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新托福考試寫作部分的第一個任務是“Integrated Task”即綜合寫作，它是一種全新的題型，大部分學生對于如何應對綜合寫作缺乏相關的知識和經驗，很大程度依賴于教師的指導，其中一個重要的方面就是如何安排文章的結構。對此，ETS并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并沒有規定一篇綜合寫作應該使用某種固定的結構模式，而只是從信息點的準確提煉，信息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于理解的，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，并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，總結出兩種適合新托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系更細致地進行說明，使文章層次感強，同時反映出考生提煉信息和對比信息的能力更高。比如下面的一篇范文就是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。
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Introduction —Relationship between reading and lecture
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The lecturer talks about research conducted by a firm that used the group to handle their work. He says that the theory stated in the passage was very different and somewhat inaccurate when compared to what happened in reality.
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First Point of Contrast
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First, some members got free rides. That is, some didn’t work hard but got recognition for the success nonetheless. This also indicates that people who hard were not given recognition they should have gotten. In other words, weren’t given the opportunity to “shine”. This directly contradicts what the passage indicates.
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Second Point of Contrast
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Second, groups were slow in progress. The passage says that groups are more responsive than individuals because of the number of people involved and aggregated resources. However, the speaker talks about how the firm found that groups were slower than individuals in decision making. Groups needed time for meetings, which are necessary procedures in decision making. This is another place where experience contradicted theory.
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Third Point of Contrast
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Third, influential people might emerge and lead the group towards glory If the influent people are going in the right direction there would be no problem. But in cases where they go in the wrong direction, there is nobody that has influence to counter the decision made. In other words, the group might turn dictatorship, with the influential party as the leader, and might become less in its thinking. They might become one-sided, and thus fail to succeed.
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二、 “面對面”的結構
“點對點”的結構指是最理想的結構安排模式，但有時候考生并不能準確地尋找到閱讀和聽力材料之間的對應點。這有可能是因為閱讀和聽力材料之間的對應點本身就不是很明顯，或者由于考生自身的能力問題，沒有完全聽懂或看懂，則要寫成“點對點”的結構安排模式，難度會比較大。遇到這種情況，朗閣海外考試研究中心則建議考生可以嘗試使用“面對面”的結構安排模式。它與“點對點”的結構安排模式的區別在于，“面對面”作文的結構并不是逐條闡述對應點，而是在總的闡明聽力和閱讀文章之間的關系后，分別總結聽力材料或閱讀材料的要點，從“面”上闡述聽力和閱讀材料之間的聯系。以下一篇范文也是根據ETS提供的一套模考題所寫的范文，由于此題很難“點對點”地分析聽力和閱讀之間的關系，因此采取了“面對面”的寫法。
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Introduction —Relationship between reading and lecture
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The lecturer talks about the natural process of crystallization and how the speed of cooling can influence such process, which is proved by Bowen’s crystallization experiment explained in the reading passage.
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Points in the lecture
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Natural crystallization happens when magma, which is extremely hot in its molten form deep in the earth, gradually cools off when it moves towards the surface of the earth. During the cooling process, the energy from heat is lost, and the atoms which compose the magma begin to move more slowly, forming into an orderly pattern, which turns the magma into a solid crystal structure. However, if the cooling process takes place too rapidly, then there is not enough time for the atoms to be arranged into such an orderly pattern. Therefore, crystallization can’t take place. Instead, a brittle, glass-like material will form.
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Points in the Reading
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Norman Bowen’s experiment in the 1920s proved this theory. By collecting and melting elements in rocks, Norman created artificial magma in his laboratory. He first cooled the magma slowly, as in the natural crystallization process, and got mineral crystals. But then he suddenly replaced this normal cooling with rapid freezing, and found frozen glass materials surrounding the solid crystal structure.
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可以看出，“點對點”和“面對面”的結構有各自的特點，但總的來說“點對點”的結構在“對比型”的新托福綜合寫作中要更適用一些，因為它能把矛盾點逐一呈現，更細致地體現了聽力和閱讀材料之間的關系。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系是一致、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。
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