About the Writing Test

The Writing Test consists of a total of eight questions in which you are presented with
different types of writing tasks. In response to various prompts, you will compose
sentences using the words provided, respond to written requests, and write an essay.

QUICK GUIDE: Writing Test

Definition The Writing Test evaluates your ability to convey information and to express
your ideas in written English in a comprehensible manner using appropriate
vocabulary and grammar forms. You will demonstrate this by responding to a
variety of question types and prompts.

Targeted Skills In order to do well on the Writing Test, you must be able to:
• write simple, compound, and complex sentences.
• use appropriate vocabulary.
• use correct grammar.
• respond to requests in writing.
• explain problems and ask questions in writing.
• express and explain your opinion in writing.
• organize and write an essay.

Parts of the Questions 1-5: You will write sentences about photos.
Writing Test Questions 6-7: You will respond to e-mails.
Question 8: You will write about your opinion on a particular topic.
(See below for more thorough descriptions of each part of the Writing Test.)

Timing The Writing Test takes approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Parts of the TOEIC® Writing Test

Questions 1-5: Write a Sentence Based on a Picture
For each of Questions 1-5, you will see a photo accompanied by two words or phrases.
You will write a sentence about the photo using the two words or phrases provided. You
will have a total of eight minutes to complete all of Questions 1-5. In this section, you can
go back to previous questions by clicking the "Back" button. The photos show people
involved in common everyday activities, such as:
• Meeting with colleagues • Traveling
• Doing office work • Enjoying leisure time
• Cooking • Banking
• Eating at home or at a restaurant • Shopping
• Using public transportation
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 ABOUT THE WRITING TEST

Word combinations you may see in Questions 1 -5 may include:

• Noun /noun • Verb / coordinating conjunction
• Noun / verb • Noun / adjective
• Noun / preposition • Noun/adverb
• Verb / preposition • Noun / subordinating conjunction
• Noun / coordinating conjunction • Verb / subordinating conjunction

In Questions 4-5 , one word or phrase of the pair will always be a subordinating
conjunction. Therefore, to respond to these questions, you will have to write a sentence
with a subordinate clause. Types of subordinating conjunctions you may see in Questions
4 -5 include:
• Time: when, while, after, before, until
• Location: where
• Cause and effect: because, as, since, so, so that
• Contrast: although, even though, though, in spite of the fact
• Condition: if, even if, unless
For Questions 1-5, you will be evaluated on:
• Grammar • Relevancy of the sentence to the picture
• Appropriate use of both provided words or phrases

Questions 6-7: Respond to a Written Request

For Questions 6-7, you will read an e-mail and write a response to it in which you address
the tasks you are given. For each of the e-mails, you will be given two or more tasks
to address in your response. You will have ten minutes to read each e-mail and write a
response to it. The e-mails in Questions 6 -7 deal with common scenarios in everyday
business and personal life, such as:
• Making appointments • Organizing events
• Scheduling meetings • Solving office problems
• Ordering supplies • Making travel plans
• Explaining problems with shipments • Applying for jobs
• Requesting repairs • Advertising employment opportunities

You will be asked to address tasks such as the following:

Making suggestions • Explaining reasons for problems
Asking questions • Describing problems
Making requests • Making statements about specific things
• Giving information

For Questions 6-7 , you will be evaluated on:

• Organization and cohesion of ideas • Use of a variety of correct sentence structures
• Appropriate tone • Appropriate use of vocabulary

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Question 8: Write an Opinion Essay

For Question 8, you will be asked a question and will respond with a written essay in
which you explain and support your opinion. You will have a total of 30 minutes to read
the question, plan your response, and write your essay. Question 8 asks your opinion on a
topic such as:
Workplace issues • Transportation issues
Family • City issues
Friendships • Shopping
Career choices • Leisure time
Education
You will be asked to state your opinion on the topic in one of the following ways:
• Agree or disagree with a statement
• State your preference for something
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of a situation
• Explain the importance of something
You will be evaluated on:
• Organization and cohesion of ideas
• Use of reasons and examples to support your opinion
• Relevancy to the topic
• Appropriate use of vocabulary and grammar

Writing Test Challenges and Solutions

» CHALLENGE 1: “I never write this type of material in English. I don’t even know where to start.”
SOLUTION: Practice writing as often as you can. One way to do this is to keep a journal in English. You
can write about your daily activities, thoughts, and plans. This will help you get used to expressing your
ideas in written English.
SOLUTION: Expand your vocabulary by learning the English words and phrases for things you most
commonly write about in your own language. You can practice by translating e-mails that you’ve
recently written to friends, colleagues, or customers into English. This is another way to get used to
expressing your ideas in written English.
SOLUTION: Become familiar with business English. Go online and look for companies with English-
language websites. Many of these websites allow people to write in with questions. Write e-mails and
notice the language of the responses. Some companies even have social networking sites where you
can practice interacting personally with others in writing. This will help you get used to using written
business English.
SOLUTION: Look for employment ads online and practice writing e-mails in response to them. This
will help you develop the language you will need for responding to written requests on the test.
SOLUTION: Look for photos in magazines that show people in a variety of situations. Practice writing
sentences that describe what is happening in the pictures. This will help you write sentences about
photos on the test.

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 WRITING TEST CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

» CHALLENGE 2: “My grammar and spelling are weak, so I’m afraid I’ll make a lot of mistakes.”
SOLUTION: Review and practice useful grammatical structures. Pay attention to the grammar used in
this book. What you see on the test will be very similar. Make a note of any grammatical structures that
are difficult for you. Find a good English grammar book, and practice the things you find most problematic.
SOLUTION: Do practice activities to keep your grammar and spelling skills sharp. Check online
sources for free grammar and spelling practice activities. There are dozens of tests online that have
answer keys. Some also offer explanations about grammar or spelling. This will help you become
familiar with correct grammar forms and spelling.
SOLUTION: Learn about different types of sentences, and practice writing different sentence types
as often as possible. This will help you use correct sentence structure when you write during the test.
It will also help you become more comfortable with a variety of sentence types— something that can
improve your score on the test.
Sentence Types: Sentences are made up of clauses. A clause is a part of a sentence that contains
a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone. A dependent clause must be part of a
sentence with an independent clause.
A simple sentence consists of one independent clause.
The clerk answered the phone.
A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction,
such as and, but, or, or so.
The man dropped the box, and the computer broke.
(independent clause) (independent clause)
A complex sentence consists of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. A
dependent clause is one that begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as because, after, before,
although, if, while, or when.
If we get the contract, we will need to hire some people.
(dependent clause) (independent clause)
A compound-complex sentence consists of three or more clauses. At least two are independent
clauses, and one is a dependent clause.
The conference was interesting, but not many people attended because it was so expensive,
(independent clause) (independent clause) (dependent clause)

» CHALLENGE 3: “I can handle the short sentences, but I have a hard time writing a long essay.”
SOLUTION: A long essay is basically just a lot of well-written sentences organized in a logical way.
If you can write good sentences, you just need to learn to become comfortable combining them in
interesting ways to produce paragraphs and longer essays.
SOLUTION: Learn how essays are developed by studying basic organizational structures used in
the essays and templates in this book. Look on university websites for examples of student essays
and study how the essays are organized. Looking at a lot of sample essays will help you understand
different ways to organize your ideas in writing.
SOLUTION: Practice writing essays. The more you practice essay writing, the easier it will be for you.
You can use the sample essay questions in this book. Write about each topic twice. Take a different
point of view each time.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

SOLUTION: Study other written pieces to see how other writers do it. Look online for editorials and
other opinion pieces to see how writers present opinions. After you read an editorial, think about your
own opinion on the topic, then write an essay expressing your opinion.
» CHALLENGE 4: “I just can’t think of anything to say when I have to answer a written request.”
SOLUTION: Begin by focusing on just one thing. Practice writing e-mails about a single topic. For
example, write an e-mail apologizing for missing a meeting, an e-mail requesting a day off, an e-mail
offering advice to a co-worker about a raise, or an e-mail explaining a problem.
SOLUTION: Practice brainstorming. This will help you come up with a lot of different ideas. When you
come up with a lot of ideas, you can choose the best ones. This will make your writing much easier.
Think about any topic, and brainstorm ideas. You can do this while riding on the bus, waiting for a
doctor’s appointment, or eating lunch by yourself. You can start with the e-mails in the exercises in this
book. For each task, brainstorm a list of at least ten possible ways you could address the task. Some
of the ideas you come up with may be silly, but it doesn’t matter. The point is to loosen up your mind.
If you have trouble coming up with ideas, think about different people you know and how they might
respond to the situation presented in the e-mail. Practicing in this way will help you get used to coming
up with ideas when you need them on the test.
» CHALLENGE 5: “I never have a chance to write to native English speakers.”
SOLUTION: Join an online forum. Post your thoughts on different subjects that interest you. This will
give you a chance to practice writing English in a situation of real communication.
SOLUTION: Take advantage of free online resources and read native speaker texts. Even if you
don’t have the chance to write to someone in English, you can learn a lot by reading correspondence
in English. Look at how the responses are structured. Look at some of the words and phrases used.
The more you read, the more examples you will see and the more accustomed you will become to the
ways the language is used.
» CHALLENGE 6: “By the time I think about what to write and then write it, I’m out of time.”
SOLUTION: For the Writing Test, you will need to be comfortable using a computer for writing. Practice
typing on a computer using a word-processing program. Also, be sure to practice editing what you write
because you will be able to change what you write during the test. You should be comfortable cutting
and pasting text.
SOLUTION: You will also need to be very comfortable using an English keyboard. It is extremely
important that you know where all of the letters are on the keyboard, how to make capital letters, and
where the punctuation marks are. You do not want to waste time figuring these things out during the
test. See page vii for more about typing practice needs.
SOLUTION: Practice working within a time limit. Use the timing suggestions in this book, and practice
writing to meet time limits. Do this frequently. This will help you learn to use your time more efficiently.
SOLUTION: Write simply. Don’t make things overly complex. A good simple piece will get a better
grade than a poorly written complex one. It will also take less time.
SOLUTION: Don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what your opinion really is or what the most
interesting response to a task might be. Just think of something that you can write about and that is
relevant to the given task. When you answer the questions, you must respond to the tasks, but other
than that, the content is not as important as your ability to demonstrate good writing skills.

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Questions 1-5: Write a Sentence Based on a Picture

TOEIC® Test Writing

Questions 1- 5
The Writing Test is done on computer. For Questions 1-5, you will see five photos.
For each photo, you will be given two words, and you will write a sentence
about the photo using the two words. You will have eight minutes to complete
this part of the test, and you will be able to move at your own pace. You click on
“Next” to move to the next photo when you are ready, and you can also click on
“Back” to go back to previous photos. You will be scored on your ability to write
grammatically correct sentences that are relevant to the photos.

