Unit 22

Writing • Integrated Writing Task 1 – Problem-Solution Questions

Unit Focus
1. Write the following paragraph on the board (or on a handout) for students to read.
In A. __________ the writing section B. __________ the TOEFL Test you will have two tasks.
Task 1 is called C. __________ integrated writing task. There are three types of Task 1 questions
that all require D. __________ slightly different response. E. __________ Problem-Solution
questions, you will need to explain how a lecture gives solutions F. __________ problems G.
__________ answers to questions mentioned H. __________ a reading passage.
2. Have students work with a partner to decide which word is missing from each blank, A to H. The
missing word is either a preposition, an article, or a conjunction. Allow them some time to
discuss. Then have students read the first paragraph in the Unit Focus section to check their
answers.
Answers: A. In | B. of | C. the | D. a | E. For | F. to | G. or | H. in
3. Draw students’ attention to the vocabulary focus of the unit. Elicit from students any words and
phrases they know that are related to the environment. Write these on the board.

Teaching Note
The Unit Focus section mentions that there are three types of Writing Task 1 questions in the TOEFL
Test, including Problem-Solution questions. This information, including the names for the question
types, is not widely mentioned in other books, so students may not be familiar with it. If students
have questions, you can explain that these types were recognized after analyzing dozens of official
TOEFL questions published by ETS.

A Warm-up
Exercise A1
1. Have students do the task as outlined in the book. While they are making their lists and
discussing with a partner, provide individual support and error correction. Then call on individual
students to share their lists of problems and solutions. Provide feedback after each response.
2. As an extension or alternative activity, you could have students deliver their responses in the style
of answers to Speaking Task 5 questions (see unit 19).

B Academic Vocabulary
Exercise B1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Then take up and explain the answers.
Answers: 1. A H | 2. B E | 3. D C | 4. F G

Extension Activity
This extension activity is designed to help students better understand and use the vocabulary items
from exercise B1.
1. Write the following questions on the board (or on a handout) for students to read.
A. In many countries, the number of people who work in agriculture has decreased significantly
in the past 50 years. What are some reasons for this?
B. What are some alternatives to fossil fuels that you know about?
C. What do you feel is the most serious source of pollution these days?
D. Many species of animals have declining populations. What can humans do about this
problem?
E. Think of some outdoor activities you like to do. What is the ideal temperature for each
activity? Why?
F. List some of the most important ways that humans use vegetation like plants and trees.
G. What is one important waterway that you know about? Why is it so important?
H. Why do you think some species of wildlife, such as giant pandas, are, in general, more
popular than other species, such as crocodiles?
2. Give students some time to read questions A to H and ask about anything they do not
understand. Ask students to get into a small group with two or three other students and discuss
the questions they find most interesting.
3. Allow them some time to discuss their ideas. While they are discussing, give feedback and
suggestions to each group.
4. Call on individual students to share the ideas they discussed for various questions. After each
response, encourage discussion and alternative ideas. Then give some constructive criticism.

C Analyzing Writing Task 1 – Problem-Solution Questions

1. Have students read the information about Writing Task 1 Problem-Solution questions and ask you
if there is anything they do not understand.

Test Tactic – page 245

1. Read the information in the Test Tactic aloud while students follow and ask questions if there is
something they do not understand.

Test Note
Based on an analysis of dozens of official TOEFL questions published by ETS, Challenge questions are
about nine times more common than Problem-Solution questions. As a result, if students are uncertain
whether a particular Writing Task 1 question is a Problem-Solution question or a Challenge question, it
is probably the latter.

