最近有网传消息发布,托福考试即将迎来了重大的改革,对于很多小伙伴比较担心改革之后,对于7月份的考试有什么影响?接下来就让留学群小编来为大家介绍下7月托福考试攻略!
7月托福考试攻略:改革不用慌!写作新题型Discussion Board全解析!
托福改革不用慌!写作新题型Discussion Board全解析
近期网传托福将于今年7月迎来重大改革,就目前的消息来看,新版托福考试将会对考试内容进行精简,显著降低考生的体力消耗。目前网传托福改革的要点如下:
据传官方将于4月11日正式官宣,新版托福将于7月26日上线。
最新消息:目前托福考试官方视频号上在4月11日确实有一场直播,主题是2023年托福iBT考试全新升级发布会。这就直接证明了之前的网传的改革消息是几乎板上定钉的事儿了,只是改革细节是否如网传所说,咱们还要拭目以待当天的直播~
就网传内容来看,这次所谓的托福改革除了取消加试和删减一篇托福阅读之外,最大的变化就是写作部分。所以接下来着重对写作部分的变化做下分析。
当前写作是综合写作+独立写作两个部分组成,共计55mins,据网传的改版方向,之后会保留综合写作的部分,但是独立写作会变成学术性讨论题(discussion board question),这个题型其实来源于TOEFL Essentials。
以下表格主要是展现独立写作和学术性讨论题之间的差异。
写作新题型样题一,先看油管大神给的例题。
1. 先分析题干要求
The test-taker must read the question posted by the professor and the two student responses. Finally, they should write their own response which addresses the question and adds to the conversation.
教授抛出1个debate,提问大家的立场。接着两个npc学生作为正反方,给出各自的观点。
而我们输出的作文需要的是,不仅表达自己的立场(address the question),而且分析两个npc学生的response(adds to the conversation)。
这样的题型,更注重在这个多元化社会中,针对同一个话题,人们不同意见的表达和讨论。
而在这个过程中,我们不仅要表达自己的观点,同时还要倾听其他人的思考。
2. 再看例题中教授的发言
教授:Today we’re going to talk about the debate between economic growth and protecting the environment. Economic growth creates new jobs and gives people money they can use to improve their lives. On the other hand, if we protect the environment it can be enjoyed both by ourselves and future generations. If you had to choose between prioritizing economic growth or protecting the environment, which one would you choose. Why?
经济和环境,你选哪个?
仔细的你一定会发现,这个题目就脱胎于现行托福的独立写作题:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Because economic growth is so important for modern societies, economic growth should not be slowed down by concerns about environment.
所以,其实独立写作没有消失,只是换了个方式继续陪伴(zhe mo)大家。
3. 再看两个npc学生的发言
Alex: I would prioritize the environment. We only have one planet and if we don’t take care of it, we won’t have pleasant lives in the future. Economic growth can be important, but not at the expense of the environment. I think we need to shift towards more environmentally-friendly economic practices, such as investing in renewable energy and promoting environmentally-friendly technologies. We’ll all live much healthier lives if the world around us is clean.
Maggie: While I agree with Alex that environmental sustainability is important, I think that economic growth is the only way to solve many of the social and economic problems we face. We need a strong economy to create jobs, reduce poverty, and improve standards of living. Not only that, but if companies grow stronger and more profitable, they might eventually develop new technologies that solve our environmental problems.
Alex同学觉得环境重要,Maggie同学觉得经济重要。
在两位同学的response中,除了观点的statement,还有一些展开elaboration,类似一个小的主体段。
4. 最后分析sample answer
Sample Answer: I strongly agree with Alex’s idea that our lives will be unpleasant if we focus entirely on economic growth. I would add that if the environment is damaged by industrial development we’ll be more likely to suffer from things like cancer and lung disease. Maggie raised the relevant point that we can count on profitable companies to solve problems using new technology, but she doesn’t mention that they might arrive far too late to be of use. For example, it might take decades for a company to create a clean energy source, but people are suffering from environmental problems right now. Overall, then, I’d say that companies and governments should prioritize the environment right now.
结构非常清楚:
1. 表明自己的立场
2. 补充argument
3. 指出反方的逻辑漏洞
4. 重申立场
5. 总结
可以再次看出,这个过程模拟了真实课堂讨论中,我们倾听他人的观点,消化吸收,然后给出自己的想法。
相比现行考试,这种考法更凸显了整合多方观点的重要性,而不只是自我表达。
此外,通过对两个npc学生response的整合,新题型体现出了对考生的阅读能力更高的要求。除了读懂外,还要提炼出他们的观点和论证过程,以及逻辑上的缺陷,找到可以反驳的点。
写作新题型样题二
TOEFL Writing Academic Discussion Question NO.2: Artising
The test-taker must read the question posted by the professor and the two student responses. Finally, they should write their own response which addresses the question and adds to the conversation.