The photos will depict common everyday scenes in places such as:
» Offices » Stores » Parks
» Banks » Restaurants » Airports

QUICK GUIDE: Write a Sentence Based on a Picture

Definition Questions 1-5 test your ability to write meaningful sentences using correct grammar.
Targeted In order to correctly respond to Questions 1-5, you should be able to:
Skills • use correct word order.
• write sentences with one clause.
• write sentences with two clauses.
• use adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions correctly.
• use subordinating conjunctions correctly.
• write sentences that are relevant to the photos.
Question You will be given a pair of words for each photo. The two words will be some
Types combination of the following:
• Noun • Preposition
• Verb • Coordinating conjunction
• Adjective • Subordinating conjunction
• Adverb
A Good A good response uses the two provided words correctly in terms of both
Response grammatical structure and word meaning and is relevant to the photo.
Things to 1. Begin by thinking about how you can use the two words to describe something
Remember in the photo.
2. Decide what your subject and main verb will be. These may or may not be one
or both of the words provided.
3. Nouns will always be provided in the singular form, and verbs will always be
provided in the base form. You can change these forms if you want.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

WALK THROUGH: Write a Sentence Based on a Picture

A What You’ll See
For Questions 1-5, you will see the directions, and you will see a photo and two words on the
screen. Look at the sample. Think about how you can use the words to describe something
about the photos.

Writing Test

Questions 1-5: Write a sentence based on a picture

Directions: You will write one sentence about a photo. You wall be given two words or phrases. You
must use them in your sentence. You can change the word forms, and you can use the words in a
different order.
Your sentence will be scored on
• appropriate use of grammar.
• relevance of the sentence to the photo.

In this part, you can move to the next question by clicking on “Next.” If you want to return to
a previous question, click on “Back.”

You will have eight minutes to complete this part of the test.

<1 POWERED BY COBUILD

newspaper: a
publication consisting read/newspaper
of a number of large
sheets of folded
paper, on which news,
advertisements, and
other information is
printed
 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

B What You’ll Do
For Questions 1-5, you will write a sentence about a photo using the pair of words provided.
Now, write a sentence for the photo in Part A using the word pairs given. Then look at the
sample response. Notice that the grammar is correct, the response is relevant to the photo,
and it uses both of the words provided.

SAMPLE RESPONSE ► The m a n is reading the newspaper.

GET IT RIGHT: Tips and Tasks for Answering Correctly

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
Writing Basic Sentences
In order to do well on Questions 1-5, you must be able to write sentences that are
grammatical, coherent, and relevant to the photo. Study the following tips to familiarize
yourself with the basic grammar and vocabulary points you will need to know when you
QUICK TIP write your sentences.
When one of the words
» TIP 1 Learn the basics of good sentence-writing in English. Writing strong sentences in
is a noun, first decide
English requires you to follow sentence structure rules. These are the rules about the order of
whether it should be the
words in English sentences. The most common sentence structure in English is the S-V-0 pattern
subject or the object of
(subject-verb-object).
your sentence.
By learning this pattern, you will have a useful starting point for writing easy-to-understand responses.
Study the chart below for an explanation and examples of each of the sentence parts.

S (Subject) V (Verb) O (Object or complement*)

• Tells who or what is doing • Describes an action, a • Receives the action of the
Explanations

the action state, or a feeling verb

• Usually a noun or • Examples show a noun,
pronoun pronoun, adjective,
adverb, and prepositional
Remember that you phrase following the verb.
must use both of the I visit Elisa.
words on the screen in c/5
<U He didn’t ask us.
your sentence. If you My mother is tall.
s
forget to use one of X
w The car is turning right.
the words, you will get
Mike was waving at the man.
a lower score. Also,
you may write only *For the purposes of this discussion, 0 is whatever may follow the verb.
one sentence. Do not TASK Write the sentence parts in the correct order.
write more than one
1. [She] [a bike.] [rides]_______________________________________
sentence.
2. [at the screen.] [Sally] [looks]
3. [The map] [folded.] [is ]_____
4. [The book] [on the table.] [is ].
5. [is] [empty.] [The refrigerator]
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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

TIP 2 Use correct capitalization and punctuation. To write a good sentence that is easy to
understand, you need to use capitalization and punctuation correctly.
Capitalization refers to the use of capital letters. These large letters are also called uppercase letters.
All sentences in English begin with a capital letter. The English language also uses capital letters to
begin all proper nouns. Proper nouns include the names of people, companies, languages, and places.
The English language also uses capital letters on months, days, and titles. Look at these examples.

• Mary Smith • Tuesday, June 3 • Fox Theater

QUICK TIP • IBM • Dr. Evans (Notice the period • Miami, Florida (Notice the comma
In Questions 1-5, after the title.) between the city and state.)
you will be writing Punctuation refers to the symbols, such as periods (.), question marks (?), and commas (,), in the
statements, not sentence. These marks are used to make written language easier to understand. AH sentences in
questions, so you must English end with some type of punctuation.
use a period at the end.
TASK These sentences need capital letters and punctuation. Rewrite the sentences with the correct
capitalization and punctuation.
1. i need to order some pens_____________________________________________________________
2. we went to new york in june___________________________________________________________
3. did mr smith call you_________________________________________________________________
4. the spanish book is on the desk_______________________________________________________ _
5. has the flight from paris france arrived___________________________________________________
TIP 3 Know the basic grammar features to use in your sentences. When you write your responses
for Questions 1-5, you must choose the right sentence structure and verb tense. In most cases, you will
be able to use the basic S-V-0 structure with the present continuous tense. However, in some cases,
you will use There is/are + subject.

QUICK TIP The verb tense that you use depends on the photo. Other than the two tenses shown in the chart, you
Be careful not to use
will not usually have to use other verb tenses for Questions 1-5. This chart will help you choose the
capitals on general
correct tense for your response.
words. A word like
Grammar for Basic Descriptions of Photos
theater does not have a
Photo Types Verb Tenses Sentence Examples
capital letter unless it is
Constructions
part of the name of the
Photos with Present Subject + verb + • The men are eating pancakes.
theater or is the first
people in them continuous object • The woman is talking to the clerk.
word of a sentence.
Photos with no Simple present There is/are + • There is som e m ilk in the glass.
people in them subject • There are several books on the table.

TASK Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. There_________________________(be) several empty seats in the theater.
2. They________________________ (make) a phone call.
3. There_________________________(be) a lamp on the table.
4. The m an________________________ (write) a letter.
5. There_________________________(be) a ladder against the house.

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 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

Using Prepositions and Modifiers to Give Details

In addition to choosing the correct sentence construction and verb tense, you should also
know how to use prepositions and modifiers in your responses to provide more details
about the photograph.
» TIP 1 Use prepositions to talk about where people or things are. Prepositions are words that give
information about the location of an object. By combining prepositions with nouns, pronouns, or clauses,
you can create prepositional phrases that provide more information about the person or object. Look at
these examples of prepositional phrases.
The woman at the desk is busy, (indicates which woman and where she is)
The table next to the door is empty, (indicates which table and where it is)
TASK Use the given words to write sentences about the location of items in the photograph.

1. photo frames / clock / in between

2. laptop / table / on top of

3. bottle / glass / phone / next to

» TIP 2 Use modifiers to describe other words and give details. Modifiers are words, phrases, or
clauses that provide more information about words in a sentence. Adjectives modify nouns and
pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
For Questions 1-5, you may want to use participles as adjectives in your responses. Participles are
verb forms that serve as adjectives in sentences. This chart has more information on participles.

Forms Positions in Usage Examples

Sentences
Present Participles: • Before the noun • Modify a noun that The tiring trip takes over
Regular verb + -ing* that it modifies is the cause of an ten hours.
• After a linking experience
The trip is tiring.
verb (be, become,
Past Participles: • Modify a noun that The tired man is sleeping
seem, etc.)
Regular verb + ~ed is experiencing in his seat.
something
The man is tired.
*Note that the present participle has the same form as the present continuous verb form.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

TASK Place a check mark ( / ) where the modifier in parentheses should be added to the sentence.
1. (homemade) The □ cookies □ were □ .
2. (interesting) The □ film □ starts □ at □ 8:00.
3. (bored) The □ man □ looks □ at □ his □ watch □ .

Using Function Words

» TIP Familiarize yourself with function words. Function words are words that don’t have a lot of
meaning on their own, but they express grammatical connections with other parts of the sentence.
Prepositions, conjunctions, and some adverbs are examples of function words. You may need to use
function words in your responses. See the chart below for more information about function words.

Function Word Types Usage Examples

Coordinating Conjunctions • Connect two clauses • Teresa enjoys watching movies,
and, but, or, yet, for, nor, so • Ideas connected by the and she enjoys reading books.
conjunction receive • I ’ll order either the soup or the
equal emphasis salad.
Subordinating Conjunctions • Connect an independent • After she bought the ticket, she
Time /location: after, before, clause and a dependent boarded the train, (time)
since, when, while, until, where, clause • Elisa studies because she wants
wherever • Express the relationship a good grade, (cause)
between two clauses • Unless he takes his medicine,
Cause /effect: because, since, so
(e.g., of time, reason, jack will not feel better.
that, why
QUICK TIP place, etc.) (condition)
Contrast: whereas, although • Idea in the first clause
On Questions 4 and
Similarity: like, just as more important than
5, one of the words in
the idea in the second
the given word pair Condition: if unless, until, in case, clause
will be a subordinating as if, as though, provided that
conjunction. Since it Correlative Conjunctions • Connect two ideas • Both Sally and James work at
is more challenging both . . . and; not only. . . but • Ideas receive equal the office.
also; n o t. . . but; either. . . or; emphasis • It not only takes a long time to
to create sentences
neither. . . nor; w hether. . . or; as • Second noun must agree open the file, but also it is very
with subordinating
. . . as with the verb that follows difficult to store.
conjunctions, you
Non-Location Prepositions • Don’t indicate location • He goes to work by bus.
should always leave
• Often part of phrasal • Ellen must turn in the project
yourself a few more
verbs on Monday.
minutes to work on
• Often idiomatic, so they • They should pay f o r it at the
these questions. must be memorized register.
Intensifiers • Typically m o d ify • She is very happy with the
very, too much/many, quite, adverbs and adjectives results.
rather, so • Make the meaning of • It is quite cold there.
the words they modify • The ferry is traveling rather
stronger slowly.

TASK Choose the correct function words to complete the sentences.

1. The dessert is flavorful ( yet / fo r) light.
2. ( Whereas / Just a s ) Sidney prefers warm weather, Sam prefers cold weather.
3. They only have enough money to visit ( not only / either) Greece ( but also / o r) Spain.
4. There was a bit of confusion ( about / fo r) the final bill.
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 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

WRITING YOUR RESPONSE

» TIP 1 Understand the possible combinations of word pairs that you may see on the test. On
Questions 1-3, you may find any of the following combinations.

noun + noun verb + noun

noun + preposition verb + preposition
noun + function word verb + function word
Questions 4 and 5 are typically more difficult, and you may find the following combinations.

noun + subordinating conjunction adverb + subordinating conjunction

verb + subordinating conjunction preposition + subordinating conjunction
adjective + subordinating conjunction

By familiarizing yourself with types of word pairs you may see, you will be able to figure out what you
need to do in order to write the sentence. Study the chart below for a review of the parts of speech and
how they are typically used in sentences.

