VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ LIÊN

A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ LINGUISTIC DIFFICULTIES IN TOEFL IBT
ESSAY WRITING AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

(NGHIÊN CỨU NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VỀ MẶT NGÔN NGỮ CỦA HỌC SINH
KHI VIẾT BÀI LUẬN TOEFL IBT VÀ NHỮNG GIẢI PHÁP)
M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 6014.0111


M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 6014.0111
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hoàng Văn Vân
Hanoi, 2013
i

CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY OF THE THESIS

I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled:
“A study on students’ linguistic difficulties in TOEFL IBT essay writing and
suggested solutions”
in terms of Statement for thesis and Field Study Reports in Master’s Programs
Issued by the Higher Degree Committee.

Nguyễn Thị Liên

October, 2013

Finally, my thank is due to my family, and in particular my two younger
brothers, for their logistical and technical support.
Any remaining flaws concerning this research are merely mine.

iii

ABSTRACT

TOEFL IBT is becoming a prerequisite for students’ studying abroad in
recent years. How to get high scores on TOEFL IBT is a much-discussed topic
among test-takers and educators alike. Among four skills – speaking, listening,
reading, and writing, the last serves as the most challenging skill according to
many students. Composing a TOEFL IBT essay poses many difficulties for both
experienced and inexperienced learners.
The principal aim of this study, basing mainly on survey questionnaire and

Figure 7. Number of essays that learners compose per week
Figure 8. Learners’ linguistic difficulties in TOEFL IBT writing task 1
Figure 9. Correlation between learners’ levels and their possibilities of
encountering difficulties in taking notes, paraphrasing, and relating
points of reading to those of listening
Figure 10. Learners’ linguistic difficulties in TOEFL IBT writing task 2
Figure 11. Correlation between learners’ levels and their possibilities of
encountering difficulties with word choice, expression, and academic
vocabulary
Figure 12. Correlation between frequency in which learners compose essays per
week and their possibilities of encountering difficulties in brainstorming
ideas
Figure 13. Suggested solutions to improve learners’ TOEFL IBT essay writing v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements i
Abstract ii
List of figures iii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 1
2. Aims and research questions 2

1.3. Suggested solutions for improving students’ TOEFL IBT
essay writing 32
2. Findings 35
2.1. Research question 1 35
2.2. Research question 2 36
3. Implications 37
3.1. For students 37
3.2. For teachers 37
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
1. Summary of findings 39
2. Limitations 39
3. Suggestions for further research 40
REFERENCES 41
APPENDICES I
APPENDIX 1: TOEFL IBT WRITING QUESTION TYPES
APPENDIX 2: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION AND CONSENT
FORM
APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR STUDENTS 1

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1. Problem statement and rationale for the study
Globalization and economic booming open up a whole new world of
opportunities in education. According to ETS (Educational Testing service, the
world’s largest educational testing and assessment organization), TOEFL IBT

The present study is designed to address two following questions:
 What are linguistic problems encountered by EQuest learners in TOEFL
IBT writing essay?
 What should be done to improve EQuest learners’ TOEFL IBT writing
skill?
3. Significane of the study
The present study is the author’s great endeavor in investigating learners’
major headaches in TOEFL IBT essay writing and ways to eradicate them. This is
hoped to offer both teachers and learners substantial benefits in teaching and
preparing for the TOEFL IBT test. Students will directly benefit from this study in
a sense that they will be aware of major challenges posed by TOEFL IBT writing
essay, hence will know their ways to avoid or beat off them. As for teachers, by
being able to anitipate some awakwardness in their students’ writing, they can
adjust their teaching methods appropriatetly according to students’ competence,
preferences, and expectations to better help ungrade their students’ writing levels.
Moreover, personal boon is also accounted. My main job is teaching
TOEFL IBT for those who want to study overseas. Hopefully, this study would
somehow help me in teaching my students in the right way. This research is also
expectedly a beneficial reference source to teachers working in the same field
feeling the same concern.
4. Scope of the study
Because of constrained time and limited knowledge, this study only deals with
two following issues:
 Linguistic problems encountered by EQuest learners in TOEFL IBT writing
essay.
3

 Things should be done to improve EQuest learners’ TOEFL IBT Writing
skill.
5. Organization