Exercise C1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Then take up and explain the answers.
Answers: 1. Problem-Solution | 2. Challenge | 3. Challenge | 4. Problem-Solution | 5. Problem-
Solution
D Mastering Writing Task 1 – Reading the Passage
Exercise D1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Then take up and explain the answers.
Answers: 1. The following information is unnecessary: “UHIE caused by city construction
materials trapping heat” | 2. The following abbreviations are used in the notes: UHIE – “urban
heat island effect” / environm – “environment” / elec – “electricity” / $ – “cost” / pollut –
“pollution” / etc. – “and so on” / temp – “temperature” / + – “and”

Exercise D2
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. The notes that students take will vary, of
course, but try to offer individual guidance and feedback. Some suggested notes are given below.
Suggested notes: MV (main view) – lions are endangered and may go extinct | P1 (first point) –
one cause = hunting by wealthy foreign tourists | P2 – also habitat loss because of humans living
and farming | P3 – also reduced genetic diversity = “population bottleneck”

Test Tactic – page 247

1. Read the information in the Test Tactic aloud while students follow and ask questions if there is
something they do not understand.

E Mastering Writing Task 1 – Listening to the Lecture

Exercise E1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Then take up and explain the answers.
Answers: Strategy 1 – Speaker B | Strategy 2 – Speaker C | Strategy 3 – Speaker A

Exercise E2
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Then take up and explain the answers.
Answers: 1. B | 2. D | 3. A

Exercise E3
1. The notes that students take will vary, of course, but try to offer individual guidance and
feedback. Some suggested notes are given below.
Suggested notes: MV (main view) – pessimistic view that lions in danger / humans can take
simple actions to solve problem | P1 (first point) – make lions endangered species in countries
where tourists come from / ban import of trophies like lion skins | P2 – habitat loss more difficult
problem / but if national parks remain then habitat loss never too serious | P3 – loss of genetic
diversity improved by moving female lions with cubs to new region / this improves effects of
popul bottleneck
F Mastering Writing Task 1 – Writing an Effective Response
Exercise F1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Make sure they understand that they only
have to replace three phrases in the model response and that it does not matter which order they
put the replacement phrases in.
Answers (suggested): challenges the reading → addresses issues in the reading | casts doubt
on the reading → answers questions in the reading | contradicts the reading → takes up points in
the reading

Exercise F2
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. While students are writing, provide
individual support and feedback. When students have finished writing, go through their responses
as a group. Fix and explain errors, of course, but also focus on good sentences and explain why
they are good.
Answers (suggested): 1. the urban heat island effect results in people using more electricity,
which costs money and causes pollution. | 2. painting roofs a lighter color can also reduce the
effect. | 3. the urban heat island effect raises the temperature of nearby rivers and streams,
which can harm local wildlife. | 4. green roofs are beneficial because they soak up water before it
gets into rivers and streams. | 5. the urban heat island effect means heat waves have a more
dangerous impact because they are hotter and last longer. | 6. reducing temperatures in urban
areas reduces the danger of heat waves for humans.

Exercise F3
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. While students are writing, provide
individual support and feedback. When students have finished writing, go through their responses
as a group if possible. Fix and explain errors, of course, but also focus on good sentences and
explain why they are good.
Suggested response:
Both sources discuss the potential decline of lion populations in Africa. This piece of writing will
summarize how the points that the writer discusses are addressed by the speaker.
The writer first claims that one cause of the decline in lion populations is hunting by wealthy
foreign tourists. The speaker states that making lions an endangered species in countries from
which the hunters come would help. He goes on to state that banning the import of trophies
would reduce the amount of hunting of lions. This is one way that the lecture address issues from
the reading.
The writer next says that lion populations are decreasing because humans are taking over their
habitat. The speaker argues that there are many national parks where lions and other animals are
protected. He continues by arguing that habitat loss may take place outside these national parks
 but it will never be too bad because the national parks exist. This is another way that the lecture
answers questions in the reading.
The writer then asserts that the number of lions is going down because of a population
bottleneck. The speaker makes the point that conservationists can move female lions to new
areas. He then points out that this will reduce the effects of a population bottleneck and allow
lions to survive rather than go extinct. This is the final way that the lecture takes up points in the
reading.

Test Tactic – page 249

1. Call on a student to read the information in the Test Tactic aloud while other students follow and
ask questions if there is something they do not understand.
2. Make sure students understand which sentences they should omit from their answer: the third
sentence in each body paragraph (i.e., “She goes on to …” / “He continues by …” / “She then
…”).
3. Emphasize to students that this shorter response may get a good score but it is very unlikely to
get a perfect score. Encourage them to come up with alternative ways to save time, such as
learning to type more quickly, or using copy and paste to save time when typing repeated
phrases. (The Test Tactic on page 250 gives a more advanced copy and paste suggestion.)