Parts of Speech in the Word Pairs

Parts of Explanations Uses in Sentences Examples
Speech
Nouns Refer to a person, place, • Can be the subject or The woman (subj.) is
or thing object of the sentence holding the has (obj.)-
Verbs Refer to an action, state, • Should go after the He drinks from the bis
QUICK TIP or feeling subject in a statement mug.
Remember that you Adjectives Modify nouns or • Usually come before The old man is walking up
will always be given pronouns nouns or pronouns the stairs.
the singular form of a • Can be part of the subject He always wears a long
noun and the base form or object clause coat.
of a verb. Thus, you Adverbs Modify verbs, adjectives, • Often come after verbs The woman types quickly.
will have to choose the and other adverbs • Often end with -ly
correct form in order to Prepositions Show the time, space, • Can be part of the subject The computer on the table
fit the situation shown or logic relationship or object clause does not function.
in the photo. between things

TASK Write the part of speech for each of the words in the pairs.

1. umbrella/hold____________________________ /____
2. helmet/on____________________________ /_______
3. hair/scissors_____________________________ /____
4. take/camera_____________________________ /____
5. refrigerator/empty____________________________ /.

» TIP 2 Identify the connection between the words provided and the photo. When you first see the
photograph, scan it quickly for its connection to the pair of words provided. For example, if one of the
words is a verb, look for this action in the photo. By doing this, you will understand the relationship
between the words in the pair. For example, you will know if a word is an adjective describing a noun or
a verb showing what is happening.
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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

TASK 1 Look at the photo. Then read the word pairs. Write what the subject, verb, and object for each
pair might be. There may be more than one possible answer.

Word Pairs Possible Subjects Possible Verbs Possible Objects

1. woman/suit
2. whiteboard/behind
3. hold/documents

TASK 2 Complete each sentence using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. The server______________________________ (set) the plate on the table.
2. The______________________________ (chair) are stacked on top of each other.
3. He______________________________ (look) at the menu.

TIP 3 Look for function words. If the word pair includes a function word, be sure to consider the
possible role of the function word in the sentence first. Look at this photo and explanation.

barefoot/although
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 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

Explanation: First, consider the function word although. It is a subordinating conjunction used
to express contrast. Next, scan the photo for the other word in the pair (barefoot), and use it
to make a sentence: This person is barefoot. Finally, complete the sentence using the function
word, making sure that you express the meaning of the function word: This person is barefoot
although there is snow on the ground. The words can be used in any order, so you can also
write: Although there is snow on the ground, this person is barefoot Notice the comma when
the clause is used first.

TASK Look at the photo in TIP 2 TASK 1 on page 102. Then read the word pairs. Look back at the chart
of function word types on page 100. Decide the meaning of each function word below and write a
possible first and second clause. There may be more than one possible answer.

Word Pairs Function Word Possible First Clause Possible Second

Meaning Clause

pen/and

whereas/stand

point/as

Two-Clause Responses
» TIP Look for conjunctions. Word pairs that include conjunctions (typically Questions 4 and 5) will often
require you to write one sentence with two clauses. A clause is a group of words that includes a subject
and a verb. An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence, while a dependent
clause is not a complete sentence and must be combined with another sentence. Look at these
examples; pay special attention to the negative verbs.
Independent clauses: They are waiting, but they are not talking.
Dependent clause: They are not talking while they are waiting.
In some cases, both words in the word pair can go in the same clause or in separate clauses. Look at
these examples.
read/while
While the woman reads the newspaper, she drinks her coffee.
While the woman drinks her coffee, she reads the newspaper.

TASK Choose the correct conjunction to complete each sentence.

1. You will miss your flight ( unless / i f ) you hurry.
2. ( Because / Even though) it was dark, we turned on the lights.
3. He only has a light jacket, ( but / so ) he must be cold.
4. The woman is driving, ( nor / ye t) she is talking on her cell phone.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Relevancy
» TIP Be sure your response is relevant to the photo. In addition to your use of correct grammar, raters
will be grading you based on whether your sentence accurately describes the photo. Be sure to only
mention objects that are obvious from the photo. Also, don’t guess about how people in the photo feel or
what they think.

TASK Look at the photo and word pair. Then answer the questions.

cart/aisle

1. Which sentence best describes the photo?

a. The woman is pushing the cart through the aisle.

b. The woman thinks the aisle is too narrow for the cart to fit.
2. Why was the incorrect answer in number 1 NOT a good response?

a. The sentence mentions the woman’s thoughts.

b. The sentence mentions an object that isn’t in the photo.

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 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Get Ready

A Look at the photos and word pairs. Next, circle the correct part of speech for each
word given. Then circle the most appropriate subject, object, and verb to fit the photo.
Photo 1

Word Pair: flower/table

Word 1: noun verb preposition
Word 2: noun verb preposition

Subj./Obj.: flower flowers table tables

Verb: is are

Photo 2

Word Pair: man/kick

Wordl: noun verb preposition
Word 2: noun verb preposition

Subj./Obj.: man men ball balls

Verb: kick is kicking
105
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Photo 3

Word Pair: woman/by

Word!: noun verb preposition

Word 2: noun verb preposition

Subj./Obj.; woman women

Verb: stand is standing

B Look at the photos and word pairs in Part A. Read the possible responses. Check ( /)
the best response for each photo. For each incorrect response, write the letter of the
reason it is wrong. Use the reasons in the box.

a. grammar error b. forgotten key word c. not relevant to photo

1 . ___Are flowers on the table. ___ The flowers are on the table.
2. ___The man is in the stadium. ___ The man is kicking the ball.
3. ___ The woman is standing by the door. ___ There is a woman by her house.

C Write your own sentences for the photos in Part A. Use the word pairs given.
1 . vase/on

2. play/stadium

3. carry/tray

D Now, evaluate your responses in Part C using the checklist below. How well did your
responses meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of
your answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Questions 1-5

Yes No

1. My response has a subject and a verb.

2 .1 used correct verb forms.

3 . 1 used correct noun forms (singular /plural).

4 . 1 used both key words.

5. My response is relevant to the photo.

106
 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Get Set ____

A Look at each photo and word pair. Then complete the information. Write the correct
part of speech for each word in the word pair. Then choose a possible subject and verb.
Photo 1

Word Pair: box/very

Part of Speech: Word 1 _________________Word 2

Subject: ______________________________
Verb: ______________________________

Photo 2

Word Pair: sit/on

Part of Speech: Word 1 ________________ _ Word 2

Subject: _____________________________ _
Verb: ______________________________
107
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Photo 3

Word Pair: even though/rain

Part of Speech: Word 1 _________________Word 2 _________________

Clause 1 Subject:_______________________________________________
Clause 1 Verb: _______________________________________________
Clause 2 Subject:_______________________________________________
Clause 2 Verb: _______________________________________________

B Write a response for each photo by answering the questions with complete sentences.
Don’t forget to use both key words in your response.
1. Is the box very heavy or very light?________________________________________________
2. Where is the man sitting?________________________________________________________
3. What is the woman doing even though it is raining?___________________________________

C Now create your own responses for the photos using these new word pairs.
1. carry/back_____________________________________________________________________
2. sit/while______________________________________________________________________
3. woman/cold___________________________________________________________________
D Now, evaluate your responses using the checklist below. How well did your responses
meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of your
answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Questions 1-5

Yes No

1. My response has a subject and a verb.

2 .1 used correct verb forms.

3 . 1 used correct noun forms (singular /plural).

4 . 1 used both key words.

5. My response is relevant to the photo.

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 WRITING QUESTIONS 1-5: WRITE A SENTENCE BASED ON A PICTURE

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Go for the TOEIC® Test

TOEIC® TEST PRACTICE

Writing Test

Questions 1-5: Write a sentence based on a picture

Directions: You will write one sentence about a photo. You will be given two words or phrases. You
must use them in your sentence. You can change the word forms, and you can use the words in a
different order. Your sentences will be scored on
• appropriate use of grammar.
• relevance of the sentence to the photo.
Give yourself eight minutes to complete this part of the test.

wind/hard

2.
 4.

5.

Time Used:_______ minutes

To READ SAMPLE RESPONSES, SEE PAGE 159.

110
Questions 6-7: Respond to a Written Request

For Writing Questions 6 and 7, you will read an e-mail and respond to it. You
will be given specific tasks for each response. You may be asked to provide
information, ask questions, make a request or suggestion, or explain a problem.
You will have ten minutes to read each e-mail and write your response to it. You
will be scored on your ability to write grammatically correct sentences that are
varied, use appropriate vocabulary, and organize your ideas.

The e-mails may deal with topics such as:

» Office issues » Orders and shipments
» Job ads and applications » Schedules
» Ads for products and services » Appointments

QUICK GUIDE: Respond to a Written Request

Definition Questions 6 and 7 test your ability to respond to written requests using a
variety of well-organized sentences and appropriate grammar and vocabulary.

Targeted Skills In order to correctly respond to Questions 6 and 7, you should be able to:
• organize your ideas in writing.
• use appropriate connecting words.
• write a variety of sentence types.
• write grammatically correct sentences.
• use appropriate vocabulary.
• respond to the given tasks.
Question You will be given specific tasks to address in each response. The tasks will be
Types relevant to the e-mail and may be worded such as the following.
• Ask THREE questions.
• Make TWO requests for information.
• Make ONE suggestion.
• Give TWO pieces of information.
• Explain ONE problem.

A Good A good response addresses all the tasks, has a variety of sentences, has
Response logically organized ideas, and contains few or no grammar or vocabulary errors.

Things to 1. Begin your e-mail with an appropriate introduction.

Remember 2. Keep your audience in mind. You may be responding to an e-mail from a boss,
a job hunter, a repairperson, or someone else. Use language appropriate for
the audience.
3. Be sure to address all the tasks in your response.
111
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

WALKTHROUGH:^ Respond to a Written Request

A W hat You’ll See
For Writing Questions 6 and 7, you will see and hear the directions, and then you will see an
e-mail and a response area on the screen. Read the directions and the sample e-mail. Think
about how you could address the three tasks that follow the e-mail.

Writing Test "ELP^ b a c k ') next »

@ 0 0

Questions 6-7: Respond to a written request

Directions: In this part of the test, you will write a response to an e-mail.

Your response will be scored on

• the quality and variety of your sentences.

• vocabulary.
• organization.
You will have 10 minutes to read and answer the e-mail.

Directions: Read the e-mail.

