IELTS Writing Task 1 Pie Chart Template

In the previous material, we have learned how to describe a pie chart in IELTS Writing Task 1. Despite all the best efforts to make the material more easily understandable, some people still find it hard to understand ): so I decided to find another way of explaining IELTS Writing Task 1.

There is actually a much simpler way to explain IELTS Writing Task 1, and this can be done using a template. From now on, I will try to cover all of these templates for all graphs/charts (including map and process). If you just begin to learn how to do IELTS Writing Task 1 and need to know the basic, then this material is perfect for you. If you have learned IELTS Writing Task 1 for quite some time and already have a good understanding of how the writing should be done, you may want to read this material instead.


Okay, now lets begin with the first template. Take a look at a sample chart below




Remember that we have four marking criteria for IELTS Writing, which are:

- Task Achievement
Lexical Resource/Vocabulary
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Coherence and Cohesion

Like many other graphs in IELTS Writing Task 1, the sample pie chart above usually follows this template:


Introduction
- Introduce the graph & paraphrase the original title
- Explain the main features
- Explain the major trends

Body Paragraph 1
- Give detailed information about increase, decrease, starting point, peak, slope, and other relevant information

Body Paragraph 2
- Give detailed information about increase, decrease, starting point, peak, slope, and other relevant information


Before seeing the sample writing at the end of this article, make sure you try describing the pie charts above using this template. After that, compare your work with the sample writing. 

Paragraph 1

[Step 1]
Introduce the graph

The pie chart shows/explains/outlines/

presents/compares [...]


[Step 2]
Paraphrase the original title


_________________________________

_________________________________

[Step 2]
Explain the main features

Units are measured in _________________________________

_________________________________

[Step 3]
Explain the major trend

Overall, there is an increasing/

decreasing trend in __________________ 

while ________________ shows an opposite trend


 

Paragraph 2


To begin,

_________________________________



x years later,


_________________________________


Other than ____________


_________________________________



In addition, 



_________________________________

______________________ a decade later


 

Paragraph 3


Moving to ___________

_____________________________



As for ____________




_____________________________


In 2010, 


_____________________________



In 2020, 




_____________________________


 

Notes on Task Completion
I have said this before and I'll say it again, we have to write at least 150 words in IELTS Writing Task 1. If we write less than 150 words, there will be a penalty and this can affect our score. We can write more than 150 words, but don't be carried away. We still have IELTS Writing Task 2 that requires a lot more time because we have to write 250 words. In IELTS Writing Section, we have one hour in total and most common time allocation for IELTS Writing Task 1 is 20 minutes.

Notes on Lexical Resource
(1) Please remember that we need to avoid repeating the same word over and over again, which is why I wrote shows, explains, outlines, and presents just in case I need to use them in another part of the writing. If we have used the word shows, for example, try to avoid using it again and use other words.

(2) There are several words that we have to avoid when doing IELTS Writing Task 1 because they are not academic words (it could be a slang, informal words, weak words, contraction, etc such as gonna instead of going to, tells instead of indicates, expressions like seems like, and contraction such as it's or won't)

(3) Don't use lazy expressions such as etc, and so on and so forth, stuff, things, and other lazy expressions)

(4) We need to be consistent with our spelling. Do not mix up British and American spelling (let's say, try not to mix up the word behaviour and behavior although they have the same meaning).

(5) Some words cannot be paraphrased because they have no synonyms or sometimes, they do have synonyms but the context is a little bit different when we put the word in a sentence. In this case, we can be a little bit more creative by changing the grammatical form instead. We can change active voice into a passive voice, use reduced clauses, use Noun, Adjective and Adverbial Clauses, change the word class by adding inflection, and so on and so forth. For example, you can see that I don't change the word high school graduates in paragraph 1 but instead, changing the grammatical form by turning the Noun Phrase into a Prepositional Phrase. Take a look at this illustration:

...high school graduates [NP] → ...youth [N] in Lakeside County [PP] after graduating from high school [PP]

Creativity will be very helpful in writing, but we have to have a good mastery of English grammar to do this. Don't worry, grammar can be learned and a lot of practice will definitely  help. 

(6) There are some words or phrases that are commonly used in IELTS Writing Task 1, and we better learn how to use these words and phrases in our writing. In the sample writing that you can see at the end of this article, you can find some words and phrases that are often used in IELTS Writing Task 1, such as compare, units, measured, percentage, increasing, trend, in contrary, the number, stable, opposite trend, to begin, quintuple, a growing trend, in addition, triple, moving to, witness, a significant fall, as for, plummet, proportion, a little below.

(7) Do not overuse certain words or phrases. The most common example of this type of mistake is the use of the word significantly. Instead of using increase significantly or decrease significantly over and over again, try to use:

-skyrocket, jump, soar, surge (for increasing trend)

-Plummet, shrink, fall, drop, dip, decline, decimated (for decreasing trend)


Notes on Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammatical range means that we have to demonstrate our ability to use various grammatical forms in English, which also means that we better not use the same sentence structure over and over again in our writing. We know that the basic form of an English sentence is [S] + [V] + [...], but there are some variations that we can use to improve our score, such as:
- Reduced Adjective Clause - e.g. ...chosen by youth in Lakeside County... (paragraph 1). I don't use a complete Adjective Clause because I already use it in ...who aspired towards being an entrepreneur... (paragraph 2)

- Prepositional Phrase - e.g. ...after graduating from high school (paragraph 1). I don't use a complete Adjective Clause ...after they graduated from high school because I already use Adjective Clause in paragraph 2.

- Using Present Participle - e.g. ...working in informal sectors as a freelancer (paragraph 2). Present Participle is used in Reduced Adjective Clause and Reduced Adverbial Clause

- Use the Verb witness and experience to turn [V] + [Adv] structure into a [V] + [DO] structure - e.g. witness a significant fall (paragraph 3). Well, I can just write it down as ...significantly decreased in 2020 but as I said before, the word significantly is a little bit overused, so I avoid it.

Grammatical accuracy means that we have to write our essay using the correct grammar. Even a minor mistake (let's say, the use of inflection -s, -es and -ies in Simple Present Tense) will affect our score so please be precise with the grammar. For the sample pie chart above, we have to be very careful with the tenses. We have to know when to use past tense and when to use the present tense.


Notes on Coherence and Cohesion
Coherence and cohesion is related to our ability to present ideas in a logical order and connect those ideas to form a discourse. Each idea in our writing needs to have a clear relation with other ideas (for example, contrasting and supporting ideas), and cohesive device can help us with this. For example, if we want to contrast two different ideas, we can use the word in contrary, unlike, whereas, etc. If we want to elaborate our ideas, we can use furthermore, in addition, moreover, besides, etc. Transition between one explanation to another can be made smoother using words like to begin, as for, moving to, etc. Take a look at an illustration below to understand why cohesive devices are important:

Paragraph 2

The number of high school graduates who aspired towards being an entrepreneur in 2010 was only 5%. The number almost quintupled in 2020. There was also a growing trend of young people working in informal sectors as a freelancer. Of all  high school graduates in Lakeside County, 5% of them did not have a plan for job or academic career in 2010, and the number tripled in 2020.

Paragraph 3

The number of graduates who worked after graduating from high school witnessed a significant fall. In 2020, only one in ten high school graduates worked and had a stable job. The number of high school graduates who pursued higher education also plummeted in 2020. In 2010, more than half of high school graduates went to college. In 2020, the proportion was a little below 40%


Reading this can give you a  headache because there is no clue as to how one idea is related to another. What we have in this writing are just pieces of information crammed in two short paragraphs. There is no clear connection between the second and the third paragraph either. In short, this writing is bad, real bad. Now, take a look at another sample writing below and pay attention to the underlined words.

Paragraph 2

To begin, the number of high school graduates who aspired towards being an entrepreneur in 2010 was only 5%. Ten years later, the number almost quintupled. Other than being entrepreneur, there was also a growing trend of young people working in informal sectors as a freelancer. In addition, 5% of high school graduates in Lakeside County did not have a plan for job or academic career in 2010, and the number tripled a decade later.

Paragraph 3

Moving to graduates who worked after graduating from high school, the number witnessed a significant fall and by the year 2020, only one in ten high school graduates worked and had a stable job. As for those who pursued higher education, the number also plummeted in 2020. In 2010, more than half of high school graduates went to college. In 2020, the proportion was a little below 40%


In this sample writing, the transition between ideas are smoother and it is easier for us to understand the relation between ideas. The word moving to makes transition from paragraph one to paragraph two become more seamless.

