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?
☆Let’s Think
1.
Fill in the blanks. That the average -span has become longer means that child
mortality rates have dropped and a small number of adults die young
now than before.
2.
Research the impact of longevity and aging society
and share your findings with others.
☆Hints for points
1. There
is much older but healthier and more experienced work force. This will cause
(1) younger
generation staying school longer.
(2) later
retirement ages.
(3) retirees
volunteering in many areas (day-care centers, research facilities, etc.).
2. Older
consumers increase might lead to
(1) less/more
consumption (depending on the condition of the pension system, etc.).
(2) new
products and services (nursing robots, counselors, mobile stores and cleaners,
etc.)
(3) different
city planning (barrier-free designs, more accessible hospitals, etc.).
3. We will
face more problems related to aging society. For example, we will see
(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.
☆Sample Essay Structure
【Introduction】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 will 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.
【Counterargument-treatment】Traditional cultures value old age, but it is
quite possible that globalization can wipe the value out.
【Conclusion】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】
Speech Time
Make a one-minute speech on this topic.
Don’t worry. Everybody speaks at the same timeJ
Writing Topic B:
The 21th century
has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring?
☆Let’s Think
Research
the changes expected in the near future concerning the following aspects and
more.
1. Technology
2. Economic
activities
3. Politics
4. Society
5. Environment
☆Hints for points
1. “Peace”
will be attained in the developed world.
- Global warming and active plate
tectonics will unite humans and end wars and conflicts.
- Those in developing countries will be
deserted by the developed countries because of the shortage of basic
resources such as food and water.
- Grassroots movements will vitalize
communities.
2. Wild
animals and human children will be rare.
1) Development,
pollution, and climate change will cause weathering of life force and many
animals including humans will have less offspring.
2) Income
gap, bad welfare system, and discrimination will lead to lower birthrates.
3. The
next one hundred years will be the century of cooperation or destruction.
1) Globalization,
global warming, and the gap between the rich and the poor will be worsened.
- Global warming combined with population
growth will cause food and water shortage in poor countries
- Businesses will keep outsourcing
factories to countries with cheaper labor forces and fewer regulations and
hollowing out will continue to occur.
- Another financial meltdown will occur
as Wall Street corporations are buying politicians, who will pass or
repeal laws weakening financial restrictions while no big companies are paying
tax by means of using tax haven.
- Anger among the public will develop
because of the insecurity of their lives.
- Conflicts between racial and ethnic
groups will increase.
- New generations will build a society
which is friendly to the weak and the environment.
2) We
might see disarmament or proliferation of nuclear weapons followed by
Armageddon in the worst case scenario.
- The military industrial complex keeps
developing by selling weapons to US allies.
- Countries that are not allowed to have
nuclear weapons will have them and use them as deterrent.
- Information and materials (uranium and
plutonium) to make nuclear arms is available through the net.
3) Tensions
between religious groups: mainly between Christians and Muslims will be
stronger.
- US diplomacy of waging wars against
Muslim countries and helping Israel, which keeps invading Pakistan, will
keep causing disruption in the Middle East.
- US military has had increasing number
of Evangelicals, fundamentalist sect of Christianity, and the idea of
Islamic extremists has been spreading around the world.
- Young people who cannot adapt to
reality seek refuge to the bond with the members of religious groups.
☆Sample Essay from How to Prepare
for the TOEFL Essay, Barron’s
You’re Sample Essay Structure
【Introduction = Outline】
【Point 1】
【Point 2】
【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】
【Conclusion = Wrap-up】
☆Speech Time
Make a 50-second speech on this topic.
Don’t worry. Everybody speaks at the same timeJ
Extra Writing
Topic
There were many
changes in the twentieth century. What do you think is one change in the
twentieth century that is most important to remember? Include specific reasons
to justify your choice.
☆Let’s think
1. The
questions of the same type as today’s topic are as follows.
a. What
invention in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your
country?
b. 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.
2. To
which question do you give only one answer and to which do you give more than
one?
a. What is
the sweetest cake in the world?
b. What
are sweetest cakes in the world?
3. Fill in
the blanks.
a. The
lion is large mammal.
b. The
elephant is largest mammal on land.
4. Do
research on changes that took place in the last century and share your
findings.
Notes
a. The superlatives in the writing topic, most important does not
have the article “the.” This means that you do not have to decide the most
important change in the 20th 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.
b. It is rather easy to think of the answer to this type of question.
You can easily come up with changes like the development of the information
technology. Probably the difficult part is to explain why, but the hint is in
the question. 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. What is expected in your essay is probably the
description of how great the impact of the change 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, 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 computers. Also, no other technology has changed our lives in such a large
scale as 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.
4. The
invention of television
The invention of television has given people a new source of information
and a new tool of entertainment. Television 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. Television has also provided
various kinds of shows that people can enjoy with their family and friends. At
the same time, television made it easier for governments and corporations to
control people’s thoughts.
5. Globalization
The development of transportation and communication allowed corporations
to do business worldwide. They can now build their branch offices 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 have
the same kind of products, and some cultures are shared around the world. At
the same time, languages and cultures of minorities are lost in this change.
☆Essay for ideas and expressions
Barron’s writing for the
TOEFL it, p. 338
☆Let’s
make a point
Write
about the points you are going to make by answering the following two
questions. Fill in the blanks.
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, before
the advent of the Internet, the information was something that was provided in limited
amounts by authorities.
However,
lately, most information on this
planet has become available to anyone. Also, it has become possible for anyone
to provide information to the public 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 lives completely
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 …