From: update@dailyjobseeker.com
To: Anna Billings
QUICK TIP Subject: Daily Jobseeker update
Before you start writing, Sent: March 14,2 0 -
think about how you Dear Daily Jobseeker subscriber,
will address the tasks.
Here is the most recent job opening:
Then organize your Marleyhome Inc. is looking for an experienced accountant to fill a vacancy in its Accounting
response around them. Department. The company needs someone with an accounting degree and at least three years
of experience. Contact Ralph Kramer, r_kramer@marleyhome.com.

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are interested in applying for the position. Make ONE
statement about your professional background and TWO requests for information about the job.

(write your response here)

m
d POWERED BY CO BUtlD

recent: happening
only a short while
ago

experienced:
knowing a lot or
being very skillful at B W hat You’ll Do
a job or activity
For Writing Questions 6 and 7, you will write a response to the e-mail. You must include
vacancy: a job or information as directed. Now, write a response to the e-mail in Part A in less than 10 minutes.
position that has not
been filled
Then read the sample response that follows. Notice how it is organized and how it addresses
the tasks. Compare your response to the sample.

112
 WRITING QUESTIONS 6 -7 : RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

SAMPLE RESPONSE ► Dear Mr. Kramer:

I understand that you want to hire someone to work in your Accounting Department. I have
worked as an accountant at the Hiram Company for five years. Could you please send me a
job application? Also, I would like to know when the job will begin. Thank you very much for
your help.

Sincerely,
Mary Clark

GET IT RIGHT: Tips and Tasks for Answering Correctly

UNDERSTANDING THE E-MAILS AND THE QUESTIONS
» TIP 1 Quickly identify the subject of the e-mail. For Questions 6 and 7, you will read e-mails about a
variety of business-related subjects. You should practice quickly identifying what the subject of an e-mail is.

For e-mails, always look first at the header. This information at the top of the e-mail tells you important
information. A header includes these things:
• The sender, the sender’s e-mail address, and • The date
often the sender’s title or company . The subject of the e. mai|
• The recipient (who the e-mail is sent to)
In many cases, the subject line in the header will tell you much of what you need to know. For
Questions 6 and 7, specific requests may also be in the directions (see the next section for more
information on directions). In other cases, you will have to look in the body of the message. Always
search in this order: (1) subject line, (2) directions, (3) body of the message.

TASK Look at the headers in the sample e-mails and underline the information in each that answers the
questions below. Then use the underlined information to answer the question that follows each e-mail.
• Who wrote the e-mail? • Who is the recipient of the e-mail?
• What is the writer’s position? • What is the subject of the e-mail?
Sample E-mail 1

From: Elisa Hays, Front Desk Supervisor

To: Front desk agents, Hotel Mediterraneo
Subject: Reservation system
Sent: December 1,20—
It has come to my attention that several of you have experienced problems with the reservation
system recently. In order to address these problems, we need to compile a complete list of the
issues that each of you have encountered. Please send me this list at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Elisa Hays
Front Desk Supervisor

1. What is the main purpose of the e-mail?

a. To describe a problem with the current reservation system
b. To gather information about problems with the reservation system
113
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Sample E-mail 2

From: Daniel Olivares, Olivares Shipping Inc.

To: Administrative Staff
Subject: Vacation
Sent: February 1 9 ,2 0 -
Sheila Weston, the head administrative coordinator, will be out of the office from March 10-15. We
will need to redistribute her various tasks among the rest of the administrative staff while she’s out.
Also, please be advised that you must give at least two weeks’ notice of any plans to take vacation.
Sincerely,
Daniel Olivares
Owner, Olivares Shipping, Inc.

2. What is the main purpose of the e-mail?

a. To inform employees about changes to the vacation policy
b. To explain an employee’s extended absence
Sample E-mail 3

From: Walter Terborg

To: Rita Chen
Subject: Application for employment
Sent: October 10,20—
Dear Ms. Chen:
Thank you for your interest in the accountant position at Garrison and Associates. I am writing
because your online application is currently incomplete. To see which materials are missing,
please log in to your online account. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about
the position or the application process.
Thank you,
Walter Terborg, Human Resources

3. What is the main purpose of the e-mail?

a. To alert the recipient about a problem with her application
b. To inform the recipient that the application has been received
» TIP 2 Read the directions carefully. The directions for Questions 6 and 7 provide you with key
information about what to include in your response. The directions are typically worded as follows.

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are a front desk employee for the Hotel Mediterraneo. In
your e-mail, give ONE date you are available to meet with the client and TWO suggestions for travel.

Notice that the directions provide important information about:

• the role you should play in your response.
• three specific tasks that you must address in your response. Note that the number of tasks to be
included in your response is in capital letters.

The tasks described in the directions vary and may involve:

• requests for more information. • a description of something.
• specific actions. • instructions.
• discussion of a problem. • an opinion.
114
 WRITING QUESTIONS 6 -7 : RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

TASK The following directions are based on the e-mails in the TIP 1 TASK on pages 113-114. Read the
directions and underline the information that helps you understand the required tasks. Then place a
check mark ( / ) next to information that you would include in your response based on the directions.

1' Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are a front desk agent at Hotel Mediterraneo. In your
e-mail, describe THREE problems with the reservation system.

□ Information about reservations was lost. □ A new reservation could not be booked.
□ A guest’s room was not cleaned. □ A guest wanted a discount on the room.
□ The system shut down suddenly. □ The front desk supervisor was not available.
2.
Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are on the administrative staff at Olivares Shipping
Inc. In your e-mail, give TWO administrative tasks that you can perform while Ms. Weston is gone
and ONE range of dates during which you plan to be on vacation.

□ Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. □ File any incoming documents

□ Submit a vacation request form □ April 3 to April 7
QUICK TIP
□ Collect time sheets from employees □ Confirm Ms. Weston’s flight
Remember, you will
lose points if you don’t Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are Rita Chen. In your e-mail, describe TWO
address all the tasks application materials you submitted and ask ONE question about the position.
in the prompt! You
must also be careful □ A list of references □ How much does the position pay?
to play the role that is □ An updated resume □ Where is the office located?
assigned. □ A letter from Mr. Garrison □ How many employees work at the office?

STRUCTURING YOUR RESPONSE

» TIP 1 Learn the basic template for a successful response. Though the responses for Questions 6
and 7 may vary according to the specific e-mail and directions, a good response will usually include
these parts.
Greeting
- Greet the person the e-mail is directed to.
Opening Statement
- First sentence of your response.
- Explain the purpose of your e-mail.
- Introduce yourself if necessary.
Supporting Information 1
- Address the first task as specified by the directions.
Supporting Information 2
- Address the second task as specified by the directions.
Supporting Information 3
- Address the third task as specified by the directions.
QUICK TIP
Concluding Statement and Request for Action
Typically, a complete
- Conclude the e-mail.
response is no more - Explain any further action that may be needed.
than five sentences Closing
long. - Sign the e-mail as the role indicates.

115
SKILLS FUR THE lULIU” I t S I: SFtAKINU ANU WKII INli

TASK Match the sample responses (A-C) to the correct sample e-mails (1 -3) from pages 113-114.
Note the structure of the responses and how each sentence fits the template in TIP 1 on page 115.
A. Response A is for sample e-m ail_____ .

[greeting]
Dear Mr. Olivares,
[opening statement] I just wanted to quickly respond to the e-mail you sent on February 19
regarding Ms. Weston’s absence, [supporting information 1 and 2] While Ms. Weston is out, I
can collect the employee timesheets and file incoming documents. Please let me know if there is
any other way I can help.
[supporting information 3 ] I also want to let you know that I plan to be on vacation from April 3
to April 7. [concluding statement] Please tell me if you need more information about my vacation
plans.
[closing]
Sincerely,
Eric Redding, Administrative Assistant

B. Response B is for sample e-m ail_____ .

[greeting]
Dear Mr.Terborg:
[opening statement] Thank you for the update on the status of my application, [supporting
information 1 and 2] Since receiving your e-mail on October 1 0 ,1have sent the missing materials
by mail to your office. These materials include a list of references as well as an updated resume.
[supporting information 3] If it is not a problem, I wanted to ask how much the accountant
position pays, [request for action] Thank you again for your previous e-mail, and please let me
know about the salary when you can.
[closing]
Best,
Rita Chen

C. Response C is for sample e-m ail_____ .

[greeting]
Hello Ms. Hays,
[opening statement] I am writing in response to your e-mail dated December 1 regarding
problems with the reservation system, [supporting information 1] One problem that I had was
that the system lost reservation information, [supporting information 2] A second problem was
that the system shut down suddenly while I was using it. [supporting information 3] Finally, the
system did not allow me to make a new reservation, [concluding statement] Please let me know
if you require any further information.
[closing]
Sincerely,
Jaime Sanchez, Front Desk Agent

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 WRITING QUESTIONS 6-7 : RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

» TIP 2 Learn common language used to respond. You should familiarize yourself with the language
that is typically used in responses for Questions 6 and 7. Remember that you will want to use more
or less formal language, depending to whom the response is addressed. Generally, if your response is
addressed to someone with a higher position (such as a manager or an owner), you should use more
formal language. In contrast, if your response is addressed to a co-worker or peer, you should use less
formal language. This chart shows some examples of common language for responses.
QUICK TIP
In business Common Language More Formal Less Formal
communications, many Greetings • Dear Mr. Park /Ms. Garcia / • Hi [First name],
writers now use just the Mrs. Smith /Dr. Swanson
recipient's name in the [Family name]:
greeting. • Hello Mr. King/M s. Brown,

Mr. John Jones /

If you do not know the name of Notice that informal greetings
the recipient, you can use: have a comma.
Ms. Helen Fenton /
• Dear Sir or Madam:
James Everett
• To whom it may concern:

Notice that formal greetings

often have a colon.
Introductions • I am writing in response to . . . • I just wanted to respond to
• It seems that. . . your e-mail about. . .
• My name is X, and I am • I thought I would write to let
interested in . . . you know (that) . . .
• I am writing because (of) . . . • I'm writing because (of) . . .

Notice that the most formal Notice that informal writing

writing does not include includes contractions.
contractions except on negatives.
Polite Requests • I would appreciate it if you • Could you please. . . ?
could. . . • I ’d like it if you would. . .
• I f you don’t mind, could y o u . . . ? • Please [do something].
• Would it be possible fo r you • It would be terrific if you
to...? could. . .
• I f it isn’t too much trouble, • Would you mind. . . ?
would you . . . ?
Giving Information • I would like to let you know • I ’d like t o . . .
that. . . • lust wanted you to know
• One important thing about that. . .
X is... • I just want to let you know
• Please be advised that. . . about. . .
• One thing to remember. . . • Don’tforget that. . .
Mentioning Problems • One problem that I have • The problem i s . . .
encountered is . . . • The issue here is . . .
• Unfortunately, I have had an • I ’ve had lots o f problems
issue with . . . with. . .
Providing Explanations • The main reason fo r this is . . . • That's because. . .
• Due to X . . . • The reason is . . .
• Because o f this,. . . • Because I'm . . .
• The reason (why) X is . . . • I'm writing because. . .
(continued)

117
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Common Language More Formal Less Form al (continued)

Providing Instructions • I believe we should. . . • I think we should. . .
or Suggestions • It may he wise to . . . • How about. . . ?
• It would be a good idea to . . . • Why don’t y o u . . . ?
• I suggest that. . . • Let’s . . .
Giving Opinions • I maintain that. . . • I think (that) . . .
• From my point o f view, . . . • I ’m assuming (that). . .
• It is my belief that. . . • I feel (that) . . .
• I hold the opinion that. . . • Personally, I feel (that) . . .
Concluding Statements • Thank you very much fo r your • I ’m looking forw ard to hearing
prompt attention to this matter. from you.
• Please let me know if you have • Let me know if you need
any questions or need any anything else.
further information. • Thanks!
• Thank you.
Closings • Sincerely, • Talk to you soon!
• Yours truly, • See you soon.
• Nice hearing from you.
Some business e-mails have only Informal e-mails often close
a full name or a name and title. with only a first name.

