph, I might talk about how I believe there are other better alternatives to reduce water pollution rather than banning plastic bags, like cleaning up the streets or implementing a better waste disposal system.

Just like in the integrated task, you should definitely use a conditional sentence in your essay, like this:

If we were to start teaching new languages to children at an older age, their brains might not be as adaptive to that new information.

If we let the government ban books, this would also mean banning certain thoughts and ideas.

If this technology could be used all over the world, it would bring a blablabla.

My Experience with TOEFL Home Edition

Here are some reminders for you guys who are going to take the Home Edition (or considering to), as well as my own personal experience with it.

  • You can’t use pen and paper for taking notes. You have to either use a whiteboard or an erasable transparent sheet. I bought a 30x40 cm whiteboard which I felt was the most optimal size, as well as fine-tip whiteboard markers from the brand Deli. If possible, you should use fine-tip markers because it’s easier to write with than the normal thick markers. Remember to buy the whiteboard eraser too. You should always erase your notes before you move on to the next lecture/task. When practicing, use the whiteboard instead of paper, so you will be more used to it.
  • You are not allowed to use a headset, so make sure your laptop’s mic and speaker work properly.
  • You will be watched the whole time through your webcam by the proctor, and anything suspicious could disqualify you. There must also be no sound of anyone talking at all, even during your break.
  • Remember that the proctor will have full access to your computer (they can control your mouse and see your screen) so don’t put any confidential or highly important items on your computer desktop. They will also exit every program running in the background.
  • I used a 20 Mbps internet connection from IndiHome but got disconnected 5 times during the test. Each time, it took about 5 minutes to wait for the proctor to reload the programs again. Sometimes I got stuck on a loading screen for a very long time before the proctor did something. They passed me to a technician because there might have been problems with either the connection or the CPU. I had to reboot my laptop and repeat the whole check-in process too. They even asked if I had another laptop I could use. It was all just very troublesome.
  • For some reason, scores from tests taken at test centers are usually published in 6–7 days, but scores from the Home Edition are usually given in 10 days (mine also came out exactly after 10 days). There have also been several cases of Home Edition results going under administrative review for up to 30 days. So if you are on a very tight deadline from the university, don’t take the Home Edition. Try to take the test a few months before the deadline.

There are some advantages to the Home Edition, mainly:

  • Safer during pandemic
  • More flexible time, can register for pretty much any day and any hour. Meanwhile, test centers are usually only available on weekend mornings.
  • Can focus better since you’re alone, especially during Speaking section

Unfortunately though, I did not have a pleasant experience with the Home Edition, so I wouldn’t really recommend it. However, if you have a very fast internet connection, an unproblematic laptop, silent surroundings, and no tight deadlines, then it might be a good choice.

So that’s all! It’s a very long post because I tried to write down everything I learned during my practice. I’m not sure if anyone made it this far by reading everything (let me know if you did 😛). I’m sorry that I can’t provide more personal assistance to everyone but I wish you all good luck and hope for your success! I also apologize that I can’t give any lessons on grammar and vocabulary because I’m not an English teacher. Feel free to comment if you have any questions, or if you want to share some of your tips too!

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Toefl Test Preparation

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Asanilta Fahda

Written by Asanilta Fahda

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