G Mastering Writing Task 1 – Avoiding Common Problems

Exercise G1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. Allow them some time to work with their
partner before taking up and explaining the answers.
Answers: 1. The words “small system” should be replaced by “large system.” | 2. The words
“after they are released” should be replaced by “before they are released.” | 3. The words “costs
more than” should be replaced by “costs the same as.” The words “buy organic food from grocery
stores” should be replaced by “buy organic food from farmer’s markets.” And the words “cheaper
than at farmer’s markets” should be replaced by “cheaper than at grocery stores.”

Test Tactic – page 250

1. Call on a student to read the information in the Test Tactic aloud while other students follow and
ask questions if there is something they do not understand.
2. Make sure students understand exactly what the Test Tactic is suggesting. In the case of
Problem-solution questions, they would first type out the model outline paragraph for body
paragraph one. Then they would copy this whole paragraph and paste it twice to make body
paragraphs two and three. Then they would change some of the words in body paragraphs two
and three to match the model outline that they have learned.
3. Emphasize that if students use this method, they will probably save a fair bit of time. And even if
they forget to change one or two phrases in body paragraphs two and three, this is unlikely to
affect their score significantly.
H Test Challenge
Exercise H1
1. Have students do the exercise as outlined in the book. If possible, make the task authentic by
having them type their answers. Make sure they spend no more than 3 minutes reading the
passage and 20 minutes writing their responses. When students have finished writing, give
feedback and support. Try to give suggestions for how each student could raise his or her score.
Suggested response:
Both sources discuss the issue of food waste. This piece of writing will summarize how the points
that the writer discusses are addressed by the speaker.
The writer first claims that one cause of food waste is that agricultural producers simply produce
too much food and the excess food is wasted. The speaker states that the issue of overproduction
could easily be solved if food producers communicated more effectively with each other. He goes
on to state that farms could easily trade unwanted crops to each other or sell it as animal food.
This is one way that the lecture addresses issues from the reading.
The writer next says that supermarkets cause food waste because they can only sell food that
meets strict standards for color, shape, and so on. The speaker argues that surveys suggest that
many customers care more about price and taste than about how food looks. He continues by
arguing that supermarkets should sell food that does not look good at a cheaper price. This is
another way that the lecture answers questions in the reading.
The writer then asserts that food is processed before it is sold in many countries, which leads to
loss and waste. The speaker makes the point that it would be easy to develop methods of
processing that reduce the amount of waste. He then points out that this would be expensive in
the short term but would save money in the long term. This is the final way that the lecture takes
up points in the reading.

Extension Activity
This extension activity is designed to get students to reflect on their performance and think about how
they can improve in the future. This kind of self-criticism is often helpful in giving students insights
into what they can do better.
1. Write the following questions on the board (or prepare them on a handout). Ask students to think
about each question and then discuss their ideas with one or two partners.
A. Were you satisfied with your response? Why or why not? How could you improve?
B. Highlight or underline the model phrases that you used in your response to exercise H1.
C. Carefully compare the model phrases in your sentences to the response in exercise F3.
D. For every mistake that you made in one of your model phrases, rewrite the whole sentence
three times. So, for example, if you made two mistakes in one sentence from the model
response, rewrite that whole sentence six times.

Next Steps
1. Call on two or three students to read the information in the Next Steps section aloud while other
students follow and ask questions if there are any words or phrases that they do not understand.
2. For the information about expressions related to society, do the activity in class with a previously
prepared article. This will help students understand how to do the activity and its value.
3. For the key skills for Writing Task 1 questions, do the suggested activity in class with a short
lecture from the Internet (or from one of the listening units in the book). Total up students’
scores and encourage them to try and score better next time.
4. Assign both of the activities in the Next Steps section for homework. Encourage students either to
bring you their homework for checking or to keep a homework diary that you can review
regularly.