TASK Read the language commonly used in responses. Circle the expression that is not the same as the
other two and note why it is different.

1. Dear Sir or Madam: To whom it may concern: Dear Lisa,

2. I’m writing because . . . Talk to you soon! My name i s . . .

3 .1feel that. . . Why don’t you . . . ? I suggest that. . .

4. Would it be possible for you . . . ? I’d like t o . . . Don’t forget th a t.. .

5. Thanks. Thank you. Sincerely,

118
 WRITING QUESTIONS 6-7: RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Get Ready

A Read each e-mail and the directions. Then answer the questions.
Question 6

From: Steven Appleby

To: Martha Simon
Subject: Small Business Magazine
Sent: June 11,20—
Dear Ms. Simon:
I work for Small Business Magazine. I am writing an article about small-business owners in your
city, and I would like to interview you for the article. Would you be available to meet with me
sometime next week?
Thank you.
Steven Appleby

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are Martha Simon. Say ONE time you are available
and ask TWO questions.

1. What is this e-mail about?

a. A request for an interview
b. Information about a new magazine
c. A subscription order

2. What pieces of information must you include in your response? How many must you include? Circle
the correct tasks and the number you need for each.
a. Question(s) 1 2 3
b. Request(s) 1 2 3
c. Time(s) available 1 2 3
d. Piece(s) of information 1 2 3
e. Order(s) 1 2 3

Question 7

From: Samantha Hawkins

To: Hampton Human Resources
Subject: Positions at Hampton
Sent: August 10,20—
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am interested in applying for a position at Hampton Inc. I recently graduated from the university
and am interested in any openings you may have in your Marketing Department. If you have any
positions open, please let me know what they are and how I can apply.
Thank you.
Samantha Hawkins

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are a human resources officer at Hampton, Inc. In
your e-mail, ask ONE question and give TWO pieces of information.

119
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

1. What is this e-mail about?

a. An advertisement for a job
b. An application for a job
c. A request for information about jobs
2. What pieces of information must you include in your response? How many must you include? Circle
the correct tasks and the number you need for each.
a. Question(s) 12 3
b. Request(s) 12 3
c. Time(s) available 12 3
d. Piece(s) of information 1 2 3
e. Order(s) 12 3
B Now, read the sample responses to the e-mails in Part A. Note which response is
for the Question 6 e-mail and which response is for the Question 7 e-mail. Write the
number of the question. Then write the correct numbers to label the parts of the
response. Use the answer choices in the box.

1. Closing
2. Supporting information 2
3. Supporting information 1
4. Opening statement
5. Concluding statement
6. Greeting

Response to Question____
QUICK TIP
__Dear Ms. Hawkins:
You do not need to
include a header in _ Thank you for your e-mail inquiring about positions at Hampton, Inc. _ I understand that you
your e-mail response. are interested in working in our Marketing Department. We currently have an open position for a
You can begin with the Market Researcher. We plan to review applications next week.__Do you have any experience in
greeting. that area?__Let me know if you are interested in this position.

__Sincerely,
Michael White
Hampton Human Resources

Response to Question____

__Dear Mr. Appleby,

__I will be very happy to let you interview me for your article.__ I will be free next Tuesday
afternoon at 2:00.1hope that is a good time for you. __ I have a couple of questions. How long do
you think the interview will last? Also, could you tell me exactly what the subject of your article is?
__I’m looking forward to meeting you.

Martha Simon

120
 WRITINGQUESTIONS 6-7: RESPONDTOAWRITTENREQUEST

C Write your own responses to the e-mails in Part A by completing the templates.

Question 6
Dear______________________,

I received your______________________about_______________________I will be available

______________________ I would like to ask you some things. First,______________________
_____________________________________ Also,_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________I look forward to seeing you next

Sincerely,

Question 7
Dear______________________,

Thank you fo r_______________________________________________________. You asked about

We have_____________________________________ in our Marketing Department. It requires

________________________________________How much________________________________
______________________ ? I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

D Now, evaluate your responses in Part C using the checklist below. How well did your
responses meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of
your answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Questions 6 -7

Yes No

1 .1 included a greeting.

2 .1 began with an opening statement and ended with a concluding

statement.

3 . 1 addressed all tasks given in the directions.

4 . 1 used a variety of sentence types and vocabulary.

5 . 1 used correct grammar and spelling.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Get Set _____

A Read each e-mail and the directions. Then answer the questions.
Question 6

From: Mark Hayes

To: Easton Office Supply Company
Subject: Order
Sent: November 30,20—
I put in a large order for office supplies from your company several weeks ago. I received the order
yesterday; however, it was not complete. It did not contain the two boxes of manila envelopes that
I ordered. Can you please resolve this problem for me?
Thank you.
Mark Hayes

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are an employee of the Easton Office Supply
Company. In your e-mail, explain TWO problems and make ONE request.

1. What is this e-mail about?

2. What tasks and how many of each are you asked to address in your response?

Question 7

From: Mary Wilson

To: All staff
Subject: Tokyo visit
Sent: April 15, 20—
Greetings to all,
As you know, next week we will receive guests from our Tokyo office. I need some ideas for
interesting activities and places of interest they should visit. Also, I would like to know if any of you
are available to take our visitors out for a meal or to visit some special place.
Thanks for your help.
Mary Wilson

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are a staff member. In your e-mail, make TWO
suggestions and offer to help with ONE task.

1. What is this e-mail about?

2. What tasks and how many of each are you asked to address in your response?

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 WRITING QUESTIONS &-7: RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

B Write numbers 1-7 to put the responses in the correct order. Then write the number of
the question in Part A to which each response belongs.
Response to Question____
___ Second, the person who packed your order forgot to include a note of explanation about the
envelopes.
___ Dear Mr. Hayes:
___ Let me explain what happened.
___First, we are currently out of envelopes but will get more at the end of the month.
___ I apologize again and will complete your order as soon as possible.
___I have received your message about the problem with your order.
___Please let me know if you will still want the envelopes then.

Response to Question____
___First, I think the guests should visit the art museum.
___I have a couple of suggestions for you.
___Second, I think they would also enjoy a walk in the City Gardens.
___I read your e-mail about the guests from the Tokyo office.
___ Hi Mary,
___Let me know if I can help in any other way.
___Also, I would be happy to invite them to my house for dinner on Wednesday.

C Write your own responses to the e-mails in Part A by completing the templates.
Question 6

[Greeting]_______
QUICK TIP [Opening statement]
Remember to check
your response for
[Supporting information 1]
spelling and grammar.
When you check your
response, make sure [Supporting information 2]
that your sentences are
well constructed and [Supporting information 3]
that you have used a
variety of vocabulary
[Concluding information]
words.

[Closing]

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Question 7

[Greeting]_______
[Opening statement]

[Supporting information 1]

[Supporting information 2]

[Supporting information 3]

[Concluding statement]

[Closing]

D Now evaluate your responses in Part C using the checklist below. How well did your
responses meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of
your answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Questions 6 -7

Yesi No

1 .1 included a greeting.
2 .1 began with an opening statement and ended with a concluding
statement.

3 . 1 addressed all tasks given in the directions.

4 . 1 used supporting statements.

5 . 1 used a variety of sentence types and vocabulary.

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 WRITING QUESTIONS 6 -7 : RESPOND TO A WRITTEN REQUEST

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Go for the TOEIC® Test

TOEIC® TEST PRACTICE

Questions 6 -7 : Respond to a written request
Directions: In this part of the test, you will write a response to an e-mail.

Your response will be scored on

• the quality and variety of your sentences.

• vocabulary.
• organization.

Give yourself 10 minutes to read and answer each e-mail.

Question 6
Writinq Test HELP 1 BACK ^ NEXT )

0 o o
Question 6 of 8

From: Samuel George

To: Janet Jones
Subject: Changing banks
Sent: February 23,20—
Dear Ms. Jones,
We understand that you have moved your accounts to another bank. We are very sorry to lose your
business. To help us provide better service in the future, would you mind telling us why you made
the decision to change banks? Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Samuel George
National City Bank Customer Service

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are Janet Jones. In your e-mail, explain ONE problem
and make TWO suggestions.

T im e U s e d : __________ m in u t e s .

T o r ea d s a m p l e r e s p o n s e s , see page 1 6 0 .

125
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Question 7

Writing Test ^ HELP ' ^ acK>

Question 7 of 8

From: John Jenkins

To: Shirley Park
Subject: Budget report
Sent: February 23,20—
Shirley,
I am working on the annual budget report as you requested. You asked me to have it finished by
next Friday; however, it’s taking longer than I thought. Could I have one more week to complete the
report? That way I would have time to do a thorough job.
Thank you.
John

Directions: Respond to the e-mail as if you are Shirley Park. In your e-mail, ask ONE question
and give TWO pieces of information.

T im e U s e d : __________ m in u t e s .

T o READ SAMPLE RESPONSES, SEE PAGE 1 6 0 .

Question 8: Write an Opinion Essay

For Question 8 in the Writing Test, you will be asked to write an essay in which
you explain your opinion about an issue. You will have to state your opinion and
then support it with specific reasons and examples. You will have 30 minutes to
plan and write your essay. Your essay should be about 300 words long. You will be
scored on your ability to organize and support your ideas and to use appropriate
grammar and vocabulary.

You may be asked to express your opinion on such topics as:

» Work issues » Shopping practices
» Travel and transportation choices » Leisure time activities
» Friendships and family

QUICK GUIDE: Write an Opinion Essay

Definition Question 8 tests your ability to develop an opinion essay with a clear thesis
statement and supporting ideas.

Targeted Skills In order to correctly respond to Question 8, you should be able to:
• express your opinion in a thesis statement.
• develop paragraphs that support your thesis statement.
• connect your ideas with transition words.
• write grammatically correct sentences.
• use appropriate and varied vocabulary.

Question In Question 8, you will be asked to write an essay in which you do one of the
Types following:
• Express a general opinion
• Agree or disagree with a statement
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a situation
• Explain your preference for something
• Explain the importance of something

A Good A good response has a clear thesis statement, two or three supporting ideas that
Response are developed in separate paragraphs, and a strong conclusion. Grammar and
vocabulary errors are minimal and don’t interfere with understanding the ideas.