After going through all processes above, our IELTS Writing Task 1 should look like this:

The pie charts compare some professional and academic career paths chosen by youth in Lakeside County after graduating from high school. Units are measured in percentage. Overall, there is an increasing trend among high school graduates who became an entrepreneur. In contrary, the number of high school graduates  pursuing higher education or have a stable job shows an opposite trend.

To begin, the number of high school graduates who aspired towards being an entrepreneur in 2010 was only 5%. Ten years later, the number almost quintupled. Other than being entrepreneur, there was also a growing trend of young people working in informal sectors as a freelancer. In addition, 5% of high school graduates in Lakeside County did not have a plan for job or academic career in 2010, and the number tripled a decade later.

Moving to graduates who worked after graduating from high school, the number witnessed a significant fall and by the year 2020, only one in ten high school graduates worked and had a stable job. As for those who pursued higher education, the number also plummeted in 2020. In 2010, more than half of high school graduates went to college. In 2020, the proportion was a little below 40%





IELTS Writing Task 1 Bar Graph (Major Trend & Main Features)

Today, we are going to learn how to describe a bar graph in IELTS Writing Task 1. Bar graph is a little bit easier to explain for various reasons, but the main reason why it is so easy to explain is because the general pattern is more obvious. To demostrate how it's done, we are going to use a sample bar graph below:

Bar Graph IELTS Writing Task 1

You may wonder why it is important for us to notice the major trend of a data. There are several reasons, some of them being:

(1) Understanding the major trend helps us find the most interesting features in the graph. We are not supposed to include all information in the graph because that will make our writing extremely tedious and boring. Take twitter's data as an example. We don't have to explain the figure year by year but instead, try to focus on the slope and the peak of the data and simply write: people spend more time on twitter or the time spent on twitter constantly increases as the number witnesses a fairly constant increase throughout the period. 

(2) It also helps us arrange our ideas better. Don't jump from one piece of information to another piece of information. Ideas have to be well-organized and written in a logical order.

Let's say we start writing paragraph 2 by explaining how people spent less time on facebook and how the amount of time spent on instagram fluctuated. After that, we proceed to describe how twitter witnessed a significant growth in terms of daily time spent by its users. We continue writing paragraph 3 by giving some other pieces of information, putting them randomly across paragraph three. That way, the reader will be confused pretty easily. 

Instead of doing that, we should organize our ideas based on trends, and put them in two different paragraphs. Because both facebook and twittter exhibit a constant trend (either constantly decreases or constantly increases), I'll put them in one paragraph, let's say paragraph 2. So, I don't want to include snapchat and instagram in paragraph 2 because they have different trend. I want the reader to focus on how facebook experienced a constant decline in terms of the time spent by its users and how twitter shows an opposite trend. So, it will look pretty much like this:



In 2016, people on twitter spent around 20 minutes a day using the app. Every year, the duration slightly increased by 5 minutes until it reached its peak at the end of the period, in which users nearly spent 45 minutes a day. As for facebook, it used to be a social media platform with the longest duration spent by its users. But, the number witnessed a sharp decrease in 2017, and kept experiencing a slight decline from that point on.




The same thing goes for paragraph 3. Here, I want to focus on instagram and snapchat as they exhibit a fairly similar trend throughout the period. In this paragraph, do not mention anything about facebook and twitter. Not only is it going to be confusing, doing that will also make your writing become repetitive. What's the point of repeating the exact same point in different paragraphs, anyway? With that being said, paragraph should look like this:


Moving to snapchat, the duration spent on this platform used to be the shortest among other apps, just a little below 15 minutes a day. However, people spent more time using the app and by the year 2019, as they used it for nearly 45 minutes a day. Instagram had the second longest duration of roughly 20 minutes a day in 2016. A year later, its users spent more than forty minutes daily. In the next two years, the duration spent on instagram decreased to half an hour and 20 minutes respectively. At the end of the period, people spent nearly forty minutes using instagram.




To better understand what I mean by trend, take a look at an illustration below.


IELTS Writing Task 1 Bar Graph Major Trend

To better understand some of the most interesting features of the graph, take a look at an illustration below:
Bar Graph - Main Features
sorry if it looks a little messy



Here is how I explain the bar graph above:


The bar graph compares the amount of time that people spent on facebook, twitter, instagram and snapchat in a five-year period staring in 2016. The data indicates that people were spending more time on twitter, while facebook users spent less and less time  over the period. In general, the total duration spent on using snapchat steadily increased, while the total duration on instagram considerably varied.

In 2016, people on twitter spent around 20 minutes a day using the app. Every year, the duration slightly increased by 5 minutes until it reached its peak at the end of the period, in which users nearly spent 45 minutes a day. As for facebook, it used to be a social media platform with the longest duration spent by its users. But, the number witnessed a sharp decrease in 2017, and kept experiencing a slight decline from that point on.

Moving to snapchat, the duration spent on this platform used to be the shortest among other apps, just a little below 15 minutes a day. However, people spent more time using the app and by the year 2019, as they used it for nearly 45 minutes a day. Instagram had the second longest duration of roughly 20 minutes a day in 2016. A year later, its users spent more than forty minutes daily. In the next two years, the duration spent on instagram decreased to half an hour and 20 minutes respectively. At the end of the period, people spent nearly forty minutes using instagram.





That's all for now, see ya 

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips - Vocabulary

IELTS Writing Task 2


Today, we are going to discuss vocabulary range and accuracy, which is another important aspect in IELTS Writing Task 2. Some people have difficulty finding and using words for Writing Task 2 for various reasons. Dealing with difficult terms could cause us some troubles, paraphrasing a sentence may be difficult at times, and finding English equivalent for certain word may take us some time (if English is not our first language). A very difficult and unfamiliar topic can also be a factor why our vocabulary score is considerably lower compared to, let's say, grammatical accuracy and range. To demonstrate some skills that need to be mastered to maximize our score in vocabulary range and accuracy, we are going to use this sample topic.


It is argued that some ex-prisoneers are having difficulty rejoining the community and end up committing other crimes after they are released from prison

What do you think cause the problem and how should we resolve this issue?


Here is the sample answer


People have to go to jail because of the crimes that they have committed. Some of them will be released after serving their time in prison and will re-join the society. Being in a prison itself is harsh and difficult, but what ex-prisoners have to go through after getting back their freedom may even be more difficult.

While in prison, inmates can reflect on what they have done so wrong and try to redeem their mistakes by doing what is right. It is expected that they will find the right direction in life. However, things do not always go as planned. Many of those who were imprisoned find it hard to integrate into the society because of the stigma of ex-prisoners. Some people are avoiding them regardless of the fact that they have been fully rehabilitated. They also find it more difficult to get a job because of their criminal record. As a result, some of them are put in a very difficult situation where they become jobless and cannot support themselves and their family. Some of them are not so fortunate and end up committing other crimes due to financial difficulties. Besides the bad stereotypes, several ex-convicts also get involved in another crime because they are rejected by their family. Family could be the main reason why someone changes for the better, and rejection from those whom they love the most can be extremely harsh on former prisoners. Other than external factors, there is also an internal factor that make former inmates more prone to committing another felony. Several ex-felons feel like they have nothing to lose because they have lost their family, job opportunities, and trust from the society when they were put in jail. As a result, they may become a recidivist who spend years of going in and out of prison.

To overcome this issue, there has to be a thorough change in the correctional system. Instead of just punishing people, prisons should focus on rehabilitating them and helping them re-integrate into society. Vocational training program is one things that can help a former inmate rejoin society. In some prisons, inmates have the chance to learn occupational skills like sewing and carpentry. This will help them survive and thrive after they get their freedom back, because they can get a decent job or start a small business to support themselves. Stigmatization against ex-prisoners should also be stopped, especially when they have successfully avoided reoffending. Family and community should also be supportive, since the feeling of being left alone will turn someone into an outcast, making it more likely that they will engage in illegal activities.

It can be concluded that there are a lot of factors that can make an ex-prisoner more prone to committing another crime. To avoid this, there has to be some efforts to keep them away from prison, and one of the most viable solutions is to help ex-felons re-integrate into society.



Okay, now let's discuss some of the tips that we can use to maximize our score in vocabulary range and accuracy

Do not overuse certain word

I often see someone uses words such as like, really and very both in spoken and written English. This is a normal thing, but has to be avoided when taking IELTS test (or any other English Proficiency Test). We can replace the word like with words like such as, a case on point, or linking words like for example and for instance. Take a look at some examples below:

Original Sentence
Prisoners should be given a chance to learn occupational skills like sewing and carpentry, with a hope that they will become more financially independent after being released

Let's say I want to avoid overusing the word like, I will have to find another word to replace it, or even rephrase the whole sentence.