Professor: Today, we’re discussing the ethics of targeted advertising. Some people argue that online advertising which uses personal information to target specific people is an invasion of privacy. Others argue that it’s simply an acceptable way to reach consumers with products and services they’re interested in. What’s your take? Do you think targeted advertising is ethical, or is it an invasion of privacy?
Jessica: I think targeted advertising is an invasion of privacy. Advertisers shouldn’t be able to track and use our personal information to sell us products. It’s not fair to consumers, and it’s a violation of our rights. Instead, advertisers should focus on creating high-quality ads that appeal to a broad audience.
Mike: I disagree with Jessica. I think targeted advertising is ethical. It’s a more efficient way to reach consumers with products and services that are relevant to their interests. Plus, consumers can always opt-out of targeted advertising by adjusting their privacy settings. As long as advertisers give users a choice, I think targeted advertising can be beneficial for both businesses and consumers.
「Sample Answer」
I really like Mike’s idea thatwe can just opt-out of targeted advertising if we don’t like it.I’d add thatit is extremely easy to do this nowadays, as Internet browsers are very user ica raised the relevant point that companies should create advertisements that appeal to a broad audience, but she didn’t mention how difficult it is to make advertisements like that. Society is more diverse than ever before, so it is almost impossible to create messages that everyone finds attractive. Small companies without large advertising and research budgets might go out of business if they are prevented from using cheap and effective targeted advertising. Overall, then, I would say that targeted advertising is perfectly acceptable.
从两篇参考范文来看,新的学术性讨论都是一段式的写作,字数大概在100多一点。写作内容需要包括教授提出的话题,两个学生各自的观点等内容。关于写作结构,文章开头第一句需要提出自己的观点,表明立场支持哪一方,并且概括该方的观点。接着建议增加一点自己支持该观点的理由,这样可以做到比较深入的论证。紧跟下来是概括反方的观点,并且对反方观点进行反驳,并提出反驳的理由,以便更好支持自己的观点。最后,需要重申自己的观点,做到跟开头照应,使得整篇文章前后照应,混为一体。
其他可能的话题
最后,除了环境和经济的话题外,油管大神还给出了其他可能考到的话题:
1. Social Media社交媒体(ls,tt,ins,以及我们的微博,pyq等,是好是坏)
2. Grading Students学生成绩评定(要不要给学生打分,脱胎于TPO71独立写作:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades (marks) encourage students to learn.)
3. Taxing Unhealthy Products给不健康的食物征税(TPO53综合写作讨论过类似问题,阅读部分给出三个支持的理由,听力部分反对)
4. AI人工智能(是有用的工具,还是对人类社会有伤害)
5. Longevity长寿(哪些因素促进人类平均寿命增长)
6. University Spending学校开支(投资建设图书馆等学术项目,还是运动馆等体育项目。脱胎于现有独立题:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students' sports activities as they give to their university libraries.)
7. City Spending市政开支(如何支出可以提升居民生活质量,脱胎于现有独立题:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for the government to spend more money on art and music museums than on facilities (like playgrounds, public swimming pool. )
8. Corporate Impact企业对社会的影响
加上我们分析过的两道例题(经济与环境,定向广告),一共10个例题,脱胎于现有独立题的数量大概是5-6个。
其他的,则对考生们的knowledge of the world提出更高要求,包括人工智能,企业影响,人类寿命,社交媒体等。如果缺乏这些话题相关的知识储备,恐怕很难在10分钟内写出有逻辑且有内容的作文。
最后,补充一些写作新题型的模板表达:
I strongly agree with [student]’s idea that [mention one point made by the student].
I’d add that [expand on the point with your own idea].
[Other student] raised the relevant point that [mention one point made by the other student], but he/she didn’t mention that [challenge that point].
For example [elaborate on your challenge].
Overall, then, I’d say that [directly answer the question].
接下来怎么备考呢?