Things to 1. First, write a thesis statement that clearly and simply states the opinion that
Remember your essay will support.
2. Think of two or three ideas to support your opinion. Use these ideas to
develop your essay, writing one paragraph about each idea.
3. Restate your opinion in the conclusion.
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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

WALK THROUGH: Write an Opinion Essay

A What You’ll See
For Question 8, you will see and hear the directions, and then you will see an opinion
question. The question will remain on the screen while you write. Read the question below.
Think about how you could state your opinion about this issue.

Writing Test HELP \ BACK ^ NEXT ^

© o ©

Question 8: Write an opinion essay

Directions: You will write an essay that responds to an opinion question. You will need to state your
opinion, explain it, and support it. Your essay should have at least 300 words.
Your response will be scored on
• how well your opinion is supported by reasons and examples.
• the quality of the grammar used.
• the variety and accuracy of vocabulary.
• the organization.

You must plan, write, and revise your essay in 30 minutes.

Writing Test HELP ^

c

Directions: Read the question. Then plan, write,

and revise your essay in 30 minutes or less. A
good response will have at least 300 words.
Many people enjoy spending time playing and
watching sports. Why do you think sports are
d POWERED BY COBUHD important to people? Give specific reasons and
spending time: examples to support your opinion.
using your time
or effort to do
something
B What You’ll Do
specific: a particular
fixed area, problem or For Question 8, you will write a complete essay. Now, try to write an essay about the question
subject in Part A in 30 minutes or less. Then read the sample response. Note how the paragraphs that
follow the introduction develop the supporting ideas and give a conclusion.

SAMPLE RESPONSE ► Sports are popular all around the world. People enjoy sports because sports bring
several advantages to peoples lives. Sports encourage people to get exercise, they provide
opportunities for interacting with others, and they give a sense of belonging to a group.
An interest in sports encourages people to get exercise. People who play sports get a lot
of exercise. People who are serious about their sport spend a lot of effort getting in good
physical shape so that they can play their sport well. Other people play sports just for fun,
but they still get good exercise wThen they play. O f course, some people just watch sports on

128
 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

TV, and that isn’t very good exercise. But sometimes fans become motivated to imitate their
favorite athletes, and they try playing the sport themselves.
An interest in sports provides opportunities for interacting with others. When you play on
a team, you have to work with your teammates to play the game as well as you can. Or you
may just interact with a single opponent when you play a sport such as tennis. Even if you
just watch sports, you have opportunities to interact with other fans of your favorite teams.
An interest in sports gives a sense of belonging to a group. If you play on a team, then the
team is your group. You are also part of the larger group of people who enjoy playing that sport.
If you enjoy watching sports, you can feel that you are part of the group of fans who support your
teams. You can also feel pride in being a resident of the city that your favorite team represents.
Sports bring a lot of positive things to peoples lives. Sports encourage people to exercise,
to spend time with others, and to belong to groups. These are the reasons why sports are
important to people everywhere.

GET IT RIGHT: Tips and Tasks for Answering Correctly

UNDERSTANDING THE TOPIC AND THE QUESTION
» TIP 1 Familiarize yourself with the types of questions you may see. For Question 8, you may
encounter a number of different questions or prompts. By familiarizing yourself with the different types
of prompts you may see, you will understand what type of information to include in your response
and how to create a complete and successful response. This chart gives an explanation of the most
common types of prompts and examples of each.

Prompt Types Descriptions Example Prompts

Advantage / Asks you to choose the What are the advantages or disadvantages o f
Disadvantage advantages or disadvantages living near work? Give reasons or examples to
of a topic and to support support your opinion.
that position
Preference Presents you with a Some people prefer to work fo r a large company,
number of options and asks while others prefer to work in a small office.
you to choose which of Which size company do you prefer to work in? Use
those options you prefer specific examples to support your choice.
General Opinion Asks for your opinion on At some jobs, employees are allowed to listen to
a topic music while they work. What is your opinion o f this?
Give reasons or examples to support your opinion.
Agree / Disagree Asks if you agree or Do you agree or disagree with the following
disagree with a statement statement: Learning an additional language is a
or idea good way to improve one’s jo b prospects in any
QUICK TIP
field. Use specific reasons and examples to support
Remember that the your answer.
prompt will remain on Importance Asks you to explain why References from previous employers are important
the screen while you something is important to fo r some employers when making hiring decisions.
are writing, so you will some people Why do you think that references are important to
be able to refer to it employers? Use specific reasons and examples to
explain your answer.
while you write.

TASK Read the example prompts above and underline key words and information that help you
recognize the prompt type.
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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

» TIP 2 Read the question carefully. Once you understand the type of question you have been given,
read the question carefully and decide what information you must include in your response. This chart
gives you tips for quickly finding important information in the prompts.

Prompt Types What to Look For

Advantage / Disadvantage Be careful. Does the prompt ask you to discuss both the
advantages and disadvantages of a topic, only the advantages,
or only the disadvantages?
Preference Read the options carefully. Make sure you understand what
options you are supposed to choose among. For example, are you
choosing the best option, the most useful, or something else?
Opinion, Agree / Disagree, Carefully read the given statement or opinion and the context
and Importance given to be sure you understand how they relate to each other.

TASK Read the sample prompts from the chart in TIP 1 on page 129. Choose the answers that best
describe the information you need to give for each prompt.
1. What are the advantages or disadvantages of living near work? Give reasons or examples to support
your opinion.
a. The advantages and disadvantages of owning a home
b. The pros or cons of living near one’s place of employment
2. Some people prefer to work for a large company, while others prefer to work in a small office. Which
size company do you prefer to work in? Use specific examples to support your choice.
a. My opinion on work environments
b. My work environment preference
3. At some jobs, employees are allowed to listen to music while they work. What is your opinion of this?
Give reasons or examples to support your opinion.
a. My music preferences
b. My thoughts on a specific company policy
4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Learning an additional language is a good way
to improve one’s job prospects in any field. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
a. My beliefs about learning new languages
b. My position on corporate language requirements
5. References from previous employers are important for some employers when making hiring
decisions. Why do you think that references are important to employers? Use specific reasons and
QUICK TIP examples to explain your answer.
Don’t spend a lot of a. My explanation of why something is important to some people
time trying to figure b. My opinion of how managers make hiring decisions
out what your opinion
on the question is. If STRUCTURING YOUR RESPONSE
you don’t have strong » TIP 1 First, brainstorm ideas for your essay. When you brainstorm, you think about a lot of possible
feelings about it, just ideas in a short time. Before you start typing your response, you should take 2-3 minutes to brainstorm.
make up an opinion Think about the following questions.
and write about that. • What is my position? The prompt for Question 8 will always require you to take a position about the topic.
The scorers grade on For example, you might have to choose whether you agree or disagree with a given statement, but you
how well the essay is may not have strong feelings about the prompt. In such cases, take a minute to write down all the points
written, not on what the you can think of that you may be able to use either for or against the prompt. Based on the number of
opinion is.
130
 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

points you come up with for each viewpoint, you can then choose the position that will be easiest for you
to support.
• What is my thesis? The thesis is the main idea that you will support throughout your essay. Your
thesis should express your position on the topic in one sentence. By starting with a strong thesis
statement, you will be able to easily organize the rest of your essay. One strategy for creating a
strong thesis statement is to restate the information from the prompt. The relevant information from
QUICK TIP the prompt may be in question form, so you will have to change it to a statement. When you restate
While you write, be sure the prompt, you should add your opinion about the topic.
to check the clock on
• What do I want to say? Return to the list of points you made when you were trying to decide on
your screen from time your position. Choose the three strongest points and quickly write down some details or examples
to time and make sure that you can use to support those points.
you allow enough time
to complete the task.
TASK Match the prompts (1-5) from the TIP 2 TASK on page 130 to the correct restatements (a-e). Notice
how each of the restatements is changed from the original question to create a strong thesis statement.
___ a. Personally, I prefer to work in a small office rather than at a large company for several reasons.
___ b. It is my belief that learning an additional language is a great way to improve one’s chances of
getting a job.
___ c. There are several advantages of living near the office.
__ _ d. My opinion is that it is a bad idea for employers to allow workers to listen to music at the office.
___ e. I think that references from previous employers are important to some bosses for a number of
reasons.
» TIP 2 Second, create a basic outline of what you want to write. An outline is the first step in
developing your ideas and organizing your essay. This chart is a guide for creating your outline.

Parts of the Essay W hat to Include

Thesis Statement Use the one-sentence thesis that you wrote while you were brainstorming.
Remember, this sentence should state your position on the given topic.
Main Point 1 Write what the main point of each paragraph in the body will be. You
Main Point 2 should also write down any examples and details you might use to
Main Point 3 support the main points of the body paragraphs.
Concluding Statement Restate your position on the given topic.

After you have written a basic outline, check the organization of your response. Make sure that the
response is logical and that the ideas flow naturally from one paragraph to the next. Also, make sure
that your outline contains all of the information you want to include in your essay.
TASK Match these model outlines (A-E) to the writing prompts (1-5) from the TIP 2 TASK on page 130.

Sample Outline A ____

QUICK TIP [Thesis statement] It is my belief that learning an additional language is a great way to improve
Your outline can be in one’s chances of getting a job.
note form. You don’t [Main point 1] Access to more jobs
need to write complete [Examples / Details] many jobs require more than one language
sentences or worry [Main point 2] Create new opportunities
about capital letters [Examples / Details] friend who speaks German was able to bring in new contracts with
and punctuation in your
German companies
[Main point 3] Become indispensable to your employer
outline. You can adjust
[Examples / Details]
those things later when
-friend is the only one who speaks German in his office
you draft your work.
-h e ’s a necessary part of communicating with important clients
131
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Sample Outline B ____

[Thesis statement] I think that references from previous employers are important to some bosses
for a number of reasons.
[Main point 1] Helps employers understand the applicant’s personality
[Examples / Details] I’m very helpful and friendly, but there’s no place on an application for that.
[Main point 2] Tests honesty
[Examples / Details] When my boss was hiring a new employee, she called the references
for one application. Boss found out that the applicant had lied on the application.
[Main point 3] Explains why person left former job
[Examples / Details] Someone might not want to hire someone who was fired from the last
job, but someone who was laid off might work out well.

