Lukas

No problem at all, as long as you keep it accessable for the public free of charge and keep me acknowledged (as you did). Thanks for doing that, it makes it easier than the download option. I haven't checked back here for months. I was just looking up some information for a friend today and saw your post. I think the link to the simulator introduction page you uploaded is a useful starting point, too (http://toeflng.forumarket.com/toefl/EssaySim/), as it describes how to use the simulator and some technical aspects. Cheers from downunder

Hi awhig, good to see you back.

Thanks for all the feedback! It looks like I'm approaching the 200 downloads limit : )

4, if you're lucky 4.5 Your English seems to be good enough to achieve a 5 if you adapt your essay structure to what ETS likes to see. Browse around the forum a bit to find tips on essay structure. The links in my signature point to some posts on essay structure.

4.5 In my opinion, the only thing about the structure that could be improved is that at the end of the introduction, you should quickly list the points you are going to write about in the body of the essay. The English is really quite good. You could try using a larger variety of vocabulary (on the other hand you shouldn't use words you aren't comfortable with; it's a delicate balance). To make the essay easier to read, it would be a good idea to separate the paragraphs by one empty line (as I've done above). Good luck.

A good attempt. I believe "Compare" topics are always a bit harder than the more frequent "Take a point of view" topics. Look up the proper structure for a compare essay. One of the links in my signature should lead you to some useful information. Did you mean "planning"? I would guess in the topic source it is spelled correctly. If you're not sure about the spelling of a word and it is mentioned in the topic, there is no reason to make a mistake. I would give this essay 3.5 - 4 The structure could definitely be improved. The conclusion is a bit weak. I don't believe you showed that people always benefit from planning. There are a lot of mistakes (especially spelling) that you could easily avoid. Keep practising. Good Luck! I just realised, for whatever reason my signature (and the links in it) is not showing. Tips on essay structure and strategy | More tips on essay structure and strategy | Essay simulator

6 for the structure 4.5 for the English. Most of your sentences are ok; some sound a bit funny though. I'm not sure if you should rather be writing in conditional all the time ("I could raise my children in a peaceful place which is our house and I could also save the money I would otherwise use...") You could also use some more linking words (TOEFL "experts" seem to like them), especially to start a new paragraph. Look up how to use "to worry" properly. Two more things that are easy to pay attention to: 1. Don't use short forms: don't do not, can't cannot, won't would not, etc. 2. Don't use colloquial terms: kids children (I think you only did it with that one word, but it's good to keep in mind anyway.) Over all this is quite a good essay. Good luck!

Score: 4 The basic structure is not too bad. But In the introduction paragraph you should also shortly introduce all of your arguments that are going to follow. The body paragraphs have good arguments but seem somewhat short. Maybe try to stick with 3 body paragraphs instead of four and write a bit more in each. One thing you definitely have to avoid is colloqial style and abbreviations like: "..." (all of these can be replaced by a proper full stop), "which would u prefer y?" or "no. of students". Another thing to avoid (although probably less dramatic than the forms above) are short forms of negations ("don't", "doesn't", "won't", "can't" and so on). Write out the complete words instead. In this essay you are supposed to show your English proficiency, that means you should write proper English as perfectly as you possibly can! Follow the link in my signature to view a discussion about essay structure and strategies. You should be able to find a few useful things in there. Good luck!

I don't think there is a maximum length. As long as you keep a good structure (you should find some good posts on structure in this forum) it shouldn't be a problem if you manage to write a lot. I would say the typical (good) TOEFL essay is 400-600 words long. It's always an advantage if you have some time left in the end, though. That way you can reread your essay and correct typos.

Even though I believe ETS prefers American English, I do not think they will deduct any points for proper British English.

Assay: An assay is a procedure where the concentration of a component part of a mixture is determined. (wikipedia) Essay: a short work that treats of a topic from an author's personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them. (wikipedia)

6.0 Sounds like perfect English to me. Very good arguments and very neat style. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

All in all a good essay. The introduction could be improved by shortly preparing the reader for the three body paragraphs. In my opinion, the body paragraphs could be better separated. In the first one you talk about the ozone layer. In the second paragraph you bring up the ozone layer again when you actually want to talk about global warming. The third paragraph includes pollution of land, pollution of water and deforestation. You start the conclusion with "In conclusion,..." and then continue with a question. I don't think you can do that. "In conclusion" has to be followed by an opinion or a fact. The examples and ideas you have are good! You will just have to try to organise them a bit better. Maybe try writing this essay again (not even using much different argumentation). Good luck

4-4.5 Good structure. Good use of linking words. (Don't overdo it, duplication and pleonasms will lead to a lower mark. Always be careful when it's about your opinion.) Some grammar problems (some easily avoidable... pay attention to singular and plural) Please use a spell checker (even though there are not that many spelling errors.) Good luck

Please reread my comments on your earlier essay. Assume, the reader does not know what your essay topic is. You have to rephrase the essay question in the first sentence of your essay. Sorry, for being so short. I'll be back with more comments if I have time. Good luck