Paraphrased Sentence

(1) Prisoners should be given a chance to learn occupational skills such as sewing and carpentry, with a hope that they will become more financially independent after being released

(2) Prisoners should be given a chance to learn occupational skills. For example, they can be taught sewing and carpentry with a hope that they will become more financially independent after being released

(3) Prisoners should be given a chance to learn occupational skills. Sewing and carpentry training is a case on point. It is hoped that these skills can help ex-prisoners become more financially independent after being released

(4) Prisoners should be given a chance to learn occupational skills. For instance, they can be taught sewing and carpentry with a hope that they will become more financially independent after being releasedsewing and carpentry


Paraphrase words whenever possible

We have to try paraphrase words whenever possible, and this can only be done if you have a vast vocabulary. I don't have any specific tips for expanding vocabulary, except reading, making a list of new and difficult words, as well as using new words that you find in a passage. I know this method sounds like a very old school way of improving our vocabulary, but unlike grammar, vocabulary is not something that can be learned by a magic formula, you have to work hard for this one. If you don't feel like reading because it's too much of a burden for you, you can listen to news in English, listen to podcast, watch movies, and listen to your favorite songs and try to find as many new words as possible. After that, try to use that word in a sentence. When you find an opportunity to use that word in your essay, use it. That way, expanding vocabulary will be less of a burden because you learn it doing what you love.

As for me, I can expand my vocabulary by listening to podcasts alone. I really like listening to mystery and crime podcast on youtube. For me, it is a very fun activity. I don't quite realize just how many new words that I can learn only by listening to these podcasts, until very recently. It is more effortless to learn English by doing what we love rather than cramping our brain with words that we will soon forget.

Look at the complete essay below. I marked words that have similar meaning with different colors. Many of the colorful words that you find below is the result of listening to a lot of mystery and crime podcasts.


People have to go to jail because of the crimes that they have committed. Some of them will be released after serving their time in prison and will re-join the society. Being in a prison itself is harsh and difficult, but what ex-prisoners have to go through after getting back their freedom may even be more difficult.

While in prison, inmates can reflect on what they have done so wrong and try to redeem their mistakes by doing what is right. It is expected that they will find the right direction in life. However, things do not always go as planned. Many of those who were imprisoned find it hard to integrate into the society because of the stigma of ex-prisoners. Some people are avoiding them regardless of the fact that they have been fully rehabilitated. They also find it more difficult to get a job because of their criminal record. As a result, some of them are put in a very difficult situation where they become jobless and cannot support themselves and their family. Some of them are not so fortunate and end up committing other crimes due to financial difficulties. Besides the bad stereotypes, several ex-convicts also get involved in another crime because they are rejected by their family. Family could be the main reason why someone changes for the better, and rejection from those whom they love the most can be extremely harsh on former prisoners. Other than external factors, there is also an internal factor that make former inmates more prone to committing another felony. Several ex-felons feel like they have nothing to lose because they have lost their family, job opportunities, and trust from the society when they were put in jail. As a result, they may become a recidivist who spend years of going in and out of prison.

To overcome this issue, there has to be a thorough change in the correctional system. Instead of just punishing people, prisons should focus on rehabilitating them and helping them re-integrate into society. Vocational training program is one things that can help a former inmate rejoin society. In some prisons, inmates have the chance to learn occupational skills like sewing and carpentry. This will help them survive and thrive after they get their freedom back, because they can get a decent job or start a small business to support themselves. Stigmatization against ex-prisoners should also be stopped, especially when they have successfully avoided reoffending. Family and community should also be supportive, since the feeling of being left alone will turn someone into an outcast, making it more likely that they will engage in illegal activities.

It can be concluded that there are a lot of factors that can make an ex-prisoner more prone to committing another crime. To avoid this, there has to be some efforts to keep them away from prison, and one of the most viable solutions is to help ex-felons re-integrate into society.



Do not use certain words that in academic writing

Sometimes, we unkowingly use words that are not supposed to be used in academic writing. There are some words that we have to avoid when doing IELTS Writing, here are some of the examples:

Contraction

The most common mistake that I often see is the use of contraction such as don't, doesn't, can't, isn't shouldn't, won't and some other contractions. The use of contractions is very common in spoken English, but not in academic writing. 


Slang

Slang is also not allowed in academic writing. We may use words like sort of or kind of in real conversation, but academic writing requires us to use formal language and be more assertive, so these words definitely have to be avoided. There are other words that fall under the general category of informal words that we also have to avoid, such as kind (use type instead) and kid(s) (use child or children instead)


Cliché

You have to be direct and concise when writing an academic writing, so try avoiding expressions like in a blink of an eye (use immediately instead) or little did they know (replace it with there is a lack of awareness among...) or every rose has its thorn (the meaning is too general, you've got to be more specific). These expressions are commonly used in informal communication or creative/fictional writing, but not in an academic writing.


Redundancy

Avoid the use of unnecessary words when writing an academic writing can be pretty hard sometimes. Redundancy may be easily found during a proofreding, so I suggest you to spare some time to re-read your writing. Take a look at an example below:

As they read more books and learn new things at school, students' writing skill will also evolve over time

In the sentence above, the phrase over time doesn't really explain anything because the word evolve means develop gradually. The meaning of the sentence will not change even if the phrase is ommitted. Several redundancies may sound right when we first read or hear it, which makes it difficult to find especially if you write a pretty long essay. But if you pay a close attention to detail, you will know that certain word does not contribute anything to the meaning of a phrase or sentence and hence, should be deleted.


Subjective and Gendered Language

This is one of the most common mistakes that we see in an academic writing. Some people are so used to spoken communication (which is more likely to be casual and personal) and find it extremely difficult to switch to a formal and impersonal writing. I have seen a lot of people using Pronouns like I and we (which makes the writing more personal) as well as gendered language such as she, he, the man and the woman. To avoid this, we can use Pronoun they and some other words like one, someone, or a person. We can also use impersonal pronoun it. So, instead of writing:

We know that stigmatization is the main reason why ex-prisoners find it hard to rejoin the society

We should write:

It is believed that stigmatization is the main reason why ex-prisoners find it hard to rejoin the society


Unsophisticated Words

The key to a good writing is simplicity, but you should avoid overusing simple words because they may give an impression of a low-quality essay. Take a look at an example below.

  • It can be seen that there are a lot of children having a fever during the cold winter

  • The data indicates that there is an increasing trend of children having a mild fever during the cold winter


There is nothing wrong with the first sentence, but the second one is actually much better.

Avoid Certain Words
Stay away from words or phrases that signal uncertainty like seems like, looks like, feels like, etc. Also, avoid using lazy words like stuff, things, and so on and so forth, or et cetera. Two words that seem to be quite difficult to avoid are the words very and really. We tend to overuse these words so instead of writing:
- very good
- very cold
- really excited
- really hungry

Try using:
- excellent
- frigid
- eager
- starving

Changing the structure of a sentence

Sometimes, we simply can't paraphrase a word because there is no other word to replace it. In this case, we have to be a little bit more creative with out grammatical skill. For example, we can avoid using the same word over and over again by changing it into a Noun Clause. Take a look at an example below:

While in prison, inmates can reflect on what they have done so wrong and try to redeem their mistakes by doing what is right


Notice how I use both the words mistake and what the have done so wrong which actually mean the same thing. This is done when you have to paraphrase certain word but you have run out of options. The same thing can also be done using phrase, like some of the examples below:

Inmates can learn occupational skills to help them become independent and successfully re-integrate into the society

Inmates can learn occupational skills in order to become more independent and successfully re-integrate into the society

Inmates can learn occupational skills so that they successfully re-integrate into the society and become more independent

Inmates can learn occupational skills with a hope that they will become more independent and sucessfully re-integrate into the society

 

If you pay attention to the sentences above, you notice that all of them explain the goal of learning occupational skills for inmates. I can explain this idea using a variety of grammatical form (to infinitive, prepositional phrase, adverbial clause, etc) so I don't have to rely on my lexical skill (which sometimes gives us very limited options).

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Perburuan saya diawali dengan mencari slot kuota di salah satu universitas negeri. Tes dilaksanakan secara daring jadi saya pun bisa tenang dan tidak perlu khawatir dengan protokol kesehatan yang semakin hari semakin ketat . Nah, setelah saya cek di website instansi, ternya kuota tes untuk awal bulan Juli sudah penuh semua, dan hanya tersisa di akhir Juli saja. Tentu saja ini menjadi problem karena deadline pengumpulan berkas CPNS adalah akhir Juli, dan sertifikat TOEFL ITP baru bisa didapat dua minggu setelah tes. Akhirnya, niat untuk tes daring pun harus diurungkan dan saya pun mulai mencari slot tes kosong di instansi lain.


