Learning about the past has no value for those of us living in the present. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. (Full Score)

Learning about the past has no value for those of us living in the present. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. (Full Score)

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I am not sure that it is even possible to completely separate the past from the present. Everything that happens now began in the past. The idea of a person without a past is almost like the ‘tabula rasa’ theory that says children are born with minds like a blank slate. If we think that is true, which I do not, then we might also think it is possible to live in the present without any connection to the past. In truth, these ideas are not very logical and so I would disagree with the statement that knowing about the past is irrelevant for those who live in the present.

All of the events that happened in the past are called history. Some people think that because there are many opposing viewpoints that it is not worth trying to find out what really happened in the past. There are many different opinions and so it is better to just read a textbook to find out. That at least is what many other people believe. In fact, I used to believe it myself until just a few years ago.

I study history at the university in my city and for me it is very important to know the truth. If people don’t know what happened before they might be confused about why things happen in present times. Also, it is easier for bad ideas to spread if people don’t know about their own history. It can help to organize the people to prevent bad changes in the government. Lastly, it is much easier to research nowadays because of the internet. Students can learn about the past and decide for themselves if they study a lot of history.

[286 words]

Notes:

1. All of the prompts are from former TOEFL exams.
2. The information available online, i.e., Google search results, is either misleading or wrong relative to length: [an organization] states independent essays should be between 280-320 words. More words than needed is equivalent to more opportunities to make a mistake. Students should be informed re: word count, i.e., MORE WORDS does not mean a higher score.
3. Information concerning paragraphs/content available from [a TOEFL training school], etc. is also wrong: the number of paragraphs is irrelevant and the only important issue re: content is to RESPOND DIRECTLY to the prompt, i.e., the raters/software doesn’t care about structure or content except the latter must Make sense and Must directly respond to the prompt [to preclude prepared essays].
4. UK usage/spelling is entirely acceptable.
5. AVOID complex grammar; avoid ‘Chinese English’ usage; 5 tenses: present, past, future, present perfect [have done/has been], and conditional [would go/could do it] are OPTIMAL.
6. Don’t rewrite the prompt in the first paragraph of your essay…it’s okay to paraphrase [use words that mean the same thing].
7. Recent TOEFL change…students found test takes too long, so there are fewer multiple-choice questions, i.e., essays are now more heavily ‘weighted’]