TOEFL iBT, Independent Writing, Generally speaking, people are living longer now than they did in previous centuries. What impact do you think this change will have on society? / The 21th century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? / What do you think is the one change in the twentieth century that is most important to remember? - rewrite -

Writing Topic A:  Generally speaking, people are living longer now than they did in previous centuries. What impact do you think this change will have on society?

☆Hints for points

1.    older but healthy and more experienced work force

(1)  younger generation staying school longer

(2)  later retirement ages

(3)  volunteers in many areas (day-care centers, research facilities, etc.)

2.    older consumers

(1)     less consumption (in case of weak pension system, etc.)

(2)     new products and services (therapeutic robots, counselors for the elderly, mobile stores and cleaners, etc.)

(3)     different city planning (barrier-free designs, more accessible hospitals, etc.)

3.    more problems related to aging society

(1)  more expenditure on social security system (health care, pension, etc.)

(2)  more demand for social workers, care givers, medical personnel

(3)  tax burden on workers

(4)  more people from overseas

☆Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】Since only those in developed countries are living longer and getting old is an anathema in modern society, all kinds of changes related to anti-aging can happen.

【Point 1】Anti-aging industry will thrive more.

【Point 2】The average life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor will be wider.

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

Traditional cultures value old age, but it is quite possible that globalization can wipe them out.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】Fear towards aging and death in developed countries might change industries and demography on the whole planet.

♦Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

Writing Topic B: The 21th century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring?

☆Hints for points

1.    The rise of Asian countries

1)    Asian population will account half of the world population around 2050

2)    rapid economic growth rate

3)    influential culture (food, fashion, films and animation, etc.)

2.    Century of cooperation or destruction

1)    globalization, global warming, and the gap between the rich and the poor

♦global warming combined with population growth causing food and water shortage in poor countries

♦big businesses becoming richer and middle class disappearing)

--- off-shoring (outsourcing factories and businesses to countries with cheaper labor forces and less regulations) and hollowing out (communities losing businesses and rising unemployment rates)

♦financial meltdown --- Wall Street buying politicians, who will pass or repeal laws weakening financial restrictions while paying no tax by means of using tax haven

2)    disarmament vs. proliferation of nuclear weapons

♦military industrial complex getting jobs at the front of the war stricken countries like Iraq and Afghanistan,

♦countries that are not allowed to have nuclear weapons (ie. North Korea and Israel) having them

♦information and material (uranium and plutonium) to make nuclear arms being available through the net and these countries to terrorists

3)    tensions between religious groups: mainly between Christians and Muslims

♦US diplomacy of waging wars against Muslim countries and helping Israel, which keeps invading Pakistan,

♦US military having increasing number of Evangelicans

Sample Essay from How to Prepare for the TOEFL Essay, Barron’s

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♦Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

Extra Writing Topic: There were many changes in the twentieth century. What do you think is the one change in the twentieth century that is most important to remember? Include specific reasons to justify your choice.

☆Let’s think

The questions of the same type as today’s topic are as follows:

1.    What invention in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your country?

2.    What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. (Note: The difference between discovery and invention is that you discover something that has existed all the time but you did not know it was there till then, while you invent something that did not exist before. For example, Newton discovered gravity while Bell invented a telephone.)

Neither of the superlatives in these questions, most important and most beneficial, has the article “the.” This means that you do not have to decide the most important change in the 20^th century. There are some most important changes that happened in the last century, and you are supposed to pick up one of them and explain why it has the highest level of importance.

It is rather easy to think of the answer for this type of question. For today’s question, you can easily come up with changes like the development of the information technology. Probably the difficult part is to explain why, but remember, the hints are in the questions. In this case, the hints are the words “change” and “most important.” They are related to great moments in history: the story of before and after the change/invention/discovery. What is expected in your essay is probably the description of how great the impact of something was, in other words, in what way and how much it has changed society and/or the environment.

☆Hints for points

1.    The rapid development of technology

Technological breakthroughs had happened before, but it was in the 20th century that the rapid development of technology happened and the lives of people changed dramatically. Nowadays, thanks to convenient electronic appliances, people can have more extra time than they did one hundred years ago and use it to do things other than daily chores. The development of technology enabled people to enjoy creative activities, the most sophisticated activities of humankind, which were possible only for the few privileged people before. The changes were good for the most part, but since it happened in a short time, people did not have enough time to adapt to it or consider the influence of it. As a result, the change left some negative assets to coming generations, such as pollution, global warming, threat of nuclear arms, and new types of crimes.

2.    The invention and prevalence of the computer and the Internet

For the first time in history, people’s lives depend on machines now, and this happened in the 20th century as a result of the invention and spread of the computer. Also, no other technology has changed our lives in such a large scale than the Internet.

3.    The influence of the airplane

The rapid development of commercial airplanes in the 20th century might be compared to the domestication of horses. It has made the world smaller and dramatically changed people’s lives. It has enabled people to visit other countries for study, on business, or on vacation easily and at low cost.

4.    The invention of TV

The invention of TV has given people a new source of information and a new tool of entertainment. TV has made it possible for people to learn with sound and moving pictures what is happening in remote areas or in places they usually cannot go in. People started watching news shows instead of reading newspapers or listening to the radio. TV-watching became a new entertainment that did not exist before. People started sharing more information than before. At the same time, TV made it easier for governments and corporations to control people’s thoughts.

5.    Globalization

The development of transportation and communication allowed corporations do business worldwide. They can now build their branches and factories in other countries, import cheap materials from other countries, and sell their products anywhere on this planet. As a result, people all over the world use the same kind of things in their lives, and share more information than before. At the same time, it is inevitable that languages and cultures of minorities are lost in this change.

☆Let’s make a point

Before writing your essay, let’s write about the points you are going to make by answering the following two questions.

Question 1  What is different before and after the change?

Sample response:

I think the advent of the Internet is most important to remember in the last 100 years.

In the old days, the Internet, the information was something that was provided by authorities in limited amounts.

However, these days, most information on this planet has become available to anyone. Also, it has become possible for anyone to provide information to the public quite easily.

Your response:

I think … is most important to remember in the last 100 years.

In the old days, …,

However, these days …,

Question 2  What makes the change more important than other changes?

Sample responses

a.    The change brought by the Internet is most important to remember in that it has become the infrastructure of the world.

b.    Its impact on our society was so great that no one in our society now live absolutely independent from the Internet.

Your short response:

a.    The change brought by … is most important to remember in that…

b.    Its impact on our society was so great that …

☆Essay for ideas and expressions

Barron’s Writing for the TOEFL iBT, p. 338

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