Hari Kedua, Tes TOEFL ITP Lembaga Swasta

Saat sibuk dengan perburuan hari kedua, saya mendapat kabar bahwa ada slot kosong untuk tes TOEFL ITP di salah satu lembaga tes swasta, dan saya pun langsung mendaftar. Biaya pendaftaran sebesar Rp599.0000, sedikit lebih mahal dari tes online di pusat bahasa universitas negeri yang hanya Rp550.000. Oh ya, kalau misal sobat mengambil paper test, sobat harus tes antigen terlebih dahulu, sementara tes online tidak perlu. Sobat juga harus mematuhi protokol kesehatan seperti memakai masker, menjaga jarak, menjaga kebersihan dan lain sebagainya. Untuk mengikuti tes secara online, ada beberapa syarat teknis yang harus dipenuhi, di antaranya:

- Anda harus memiliki laptop atau komputer dengan Operating System Windows 10 (ini wajib ya).

- Browser Internet Explorer 11

- Perangkat handphone dengan aplikasi zoom

- Koneksi internet yang stabil

- Headset/headphone/handsfree untuk listening


Catatan: Syarat di atas adalah syarat untuk tes online di salah satu lembaga bahasa universitas negeri di kota saya, bisa jadi lembaga lain memiliki syarat yang sedikit berbeda


Hari Tes

Tes saya dimulai pukul 09.00, dan saya berangkat dari rumah pukul 08.00. Sebelum tes dimulai, kita akan menerima beberapa instruksi pengerjaan dan pengisian data diri. Harap dengarkan instruksi ini dengan seksama ya sobat, biar tidak terjadi kesalahan yang akan menghambat jalannya tes atau assessment hasil tes nantinya. Saya tidak memiliki persiapan khusus untuk tes TOEFL ITP kali ini, karena jujur saya cukup hectic dengan persiapan berkas CPNS dan lebih memilih untuk fokus belajar SKD (maklum, tahun lalu SKD adalah salah satu alasan mengapa saya kalah saing saat akumulasi skor di tes tahap terakhir). Ya sudah, saya ucap bismillah saja sambil berharap tes ini tidak jauh berbeda dengan tes TOEFL yang selama ini saya ikuti, dan tidak ada element of surprise, jump scare atau plot twist yang akan mengacaukan konsentrasi saya. Sekarang, mari kita bahas pelaksanaan tes TOEFL ITP.

Catatan: Apa yang saya jelaskan di sini didasarkan pada opini pribadi saya, dan bisa jadi sobat sekalian memiliki pandangan yang berbeda mengenai tes ini baik dalam hal yang sifatnya teknis, tingkat kesulitan, serta perbedaan dan kesamaan dengan ELPT, TOEFL Equivalent atau TOEFL Prediction Test, dan tes Bahasa Inggris pada umumnya. Di sini saya hanya sharing pengalaman dari kacamata pribadi saya, kalau sobat memiliki cerita menarik atau pendapat yang berbeda silahkan dijelaskan di kolom komentar agar pembaca lain menjadi lebih paham mengenai TOEFL ITP.


Section 1 - Listening Comprehension

Listening Comprehension yang diujikan saat tes TOEFL ITP kemarin jauh lebih mudah dari yang saya kira. Hal ini karena tidak seperti tes-tes yang sebelumnya pernah saya ambil, Listening Comprehension TOEFL ITP menyertakan pertanyaan di question booklet-nya, dan memudahkan kita untuk menggunakan strategi eliminasi. Pertanyaan yang ada di test booklet juga memungkinkan kita untuk fokus mencocokkan keyword di soal dan jawaban, tanpa harus bersusah payah dengan strategi prediksi seperti yang biasanya kita lakukan. Meski Listening Comprehension ini jauh lebih mudah dari yang saya perkirakan, sebenarnya ada juga beberapa hal yang membuatnya lebih sulit dari biasanya. 

Soal listening yang muncul di TOEFL ITP sangat tidak predictable dan syarat dengan element of surprise. Biasanya, ada beberapa soal listening yang bisa saya jawab meskipun audio belum diputar (yeah, you heard it right, sebelum audio diputar). Kalau pun tidak bisa prediksi jawaban sedetail itu, setidaknya saya masih bisa mengeliminasi dua opsi jawaban yang pasti salah dengan mengandalkan logical assumption, yang berarti saya memiliki dua jawaban yang kemungkinan benar atau dengan kata lain, kemungkinan jawaban benar saya adalah 50%. Di Listening Comprehension TOEFL ITP, strategi ini hampir tidak bisa diterapkan sehingga saya tidak punya pilihan lain selain adjusting strategy. Selain soal yang sulit tidak terduga, Listening Comprehension TOEFL ITP juga lebih sulit karena percakapannya lebih panjang, terutama di Part B (long conversation) dan Part C (long talks). Durasi percakapan Part A-nya cenderung sama dengan tes yang selama ini saya ikuti. 


Contoh Soal yang Sayangnya Tidak Ada

Soal dengan Prediksi Jawaban 100% benar


M: I heard that someone has been suspended, what happened?

W: Yes, one of the students angered the teacher

N: What does the woman mean?


(A) The annoying students made the teacher mad

(B) The teacher angered the students with a pop quiz

(C) The students were angry because the teacher was not around

(D) The angered students complained to the teacher


Catatan: Yang saya maksud M dan W pada contoh dialog di atas adalah Man dan  Woman, sementara N adalah Narrator



Soal seperti di atas adalah tipe soal yang bisa langsung dijawab meski kita belum mendengarkan audio. Sobat pasti bertanya-tanya kan, bagaimana kita bisa mengerjakan soal listening tanpa mendengarkan audio? Tentu saja bisa dengan strategi prediction. Jawaban yang benar pada soal di atas bisa diprediksi dengan mempertimbangkan fakta bahwa tidak mungkin ada lebih dari satu jawaban yang benar dalam satu soal. Kita bisa fokus pada asumsi logis tiap opsi jawaban dan mengeliminasi tiga opsi jawaban yang logikanya sama dan pasti salah. Perhatikan uraian berikut ini.

Opsi Jawaban

Logika

    (A) The annoying students made the teacher mad (murid yang menyebalkan membuat guru marah)


Yang marah gurunya

    (B) The teacher angered the students with the pop quiz (guru membuat murid marah dengan kuis dadakan)


Yang marah muridnya

    (C) The students were angry because the teacher was not around (murid marah karena tidak ada guru)


Yang marah muridnya

    (D) The angered students complained to the teacher (murid yang marah komplain ke gurunya)

 

Yang marah muridnya


Meski belum mendengar audio, kita tahu kan kalau opsi (B), (C) dan (D) pada contoh di atas pasti salah, karena asumsinya sama, yaitu muridnya yang marah. Tapi ini jutsu rahasia kita ya, jangan bilang siapa-siapa 😂


Soal dengan Prediksi Jawaban 50% benar


M: How did you manage to pass the exam? No one can get a score above C-

W: I did a lot of exercises and learn the material from various sources

N: What can be inferred about the woman?


(A) She failed because she did not study for the exam

(B) She will probably get lucky with the test and pass

(C) She had to take a remedial test like everybody else

(D) She was well-prepared for the test and passed



Hanya dengan membaca opsi jawabannya saja, kita tahu bahwa opsi (A) dan (C) pasti salah. "Kok bisa langsung tahu dua opsi jawaban itu salah, jangan sok tau kamu mas" kata kalian dalam hati 😂

Jadi sama seperti contoh soal sebelumnya, kita tahu opsi (A) dan (C) salah karena kesimpulan dari pernyataan she failed because she did not study for the exam dan she had to take a remedial test like everybody else adalah si perempuan tidak lolos ujian. Karena tidak mungkin ada dua jawaban yang sama di satu soal, kita tahu bahwa opsi (A) dan (C) pasti salah. Nah, opsi (B) ini masih bisa benar atau salah tergantung audionya nanti. Opsi (D) memiliki kesimpulan yang benar, yaitu si perempuan lolos ujian. Opsi (B) dan (D) ini hampir sama dan memang digunakan untuk mengecoh. Yang membedakan dua opsi jawaban ini adalah alasan mengapa si perempuan lolos ujian. Dari opsi (B) kita tahu bahwa ia mungkin akan lolos ujian karena faktor keberuntungan, sementara opsi (D) jelas menyatakan bahwa si perempuan sudah lolos ujian karena memang ia mempersiapkan diri. Karena si perempuan mengatakan ia sudah belajar dan mengerjakan latihal soal, maka jawaban yang paling tepat bagi contoh soal di atas adalah opsi (D).