Very well done! The structure of this essay is exactly what the ETS "experts" will like to see. You also make very good use of linking words. There are little to no spelling errors. However, in some of the sentences the word order is not quite right. Try to do as much English reading as you can (even though you prefer watching movies ;) ). That way you will get a better feel for the language and improve further. This essay should get no less than a 4.5

This essay will probably get around a 3.5. It is good to try to show your vocabulary. However, in some of your sentences you use words in a rather unusual context, i.e. "doing what his nature requires." Try to stick to sentence structures and words you are confident with. One of the easier grammar errors to avoid is consistency of plural and singular. Make sure your adjectives and/or verbs match with the corresponding nouns. If it's plural you must not use "A" as an article. "A changes". Either use "the", "several" or nothing. Try to avoid phrases like "What I want to say is" or "To conclude based on above mentioned points". They do not carry any information. Use some good linking words instead. They will make the sentence look much better (and shorter). Here a short list of linking words: "First of all", "Quite frankly", "Personally", "However", "Furthermore", "Most importantly", "Finally", "In conclusion" Do not use "etc."; if you have more to say, say it, if you don't then don't. You should never use abbreviations anyway. The most important thing to do is to improve your essay structure. This is completely independent from your level of English. Following some basic steps you can really improve your score, even with very simple sentences. The first sentence of the essay should always be the rephrased essay question. Rearrange the structure of the sentence and replace some words. The next sentence should be the answer to the question asked. They usually ask whether or not you agree. "I do not agree that ...." (yes, it's that simple). Then you should give three reasons why this is your opinion. In the body you elaborate on these reasons (in three paragraphs) and in the conclusion you summarize your ideas and finish with a strong concluding sentence. You can find more detailed information about how to structure your essay in this post: "Tips on essay structure and strategy" Good Luck

It would be more convenient if you only put one essay per post. The first essay will probably be a 4, maybe a 4.5 if you're lucky. the basic structure (1+3+1) is very good. An important part of the introduction is missing. You should shortly introduce what your three paragraphs are going to be. The conclusion is incomplete as well, you pick up the reasons of the paragraphs again but then don't give a final conclusive statement. You make good use of linking words and your vocabulary is fairly broad. There are some grammar problems, but you should be able to increase your grade already with improvements in essay structure. Try to avoid ";". The likelyhood of making a mistake using it is very high. A full stop will work just as fine and is safer.

First of all, the essay is structured but it can be improved. Use only three body paragraphs and finish with a conclusion. Start the introduction by rephrasing the essay topic. It is good that you announce your reasons in the introduction before picking them up again in the body of the essay. Do not use a) b) c) d). You can find some tips on strategy and structure in this post: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23352 I can see some grammar problems (verbs not matching the subjects i.e. "parents is are" "friends who does do"). There are also some vocabulary problems (you write a lot of words apart instead of in one word. Here some corrected examples: "something" "without" "software") You keep repeating the same words within the same paragraph very often. In every sentence there is at least one grammar or vocabulary problem. 3- 3.5

Thanks, Erin! I almost overlooked your post! Friends of mine are getting started on the TOEFL soon (and I've pointed them here) so I thought I'd check back.

The structure and content is very good. In the introduction you really line out the main points you're going to talk about in the body of the essay. The only thing that's missing is the clear restatement of the essay question. I. e. "Should historic buildings be destroyed to make place for modern buildings?" The paragraphs are well developed. You give your reasons and finish with an example. The conclusion is good; it picks up the main points of the paragraphs. You could improve it by finishing with a stronger final statement. The word "old" is overused, other than that you display a reasonably broad vocabulary. You make some grammar mistakes. Most of them are singular plural mistakes, where the verb does't match the subject, or where you switch between singular and plural from one part of a sentence to the next. I.e. "modern buildings should not replace historic building". This essay should probably be good enough for a 4.5, especially if you try to keep an eye out for the singular/plural issue.

You don't need to install anything. All you need is a web browser with javascript enabled (I tested it on internet explorer only). Open the "index.html" and read the instructions or Open the "autotopic.html" to go to the simulator directly. The pdf file is just supplementary. It's the official ETS TOEFL topic list. At least until they change to the next generation of tests you will have one of these topics on your test. Good luck

Just a quick suggestion for the time problem. Give yourself more time for practising. Maybe start out at 1 hour (trying to keep the essay at the same length though). When you're satisfied with your results cut the time down to maybe 45 minutes.. and so on.

Please state the topic along with your essay. That way it's easier to tell whether you kept with the topic or not. The basic structure is good. You make quite a lot of grammar mistakes. Pay attention to singular and plural forms, especially. Avoid using abbreviated forms. Use "What is more" instead of "What's more" This essay would probably result in a 3.5 Good luck.

I don't agree on the "never use you" suggestion. Adressing the reader can really enhance your essay if done well.