分为:改革前参加考试和改革后参加考试
改革前,即7月26日前考试:
适合人群:
1今年底就要申请学校的同学
2已经准备了比较长的时间
备考建议:
1按照改革前的考试要求准备,正常备考
2七月前每个月考一次
3实在不行,就七月后再考新的考试
改革后,即7月26日以后考试:
适合人群:
1严重不适应改革前考试时长
2明年底及以后才申请学校
3七月改革之前实在没有时间备考
备考策略:
1提前备考:阅读、听力、口语
2四月以后再加入写作备考,大家可以等4月11日后,官方发布更多的新版考试细则,根据新考试要求积极备考
托福改革的解读,改革后的评分和给咱们备考带来的变化:
1. 个人认为之前托福题量庞大,对physical和mental的续航力有很高要求,但其实体能和语言能力未必有那么紧密的关系,对很多肉身体能和耐力相对较弱,但语言基本功不错的同学而言,很吃亏。比如我们在培训过程中经常发现,很多同学听第一个section听力和做前两篇阅读正确率极高,越往后越精力涣散,错误频出,所以,这部分同学完全可以考虑在改革后,即今年7月26号之后参加新托福考试,整体考试耗能更少,更容易考出自己的好状态,对考生更友好
2. 在减少题量之后,阅读听力和写作(增加的小小作文答题模式固定,难度远低于之前的大作文)均更容易出高分,而口语即将是拉开分差最卷的科目,可预期的是托福口语即将卷出天际~~建议大家重视托福口语,尽早开始练习,有条件的同学请老师一对一辅导是最快的提高方式,毕竟,口语27+不仅是个人能力的证明,更是申请排名靠前的学校和抢手专业最有力和闪光的敲门砖!
3. 关于评分,听力和口语不变,而阅读和写作变化巨大:
a:阅读的考试内容减少了,那么势必造成每个题的分值提升。所以,原来托福阅读,每错一个题扣1分,现在每错1个题,就要多扣几分了,每道题的权重上升,容错率下降
b:之前综合写作和独立作文各占一半分值,改革后,100字的discussion board writing极有可能只占12分左右(毕竟字数少,且没有听力)或者依然和综合写作平分秋色,各占15份,但因为综合写作显然更难,所以综合写作练习的重要性大幅提高
4. 关于备考素材的选择,TPO1-75 依然是最高效的真题练习库,复习方法基本不变,具体分析一下
a:阅读虽然文章数量减少,但题型及每篇的题目量都没有变,需要注意容错率下降,需要更仔细审题和检查,确保正确率
b:听力不变,依然是2个对话+3篇讲座,用TPO来模拟完全没有问题
c:口语不变,依然是1个独立+3个综合
d:写作,不用再看TPO的独立写作题了,但要更加重视综合写作,同时,多积累新题型素材,提前准备模版,并做记时写作练习
1、写作分数会有不稳定甚至下滑的情况
改革之后会出现写作分数短期比较迷的情况,因为取消了中国学生最为擅长的独立部分,反而会让写作的分数出现不稳定。
但是,这个问题会跟着不同学生发生变化。阅读和听力好的学生,综合部分自然不差,即使有改革但是影响不大;但是听力不好的考生,无法在综合上提分,丧失了独立的加持,分数必然受到影响。
2、阅读部分的容错率变低
从三篇文章变成两篇,总分不变的情况下自然会带来的结果就是:题数减少,容错率变低。想要拿到绝对的高分,比如28+,错题数肯定要比以前少了。
对于原来注意力无法高度集中的考生来,减少了阅读文章数量,体感会更好,但是一定更要追求绝对的正确率。
3、平均分会逐渐呈现回归的状态
这几年日益高涨的平均分已经开始影响到托福考试的公平性了,改革的目的除了更新考试类型,变得更加友好,更为重要的原因 ,我们推测是为了平衡分数,让平均分回归到正常水平。
那么,阅读和写作的改革很大程度是为了达成这一目标,高分考生就不用说了,本身不存在这个问题,但是对于中段的(80-90)之间的考生来说,出分的难度还是会收到一定程度的影响的。当然,这个也要看考生的能力匹配是否存在问题。
针对改革最大的部分写作,我们整理了写作的变化和备考建议:
根据的预判,针对不同的学生情况,我们的建议如下:
1、在保证分数有效的前提下,即申请时不过期,已经培训过的考生或目标高分的考生,请务必在8月1日前拿到满意的分数,不要拖延,越早出分越好。
2、年级较低或者还未完成系统培训的考生,就不用考虑旧版的考试了,直接跳跃应对8月之后的新版,暑假的培训重点就直接以新版考试为目标了。
推荐阅读:
重磅!23年7月托福考试:即将大改革,换题型!时长缩短到2个小时!如何备考托福考试?
托福考试7月迎来重大改革:时长缩短1小时!取消加试!题型发生变化!