Kalau soal-soal seperti contoh di atas saya yakin pasti sobat bisa mengerjakan, apalagi kalau sobat sudah sering berlatih soall-soal TOEFL di freeschool.id 😎. Yang menjadi persoalan adalah munculnya beberapa soal yang bukan hanya sulit, tapi juga sangat menjebak, seperti pada contoh berikut ini. 


Contoh Soal yang Mengandung Jump Scare


M: I am taking up multiple jobs just to make ends meet

W: You shouldn't burn the candle on both ends

N: What does the woman mean?


(A) The man should take it easy

(B) She thinks his career will end soon 

(C) He shouldn't quit his job

(D) He won't burn out doing his regular job


Soal ini berkaitan dengan idiom, yaitu kata ungkapan yang tidak bisa diartikan secara harfiah. Yang membuat soal ini lebih sulit dari jenis soal lain adalah fakta bahwa tidak ada aturan jelas tentang idiom, sehingga pembahasan soal pun tidak bisa menggunakan rumus-rumus. Sobat harus familiar dengan ungkapan yang jumlahnya sangat banyak (idiom ini sampai ada kamusnya sendiri saking banyaknya), dan ungkapan itu kadang tidak familiar bagi kita dan tidak bisa ditemukan padanannya dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Perhatikan tabel berikut ini.   

Bahasa Inggris

Bahasa Indonesia

To kill two birds with one stone

Sekali mendayung dua tiga pulau terlampaui/sambil menyelam minum air

Burning candle on both ends

Bagai menakik darah mati dari alu



Nah, kalau idiom yang ada di kolom atas saya yakin sobat freeschool pernah dengar dan tahu betul artinya apa. Masalahnya adalah, contoh soal yang saya berikan tadi menggunakan idiom yang ada di kolom bawah, yang mungkin tidak familiar bagi beberapa orang. Idiom ini juga tidak memiliki padanan dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan kalau pun ada ungkapan yang artinya mendekati, ungkapan bagai menakik darah mati dari alu sendiri juga tidak familiar di telinga saya. Saya harus mencari di google dan itu pun saya tidak tahu pasti apakah dua ungkapan itu sepadan atau tidak. Ketika  mengerjakan soal Listening Comprehension kemarin, saya menemukan satu soal seperti ini, yang mana idiomnya lebih aneh dan lebih asing dari burning candle on both ends. Untungnya saya mendengar audio sejak awal dan bisa mengetahui arti ungkapan itu dari konteks kalimat.


Tapi tenang, listening muncul di awal-awal tes dan pada titik ini, saya yakin sobat masih punya banyak tenaga dan fokus. Biasanya kita mulai panik ketika mengerjakan Structure and Written Expression kan (karena waktunya sedikit), terus mulai mengantuk dan terkena genjutsu ketika mengerjakan Reading Comprehension (karena bacaan yang panjang dan kita sudah capek mengerjakan part listening dan grammar). Tenaga ekstra dan konsentrasi akan banyak membantu sobat mengerjakan soal-soal listening meskipun soal itu ada plot twist-nya. At least, begitulah harapan saya wkwk.

To kill two birds with one stone - artwork by freeschool.id



Contoh Soal yang Mengandung Plot Twist


M: I want to give my daughter a gift for her birthday

W: The kid section is located near the main entrance, I'm sure there are a lot of books that are suitable for her age

N: Where does the conversation probably take place?


(A) hospital

(B) library

(C) school

(D) bookstore


Dari kata kunci books yang dikatakan oleh pembicara kedua, kita tahu bahwa opsi (A) dan (C) pasti salah. Yang membuat saya bingung saat mengerjakan soal ini adalah, opsi jawaban (B) dan (D) yang memiliki kemungkinan benar karena kita sedang membicarakan buku, dan library serta bookstore adalah dua tempat yang identik dengan buku. 

artwork by freeschool.id
terus gimane ngab?


Saya sempat ragu-ragu, tapi kemudian saya sadar bahwa si laki-laki mendatangi tempat tersebut untuk membeli hadiah ulang tahun anaknya. Umumnya, orang pergi ke perpustakaan untuk membaca buku, bukan untuk membeli buku, apalagi hadiah ulang tahun. Dengan demikian, kita tahu bahwa opsi (B) kemungkinan besar salah.

Di sini sebenarnya saya lagi hoki karena saya ingat apa yang dikatakan pembicara pertama (si laki-laki). Ya memang sih, kita harus fokus pada pembicara kedua saat mengerjakan Listening Comprehension Part A. Tapi memang ada pengecualian bagi jenis soal di atas. Soal di atas memang mirip film thriller yang memiliki plot twist, seperti The Sixth Sense. Kalau sobat tidak memperhatikan latar belakang cerita dari awal, ya pasti jadi pusing mengikuti alur filmnya, belum lagi ending-nya sangat membagongkan 😂.

Soal seperti ini sangat menjebak karena sobat harus berpikir dua kali untuk menemukan jawaban yang paling benar. Kita tidak bisa mengandalkan informasi mengenai buku yang diberikan oleh pembicara kedua, sehingga kita juga harus mencari informasi lain dari pembicara pertama. Kalau kita tidak ingat apa yang dikatakan pembicara pertama, ya bisa gawat. Apalagi keterangan yang diberikan oleh pembicara pertama bersifat implisit, dengan artian si laki-laki tidak secara jelas mengatakan dia akan membeli buku untuk anaknya, tapi mencari hadiah ulang tahun untuk anaknya. Di sini logical assumption berperan cukup penting untuk menentukan apakah lelaki itu memang sedang berada di perpustakaan atau toko buku. Saya sempat shocked dengan soal ini, tapi ya sudahlah at least soal ini masih bisa diselesaikan dengan asumsi logis meski awalnya membingungkan.

 

Section 2 - Structure and Written Expression

Section 2 pada TOEFL ITP tidak jauh berbeda dengan tes-tes yang sebelumnya saya ambil. Tingkat kesulitannya pun tidak jauh berbeda. Satu hal yang membuat saya panik adalah pengisian LJK yang mengharuskan kita untuk mengarsir bulatan kecil-kecil. Saya sudah lama tidak mengisi LJK dan sekarang sudah tidak terbiasa, baru mengisi beberapa nomor saja tangan saya langsung pegal dan geringgingan alias kesemutan. Arsiran LJK di listening juga banyak yang saya arsir sebagian dan asal-asalan sebagai penanda saja, dan baru saya sempurnakan bulatannya ketika saya sudah selesai mengerjakan Structure and Written Expression yang bisa selesai dalam waktu sekitar 10 menit. Karena waktu pengerjaan Structure and Written Expression adalah 25 menit, jadi saya masih ada waktu 15 menit untuk mengarsir bulatan-bulatan di soal listening juga. Mengarsir LJK ini sebenarnya sangat satisfying sekali, tapi karena ada timer-nya saya jadi gugup dan tidak bisa menikmati suara esrek-esrek ujung pensil 2B di kertas LJK.

