TOEFL iBT Independent Writing, Which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? - revised -

Writing Topic 

If you were an employer, which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

☆Let’s think

1.      Paying less for an employee is more preferable for an employer for an obvious reason: He can cut costs. What is the difference between employing an experienced worker and employing an inexperienced one?

2.      Is an experienced worker worth the extra money?

3.      Is lack of experience just a disadvantage?

☆Hints for Points

Reasons for hiring an inexperienced worker at a lower salary

1.    Paying a lower salary will save you money.

2.    It would be easier to train an inexperienced worker than an experienced worker because he is more ready to accept the company culture while an experienced worker often has difficulty in unlearning what he has already acquired in his previous work places.

3.    He would work harder because he wants to learn anything related to his job.

4.    Everyone is inexperienced at the beginning. Chances should be given to the young.

Reasons for hiring an experienced worker at a higher salary

1.    It lowers the risk of wasting the recruiting expenses.

2.    An experienced employee is valuable as an asset. His kills, knowledge, and the network of personal connections would be useful for your company.

3.    A worker with experience can teach less experienced workers.

4.    A well-seasoned worker can make fewer serious mistakes

☆Essay for Ideas and Expressions     (Barron’s, Writing for the TOEFL iBT, pp. 282-283)

☆Sample Body Structures

Sample Body Structure A              

1)    about experienced workers      

2)    about inexperienced workers  

3)    my choice                                 

Sample Body Structure B

1) good point of my choice 1

2) good point of my choice 2

3) why the bad point does not matter

Your Sample Body Structure

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech on this topic.

☆Sample Paragraph Development

A      【Main Idea】A company cannot afford to pay a high salary to a newly employed.

【Supporting Detail (in general)】It has to pay a lot to employees who have been working for the company.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】The employees a company already has are those that have contributed to the company and thus the company has to reward them well.

【Follow up】Loss of money caused by mistakes inexperienced workers make can be avoided by training and communication.

【Conclusion】It is practical to hire the inexperienced at a lower salary and to invest in grooming them to make them highly-paid workforce.

B      【Main Idea】An experienced worker can start work on the day he is hired.

【Supporting Detail (in general)】An experienced worker knows what to do with his new position.【Supporting Detail (specific)】The person can do his job without asking other workers many questions. He has general knowledge and manners related to business. He can even support others if necessary. On the other hand, it takes time for an inexperienced worker to be able to do the job. He needs to be trained and he will still need to learn on the job for a while be full-fledged.

【Follow up】It is true that paying a high salary would reduce profits, but considering the cost for training and possible losses caused by mistakes the inexperienced worker makes, I think giving the job to a person who is familiar with it would cost less in the long run.

【Conclusion】Therefore, I would rather choose a person who is ready to work.

C      【Main Idea】It lowers the risk of wasting the recruiting expenses.

【Supporting Detail (in general)】You would not know exactly how competent an inexperienced worker will be no matter how careful you may be.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】He might be tardy or quit during the probation.

【Follow up】Of course, not all experienced workers are perfect, but most of them are survivors. The fact that they have been in the industry for a long time shows that they have good work ethics, have no personality problems, and can do the job well enough.

【Conclusion】It would be safe to employ a person with work-experience.

Your Sample Paragraph Development:

【Main Idea】                                                                                       

                                                                                                     

【Supporting Detail (general)】                                                                       

                                                                                                     

【Supporting Detail (specific)】                                                                        

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

【Follow-up】                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

【Conclusion】                                                                                      

                                                                                                    

Comments or Suggestion from your partner or group members

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                    

TOEFL iBT Independent Writing, Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? - revised -

Writing Topic 

Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

☆Let’s think

1.      Why do we keep old, historic buildings?

--- A historic building helps us remember historic events, the era, and the related people. In many cases, they themselves are part of the tradition and culture of the city and country. Every city has many old, historic buildings and people have valued them

2.      Why are some old, historic buildings replaced by modern buildings?

--- It often happens that they have to give them up for development. Some people may not want to see the landscape with an old building among new ones, others may think about the benefits or profits that replacing it with a new one will make.

☆Hints for Points

Good points of old, historic buildings

1.    They represent our culture, history, and identity. To lose them is to lose all these intangible assets.

2.    They help us learn from the past more effectively than from textbooks.

3.    Many old buildings are beautiful in their own distinctive ways.

4.    They benefit tourism.

Good points of modern buildings

1.    They are stronger, cleaner, and more durable than old buildings.

2.    The street view will be more orderly.

3.    The city can increase its revenue by demolishing the old building and using the site for making-money.

☆Essay for Ideas and Expressions   (Barron’s, Writing for the TOEFL iBT, p.281)

☆Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion】

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech on this topic.

☆Sample paragraph development

【Main Idea】Old, historic buildings effectively help us learn from the past events and remember them.

【Supporting Detail (in general)】For example, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima is a tangible proof of the horror of nuclear weapons by visually symbolizing the horror of the nuclear bomb and showing the destructive power of the nuclear weapon.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】You will see with your own eyes that the famous broken stone walls with the crippled steel arches on top is a huge structure that could not have collapsed so easily. You will be told that the river next to the building is where people whose bodies were seriously burnt jumped into to escape from pain and thirst and drowned to death and that the whole city surrounding it was a ground zero.

