導語：托福考試寫作部分的第一個任務是“Integrated Task”即綜合寫作，大部分學生對於如何應對綜合寫作缺乏相關的知識和經驗，很大程度依賴於教師的指導，其中一個重要的方面就是如何安排文章的結構。對此，ETS並沒有給出詳細的官方建議，只是在ETS公開的綜合寫作評分標準中，給出了5分(即滿分)作文的定義如下：
A response at this level successfully selects the important information from the lecture and coherently and accurately presents this information in relation to the relevant information presented in the reading. The response is well organized, and occasional language errors that are present do not result in inaccurate or imprecise presentation of content or connections.
可以看出，ETS並沒有規定一篇綜合寫作應該使用某種固定的結構模式，而只是從資訊點的準確提煉，資訊組織的條理性和語言的準確性這幾個角度定義了一篇滿分作文。然而實踐中，這樣的指導性建議太為籠統。學生還是期望教師能夠給出一種易於理解的，安全有效的且操作性強的結構，在考試時依照這個結構構建文章的主體，並以此為基礎填充細節，從而快速高效地完成作文。
朗閣海外考試研究中心的老師經過一段時間的教學，總結出兩種適合新託福綜合寫作的結構安排，為了形象理解，稱為“點對點”型和“面對面”型的結構，本文就將對這兩種結構進行分析和比較。
一、“點對點”的結構
“點對點”的結構指的是把綜合寫作中的閱讀材料和聽力材料的每一個對應點都單獨提煉出來用一個段落加以闡述。這種結構的優點是可以把閱讀文章和聽力材料的對應關係更細緻地進行說明，使文章層次感強，同時反映出考生提煉資訊和對比資訊的能力更高。比如下面的一篇範文就是ETS給出的滿分作文，是一篇典型的“點對點”型的.結構安排方式。
可以看出，“點對點”和“面對面”的結構有各自的特點，但總得來說“點對點”的結構在“對比型”的新託福綜合寫作中要更適用一些，因為它能把矛盾點逐一呈現，更細緻地體現了聽力和閱讀材料之間的關係。但掌握“面對面”的結構也很有必要，因為它可以適用一些聽力和閱讀材料之間的關係是一致、延伸或解釋型的考題。此外，在考生無法尋找到所有的對應點時，用“面對面”的結構也算是一種補救措施。
附：託福綜合寫作sample answer 兩篇，針對的是同一個考題，第一篇用的是“點對點”結構，第二篇用的是“面對面”的結構。
Sample answer 1
Urban sprawl is defined as the growth of cities in an unplanned manner, spreading outward rather than upward. Although urban sprawl brings some positive influence to our lives such as new homes and businesses, better schools, less noise and crime, etc., many people, especially environmental campaigners, see it as harmful to human life and the nature, as it robs people of nature, wiping out parks and farmland, and also brings traffic congestion to roads linking cities and suburbs.
The New Urbanism movement is designed to address urban sprawl, and communities such as Celebration in Florida, which is constructed applying New Urbanism principals, have proved very effective in solving this problem. The first principle of New Urbanism is to provide effective transportation system and environmental protection. To achieve this, the town of Celebration has a large area of greenbelt dedicated to wildlife preservation. It also has buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. New Urbanism’s second principle is to provide housing and jobs that are close together. This is reflected in Celebration’s office and apartment buildings which are all densely constructed in a small area to avoid sprawling. Finally, New Urbanism requires neighborhoods to have both single and multi-family residences, and this is exactly what can be seen in the town of Celebration, where residents live close together and find it easy to socialize.
Urban sprawl is low-density, outward growth and mostly single-family residences. Its negative effects are robbing us of our nature and having us meeting traffic jams between cities and suburbs, while its positive effects are providing home construction, new business and better schools, making less noise and causing less crime.
Sample Answer 2
New urbanism has emerged to solve the problem of urban sprawl. Regions have to create transportation systems and environmental protection; Cities need to offer housing and jobs that are close together; Neighborhoods should have single- and multi-family housing where residence can walk to stores, public transportation and parks.
Take the community of Celebration for example. It meets the goal of social and civic interaction by setting up a central market street district and housing including single- and multi-family residences. It also meets the goal of environment preservation with its good environmentally-friendly town design, and with high-rise offices and apartment buildings which help reduce the population density.
New urbanism like celebration will bring new changes to urban sprawl.