Berikut ini saya berikan beberapa contoh soal yang biasa muncul di TOEFL Structure and Written Expression:

Contoh Soal Biasa

Soal Nomor 1

A sonic boom is a sound created by a supersonic aircraft _______________________

(A) breaks the sound barrier

(B) as it breaks the sound barrier

(C) is breaking the sound barrier

(D) it is breaking the sound barrier


Soal Nomor 2

A tree secretes resin to cover an injury and prevent insects and pathogens ________________________

(A) of inflicting further damage

(B) from inflicting further damage

(C) for inflicting further damage

(D) against inflicting further damage


Soal Nomor 3

Solar eclipse ____________________ when the moon partially or fully blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on earth

(A) occur

(B) is occuring

(C) occurs

(D) it occurs


Soal Nomor 4

Pets can be a good companion that helps their owners cope _____________________ stress and loneliness

(A) by

(B) for

(C) with

(D) against


Soal Nomor 5

Hypothermia occurs while (A) human's body is losing (B) heat much (C) faster than it is producing heat (D)


Soal Nomor 6

Crossing the street (A) without pay attention (B) to the surrounding traffic is dangerous not only (C) for pedestrians but also for motorists (D)



Contoh Soal yang Ngeselin
Meski soal Structure and Written Expression ini sangat mudah dan tidak ada element of surprise-nya, ada beberapa jenis soal yang mungkin perlu sobat waspadai, di antaranya:



Soal Nomor 7

People like using public transportations because they are less costly ______________________

(A) and more preferably

(B) and more preferable

(C) are more preferably

(D) are more preferable


Soal Nomor 8

When someone is failing (A) to accomplish something in life, sometimes they (B) become extremely stressful (C) and depressed (D)


Soal Nomor 9

Technology helps (A) us get (B) the most up to date (C) news faster and more easily (D)


Soal Nomor 10

Drinking alcohol and smoking (A) can have detrimental affects (B) on (C) human's health (D)


Kunci Jawaban dan Pembahasan

Soal Nomor 1

Soal ini berkaitan dengan complex sentence, yaitu kalimat yang memiliki klausa utama dan klausa terikat. Hal ini jelas terlihat dari penggunaan dua kata kerja yang berbeda, yaitu copular verb is dan verb breaksComplex sentence adalah tipe soal yang sering muncul di Structure and Written Expression sehingga penting bagi sobat untuk memahaminya. Penggunaan complex sentence sendiri memiliki aturan yang jelas sehingga sobat tidak perlu khawatir. Salah satu jenis klausa terikat yang perlu sobat pelajari adalah Adverbial Clause yang muncul pada soal nomor 1. Adverbial Clause sendiri digunakan sebagai pengubah bagi Verb, Adjective dan Adverb. 

Salah satu ciri dari Adverbial Clause adalah penggunaan Conjunction atau Relative Pronoun when, as, although, because, dan lain sebagainya. Karena opsi (A), (C), dan (D) tidak memiliki Conjunction atau Relative Pronoun, kita tahu bahwa tiga opsi itu pasti salah. Jawaban yang tepat bagi contoh soal di atas adalah opsi (B) yang memiliki Conjunction as, dan kalimat seharusnya ditulis sebagai berikut:

Sonic boom is a sound produced by a supersonic aircraft as it breaks the sound barrier


Pada kalimat tersebut, Adverbial Clause as it breaks the sound barrier menjadi pengubah bagi Past Participle produced, dan menjelaskan bahwa dua hal itu terjadi secara bersamaan (simultaneous). Dalam sebuah kalimat, Adverbial Clause menjelaskan hubungan sebab-akibat, pertentangan, waktu, tujuan, syarat, cara, dan perbandingan. Perhatikan beberapa contoh kalimat di bawah ini.

  • I can't go to the party because my little brother is sick and I have to take care of him (hubungan sebab akibat)

  • George managed to recover quickly although he suffered from a serious injury (hubungan pertentangan)

  •  The car skidded as the driver lost control and eventually crashed into a tree (hubungan waktu)

  • I am studying hard so that I can get accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in the country (tujuan)

  • She will help me with the homework if I am willing to help her with the chores (hubungan syarat)

  • I will run the business as I see fit (keterangan cara)

  • She looks much better than she did yesterday (hubungan perbandingan)

   

Soal Nomor 2

Soal nomor 2 berkaitan dengan penggunaan Phrasal Verbs, yaitu kata prevent from yang artinya mencegah. Kata prevent from sendiri merupakan satu kesatuan dan kita tidak bisa mengganti kata depan from dengan kata depan lain (for, of, against, atau kata depan yang lainnya). Jawaban yang paling tepat untuk contoh soal di atas adalah opsi (B) dan kalimat secara lengkap ditulis sebagai berikut:

A tree secretes resin to cover an injury and prevent insectes and pathogens from inflicting furhter damage

Oh ya, untuk belajar menggunakan Phrasal Verb, sobat bisa mencari di google dengan kata kunci list of phrasal verbs atau bisa juga dengan membaca kamus khusus untuk idiom.


Soal Nomor 3

Soal ini berkaitan dengan kelengkapan kalimat yang minimal harus memiliki sebuah Subject dan sebuah Verb. Kalimat di soal sudah memiliki Subject solar eclipse dan sebuah Adverbial Clause when the moon partially or fully blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on earth. Karena belum memiliki sebuah kata kerja, maka kita perlu mencari opsi jawaban dalam bentuk kata kerja. Dengan demikian, kita tahu bahwa opsi (D) pasti salah karena kalimat tersebut sudah memiliki Subject dan tidak lagi membutuhkan Pronoun it sebagai Subject-nya. Opsi (B) juga kurang tepat dijadikan jawaban karena kalimat ini menjelaskan general fact atau fakta umum, sehingga kata kerja yang digunakan harusnya berbentuk Simple Present Tense, bukan Present Continuous Tense. 

Opsi (A) sebenarnya sudah hampir benar, karena kata kerja occur merupakan Simple Present Tense. Namun demikian, ada ketidakcocokan antara Subject kalimat yang berbentuk singular Noun dan kata kerjanya yang seharusnya memiliki infleksi -s, -es, atau -ies. Jawaban paling tepat bagi contoh soal di atas adalah (C) dan kalimat seharusnya ditulis seperti berikut:

Solar eclipse occurs when the moon partially or fully blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow on earth


Soal Nomor 4

Soal nomor 4 adalah tipe soal yang sama persis dengan soal nomor 2. Kata cope with memiliki arti mengatasi dan jawaban yang paling tepat bagi contoh soal tersebut adalah opsi (C). Kalimat secara lengkap ditulis sebagai berikut:

Pets can be a good companion that helps their owners cope with stress and loneliness


Soal Nomor 5

Soal ini berkaitan dengan penggunaan Conjunction yang salah pada Adverbial Clause, yang dapat kita lihat di opsi (A). Conjunction while digunakan untuk menjelaskan concession, sedangkan kalimat tersebut menjelaskan dua hal yang berlangsung secara bersamaan atau simultaneous, yaitu hipotermia yang terjadi ketika ada penurunan suhu tubuh yang sangat ekstrim. Conjunction yang digunakan seharusnya when agar kalimat menjadi seperti berikut

Hypothermia occurs when human's body is losing heat much faster than it is producing heat


Soal Nomor 6

Soal nomor 6 berkaitan dengan penggunaan gerund sebagai Complement bagi sebuah Preposition atau kata depan. Soal ini masuk ke dalam soal yang sangat mudah karena ada aturan baku mengenai Prepositional Phrase. Perlu diingat bahwa kata depan without tidak bisa diikuti oleh kata kerja pay attention to sehingga kita tahu bahwa opsi (B) pasti salah. Seharusnya kata kerja tesebut dibendakan terlebih dahulu dengan mengubahnya menjadi sebuah gerund agar kalimat menjadi seperti berikut:

Crossing the street without paying attention to the surrounding traffic is dangerous not only for pedestrians but also for motorists


Berikut ini adalah beberapa Complement yang dapat muncul setelah Preposition:

  • Noun, misal: It is more convenient to commute to work by train

  • Noun Phrase, misal: I chose to apply for that job without a second thought

  • Object Pronoun, misal: She didn't know that the novel is actually written by you, because you use your pseudonyms in all of your works

  • Noun Clause, misal: We should always be mindful of what we share on the internet

  • Gerund, misal: When it comes to acquiring a new language, learning grammar and vocabulary is as important as using them in a real conversation 


Soal Nomor 7

Oh ya, soal nomor 7 sampai nomor 10 ini tingkat kesulitannya lebih tinggi dari enam soal yang sudah kita bahas ya sobat. Soal nomor 7 sendiri berkaitan dengan parallel structure, di mana Conjunction and akan diikuti dan didahului oleh kata, frasa atau klausa yang setara. Opsi (C) dan (D) sudah pasti salah karena tidak ada Conjunction and. Opsi (A) juga kurang tepat karena sebelum Conjuntion and ada bentuk comparative Adjective less costly, tapi opsi (A) ini menggunakan comparative Adverb more preferably yang berarti bentuk itu tidak parallel. Jawaban yang paling tepat untuk contoh soal di atas adalah (B), dan kalimat harusnya ditulis seperti berikut:

People like using public transportations because they are less costly and more preferable


Soal yang berkaitan dengan parallel structure ini sebenarnya sangat mudah ya sobat sekalian. Pada contoh soal di atas, soal menjadi lebih sulit karena ada genjutsu dalam bentuk Adjective dengan akhiran -ly, yaitu costly yang artinya mahal. By the way, tidak semua kata yang berakhiran -ly itu masuk kategori Adverb ya, karena ada juga Adjective yang memiliki akhiran -ly seperti early, elderly, worldly, daily, deadly, dan lain sebagainya. Begitu juga dengan Adverb yang tidak semuanya berakhiran dengan -ly, karena ada juga Adverb tanpa akhiran -ly, seperti hard, fast, well, dan lain sebagainya. 