1.1 Definition of writing
Writing has been defined by a number of scholars. Byrne (1988) notes that
writing is “the act of forming graphic symbols” such as letters or combination of
letters. In this sense, any act of writing producing letters can be viewed as writing.
On the contrary, towards the same issue, Tribble (1996) holds a different opinion
that writing is “not just a graphic representation of speech, but the development
and presentation of thoughts in a structured way”. In other words, writing
involves letter processing and at the same time conveys meaningful messages.
This view is backed up by Lannon (1989) when this author claims that writing is
“a process of transforming the material discovered by research inspiration,
accidents, trial and error, or whatever into a message with a definite meaning”.
On the other hand, Sokolik (2003) views academic writing as “a process
and a product. Writers have to generate ideas, organize, draft, edit, read, reread to
produce a product – a paragraph, an essay, or a report”. It is Soholik’s idea that is
accepted in this study.
1.2. Approaches to teaching writing
There are many ways to approach writing; however, product and process
approaches are the two most popular ones.
The product approach focuses on learners’ final outcome of the writing
process. According to Clenton (2004) and Steele (2002), a typical product
approach has four stages. In stage 1, learners study a model text, analyze it and
imitate its traits. In stage 2, students start their controlled practice of the
highlighted features individually. In stage 3, students work in group to organize
ideas. Then comes stage four in which students are allowed to choose from a wide
range of writing tasks to write about basing on what they have been taught to
produce the final product.
5

On the other hand, the process approach emphasizes students’
communication of ideas, feelings, and experience (Stanley, 2002) with teachers’

- Introduction: the introduction ends with a thesis
statement
- Body:
+ Each paragraph of the body discusses a new point
and begins with a clear topic sentence.
+ Each paragraph has a specific supporting material:
facts, examples, quotations, paraphrased or
summarized information, etc.
+ Each paragraph has unity.
+ Each paragraph has coherence.
+ Transitions are used to link paragraphs.
- Conclusion: the conclusion summarizes the main points
or paraphrases the thesis statement, begins with a
conclusion signal, and leaves the reader with the
writer’s final thoughts on the topic.
2. TOEFL IBT test
2.1. Insight into TOEFL IBT test
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is an examination
operated by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This is a proficiency test
measuring nonnative learners’ English competence. TOEFL scores are
compulsory for admission into many English speaking colleges, universities,
institutions, and a large number of other agencies in the world, especially United
State.
TOEFL test was coined in 1963 by the National Council on the Testing of
English as a Foreign Language. According to the document “Test and Score
Summary for TOEFL Internet Based Test: September 2005-December 2006 Test
7

Data” published by ETS in 2007, the TOEFL test was co-administered by ETS
and the College Board in 1965. It is now an international trade name of ETS.

Time
Words
Task 1: Integrated
20 minutes
150-225
Task 2: Independent
30 minutes
300

In the integrated task, the test takers first have three minutes to read and
take notes on a 250─300 word academic passage which usually has three main
points. After reading the passage, the test takers have another two or three minutes
to listen to the listening passage about the same topic either challenging or
supporting the points made in the reading text. The candidates are required to take
detailed notes on the lecture heard. After all, when composing an integrated essay,
the candidates must summarize the main points of the listening passage, then show
how these pointes reinforce or cast doubt on the reading.
Students have 20 minutes to finalize the integrated writing task. The typical
length of one integrated task ranges from 150 words to 225 words.
There are three main question types of TOEFL IBT integrated task:
challenging, supporting, as well as problem and solution. (for more information,
see Appendix 1).
In the independent task, TOEFL IBT candidates are asked to state their
opinions on a particular topic, then use reasons, details, and examples to back up
their points of view. Students have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise their
essays. Normally, an effective independent essay contains at least 300 words.
There are four sub-types of independent writing question, namely
agreement, preference, details, and assumption. (for more information, see
Appendix 1).
TOEFL IBT is an internet-based test; therefore candidates have to type their

presenting this information in relation to the relevant information
presented in the reading, but it may have minor omission, inaccuracy,
vagueness, or imprecision of some content from the lecture or in
connection to points made in the reading. A response is also scored at
this level if it has more frequent or noticeable minor language errors,
as long as such usage and grammatical structures do not result in
anything more than an occasional lapse of clarity or in the connection
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of ideas
3
A response at this level may contain some important information from
the lecture and conveys some relevant connection to the reading, but it
is marked by one or more of the following:
 Although the overall response is definitely oriented to the task,
it conveys only vague, global, unclear, or somewhat imprecise
connection of the points made in the lecture to points made in
the reading.
 The response may omit one major key point made in the
lecture.
 Some key points made in the lecture or the reading, or
connections between the two, may be incomplete, inaccurate,
or imprecise.
 Errors of usage and/ or grammar may be more frequent or may
result in noticeably vague expressions or obscured meanings in
conveying ideas and connections.
2
A response at this level contains some relevant information from the
lecture, but it is marked by significant language difficulties or by
significant omission or inaccuracy of important ideas from the lecture