【Follow up】It is true that the picture of the dome and the stories of the tragedy can send some message, but they can be lost as people get old and die. The ruin in the middle of the now-thriving city will never allow oblivion. The story of Hiroshima, a strong message for disarmament, will not be lost as generations change.

【Conclusion】The same can be said about other historic buildings in other cities. They are the concrete evidence of the past events. Therefore, we need to preserve the building to preserve our history and to save our future.

Your Sample Paragraph Development:

【Main Idea】                                                                                       

                                                                                                     

【Supporting Detail (general)】                                                                       

                                                                                                     

【Supporting Detail (specific)】                                                                        

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

【Follow-up】                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

【Conclusion】                                                                                      

                                                                                                    

Comments or Suggestion from your partner or group members

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

                                                                                          

TOEFL iBT Independent Writing, Only people who earn a lot of money are successful. - revised -

Writing Topic 

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Only people who earn a lot of money are successful. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

☆Let’s think

1.      Finding a counter example One of the key words of this statement is “only”. To prove this statement is wrong, how can you approach it?

--- Not many things can be described with words like “only” or “all,” so trying to focus on proving this statement is wrong might be a good start. To prove that a statement that only A is B is wrong, all you have to do is to show that non-A is also B. Therefore, to disagree with the statement that only people who earn a lot of money are successful, you just show that those who do not earn a lot of money are also successful.

2.      Thinking about the definition of “successful” Another key word of this statement is “successful”. What is the definition of being successful? Reaching a goal helps one feel successful personally, but, to others, it might not be successful. A murderer who has killed the person he believed should not be in this world cannot be called a successful person other than to those who have the same belief as this person.

--- It seems that, to be successful, a person must meet some unsaid criteria set by the society. They might be those who have money, a higher status, or a good life. They might also be admired by many people or have accomplished something important.

3.      Thinking about “making a lot of money” Is money an essential factor to be regarded as a successful person? Is your uncle who owns a venture business producing a lot of money successful while another uncle of yours who is a dedicated high school teacher everyone in his community respects is not successful? Is a researcher who does not make a lot of money but is proud of the job because what the person is doing is part of a large current of a scientific pursuit in which the person shares his or her interest and passion with numerous associates around the world, including those in the past and in the future, unsuccessful?

☆Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction】I do not think earning a lot of money is necessary to be successful because there are people who are looked upon as successful even though they do not make a lot of money.

【Point 1】A person can be regarded as successful if the person earns respect from the world by doing what he believes right.   e.g. Vincent van Gogh

【Point 2】A person can be regarded as successful if the person is leading a happy, decent life which most people would wish to be theirs.   e.g. a happy, good scientist

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】Deep in our heart, we know that becoming rich is not very important in life.   e.g. People consider how a certain rich person became rich in deciding whether he or she is successful or not.

【Conclusion】Earning a lot of money is only one way of being successful, and there are many people who are regarded as successful in other aspects of life.

Sample Conclusions

1)    From the examples above, it is clear that there are many counter examples against the statement that only people who earn a lot of money are successful. Therefore, I cannot agree with the idea.

2)    A large income is not the prerequisite for being successful. Thus, it cannot be said that only those who make a lot of money are successful.

3)    When we think of history, there are few people we remember simply because they were rich. Overall, we remember people who did something with their lives―that were influential in politics, or contributed to science or art or religion. If history is the ultimate judge of success, then money surely isn’t everything. (Barron’s, Writing for the TOEFL iBT, p.322)

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

☆Sample Paragraph Development

A      【Main Idea】A person can be regarded as successful if the person earns respect from the world by doing what he or she believes right.

【Supporting Detail (general)】Many artists and musicians that young people aspire to be like were never rich.  

【Supporting Detail (specific)】For example, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous and successful artists. His paintings are sold at high prices. It might be difficult to find a museum of modern art without a van Gogh. Department stores have retrospectives of van Gogh as often as those of Impressionists and there is no fine art textbook without his paintings.

【Follow up】However, he never became rich while he was alive. What makes him successful is that he knew his artistic experiment was on the right track and made the world recognize it

【Conclusion】 Although he was not happy in his private life and he was never rich, his life was successful as an artist.

B      【Main Idea】A person leading a happy, decent life can be called a successful person.

【Supporting Detail (general)】For example, a happily married housewife can be successful even if she does not earn money.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】Many women are full-time homemakers who professionally take care of their  household work. They enjoy raising children, and take pride in passing down traditions and customs.

【Follow up】Society often make little of them, saying that they do not produce anything substantial. However, they know that their jobs are as productive as any companies and they are proud of it.

【Conclusion】 If a person is leading a fulfilling life, the person can be called a successful person.

Your Sample Paragraph Development:

【Main Idea】                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

【Supporting Detail (general)】                                                                      

                                                                                                    

【Supporting Detail (specific)】                                                                        

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   

【Follow-up】                                                                                       

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                    

【Conclusion】                                                                                      

                                                                                                   

Comments or Suggestion from your partner or group members