{"id":2314,"date":"2015-10-02T13:13:49","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T20:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=2314"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:45:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:45:08","slug":"how-to-start-your-toefl-independent-speaking-and-writing-responses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-start-your-toefl-independent-speaking-and-writing-responses\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Your TOEFL Independent Speaking and Writing Responses"},"content":{"rendered":"

While everybody has their own personal preference as to their favorite (or least-favorite) type of speaking and writing prompt, I\u2019ve found that many students struggle with beginning their answers to independent tasks<\/a>. Although speaking is a different skill than writing, test-takers can waste a good amount of time struggling to begin both speaking and writing responses when asked to give their own opinion on a topic. Whether it\u2019s fear of making a mistake, confusion about the topic, or text anxiety, building skills that give you more control over your TOEFL performance on test day is imperative.<\/p>\n

Although it would be impossible to predict the exact topics you\u2019ll receive on your actual exam (and you wouldn\u2019t want to go in with a memorized answer, anyway–they\u2019re too easy for graders to spot), that doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t prepare for that moment when the timer begins to count down and you speak or write your first few words. After all, one great thing about the TOEFL is that it\u2019s a standardized<\/em> test. All of the exams have to be similar so that every student has an equal opportunity to perform well. This is great news for us, because it means that the independent tasks will be similar enough that we can prepare phrases to help get us off to a good start.<\/p>\n

Because you have such a short time to speak and write, the graders don\u2019t expect perfection: They\u2019re just looking for a strong spontaneous response or first draft. This is more good news! It means that you don\u2019t have to prepare an elaborate introduction, full of quotes from Balzac or Adam Smith. Instead, just get your thesis out there. This should be your opinion, if the task has asked for an opinion, or your main idea, if the task has asked for a more general description. For both independent speaking tasks and the independent writing tasks, the same introductory phrases work well.<\/p>\n

There are lots of phrases that will work here, but let\u2019s play around with just a few to see how these can work in your favor. Many of them are simple, but just coming to the test with two or three on the tip of your tongue can be a big help. Let\u2019s take a look:<\/p>\n

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