谢振礼谈托福雅思写作【1】Scoring Guides

TOEFL-IELTS Writing
Lecture Scoring Guides
by Mr. Jeenn Lee Hsieh
for www.360abc.com

托福雅思写作
讲师谢振礼

I am planning to present a series of written lectures here about how not to flunk the writing tests of the TOEFL or IELTS. As a matter of fact, there are no such a thing as a correct answer to any given topic. However, both IELTS and TOEFL have very similar scoring guides to grade examinees' papers. These official scoring guides may serve as our writing guides. Our target is to become expert users of written English, meaning band 9 for IELTS and 28-30 for TOEFL iBT. Certainly, that goal doesn't come easy even for English native speakers. It's a long way to go. At least, we know we are on the way.

Learning to write in English as a foreign language requires ceaseless efforts in reading, grammar, translating, and writing. I am sure that, for us Chinese, writing is powered by reading, controled by grammar, guided by translating, and strengthened by writing. Our knowledge of grammartical rules mostly come from reading extensively and deeply. By grammar I refer to rhetoric, syntax, and lexicon; meaning language effectiveness, sentence variety and word usage, respectively. Then, translating is important. Not that it is necessary. But that it is inevitable. I see no shame at all if we are thinking in our mother tongue while reading and writing. When one is studying a second language, two languages are involved. That's translating. So, what's the point about writing? Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Everyday.

Our proficiency in Chinese may help a lot in dealing with the writing tasks. Before writing an essay such as TOEFL's Test of Written English or IELTS' writing task 2, we may well take the advantage of our native language to strengthen our strength in planning to write. Our thoughts are on thesis, structure and content, in English mixed with Chinese. The result is expected to be an essay well-focused in thesis, well-organized in structure, and well-supported in content. The romance of the two languages in interplay must end now because, when it comes to writing in English, there should be no sign of Chinese whatever. Writing in English is usually our weakness. Probably, we can do better in thesis, structure, and content, being strengthened by our own language. Our challenge is to do both thinking and writing equally well.

In the coming lectures, I want to share learning experiences with you, regarding written English as literature rather than as speech. Together we can work out a winning strategy to beat TOEFL and IELTS or other writing exams. My next lecture will be more of the same, but in Chinese--my native language. See you, then.

Thanks.

本教程由来自台湾大学和智利大学的谢振礼老师为世博英语网站独家撰写，旨在提高大家托福雅思写作的实战水平。未经谢振礼老师和世博英语授权，其他媒体和个人不得转载！