Tài liệu Speaking and Writing Strategies for the TOEFL iBT part 11 pdf

Independent Essay - 89

What will my friend like and not like when visiting the place I call home,
New Delhi, India? Personally speaking, I contend that my friend will like
the food however he will not be crazy about the summer temperatures
or the crowds.

My friend will like the delicious food in New Delhi. When I am hungry, I
go to Sheshraj’s, the best restaurant in New Delhi. The prices are very
reasonable and you get a lot of food. The lamb curry is excellent as is the
aloo gobi. For a good meal, my friend can spend maybe one American
dollar. Eating at Sheshraj’s will definitely give my friend a real New Delhi
experience that is both affordable and delicious.

However, my friend will not like summer in New Delhi. The temperature

can reach 120F plus the humidity is high as well. This makes New Delhi
uncomfortable in the summer. Unlike America, air conditioning is not
found everywhere in New Delhi. This is most evident on the trains and
buses. With the high temperatures and the high humidity, this can make
traveling difficult. Because of these factors, my friend may want to avoid
visiting New Delhi in the summer.

As mentioned, New Delhi is crowded. My friend might not like this
because he comes from a small town in Connecticut, so he does not feel
the pressure of big city life. Also, he does not see any poverty because
Connecticut is wealthy unlike parts of New Delhi which are extremely
poor. This might be a big shock for my friend since he is not used to such
cultural extremes.

As illustrated, there are many reasons why my friend will like and won’t
like New Delhi. However, this should not stop him from visiting. I
guarantee he will have a wonderful time.

Words: 300

Compare-Contrast Prompt

90 - Independent Essay

The question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a
car. From my experience, I can safely say that an advantage of owning a

car is freedom and a disadvantage is the cost.

A big advantage of owning a car is freedom. For example, I have a Honda.
With my car, I can go anywhere I want. Before I bought a car, however, I
had to take the bus everywhere. Sometimes the bus was late, so I got to
work late. My boss didn’t like that. But since I bought a car, I’ve never been
late for work. Also, I can go for a drive in the country or go shopping and I
don’t have to worry about bus schedules or money for tickets. This is a big
advantage of owning a car.

In contrast, owning a car can be very expensive. For example, I drive to
work every day. The distance is fifty miles from my house to my office.
That means I use a lot of gasoline. In a week, I can spend more than
$75.00 on gas. If the price of gas is higher, I spend more. Insurance and
repairs can also be expensive. Tires and parking too. As a result, I have to
budget my money and spend less on clothes and video games, and other
things I like. This is definitely a disadvantage.

As I have illustrated, I think that there are advantages and disadvantages
to owning a car. Should you buy a car? Yes. It’s a no brainer. Go for it. Buy
a car and be free! Just watch your money!

Words: 269




Advantage-Disadvantage Prompt

Independent Essay - 91

What is telecommuting? Telecommuting means you can work from home
while being connected to your office by the internet. Personally, I prefer to
work from home. Working from home has many advantages, such as more
privacy, less stress and seeing my children more.

First, telecommuting gives me more privacy. For example, at work I have a
cubicle. It’s really noisy because people are always talking and using the
copy machine. Also, people are always stopping and saying hello to me.
This is not good because it wastes a lot of time. It also makes it hard for me
to finish my work. But if I work from home, nobody bothers me and I finish
my work without interruption. This is an advantage of telecommuting.

Also, with telecommuting there is less stress. When I go to work, I must get
up early and drive. It takes an hour and the traffic is always bad. If there is
an accident, I get to work late. That means I have to stay late to finish my
assignments. But if I work from home, I don’t have to worry about getting
up early or about traffic or being late for work. This is another big
advantage of telecommuting.

Finally, working from home lets me see my children more. My children are
very young, only seven and eight. I drop them off at day care when I go to
work but when I work from home, I can look after them. This really saves
me money. Also, I can spend more time with my children. This makes us all
very happy. This is the best advantage of telecommuting.

Suffice it to say, telecommuting has a myriad of advantages. Don’t you wish
you could just fall out of bed and go to work in your pajamas?

Words: 300




Advantage Prompt

92 - Independent Essay

Last year, I wanted to get an MBA, so I took an online course. I thought I’d
have time to do all the work; however, I soon realized that I didn’t have
enough time. I couldn’t study during the week because I was too busy at
work. On the weekends, I didn’t want to study either. I just wanted to be
with my family and relax. As a result, I didn’t do any homework and I didn’t
finish the course. Obviously, if you have no time like me, an online course is
not a good way to get a university degree.

Also, if you are going to take an online course, you must be careful about
the school’s reputation. For example, my friend Maria had a job interview
at this company and they asked about her diploma she got online. They
thought it was fake because they’d never heard of her school before. This
made Maria feel two inches small because she’d worked so hard to get her
degree. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the job.

Something like this also happened to my friend Hiroshi. He’s really good
with computers, so he took an IT course because he wanted a computer
job. The course cost him a lot of money, but he took it anyway because he
could finish in six months and get a job. However, the day after he started
studying, the school suddenly closed and Hiroshi lost all his money. Now, he
has no school, no money and no job.

As you can see, studying online is like gambling. Does this mean you should
not take an e-course? No. Just look before you leap!

Words: 276





Disadvantage Prompt

Independent Essay - 93

Because I’m a scientist, I use many technologies. However, I can honestly
say that the technology that has changed my life the most is the internet.
Using the internet makes communication fast and easy, is good for research
and it saves me money.

First, the internet makes communication fast and easy. For example, I’m
from China and I’m now working in the United States. That means my
family and friends back in Beijing are very far away. Yet by using the
internet, I can talk to them as much as I want. The best way is Skype.
Using Skype, I can see their faces and they can see mine. Before the
internet, people like my parents had to send letters. That took so long. But
the internet has changed all that. The internet makes communication fast
and easy for me and my family. It’s like magic. Best of all, I don’t get
homesick.

Next, the internet is good for research. I’m a research physicist developing
lasers for weather testing. To research my ideas, I always use the internet.
It’s good for finding articles and the latest research papers that can help me
with my research. If I didn’t have the internet I’d have to go to libraries.
But with the internet, all I have to do is search with Google and I have the
information right at my fingertips.

Finally, the internet saves me money. When I have questions about my
work, I can email scientists all over the world for answers. This saves
money because I don’t have to travel. Also, scientists can contact me and
ask questions. For example, last week a scientist from Norway emailed me
and asked about my work. Before the internet, he would have had to have
flown or called long distance. This is very expensive. But now scientists can
save time and money using the internet.

In sum, the internet has changed my life the most. Using the internet is fast
and easy, is great for research and it saves me money. Can you imagine a
world without the internet?

Words: 347
Reason Prompt