TOEFL iBT prep - Essay Outline

Sometimes I feel like the above person 

when I have to write an essay :)

Picture Credit : pippinsmind.blogspot.com

Today we were practicing the Independent Writing Task for iBT and we had some discussion about Essay Outline, specially the Thesis Statement. I hope this post can be of help to you.

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY

Like all first impressions, the introductory paragraph of your essay will leave a lasting imprint. Therefore, it is extremely important that it be well written. To favorably impress your readers, your introduction should contain the following:

• Hook

A "hook" in an essay is used to catch the attention of your audience. To accomplish this, begin your essay with an interesting, thought-provoking idea about the topic you have been assigned. Avoid stating a fact that everyone knows is true. For example, "Learning a new language is difficult" is a fact known to be true by almost everyone, and, therefore, serves no useful purpose.

Sometimes a quotation (or proverb) works well as a hook if it is particularly relevant to the thesis.

• General Statements Regarding the Assigned Topic

Your introduction should only introduce the main ideas of your essay. This is not the place for you to provide supporting details, such as specific names, places, and dates. Save these for the body of your essay.

• Thesis

The thesis is the most significant statement in your essay. It consists of one sentence only and is usually the last sentence of your introduction. A thesis must be a complete sentence (unlike a title). It should also be narrow enough for you to be able to discuss it within the short time frame allowed on the TOEFL and within a two- or three-paragraph body. Yet it must also be general enough for you to be able to write two to three sub-points on this topic.

Unlike some countries, in the United States, we do not state directly what we plan to do or say in our 'essay; for example, "I will write about..." is unacceptable in an American essay.

The thesis serves two basic functions.

Firstly, it states the main topic of your essay.

Secondly, it provides a viewpoint or position that you, the writer, hold about this topic. 

For example, this is not a thesis: "Smoking In restaurants In New York is illegal."

It merely states a fact, but provides no position or opinion regarding this fact.

This is a thesis: "Not allowing smoking in restaurants in New York is highly unfair to the smoker and gives too much power to the nonsmoker." [ Ms. L.T : remember the control I talked about ? from the thesis above there are two ideas that could be written about in your body paragraphs]

Remember: You are entitled to your own opinion.

The readers are only interested in whether you have logically, clearly, and effectively supported the position that you have taken.

Be sure the thesis statement:


    • Contains one, and only one, complete sentence

    • Provides a clearly defined main topic

    • Takes a clearly stated position on the topic (instead of merely stating a fact)

    • Doesn't explicitly state what you plan to do/say [Ms. L.T : like stated above, "I will write about..." is not acceptable].

THE BODY OF THE ESSAY

  

The main purpose of the body of your essay is to give support to your thesis (usually the last sentence of your introduction). To give sufficient support, you need to provide a minimum of two or three paragraphs in your body for an essay examination. However, a take-home essay generally has several body paragraphs.

All body paragraphs begin with a topic sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the body paragraph, a main sub-point of your thesis. For this reason, it may be said that after your thesis, topic sentences are the most important part of your essay.

Immediately following the topic sentence, you should provide clear, specific details [Ms L.T : details = support] to lend credence to the argument of your paper; specifically, to the topic sentence of that paragraph. Generally the body paragraphs are longer than the introduction and conclusion.

However, be sure that each body paragraph contains only one main idea. Every new idea requires a new paragraph.


While you will want to use transitions within your body paragraphs, you also need to use them to connect one body paragraph to another. This is necessary to make your paper smooth and coherent. For example, if you are writing a compare/contrast essay, you may want to begin your second body paragraph with a transition phrase such as on the other hand or in contrast. 

THE CONCLUSION OF THE ESSAY

The conclusion of the essay is often neglected.

One reason for this is that students often run out of time during the essay examination and never get beyond the body of their papers. Another factor is that students often do not know how or when to end their essay.  However, if you have gone through the recommended organization steps laid out in our earlier sections and practiced timed writing on your own, finishing your essay should become an easier task.

The following guidelines can help you improve your concluding paragraph:

    • Before writing your conclusion, reread your introduction (paying special attention to your thesis) and your topic sentences. This will refresh your memory as to the main idea and main subpoints of your paper.

    • Begin your conclusion with a paraphrase of your thesis. It is vital that you not repeat your thesis verbatim. Doing so is redundant and boring, and you miss the opportunity to show your readers the breadth of your vocabulary.

    • Follow with general statements. These should be a summary or evaluation of previously mentioned main thoughts.

    • Your last sentence should provide a final thought or comment concerning your main topic.

The following should be avoided in a conclusion:

    • New information does not belong in a conclusion. 

    • Avoid detailed information in support of your thesis.

    • Don't begin your conclusion with "to conclude" or "in conclusion." [ Ms. L.T : these phrases are better to be used in your speaking tasks]  because it is clear to your reader that this is your final paragraph and is obviously your conclusion. (You may, however, begin your conclusion with transitions like therefore, thus, to sum up, or in summary.)

    • A conclusion should not be lengthy. In general, three or four sentences will suffice. This is especially true of a 30-minute essay examination conclusion

Okay... I hope this post makes some things clearer. As one of the points that will be scored in the Independent Writing Task of iBT is the organization of your essay, the Essay Outline is important, because that is how you organize your essay....by using the Essay Outline.

Good Luck to my students in Room 101 :)

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Source : 

http://rapidsteps.com/en/en/topic/207/TOEFL+iBT.+The+Essay+Structure