TOEFL writing essay

 are many restaurants, with new ones to choose from all the time. New 
plays come to the theaters and new musicians come to the concert halls. 
Cities have a diversity of people that you don’t find in a small town. There are much 
fewer people in a small town and usually they are all alike. In a city you can find people 
from different countries, of different religions, of different races - you can find all kinds 
of people. This variety of people is what makes city life interesting. 
Life in a city is convenient, exciting, and interesting. After experiencing city life, I could 
never live in a small town again. 
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Essay No.7: 
"When people succeed, it is because of hare work. Luck has nothing to do with 
success." Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and 
examples to explain your position. 
When people succeed, it is because of hard work, but luck has a lot to do with it, too. 
Luck is often the final factor that turns years of working hard into success. Luck has 
helped people invent and discover things, it has helped people become famous, and it has 
helped people get jobs. 
Many people have discovered or invented things with the help of luck. Columbus worked 
hard for years to prepare for his trip around the world. Many thought be was crazy, but 
still he was able to get support for his endeavour. He worked hard to be able to make his 
trip to India, but it was because of luck that he actually found the Americas. 
Luck can help people become famous Consider movie stars. Many work bard to learn 
how to act. They take acting classes. They work at small, low-paying jobs in order to gain 
experience. Then one day a lucky actor may be given a certain part in a movie, and he 
gets noticed for it. Or he meets a movie director at the right time and place. Years of hard 
work bring him close to success, but hat one lucky chance finally helps him succeed. 
Because of luck, many people find jobs. A person may spend weeks writing and sending 
off resumes, looking at help wanted ads, and going on job interviews. But often it is 
because of luck that a job hunter meets the person who will give him or her a job or hears 
of an opportunity that isn’t advertised in the newspaper. Being in the right place at the 
right time often what gets a person a job, and that is all about luck. 
It is certainly difficult to be successful without hard work, but hard work also needs to be 
helped by a little luck. Luck has helped many people, both famous and ordinary, become 
successful. I think that luck and hard work go hand in hand. 
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Essay No.8: 
Many people visit museums when travel to new places. Who do think people visit 
museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 
People visit museums for a number of reasons. They visit museums travelling to new 
places because a museum tells them a lot about the culture of those places. They also go 
to museums to have fun. People also are usually interested in museums that feature 
unusual subjects. It’s impossible to get bored in a museum. 
When visiting someplace new, you find out about the culture of that place in many ways. 
The easiest way to learn about a culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums 
will show you the history of the place you’re visiting. They’ll show you what art the 
locals think is important. If there aren’t any museums, that tells you something, too. 
Museums are fun. Even if you’re not interested in art or history, there is always 
something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call "hands-on" 
exhibits. These exhibits have activities such as pushing a button to bear more about what 
you’re looking at, or creating your own work of art. Everyone, from child to adult, enjoys 
these hands-on activities in museums. 
People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance, in my 
hometown there’s a museum devoted to the potato. This museum has art made out of 
potatoes. It also tells the history of the potato, and sells unusual items such as potato 
dolls. People enjoy visiting this museum because it is so unusual. There is no other place 
like it. 
People everywhere like museums. They like learning about interesting and unusual 
things. No matter who are or you like, there is a museum that will amaze and interest you. 
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Essay No. 9: 
Some people think, they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others 
think that it is a always better to have teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific 
reasons to develop your essay. 
Most people can learn to do something simple on their own with just a set of instructions. 
However to learn about something more complex, it’s always best to have a teacher. 
Teachers help you find the way you learn best. They help you stay focused on what 
you’re learning. They provide you with a wider range of information than you might find 
on your own. In short, teachers provide you with a lot more support and knowledge than 
you can usually get yourself. 
Teachers can help students learn in the way that is best for each student because teachers 
understand that different people have different learning styles. For example, some 
students learn better by discussing a topic. Others learn more by writing about it. A 
teacher can help you follow your learning style, while a book can give you only one way 
of learning something. 
Teachers help you on what are learning. They can help keep you from becoming 
distracted. They can show you the most important points in a lesson that you have to 
understand. If you study on your own, it might be difficult to keep your attention on the 
material, or to know which parts are most important. 
Teachers bring their own knowledge and understanding of the topic to the lesson. A book 
presents you with certain information, and the teacher can add more. The teacher might 
also have a different point of view from the book, and can provide other sources of 
information and ideas, as well. 
There is nothing wrong with studying on your own. For the best possible learning, 
though, a teacher is the biggest help you can have. 
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Essay No.10: 
It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or 
disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay. 
I have to disagree that it is better for children to grow up in the countryside. In the 
countryside children have limited opportunities to see and learn about things. In the city, 
on the other hand, they are exposed to many different things. They see all kinds of 
different people everyday. They have opportunities to attend many cultural events. They 
see people working in different kinds of jobs and therefore can make better choices for 
their own future. Growing up in the city is definitely better. 
All different kinds of people live in the city, while in a small town in the country side 
people are often all the same. City people come from other parts of the country or even 
from other countries. They are of different races and religions. When children grow up in 
this situation, they have the opportunity to learn about and understand different kinds of 
people. This is an important part of their education. 
In the city, there are many opportunities to attend cultural events, whereas such 
opportunities are usually limited in the countryside. In the city there are movies and 
theatres, museums, zoos, and concerts. In the city children can attend cultural events 
every weekend, or even more often. This is also an important part of their education. 
People in the city work in different kinds of jobs, while in the countryside there isn’t 
often a variety of job opportunities. People in the city work at all different types and 
levels of professions, as well as in factories, in service jobs, they can choose from when 
they grow up. They have a greater possibility of choosing a career that they will enjoy 
and do well in. This is perhaps the most important part of their education. 
People usually move to the city because there are more opportunities there. Children who 
grow up in the city have these opportunities from the time they are small. They city is 
definitely a better place for children to grow up. 
Good luck and successes to you!!! 
Viet-Anh 
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Keys to the exercises:
I- 
Exercise 2.1: 
These are essentially the same: Topics a) and b). Topics b), d), e) and g). Topics h) and j) 
Exercise 3.1: 
a) Yes, I agree or No, I don't agree. 
b) Yes, or No. 
c) A lot, a little, partly. 
d) Yes, I agree or No, I don't agree or I partly agree. 
e) A lot, a little. 
It depends. (I agree, disagree). 
Exercise 4.1: 
a) main problems. You must argue that the problems you have chosen to discuss are 
more important than other problems, and show why. 
b) personal happiness. Your argument will depend on your definition of this concept. 
c) harm or good. Again, your argument will depend on how you define these concepts in 
terms of society. 
d) This topic should ideally be discussed without evaluation. Social scientists have tried 
to find "scientific" evidence for or against this. In practice, you can only draw 
conclusions from what you assume to be the case. 
e) equality of life. Again, it is only possible to discuss this topic by defining what you 
mean by this concept. 
f) too much. Stress is a term most people would understand in the same way. But how 
much is too much. 
II. 
Exercise 2.1 
a) 1 and 4 
b) 3 and 10 
c) 5 and 2 
d) 7 and 9 
e) 8 and 6 
Exercise 2.2 
1 - d); 2 - e); 3- a)