If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an international exhibition, what would you choose? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
Sample essay 1.
If I were asked to send one thing representing my country to an international exhibition, I’d send something unexpected: one week’s worth of television programming. These programs would best represent my country. They show how the citizens of my country live and what they think and feel.
The dramas on television are very realistic. They show how people in different parts of the country go about their daily lives. They show how they earn their livings, how they deal with crime, and how they interact with each other. The dramas also show how people in various economic groups dress, what kinds of houses they live in, and what kinds of education their children receive.
The comedies indicate what people in my country think is funny. Even though the situations are exaggerated, they reflect how my culture deals with very basic human situations. People everywhere understand falling in love, raising a family, and earning a living.
Send one thing representing your country to an international exhibition
Sample essay 2.
If I could choose one thing representing my country to display in an international exhibition, I would choose kimono, a traditional Japanese wear. It is true that there are other great things to exhibit in my country, but I think that kimono is the best for the following reasons.
First of all, kimono is valuable. It used to be worn as a dairy wear a few hundreds years ago, but now people wear it on special occasions such as ceremonies and festivals. And they are very expensive and some cost as much as tens of thousand dollars. So, it is, for sure, worth being displayed in such a big show.
In addition, kimono is very colorful and kind of large when it is opened. In an exhibition, there should be other various things that can attract visitors’ attention, so clothes might be less attractive. However, kimono’s clothes are made of thousands of threads and colorful and beautiful. So, it does not seem inferior to other displays.
Moreover, kimono could symbolize our culture very well. It is delicate and requires a variety of skills to make. It is often said that diligence and delicacy are great aspects of Japanese culture. Kimono, which takes long time and numerous techniques to make, is a good way to show foreign people our culture in an exhibition.
Finally, of course, kimono is soft and flexible because they are something to wear. So, it is easy to carry. And it can be displayed in various ways. It means that kimono does fit to everywhere in an exhibition and how to display it can be changed according to the situation. It will help kimono to look great and beautiful there.
Although it is true that we have a lot of things which can represent my country, nothing else can have so many elements which is important in order to displayed. So, kimono is the best thing to be put on exhibition.
You have been told that dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.
Sample essay 1.
I’d rather have the university assign a roommate to share a room with me. As far as I’m concerned, this is part of the university experience. Students should meet new people and be open to new experiences. I like leaving this up to chance.
Actually, even though the university will choose, it’s not totally a matter of chance. We all filled out information sheets. The school knows what we’re majoring in, what our interests are, and our study habits and our goals. I think they’re probably very good at matching roommates using this information. They’ve had a lot of practice. Besides, if a mistake is made, I can change my room assignment next semester.
If I did want to choose my own roommate, I’d first pick some candidates from the list supplied by the university. Then I’d write to them and they’d write back. Through our letters, we’d find out if we shared common interests, such as sports or movies. More importantly, we’d find out if we liked doing the same things in our free time. Because of my investigation, I’d probably get someone compatible with me. It’s a lot of work to go through, though. Besides, the process of finding similar interests isn’t all that different from what the university does.
Trying to predict whom I’m going to get along with is not a science. I might choose someone who sounds just like me and still find that the two of us just don’t get along as roommates. Besides, I think it would be boring to room with somebody who’s just the same as me. I’d rather be with someone who has different interests and likes to do different things. Maybe I’d even get a
roommate from another culture. After all, one of the reasons I’m going to the university is to be exposed to a lot of new experiences. So, I’d rather have the university choose my roommate for me.
Sample essay 2.
Some people prefer to share a room with unknown person, while others prefer to choose a roommate by themselves. I support the first way of living in a university dormitory room, because this way I can have a new friend, recognize his culture and be shown new extra-curricular activities by him.
Letting the university assign a student to share a room with me I will enjoy the advantage of new friend opportunities. I will try to make friends with him. Learning abroad I will probably have no friends there, and even if I have them I would like to enhance the number of my friends, which will be beneficial for me, because I will have more people close for helping, having a fund or just talking.
Studying abroad I will encounter new cultural problems, but I will like them, because it is new to me. While living with an Armenian I will learn nothing new about other cultures. While sharing a room with a foreigner I will recognize his country’s customs, traditions and also have a chance to visit there and be shown the famous places by my new friend.