 Effectively addresses the topic and task
 Is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate
explanations, exemplification, and/ or details
 Displays unity, progression, and coherence
 Displays consistent facility in the use of language,
demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and
idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical
errors
4
An essay at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
 Address the topic and task well, though some points may not be
fully elaborated
 Is generally well organized and well developed, using
appropriate and sufficient explanations, exemplifications, and/
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or details
 Displays unity, progression, and coherence, though it may
contain occasional redundancy, digression, or unclear
connections.
 Displays facility in the use of language, demonstrating
syntactic variety and range of vocabulary, though it will
probably have occasional noticeable minor errors in structure,
word forms, or use of idiomatic language that do not interfere
with meaning
3
An essay at this level is marked by one or more of the following:
 Addresses the topic and task using somewhat developed
explanations, exemplifications, and/ or details
 Displays unity, progression, and coherence, though connection


ETS, retrieved 2004, from

2.2.2.2 Scoring rubrics
The total score for the writing section of TOEFL IBT is 30 (out of 120).
Each writing task is worth maximum of five points. The average of points earned
from two tasks is finally converted into a scale score of 0-30.
Converting rubric scores to scales scores
Writing rubric mean
Scaled score
5.00
30
4.75
29
4.50
28
4.25
27
4.00
25
3.75
24
3.50
22
3.25
21
3.00
20
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students at National Economics University (NEU), their difficulties in paragraph
writing, causes of these common errors, and effective strategies for teaching
writing paragraphs. The results of the study indicated that all students partaking in
the study have positive attitudes towards their paragraph writing course. Lan, B.P
(2007, p.35) revealed that even though the NEU students have studied English for
a long time, more than 10 years, their writing skills are very poor. They often
commit many mistakes in writing concerning organization, content, and most
seriously use of language. Another important finding of the study was students’
preference for teaching writing methodology. Most of them prefer the teacher’s
provision of language knowledge, explanations of sample paragraphs, and group
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discussion to self-studying through reading materials. However, the research failed
to explicitly explain causes of students’ committing errors in paragraph writing.
The second (Hoa, N.T, 2008) sought to find out students and teachers’
difficulties in learning and teaching writing the textbook “Writing 1” at Hung
Vuong university and ways to sort out those problems. The findings suggested that
students’ typical difficulties in learning writing with the textbook “Writing 1” are
lack of vocabulary, lack of cultural knowledge, first language interference, and
poor grammar. Teachers who were directly teaching writing using that textbook
also face numerous troubles such as the textbook itself, repetition of teaching
techniques in every class, ways to correct students’ errors, shortage of writing
reference materials, and lack of teaching aids. Accordingly, some suggested
solutions are put forward: organizing writing workshop, distributing diagnostic
test to students, equipping students with some knowledge of contrast between
English and Vietnamese, employing diverse error correction techniques.
The third (Asaoka & Usui, 2003), a longitudinal study, investigated kinds
of problems encountered by students while they completed their writing
assignments as well as the ways they handle the problems in an English for
Academic Purposes (EAP) program at a Japanese university. The kinds of

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CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY
1. Context of the study
The present study is conducted at EQuest, an English center with ten-year
experience in providing educational services such as GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL,
IELTS, and TOEIC. Among various courses at EQuest, the new generation
TOEFL, (TOEFL IBT) preparation courses often attract high school students in
Hanoi who yearn to study abroad. In order to take part in the TOEFL IBT courses,
students have to take a placement test. If they get 60-74 points out of 120 points,
they will be entitled to enroll TOEFL A course. If they earn more than 74 points
out of 120 points, they will get a chance to study in TOEFL B classes.
Each TOEFL IBT course lasts about 3 months, 3 sessions a week, and 2
hours a lesson. Studying materials are in-house ones compiled by EQuest
instructors and edited regularly to fit the learning situation. During each course,
students are required to take regular progress tests in order to mark their skill
improvement.
The primary goal of TOEFL IBT courses is to help learners to earn high