在我的教學經驗裡，寫作最容易遇到的瓶頸就是離題，導致難以達到理想成績，希望以下分享可以幫助大家切題得高分。
這週教學生時，我們處理了以下兩題：
題目1. A/D: The rapid growth of cities today is a mostly positive development for our society.
題目2. Which of the following classes should all high school students take? Cook/Financial management/ Car repair
首先，遇到題目時，一定要先仔細審題、觀察核心。
以題目1來說，這題對多數同學來說應該非常抽象，故將此題目歸類為難題；同學往往無法在第一時間留意到「需要清楚定義 the rapid growth of cities today」。同時，也因為此題目的核心討論不針對「個人(考生)的立場」思考，而要求用「社會大眾的立場」思考，題目就變得較為晦澀。
然而，一旦定義清楚何謂「the rapid growth of cities today」，此題便能迎刃而解。如果我們問“How do cities grow today, in a rapid way?”，同學很容易會想像到城市的發展包含「公共建設的成立、人口的增長、環境的污染、交通運輸系統的建造」等。剩下我們要解決的，只有：對於「社會大眾」而言，此些發展到底是否為正面(positive)的發展呢？便能夠推出我們對於題目的立場，並以此思考方向緊扣「題目情境」對「題目對象」的影響。
透過討論，我們理解到：「審題」很重要。在步驟上，同學更應先「觀察題目」，並圈出題目裡的所有核心，思考句子到底在問什麼，再開始作答。如果只是看到了rapid growth of cities today, 就開始寫文章，便很容易在還不清楚該如何論述的情況下，就開始論述。這樣的論述很危險，因為往往打不回題目詢問的重點，就變得雞同鴨講了。
比較以下兩段論述：
1.
First, the rapid growth of cities today are positive for the society. Train lines are built, which gives people a more convenient life. People arrive to destinations faster, something unimaginable 20 years ago. Also, people’s lives become much more convenient because they live life in a faster pace. Around, there are a lot of night markets still open until midnight, and when people are tired, they can buy themselves a snack before going home. This makes life convenient as has never before.
2.
First, the rapid growth of transportation systems in cities today benefits people by offering them more convenience. Train lines are built, helping people arrive to destinations faster than ever. This certainly benefits people. In the past, people had to take at least three times more the time to get to any place. My country people, for instance, 60 years ago, would had found it hard to imagine traveling from the west of Taipei to the east. In contrast, today it shocks us to know how much time would have gone wasted traveling in those days. Transportation systems help save time; because of this, we delight ourselves in traveling, taking pleasure in sweet, little journeys. Needless to say, the rapid growth of cities offers us great convenience.
第一種申論方式就是未先行思考過「如何定義城市的急速成長」所寫出的段落。雖然一開始段落並未離題，卻因為沒有事先思考過題目所包含的畫面感，而只是以「城市概括的樣子」去做想像，致在中段便開始失焦離題。
但，只要定義清楚「城市的急速成長＝交通建設的急速成長」，論述基準也更有力，不會偏離題目核心。What does the question mean by “the rapid growth of cities”? By defining it first, people get to clarify their speeches clearer.
那麼，第二題又該如何解題、題目裡又有哪裡必須先定義呢？同學請先自己試試吧！
其實，托福的作文是由許多的激辯及畫面而來，它可以饒富趣味，非常生活。值得思考的是，我們如何用清楚的邏輯及語表能力呈現心中的想法又不離題呢？下筆寫作，就已是一種進步，祝福大家享受寫作的過程，也享有努力練習寫作的成果！