Soal Nomor 8

Soal nomor 8 menghadapkan kita pada kata-kata tricky yang artinya bisa jadi sangat membingungkan misal kita sedang tidak fokus dan tidak teliti. Kata stressful pada opsi (C) kurang tepat karena seharusnya kata yang dipakai adalah stressed out. Kata stressful memiliki arti bikin stress, sementara kata stressed out memiliki arti merasa stress. Kalimat tersebut seharusnya ditulis seperti berikut:

When someone is failing to accomplish something in life, sometimes they become extremely stressed out and depressed


Soal Nomor 9

Soal nomor 9 bisa menjadi soal yang sangat membingungkan karena sekilas memang tidak ada kesalahan gramatikal pada contoh kalimat. Namun demikian, penulisan kata up to date pada opsi (C) sebenarnya kurang tepat. Kata tersebut adalah sebuah compound word yang masuk ke dalam kategori hyphenated form, dan harus ditulis menggunakan hypen atau dash (tanda pisah "-") agar kalimat menjadi seperti berikut:

Technology helps us get the most up-to-date news faster and more easily


Ada tiga jenis compound word yang perlu sobat ketahui, yaitu open form (misal, real estate), closed form (misal, chairman) dan hypenated form (misal, up-to-date). Materi tentang compound word nanti akan saya bahas secara lebih detail pada postingan selanjutnya ya sobat, agar post ini tidak terlalu panjang dan membosankan. Sementara ini kita fokus dulu di contoh soal-soal TOEFL ITP-nya.


Soal Nomor 10

Soal nomor 10 sebenarnya mirip dengan soal nomor 8 yang berkaitan dengan tricky words. Kata-kata tricky ini harus benar-benar diwaspadai karena sangat mengecoh. Sayangnya, tidak ada trik khusus untuk menghindari jebakan soal ini. Sobat harus memperluas kosakata Bahasa Inggris dan mengerti penggunaan suatu kata di percakapan asli Bahasa Inggris. Pada soal tersebut, opsi (B) kurang tepat karena yang dipakai seharusnya bukan Verb affects yang artinya mempengaruhi, tapi Noun effects yang artinya pengaruh, agar kalimat menjadi seperti berikut:

Drinking alcohol and smoking can have detrimental effects on human's health


Section 3 - Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension TOEFL ITP yang saya kerjakan kemarin jauh lebih sulit dari soal-soal reading yang sebelumnya pernah saya kerjakan. Bacaannya lebih panjang, meskipun soal-soal yang diujikan sama dan memiliki tingkat kesulitan yang tidak jauh berbeda. Seperti biasa, Reading Comprehension ini benar-benar menguji endurance saya, karena tesnya sangat lama dan mengharuskan kita untuk benar-benar fokus. Saya sempat harus meletakkan pensil saya, menundukkan kepala dan memejamkan mata, saking mengantuknya. Apalagi, tenaga dan konsentrasi saya sudah habis untuk mengerjakan listening dan grammar. Malam sebelum tes  saya kurang tidur karena ada beberapa tugas yang harus saya selesaikan, dan hal-hal seperti ini harus sobat hindari karena kita tidak tahu sejauh mana rasa kantuk kita mempengaruhi fokus saat mengerjakan tes, apalagi kalau tesnya pagi sekali (tes saya pukul 09.00). Kalau sobat freeschool terbiasa tidur lagi sehabis sholat subuh, saya sarankan jangan lakukan ini sebelum tes karena tidur selepas subuh alias mbangkong itu sulit sekali bangunnya, takutnya nanti malah bablas dan telat ke tempat tes. Tidak ada lateness tolerance untuk tes TOEFL ITP jadi usahakan datang setengah jam lebih awal in case of unexpected things like traffic.


Oke, Reading Comprehension TOEFL ITP yang saya kerjakan sebenarnya tidak jauh berbeda dengan yang biasanya saya kerjakan. Hanya ada dua perbedaan mencolok yang sepertinya perlu saya sebutkan di sini, yaitu:

  • Passage lebih panjang dari biasanya, bisa sampai 7 paragraf yang berarti waktu pengerjaan juga semakin ketat dan mendebarkan, apalagi kalau sobat tidak senang membaca bacaan yang terlalu panjang dan mudah bosan seperti saya

  • Seingat saya, tidak ada soal yang berkaitan dengan finding in which line an information is conveyed atau mencari baris ke berapa informasi ditemukan di sebuah bacaan (I guess this is just a coincidence)


Selain dua hal yang saya sebutkan di atas, Reading Comprehension tidak banyak berubah. Meski demikian, saya akan tetap memberikan contoh soal serta pembahasan, dan kalau sobat bisa mengerjakan soal-soal ini dengan benar, berarti sobat sudah cukup siap mengerjakan soal-soal reading nantinya.



Komodo dragons are the national animal of Indonesia. They are endemic animals that can only be found in Pulau Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. Komodo dragons can grow up to a maximum length of three meters and weigh up to roughly 70kg, making them the largest species of lizard that still exist today.

Komodo dragons are carnivores and prey on deer, pigs or even much bigger animals like water buffalo. Komodo dragons are also known as cannibals, meaning that they can eat other komodo dragons. 

With their keen sense of smell, komodo dragons can detect a prey from miles. Komodo dragons are a very stealthy predator that will wait for unsuspecting preys and ambush them. Komodo dragons will charge at their preys and use their saliva to paralyze them. Even when the preys may fight back or try to run away, they will finally succumb to the injury. Besides saliva, komodo dragons can also attack their preys with their strong tail. 

Although attacks on human are very rare, it is definitely unsafe for people to be around komodo dragons. There are some fatal attacks that have been recorded, including those that resulted in the loss of life.


Soal Nomor 1

What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

(A) the characteristics of komodo dragons

(B) why komodo dragons are cannibalistic

(C) how komodo dragons hunt ther preys

(D) the stealthy behavior of komodo dragons


Soal Nomor 2

Which of the followings are NOT TRUE about komodo dragons?

(A) they can eat larger animals

(B) they can move very fast

(C) they may attack people

(D) there has never been any fatality resulted from their attack on humans


Soal Nomor 3

The word charge in line 11 is closest in meaning to

(A) bite 

(B) lurke

(C) plunge

(D) crawl

 

Catatan: Contoh bacaan di atas hanya digunakan untuk contoh dan mungkin tidak semirip bacaan pada tes asli yang lebih panjang dan sulit. Contoh ini diberikan dengan tujuan agar sobat tahu jenis soal apa saja yang mungkin muncul dan bagaimana menjawabnya.

 


Kunci Jawaban dan Pembahasan

Soal nomor 1 adalah tipe soal mencari ide utama yang sering muncul di tes reading. Paragraf pertama bacaan menjelaskan ciri-ciri komodo (ukuran, berat, dan habitat) dan jawaban yang paling tepat untuk contoh soal nomor 1 adalah opsi (A). Tiga opsi lainnya tidak dijelaskan di paragraf satu, tapi paragraf setelahnya.


Soal nomor 2 adalah tipe soal mencari informasi spesifik di bacaan, yang dapat kita kerjakan dengan memperhatikan kata kunci yang ada. Opsi (A) sudah benar dan sesuai bacaan, karena komodo bisa memangsa hewan yang ukurannya lebih besar seperti kerbau. Opsi (B) juga sudah sesuai dengan isi bacaan karena di situ dijelaskan: Komodo dragons will charge at their preys and use their saliva to paralyze them, di mana kata charge sendiri memiliki arti bergerak dengan cepat dan tiba-tiba. Opsi (C) juga sudah sesuai dengan bacaan karena dikatakan bahwa komodo bisa saja menyerang manusia meski tidak banyak kasus penyerangan terhadap manusia. Jawaban yang paling tepat bagi contoh soal di atas adalah opsi (D). Di bacaan sudah dijelaskan: There are some fatal attacks that have been recorded, including those that resulted in the loss of life yang berarti pernah ada kasus orang meninggal karena diserang oleh komodo.


