En este segundo artículo se identifican y analizan otros tipos de errores cometidos por hispanohablantes en la sección de Writing del TOEFL iBT®.
This second article provides a further analysis of some common content and form errors found in the Independent Writing section of the TOEFL iBT®.
For the sample text that we will be analyzing, the prompt is:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
“The most current information is found on the Internet”
Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.
Let’s start with the introductory paragraph:
In my opinion, the most current infromation is found on the internet. In fact, I think that
1 2
pratically everything can be found on the internet. Even if you look for recent
3 4 5
information or old information, there are a lot of webs where you can find the right information.
| Problem number | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spelling mistake. The correct word is “information.” Not serious by itself, but too many spelling errors can be penalized. |
| 2 | “Internet” should be capitalized. |
| 3 | Spelling mistake. The correct word is “practically.” |
| 4 | Same capitalization issue as in (2). |
| 5 | Word choice issue. Use “whether” instead of “if.” Example: “whether the information is recent or old.” |
Let’s move on to the second paragraph:
For example, if you are looking for general information of any topic, as an book, you can
1 2 3
look on many website, like “Wikipedia,” which is a web page where everyone can post
4 5 6
contrasted information to add mor details on any research study.
7 8 9
| Problem number | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 1 | The paragraph lacks a clear topic sentence stating the reason behind the example. Add one for clarity. |
| 2 | Wrong preposition. Use “on” → “information on any topic.” |
| 3 | Incorrect article: should be “a book,” not “an.” |
| 4 | Use the phrasal verb “look up” + object. Correct: “look up information in…” |
| 5 | “Many” is used with plural nouns: should be “many websites.” |
| 6 | Use “such as” instead of “like” for giving examples. |
| 7 | The idea is unclear, possibly due to translation from Spanish. |
| 8 | Spelling mistake: “mor” → “more.” |
| 9 | Wrong preposition: say “add details to something.” |
The third paragraph is the following:
Nowadays, everything you can find in a library or other places or mass media it’s upload on
1 2 3 4 5
the internet. If you are looking for actual news, all the newspapers have
6 7 8
a websites where they upload the latest information. For example, the “Daily News” or
9
the “Santa Fe Post” have both of them websites with recent and older news.
10
| Problem number | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 1 | The paragraph should begin with a connector like: “Another reason is that…” |
| 2 | Avoid categorical claims. Better: “almost everything…” |
| 3 | The phrase is vague and too general. Try to be more specific. |
| 4 | “It’s” is incorrect here. Only the verb “is” is needed. |
| 5 | Passive voice mistake. Correct form: “uploaded.” |
| 6 | “Internet” should be capitalized. |
| 7 | False cognate. Use “current news,” not “actual news.” |
| 8 | Soften generalizations. Use “many newspapers.” |
| 9 | “Websites” is plural, so omit “a.” |
| 10 | Awkward sentence structure. Better: “For example, both The Daily News and The Santa Fe Post have websites with recent and older news.” |