If I share a room with a person whom I already know I will not discover new extra-curricular activities. While my new roommate will probably show me into the new world by supporting new club or extra-curricular activities, which I would like to enter. Besides studying it is beneficial to go to painting or sport clubs. Therefore, without new interactions I will not maybe accepted to such clubs or even know about their existence.
In conclusion, if you want to increase the number of your friends, it is better to let the university find the roommate itself. New people in your life mean new friend opportunities, new conversance of foreign traditions and customs, and new areas of out of university activities.
Sample essay 3.
Well as per the above situation, I would let the university assign me a roommate rather than me choosing a roommate for myself for the following reasons. Firstly, I would like to learn how to adjust with different people and different situations. Secondly, I like to make new friends and learn about new cultures and traditions.
Man has entered a highly competitive world, one is constantly in the race of agglomerating as much as money one can. In such a busy life “monetary gains” have a huge upper hand over “morality gains”. In this fast moving life one forgets the value and importance of companionship, more regularly coined as ‘friendship’. University is a place where one gets the taste of real life. It makes one ready to face the cruel, competitive outside world. Thus in this phase of my life I would like myself to be out of my comfort zone and learn to adjust to the new changes in life which would not be possible if I were living with a person of my own choice.
Secondly, I am a sort of person who likes learning new things and know about different cultures and traditions. What better way to learn than living with a person who is entirely new to you? Furthermore living with a new person would help me make new friends and get along with many people in the university rather than being stuck to the same lot of friends if I choose to be with my preferred roommate. I would like to have some change as I come back from my classes, I wouldn’t want to be with the same lot of people all day long.
Although living with my preferred roommate would help me get adjusted to the new University life more easily and would make me feel like home, but it would still keep me in my comfort zone. I believe that having a roommate selected by the university would be fun as well as it will help me grow as a person.
Sample essay 4.
The opportunity to meet new people is an important benefit of a university education, so i believe it is better to let the university choose my roommate for me. Because ,this way i can have a new friend, recognize his culture and also i can learn how to communicate, adapt to new environment.
Letting the university assign a student to share a room with me i will enjoy the advantage of new friend opportunities.I will try to make friends with him. Because i would like to enhance the number of my friends, which will be beneficial for me ,because i will have more people close for helping, having a found or just talking.
Metting new people, if university distributes students in dorm rooms, a lot of students with different races and cultures will be roommate together and can get familiar with a variety of the cultures.As an instance, one of my friends studying in Germany tells me about lots of cultural information which he has learned from his roommates who are from different nationalities such as Chinese,Arabic and Russian. Therefore, i like to live with exotic person.
Living with a new roommate is a new experience .Different people have different customs and habits.Besides communicating, we need to adapt to each other.We should learn to be tolerant and respect everyone.With out tolerance, we cannot communicate well.There may be arguments between us, and we need to solve it by ourselves.
To sum up, delegating the task of choosing roommate to university is the best one. Because we meet new people, culture and we can gain experiences for adult lives.Dorm life is the best time for each student to experience new things and avoid routine days.
Sample essay 5.
Depending on personal experience, personality type, and emotional concern, we find that some people hold the idea of choosing their own roommates, while others prefer to let the universities select theirs. From my point of view, it is more advisable to have the school assign one’s roommate rather than allow him to decide one on his own. My arguments for this point are listed as follows.
I agree with the statement that universities should appoint roommates for students since it creates a golden opportunity for them to broaden their knowledge. Naturally, they are bound to learn more about new concepts and sometimes even a whole new culture. It can be illustrated by a concrete example of my cousin and her Korean roommate. After a year of sharing the same room, they were both satisfied to have been assigned together as they gained not only valuable academic knowledge but also interesting facts about the other’s country. At first, my cousin was not happy with the fact that she had to live with a brand new stranger from a different country. But now she even managed to learn some Korean and a few traditional cuisines from her roommate. If she had chosen her only bunkmate, she would have missed the chance to broaden her horizon about other culture. Hence, it is easy to see that having the universities assign roommates for students is a good way for them to acquired more fascinating information.