Soal nomor 3 adalah jenis soal mencari sinonim yang juga sering muncul di Reading Coprehension. Tidak ada trik khusus untuk mengerjakan soal ini, sobat hanya perlu memperluas kosakata Bahasa Inggris dan belajar memahami informasi dari konteks kalimat. Kata charge memiliki arti bergerak dengan cepat dan tiba-tiba dan memiliki makna yang sama dengan kata plunge. Dengan demikian, jawban yang paling tepat untuk contoh soal nomor 3 adalah opsi (C)



Saran

Berikut ini adalah beberapa hal yang saya sarankan bagi sobat freeschool yang belum pernah tes TOEFL ITP atau berencana akan mengambil tes TOEFL ITP.

1. Jangan Menunda-nunda

Ini satu hal yang benar-benar terjadi pada saya. Sebenarnya saya sudah terpikir untuk mengambil tes TOEFL ITP ini jauh sebelum tes CPNS dibuka. Tapi saya terus menunda-nunda karena malas kesibukan, dan saya harus terkena tulah kuota TOEFL ITP yang terbatas. Saya kesulitan mencari kuota kosong dan ketika saya sudah mendapat kesempatan tes, it's already too late. Pengumpulan terakhir berkas-berkas pendaftaran CPNS di instansi yang saya lamar adalah 21 Juli, sementara sertifikat saya keluar paling cepat tanggal 21 Juli, terlalu beresiko karena upload dokumen ke portal sscasn.bkn.go.id biasanya ngelag di menit-menit terakhir, saking banyaknya peserta yang mendaftar sehingga server menjadi overload. Saya sarankan sobat mengambil tes TOEFL ITP atau ELPT atau TOEFL equivalent jauh sebelum melamar kerja, mengurus yudisium atau mendaftar CPNS. Seringkali kuota untuk tes habis, apalagi saat ada seleksi CPNS atau musim yudisium dan wisuda atau kebetulan sedang banyak dibuka lowongan pekerjaan, karena orang-orang pasti akan tes pada waktu bersamaan, demi bisa memenuhi syarat berkas-berkas (yang salah satunya adalah sertifikat TOEFL). Kadang kita sudah tes tapi kita tidak lolos pada percobaan pertama dan harus mengulang semua proses dari awal (amit-amit semoga tidak terjadi). Kalau pun kita lolos, kita masih harus menunggu selama 14 hari kerja sampai sertifikat kita keluar. Kalau sobat tes di menit-menit terakhir, takutnya nanti hectic seperti saya kemarin. Daftar tes TOEFL sekarang untuk jaga-jaga, toh sertifikat akan berlaku selama dua tahun dan bisa digunakan untuk banyak hal dari mendaftar beasiswa sampai melamar kerja. Do not put off what you can do today, because tomorrow is not promised and doing it later can sometimes be too late ):


2. Alokasikan Waktu untuk Belajar

Ini berlaku bagi teman-teman yang merasa kesulitan lolos skor minimal TOEFL yang dipersyaratkan. Menurut saya pribadi, lebih baik kita berlatih 10 soal setiap hari dan mencoba mencerna sedikit demi sedikit sampai paham daripada kita ambil kursus intensif untuk push rank dengan waktu yang terbatas. Kita memiliki ketahanan belajar dan berpikir yang beragam, tidak semua orang kuat belajar seharian penuh untuk mengejar target. Do not overwhelm your brain with too much information. Lebih baik belajar sedikit tapi mengerti daripada belajar banyak tapi tidak ada yang masuk otak sama sekali.


3. Belajar dari Berbagai Sumber

Ini penting dilakukan karena beberapa orang sangat mudah sekali jenuh dan bosan jika hanya belajar dari buku. Beberapa orang yang merupakan tipe auditory learner lebih senang belajar dengan mendengarkan materi belajar, sementara mereka yang tipe visual learner mungkin membutuhkan ilustrasi untuk benar-benar memahami suatu materi (ini mudah dilakukan selama kelas tatap muka). Orang-orang oldschool lebih senang belajar di kelastapi sayangnya sekarang ini tidak bisa karena ada corona, jadi ya kita harus mencoba beragam metode belajar dan tidak terpaku pada satu cara saja. Selain buku, website, serta blog, sobat juga bisa belajar dari youtube atau sumber audiovisual lain. 

Belajar dari youtube membutuhkan lebih sedikit tenaga karena sobat tinggal mendengar dan menyaksikan, tidak seperti membaca buku yang membutuhkan lebih banyak fokus dan konsentrasi (ingat bahwa platform semacam youtube itu sangat pasif dan lebih effortless dibandingkan dengan buku, dan kita bisa belajar hanya dengan mendengar audio tanpa harus melihat ilustrasi, apalagi sampai menulis di kertas). Kalau sobat termasuk kaum rebahan seperti saya, ini adalah cara belajar paling asyik. 

Sebenarnya saya sudah terpikir untuk membuat channel youtube yang berisi materi general English, TOEFL dan IELTS, beserta latihan soal dan pembahasan. Sekarang ini masih dalam tahap pembuatan konsep, semoga bisa segera terlaksana. Kalau menurut sobat freeschool, apakah saya lebih baik fokus dalam penyampaian materi di blog atau lebih baik juga merambah ke platform lain seperti youtube? Tulis komentar kalian di bawah ya, saya sendiri masih galau antara fokus di satu platform atau membuat konten audiovisual untuk mengakomodir sobat freeschool yang lebih senang belajar dari youtube.  


4. Perbanyak Latihan dan Pembahasan

Tadi kita sudah membahas style belajar yang berfokus pada kelas tatap muka dan textbook serta style belajar yang disenangi oleh tipe pembelajar visual-auditory. Tapi belajar saja sebenarnya tidak cukup, jika tidak dibarengi dengan latihan soal, di mana kita akan menguji kemampuan kita secara langsung dan mencari tahu letak kelemahan kita. Di sini kita akan menerapkan prinsip learning by doing. Strategi ini sangat cocok bagi saya, tipe orang yang sulit mengingat sekitar 80% materi yang sudah saya pelajari. Saya sendiri justru mudah mengingat suatu kesalahan yang saya buat saat mengerjakan soal, alasan mengapa kesalahan itu muncul serta solusi untuk mencari jawaban yang benar. Di sini, prinsip experience is the best teacher dan learning by making mistakes and not duplicating them benar-benar diterapkan ya sobat. 


5. Persiapan Teknis

Di masa pandemi ini, pelaksanaan tes TOEFL ITP, ELPT, TOEFL Prediction maupun TOEFL Equivalent juga lebih ribet dari biasanya, atau kalau istilah teknisnya berubah mengikuti protokol kesehatan. Jadi sobat tidak hanya harus mempersiapkan diri untuk menghadapi tes TOEFL-nya saja, tapi juga harus tes antigen (kalau tes offline) serta memenuhi persyaratan teknis yang berlaku untuk tes secara daring. Karena saat tes antigen bisa jadi sobat harus mengantri, atau hasilnya bisa jadi positif, dan beberapa alasan lain yang ada kaitannya dengan protokol kesehatan, saya sarankan sobat jangan mengambil tes terlalu mepet dengan deadline pengumpulan berkas. Ini bertujuan untuk mengantisipasi kemungkinan terburuk, misal sobat positif Covid19 dan tidak bisa mengikuti tes (amit-amit jangan sampai terjadi seperti ini). Ini bukan berarti kita paranoid, tapi memang saat ini semua serba sulit dan repot jadi lebih baik kita mengambil langkah antisipasi, better safe than sorry.


Penutup

Nah, begitulah cerita saya tes TOEFL ITP baru-baru ini. Jika sobat freeschool ada pertanyaan, silahkan sampaikan melalui kolom komentar di bawah. Jika sobat memiliki saran yang bisa membantu saya meningkatkan kualitas serta kuantitas artikel blog ini, silahkan tulis di kolom komentar atau bisa langsung dm saya via email atau instagram. Akhir kata, in spite of all the chaos and anxiety resulted from the soul crushing pandemic, mari kita tetap jaga pikiran positif serta semangat untuk terus belajar dan menjadi pribadi yang lebih baik. Ciao 👋


Update Hasil Tes TOEFL ITP

Setelah menunggu selama 14 hari kerja, akhirnya hasil tes TOEFL ITP kemarin diumumkan. Saya cukup puas dengan hasil tes saya, toh saya memang mengambil tes untuk memenuhi syarat CPNS dengan minimal skor 500. Berikut sedikit preview hasil tesnya yang dikirim secara online, sertifikat versi cetaknya sepertinya akan jadi akhir bulan ini. Demi alasan keamanan saya tidak mengunggah keseluruhan sertifikat aslinya ya sobat, saya crop saja hasilnya perhitungan skor tiap section dan skor totalnya, so here we go:


Skor 653, kurang 24 poin lagi menuju perfect score 677 ):