The following paragraph was originally written as a first day question; having subsequently found something better (and shorter) for a persuasive paragraph writing assignment, I decided that the question raised important issues for all students in the AEP program at AUA to think about, which is why it's here.
If you have already read my online
Explanation of AEP Grades, you will also have realized that in grading your written work I closely follow the Educational Testing Services (ETS) guidelines used to grade TOEFL exams (Filicietti, 2011; ETS, 2008, p. 46 – 47). Although neither AUA’s AEP course nor the
Quest series of textbooks are specifically TOEFL preparation courses, the highly similar goals of all three mean that there is a substantial overlap in skills, focus and methods. For example, the ETS explanation of goals tested in the Speaking section of the TOEFL exam notes that “in classrooms, students must: respond to questions, participate in academic discussions with other students, synthesize and summarize what they have read in their textbooks and heard in class, [and] express their views on topics under discussion” (2008, p. 16), all of which we do every day in our AEP reading and writing class. As you browse
TOEFL iBT Tips: How to Prepare for the TOEFL iBT, you will notice many useful suggestions for improving your ability to use English for academic purposes in speaking, listening, reading and writing (ETS, 2008). What is one thing that we should or should not do in our reading and writing class this term? Explain why we should or should not do that. You can propose or oppose an idea from TOEFL iBT Tips: How to Prepare for the TOEFL iBT or your own idea.