Another factor contributing to my preference is the fact that letting the university decide one’s roommate is beneficial to students in terms of self-perfection. Needless to say, sharing a room with a stranger is by all means not easy, it requires a person to be responsible and respectful at the same time. Take my friend’s story as an example, he had always been an overindulged child, he never had to take care of his own chores and barely listened to anyone. However, after two years studying abroad and sharing a room with a stranger, he came back as an entirely new person who was independent and understanding. Had he not had the experience of living with an unfamiliar person, he would not have had the chance to acknowledge his weakness and change for the better. Broadly speaking, having schools to appoint one’s bunkmate creates a better chance for students to perfect themselves.
Of course, arguments swill be raised against my standpoint. Some people might argue that choosing their own roommates ensures the chance of them getting along with each other and provides students with emotion supports. Surely, choosing this option has advantages to an extent, but if all these factors are contemplated, the advantages of universities assigning roommates carry more weight than students deciding their own. Because students will have to adjust themselves for the better to adapt to the new life of sharing a room with others; also, an unfamiliar bunkmate can be as much of an emotional support as an acquaintance once they got to know each other. Hence, I believe all the difficulties that can be solved by a chosen roommate can also be handled by a completely new one.
Ultimately, I find myself definitely agree with those who assert that universities should match roommates together. This is because of the valuable knowledge and self-improving opportunities it offers. Therefore it is important that students take these presented ideas into careful considerations so that they can enjoy their stay in college as well as gain more beneficial experiences.
TOEFL iBT Essay Topic 001 Some people think that governments should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology. Other people disagree and think that this money should be spent on more basic needs. Which one of these opinions do you agree with?
Governments should spend money on developing or buying computer technology
Some people think that governments should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology. Other people disagree and think that this money should be spent on more basic needs. Which one of these opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
Sample essay 1.
I realize that it’s important to stay up to date with our technology. So much, like our space and defense programs, depends on it. I’ve also read that we shouldn’t let other governments get ahead of ours in the race for better technology. This could eventually put us at a disadvantage and our whole economy could suffer. Despite all this, I think our government should spend our tax dollars on more basic items before it gets into the business of developing computer technology.
We have so many problems in our society, and it seems every solution needs money. For instance, we talk about getting people off welfare. To do that we need money to give them jobs until they can support themselves. That means support training, day care for their children, and probably a monthly rent subsidy. All of those things can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. However, if we
could solve a major problem like that, wouldn’t it improve our society even more than new technology?
Another problem is that our transportation system is falling apart. Bridges have cracks in them. Highways buckle. Accidents happen because of these problems. We shouldn’t put money into improving a computer chip when we have basic needs like these.
Besides, why should the government be in the business of developing technology? Aren’t there several very successful corporations doing just that? Yes, it’s probably less expensive in the long run for the government to develop-the technology. Nevertheless, in the short run, there are basic needs in our society that aren’t being met. I think that’s where the money should go.
Sample essay 2
Some people think that government should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology, while others do not. As far as I am concerned, this money should be spent on some more basic needs, such as protecting the environment and improving the public service.
In the first place, nowadays the pollution of environment has become the main concern in the advanced society. The research said that human being would not find the clean water to drink if they did not do some work to keep their water clean. There would be no fresh air if every people in the city drive car to go and from work. And there would be no more wild animals if people let
the forest be destroyed like what is to be done now. For example, the forest, which is the main habitat of the various animals, has been destroyed. More and more wild animals face the danger of extinction because of the shortage of habitats. Therefore, there are more basic things that a successful government should do such as keeping the water clean, keeping the air fresh, and
keeping the animal healthy.
In the second place, some public service, such as the public transportation in the city, also is a big problem. The bus in the rush hours is overcrowded; some people cannot go to work on time because they do not catch the regular bus; some commuters spent too much time on the bus or train because of the traffic on the road. Consequently, government should spend more money to
improve their public transportation, which will benefit their people a lot and benefit them instantaneously.