Sample Outline C ____

[Thesis statement] Personally, I prefer to work in a small office rather than at a large company for
several reasons.
[Main point 1] More interaction with managers
[Examples / Details] better training
[Main point 2] Better relationships with co-workers
[Examples / Details] friend worked for big company, never had any friends there because
their offices were so far away
QUICK TIP [Main point 3] Faster promotions
[Examples / Details] not as much competition
Take no more than
three minutes to create
Sample Outline D ____
your outline. To make
sure you don’t spend [Thesis statement] There are several advantages of living near the office.
too much time on any
[Main point 1] Less time commuting
[examples/details] I spend over an hour driving to and from work every day. Cutting down
part of the writing
on that would mean less stress and more time for family.
process, check the on­
[Main point 2] Cheaper
screen clock from time
[examples/details] An apartment near my office might be a little more expensive, but I’d
to time. save on transportation costs.
[Main point 3] Convenient
[examples/details] would be nice to go home for lunch and get back to the office quickly

Sample Outline E ____

[Thesis statement] My opinion is that it is a bad idea for employers to allow workers to listen to
music at the office.
[Main point 1] Too distracting
[Examples / Details]
-clerks at store listening to music, not paying attention to customers
-w ill not return to that store now
[Main point 2] Hurts teamwork
[Examples / Details] everyone is listening to music, not helping each other
[Main point 3] Not everyone has the same musical taste
[Examples / Details]
-w hat some people like, others may find annoying
-m y friend has to listen to country music at work, it makes her unproductive

132
 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

» TIP 3 Third, write a rough draft of your essay. When you write your rough draft, you expand on the
ideas that you wrote in your outline. Don’t worry if your writing isn’t perfect in the rough draft. You
should just focus on writing your ideas down and thinking of ways to strongly support your thesis.
Remember that you will be writing on computer, and you will be able to move and change what you
write easily. The information below shows how to structure each part of your response.

Introduction
Your first paragraph should introduce the main topic and clearly state your position. In general, it will
follow the structure shown below.

[Topic Sentence] Introduce the main topic of the essay.

[Thesis Statement] Restate the prompt using your opinion. You may also briefly mention the
three main points you will use to support your thesis.

Body Paragraphs
Paragraphs 2,3, and 4 will be the body of your essay. In the body, you will present three main points to
support your thesis. See below for the typical structure of each of the body paragraphs.

[Topic Sentence] Express the major point that supports the main thesis.
[Details / Examples] Mention the details / examples that you will use to support your opinion.
[Transition Statement] Signal to the reader that you have finished talking about the point and
will move on to the next point.

Conclusion
Paragraph 5 will conclude your essay. The conclusion is usually structured as shown below.

[Restate Thesis] Express the main supporting detail that supports the main thesis.
[Review of Major Points] Briefly mention the three major points used to support the thesis, and
be sure to mention how these points support your opinion.
[Concluding Sentence] Wrap up the content of the paragraph.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIG® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

TASK Put the paragraphs in this sample essay in the correct order (1-5). Make sure to notice the
structure of each of the paragraphs.

Sample Draft Essay

___To start with, I think that listening to music at work is distracting for employees. This is bad
because distracted employees can lead to bad customer service. Many times I’ve gone to a store, and
the clerks are too busy listening to music on personal music players to even help me. Experiences like
this have made me stop shopping at certain stores. So I think that if companies want to avoid losing
customers, they should not allow behaviors like listening to music that lead to bad customer service.
___Some offices allow employees to listen to music, while others do not. In my opinion, I think
that employers should not allow workers to listen to music at the office because it is distracting, it
hurts teamwork, and it can lead to disagreements.
___Second of all, listening to music hurts teamwork. I’ve worked at places where employees are
allowed to listen to music while they work. People listened to music all day long and never even
spoke to each other. We never worked together or tried to solve problems together, which, again,
could hurt the quality of the work.
___To summarize, I think that it is a bad idea to allow employees to listen to music at work. I
think this because allowing music in the workplace distracts employees, hurts teamwork, and
leads to disagreements. In the end, it is important to remember that work is for work, and people
should listen to music at home.
___Finally, I think listening to music at work can lead to disagreements. The fact is, not everybody
has the same musical taste. In cases where music is played over a loudspeaker, this could lead
to arguments. That is what happened to my friend. At her job, they play country music over the
loudspeaker all day. My friend hates country music, and she is really annoyed about having to
listen to it all day. It makes her less productive and, thus, her work suffers.

» TIP 4 Learn useful language to use in writing your essay. For several parts of the essay, you will find
that you will be able to use similar language. This chart presents useful language to include in different
parts of your essay. (See also Speaking Question 11 for more language for giving opinions.)

Useful Language for Question 8 Essays

Functions Examples of Language to Use

Stating an opinion • In my opinion . . .
• I feel th at. . .
• Personally, I feel / believe /p refer. . .
• It is my opinion that. . .
Showing sequence • First, / First o f a ll,. . . ; Second,. . . ; Third,. . .
• N ext,. . .
• Then,. . .
• After that,. . .
• Finally,. . .
• To sum m arize,. . .
• In conclusion,. . .
Transitioning into a new paragraph • In general,. . .
• Generally,. . .
• Overall,. . .
Introducing an example • For exam ple,. . .
• For instance,. . .
• In my experience,. . .
• . . . such as
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 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

Useful Language for Question 8 Essays (continued)

Functions Examples of Language to Use
Contrasting • On the other h a n d ,. . .
• In contrast,. . .
• On the contrary,. . .
Adding information • Furtherm ore,. . .
• Additionally,. . .
• A lso,. . .

TASK Choose the correct word or phrase from the box to complete the sample essay. In some cases,
more than one answer is possible.

Conversely Personally Next Generally

To summarize Lastly For example First of all

Sample Draft Essay

Today, people have many choices about where they work. People can work for large companies
with equally large offices or at smaller offices. (1 )________________________ , I prefer to work
in a small office rather than at a large company because working in a small office means more
interaction with managers, better relationships with co-workers, and faster promotions.
(2) , I think that by working in a small office, I can spend more time
with managers. This is a good thing because managers have a lot to teach, and interacting with them
often means that I can get better training and improve my skills. (3 )________________________ , I
don’t think that people at bigger companies have that kind of opportunity.
(4 )________________________, working at a small office usually leads to strong,
close relationships with co-workers. I had a friend who worked for a company with over
100 employees. She told me that she never had any friends there because there were simply too
many people. (5 )________________________ , she said that they were really far away from each
other because the building was so big. I like having friends where I work, so this would be a bad
thing for me. Clearly, working at a small office is much better.
QUICK TIP
(6) -------------------------- ________ , I’ve found that it’s possible to earn promotions faster at
Stay focused! It can smaller companies than at huge companies. The reason for this is that there isn’t as much
be easy to get away competition. I had worked at my job at a small office for only six months before I got my first
from the main purpose promotion. (7 )________________________ , I know people who have worked at big companies
of the task or focus for more than three years and have never gotten a promotion.
of the question. Be
(8) ---------------------------- _________ , my
preference is to work in a small office rather than at a
sure not to move away big one. By working at a small office, I think employees have more time with managers, have
from your opinion or better relationships with their co-workers, and get promoted faster. For me, these three things are
include information really important, and that’s why I’ll always choose a small office over a big one.
that is not relevant
to the question. This
» TIP 5 Revise your essay. When you complete your first draft, take about five minutes to carefully read
and revise your essay. The purpose of revising is to perfect your essay by:
can use up time and
also lower your score. • rearranging words, sentences, or sections to improve organization and make the essay clear and
Refer to your question easy to follow.
and thesis statement • taking out or adding parts to make your meaning clearer.
again and again if you • replacing words or expressions that are overused or don’t make sense.
need to.
• adding words or expressions that you are comfortable using to add variety.
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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

TASK Read the sample essay. Then choose the best way to improve the underlined parts of the essay.
You may notice some other errors that you will fix later in the TIP 6 TASK.

Sample Draft Essay

One thing that many people don’t consider when they’re choosing where to live is distance
from the office. There are several advantages to living near the office, including saving time and
money, and it is very convenient?
To start with, living near the Office can help save time because employees spend less time driving
back and forth from work every day. For example, I spend more than an hour 1. driving to and from
work every day. All of that time in traffic can be really stressful. Cutting down on that travel time by
moving closer to work would 2. not only mean less stress and more time with my family.
Second, I think that living near the office can be cheaper in some ways. 3. My office is
located downtown, the apartments there are a little more expensive than the ones farther away.
However, I have to spend just as much money on gas so that I can drive to work downtown.
In fact, it would be cheaper for me to live close to my office and just walk to work. That way, I
could save the money I am now paying for gas and car maintenance.
Third, live near work is more convenient than living far away. This is because if you live close
by, you can always run home and back to work in a short time. Nice to go home for lunch. It is
also much less expensive eating at home than eating out for lunch every day.
In conclusion, I know that there are probably some disadvantages to living close to work, but
the way I see it, there are far more advntges. Not only does it save time and money, but it is also
very convenient.

1. a. no change needed
b. driving to work all the time
c. not traveling to and from work
2. a. delete underlined part
b. not only mean less stress, but also more time with my family.
c. only mean less time with my family and more stress.
3. a. Because my office is located downtown, the apartments there are a little more expensive than
the ones that are farther away.
b. My office is located downtown. On the other hand, the apartments there are a little more
expensive than the ones farther away.
c. Unlike the apartments located faraway, the apartments near the office are located downtown.
» TIP 6 Finally, correct your essay. The final step before you submit your essay is making final
corrections. This involves reading and paying special attention to the format, style, and correctness of
your essay. Allow at least five minutes for this important last step.
• Check that all sentences are complete and make sense.
• Check that all sentences are grammatically correct (e.g., check subject-verb agreement, pronoun
use, etc.).
• Check for correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
TASK Read the sample essay from the TIP 5 TASK again. Not including the underlined portions from the
previous task, find and underline these things. Make a check mark [ / ] when you have found the item.
□ 1 incomplete sentence □ 1 capitalization error
□ 1 grammar error □ 1 punctuation error
□ 1 spelling error
 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Get Ready

A Read the sample question. Then answer the questions that follow.

Sample Question 8
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A small town is a better place than a big
city to raise children. Support your answer with specific reasons and examples.
1. This question asks about
a. preference. c. agreement.
b. advantages and disadvantages. d. importance.
2. The topic is about
a. the best place to live. c. the best place to take a vacation.
b. the best place to work.
B Complete the brainstorming notes for the question in Part A by answering the
questions. Use the sentences given to respond.

Brainstorming Notes
1. What is the question asking fo r? __________________________________________________

2. What is my viewpoint?

3. What is my thesis?

4. Why do I feel this way?

Sentences for Notes

I agree with the statement.
Small towns are safer, people in small towns are nicer, and life in small towns is less expensive.
I agree that a small town is a better place to raise children.
Do I agree or disagree that a small town is better than a city for raising children?

C Read the sample response to the question in Part A. Then choose the correct number
from the box to label each part of the response.

1. Body paragraph 5. Second supporting idea

2. Concluding paragraph 6. Third supporting idea
3. Introductory paragraph 7. Thesis statement
4. First supporting idea

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FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Sample Response
___ While many families live in cities, many other people believe that a small town is better for
children.__I agree that a small town is a better place to raise a family than a big city. I think that
small towns are safer than cities, the people there are nicer, and life is less expensive.
___ Everybody knows that small towns are safer than cities. There is a lot less crime, so parents
know that their children aren’t in danger.__In addition, people in small towns are usually nicer
than people in big cities. It is much better for children to grow up in the friendly atmosphere of a
small tow n.__Finally, life in a small town is much less expensive than life in a big city. It is easier
for parents to provide their children with everything they need.
___ Life in a small town is better than life in a big city in several ways. A small town is a safer,
nicer, and cheaper place to raise children. When I have children, I will certainly move to a small town.

D Write your own response to the question in Part A by completing the template.

While many families live in cities, many other people believe that a small town is better for
children. I agree / disagree that a small town is a better place to raise a family than a big city. I
think this because_________________________________________________________________,
____________________________________________________________________________ , and

In the first place, I think__________________________________________________________

because_____________________________________________________________ I also think
_______________________________________________________________________ because

Finally,_________________________________________________________________ because

Life in a _____________________________________________________is better than life in a

________________________________ in several ways. A _______________________________is
------------------------- ,---------------------------- ,
and___________________________________________________________________ Therefore,

E Now, evaluate your response in Part D using the checklist below. How well did your
response meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of
your answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Question 8

Yes No

1 . 1 wrote a thesis statement that stated my opinion clearly.

2 .1 gave reasons for my opinion.

3 . 1 supported my reasons with details.

4 . 1 included a conclusion.

5 . 1 used correct grammar and vocabulary.

6. My essay was well organized and flowed easily from each paragraph to
the next.
 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: | Get Set

A Read the sample question. Then complete the brainstorming notes in your own words.

Sample Question 8
Some people use public transportation (buses and subways) to get around a city. Others use
private cars. Which do you prefer? Support your answer with specific reasons and examples.

Brainstorming Notes
1. What is the question asking for? _________________________________________________

2. What is my viewpoint?

3. What is my thesis?

4. Why do I feel this way?

B Number the sentences in each paragraph to put them in the correct order to create a
response to the question in Part A.

Introduction (number 1-3)

_____ My preference is definitely for public transportation.
_____ I believe that it is cheaper, more convenient, and better for the environment than private cars are.
_____ In order to get around a city, you can use public transportation or private cars.

Body Paragraph 1 (number 1-4)

_____ On the other hand, you also have to pay money to buy a car, to maintain it, and to park it.
_____ It is much cheaper to use public transportation than it is to drive a private car.
_____ I believe that the costs of driving a car add up to a lot more than the costs of paying bus and
subway fares.
_____ Of course, you have to pay a fare every time you ride a bus or subway.

Body Paragraph 2 (number 1-4)

_____ In addition to being cheaper, public transportation is also more convenient than private cars.
_____ To use a car, however, you have to pay attention while you drive it, and you have to worry about
finding a parking place at your destination.
_____ In addition, you have to spend time and money keeping your car maintained.
_____ To use public transportation, you just get on, pay your fare, and ride to your destination.

Body Paragraph 3 (number 1-4)

_____ Buses may cause air pollution, but they also carry a lot of passengers.
_____ Overall, public transportation is cleaner than private cars.
_____ If you look at the amount of pollution per passenger, I am sure that cars dirty the air more than
buses do.
_____ Finally, public transportation is better for the environment than private cars are.

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SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Conclusion (number 1-3)

_____ It is cheap, convenient, and clean.
_____ I think public transportation is the best way to get around a city.
_____ I take buses and subways whenever I can.

C Use the template to write your own response to the question in Part A.
Draft Essay Template

Introduction Paragraph
[Introductory sentence]_____________________________________________
[Thesis statement]_________________________________________________
[Supporting ideas that will be in essay]__________________________________

Body Paragraph 1

[Topic sentence]_____
[Supporting sentence 1]
[Details and examples 1]

[Supporting sentence 2]
[Details and examples 2]

[Supporting sentence 3]
[Details and examples 3]

[Concluding/transition sentence]
Body Paragraph 2

[Topic sentence]___________
[Supporting sentence 1]_____
[Details and examples 1]_____

[Supporting sentence 2]
[Details and examples 2]

[Supporting sentence 3]
[Details and examples 3]

[Concluding/transition sentence]

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 WRITING QUESTION 8: WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

____ _________ (continued)

Body Paragraph 3
[Topic sentence]_____
[Supporting sentence 1]
[Details and examples 1]

[Supporting sentence 2]
[Details and examples 2]

[Supporting sentence 3]
[Details and examples 3]

[Concluding/transition sentence]
Conclusion

[Topic sentence]___________
[Restate thesis]____________
[Restate supporting ideas]____
[Concluding sentence]_______

D Now, evaluate your response in Part C using the checklist below. How well did your
response meet the scoring criteria? Check ( / ) Yes or No. Keep practicing until all of
your answers are Yes.

Response Checklist: Question 8

Yes No

1 . 1 wrote a thesis statement that stated my opinion clearly.

2 .1 gave reasons for my opinion.

3 . 1 supported my reasons with details.

4 . 1 included a conclusion.

5 . 1 used correct grammar and vocabulary.

6. My essay was well organized and flowed easily from each paragraph to
the next.

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 SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE: Go for the TOEIC® Test

TOEIC® TEST PRACTICE

Read the question and write an essay in response. If possible, write on a computer. Give yourself
no more than 30 minutes to complete your essay.

Question 8: Write an opinion essay

Directions: You will write an essay that responds to an opinion question. You will need to state your
opinion, explain it, and support it. Your essay should have at least 300 words.
Your response will be scored on
• how well your opinion is supported by reasons and examples.
• the quality of the grammar used.
• the variety and accuracy of vocabulary.
• the organization.

You must plan, write, and revise your essay in 30 minutes.

Writing Test HELP \

Directions: Read the question. Then plan, write,

and revise your essay in 30 minutes or less. A
good response will have at least 300 words.
Question 8: Write an opinion essay

Modern technology has made it possible for

many people to work at home most of the
time rather than going to an office every day.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
working at home? Support your answer with
specific reasons and examples.

Time Used:_______minutes

TO READ SA M PLE RESPONSES, SEE PAGE 1 6 1 .

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TAKING THE PRACTICE TEST
The following Writing Practice Test will help you evaluate the TOEIC test-taking
skills that you have learned for the Writing Section. The Writing Practice Test is
divided into three parts, just as on the actual test. The level of difficulty of the
material is like that of the TOEIC test. Your timing should be set like the actual
test as well, so plan to complete the Writing Practice Test questions in the time
limits given.
W e advise you to simulate the actual test when you take the Writing Practice
Test. Take the test in a quiet setting. Be sure to follow the directions exactly as
instructed and write your responses on a computer if possible.

SCORING THE TEST

For the actual test, your responses will be sent to graders who will assign a
score for each question. Questions 1 -5 are scored on a scale of 0-3. Questions
6 and 7 are scored on a scale of 0-4, and Question 8 is scored on a scale of 0-5.
Therefore the last three questions carry more weight in your overall score. The
specific requirements for these scoring scales are available from any testing
center. These scores are then translated into Writing Proficiency Levels that give
a detailed description of writing ability. These Proficiency Level indicators are
meant to assign a general writing level to each test taker.
For this Writing Practice Test, you or a qualified evaluator may want to check
your responses against the checklists given for each question in the Progressive
Practice sections of the book when you are finished. This will help you assess
if you are meeting the main scoring criteria used to measure TOEIC test
performance. If you answer No to any areas, you may want to practice more on
those points by reviewing and taking the test again. In addition, a model response
for each question has been provided in the answer key at the back of this book.
Reviewing these model responses will give you a better idea of what you will need
to be successful on the test.
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

WRITING PRACTICE TEST

Writing Test HELP ^ BACK V'

Q Q

Questions 1-5: Write a sentence based on a picture

Directions: You will write one sentence about a photo. You will be given two words or phrases. You
must use them in your sentence. You can change the word forms, and you can use the words in a
different order.
Your sentence will be scored on
• appropriate use of grammar.
• relevance of the sentence to the photo.
During the actual test, you will be able to move to the next question by clicking on “Next.” You will be
able to return to a previous question by clicking on “Back.” You will have eight minutes to complete
this part of the test.

Writing Test

Question 1 of 5

woman/pay

144
 WRITING PRACTICE TEST

Writing Test ^ elp

Question 2 of 5

walk/over

w riting Test

Question 3 of 5

passenger/board

145
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Writing Test

Question 4 of 5

outside/although

Writing Test

Question 5 of 5

as soon as/serve

146
 WRITING PRACTICE TEST

Writing Test

■Hid
Questions 6-7: Respond to a written request

Directions: In this part of the test, you will write a response to an e-mail. Your response will be scored
on
• the quality and variety of your sentences.
• vocabulary.
• organization.

In the actual test, you will have 10 minutes to read and answer the e-mail.

Writing Test HELP ^ BACK ^ NEXT ^

0
©
Question 6 of 8

Directions: Read the e-mail.

From: George Pinkney

To: Social C om m ittee m em bers
Subject: M eeting
Sent: A p rill 2, 20 —

It is tim e for a m eeting o f the Social Com m ittee. We need to start planning the
annual year-end party. I w ould like all m em bers of the com m ittee to m eet next
Friday m orning from 9 to 11 in Conference Room A. Please let me know as soon as
possible if you are available to attend this m eeting.

Thank you.
George Pinkney
Social C om m ittee Chair

Directions: R espond to the e-m ail as if you are a m em ber o f the Social C om m ittee.
In your e-m ail, explain ONE problem and m ake TW O suggestions.

(Write your response here or on a computer.)

147
SKILLS FOR THE TOEIC® TEST: SPEAKING AND WRITING

Writing Test

Question 7 of 8

Directions: Read the e-mail.

From: Journal of Business News

To: Business professionals
Subject: S ubscribe
Sent: Decem ber 2, 2 0 -

Dear Business Professional,

The Journal Of Business News brings you all the latest news about im portant
developm ents in the international business w orld. It is read by thousands of
businesspeople just like you in over 40 countries around the w orld. S ubscribe today
and receive a 30% discount off the regular price.

Directions: Respond to the e-m ail as if you are a businessperson interested in

subscribing to the Journal o f Business News. In your e-m ail, ask THREE questions.

(Write your response here or on a computer.)

148
 WRITING PRACTICE TEST

Writing Test

Question 8: Write an opinion essay

Directions: You will write an essay that responds to an opinion question. You will need to state your
opinion, explain it, and support it. Your essay should have at least 300 words.
Your response will be scored on
• how well your opinion is supported by reasons and examples.
• the quality of the grammar used.
• the variety and accuracy of vocabulary.
• the organization.
You must plan, write, and revise your essay in 30 minutes.

Writing Test HELP ^ BACK ^ NEXT ^

G Q C
Question 8 of 8

Directions: Read the question. Then plan, write,

and revise your essay in 30 minutes or less. A
good response will hove at least 300 words.
Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement? It is more important to work at a
job you enjoy than to make a lot of money.
Support your answer with specific reasons and
examples.

(Write your response here or on a computer.)

149