From what I have discussed above, everyone can see that there are more things a government should do than buying computer, such as protecting the environment and improving the public service. Therefore, I think a successful government should spend more money on the basic demands of their people instead of spending as much money as possible on developing or buying
computer technology.
Sample essay 3
Man, through the ages has undergone many changes from the time when he depicted a herd of mammoths on the walls of a cave to nowadays when he can chat with anyone across the sea by use of modern means of communication. Some people think that in today’s world government should spend more money on computers. However, others think that it is inappropriate and the government should spend more money on food and shelters for poor people, medicine, education, etc. These two options are very different and controversial. But I think that developing computer technology brings people more advantages than they think it does.
First of all, humankind nowadays more and more depends on computers. We often do not suspect the presence of computers around us. For example, when we withdraw money from cash machines, get some gasoline on the gas station and pay with our credit cards in the stores. So, nowadays computer technology plays an essential role in our everyday life. Second, computer technology brings more job opportunities. For a country, the computer technology means power, knowledge and constant development. In addition to those practical benefits, the development of computer technology brings a lot of money to the country.
From the other side, the government should not forget about poor people, who can not afford computers but need food and shelters. However, I think that computers help people gain more knowledge and experience and find a job to provide food and home for his family. So, basically, computers give people the opportunity to reach their goals and be innovative.
To sum up, I think that computer technology gives people many benefits including the opportunity to improve one’s knowledge and be more self-confident, persistent and experienced in this world.
Sample essay 4
Who has not listened to the common statement that health is first from other needs? Think about it and you will maybe realize that this is true. According to the pyramid of needs for people; primary needs, which are for example health and food are above other needs denominated secondary and sumptuary ones. This pyramid states that it is most important for humans to satisfy the needs which are first, in that order for be good and happy. By this mean, technology should be considered by governments a lesser level of need when it distributes its money. Though many people think that governments should invest its money in order to develop its technology, I strongly believe that governments should spend its money on more basic needs of its own people because this money belongs to them, many people die from hunger and health is a main issue which government must take care.
First and foremost, where do governments receive this money to spend from? Yes, it is true that from its own governed people, which it earns by taxes, for example. Remembering the pyramid of need stated in previously, is not true that people would be better if their basic needs were satisfied? Governments should spend its money, which really belongs to its people, in order to satisfy their main needs not what governments think it is much better. Buying or improving technology could not make all the people happy, due to everyone has different needs. But the main needs are universal, thus everybody wanted to get these principal needs satisfied. This is a right that the people have over the money which is spent by governments, due to the fact that these governments just manage it.
Secondly, hunger is a large problem which is present over the world. People die because food does not reach them and there is no correct split of revenues of a country. For this reason, when governments start to think how to spend its money, they should think first in satisfying the hunger of its people in order to stop these deaths and improve the quality of its people’s lives.
Last but not least, hunger is accompanied by health. Everyone wants health for their family instead other needs that they want to get. Although governments always say that health is for everyone in its country, this is not completely true. Wealthy people get the best treatments available in a country and it is usual that poor people do not achieve a correct treatment or even a medical prescription due to there is not enough doctors and facilities for everyone. By this mean, governments should focus not just in food for people but in maintaining its people healthy.
In a nutshell, for all these factors, we can reach the conclusion that although some people think that it is much better that a government spends its money in improving technology, because they probably think this fact will facilitate our lives. Personally I believe that it is much better to invest this money in principal needs as health and food.
Some people trust their first impressions about a person’s character because they believe these judgments are generally correct. Other people do not judge a person’s character quickly because they believe first impressions are often wrong. Compare these two attitudes. Which attitude do you agree with?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you think that first impressions are generally correct or often wrong?
Sample Essay:
Any opinion is, in fact, a judgment. I feel that as Americans we would do well to judge others less often. Still, we must be able to decide whom to spend our time with and whom we’d rather forget. In my opinion, this type of judgment is best after we get to know other people. First impressions are not always accurate impression.
Judging a person based on a first impression does save time. There are more people than anyone could possibly get to know in one lifetime. It is frustrating to waste time getting to know someone, only to find out that your first impression was correct and that you really don’t like him or her. So is it a waste of time getting to know people your probably won’t like? That seems to be a valid point of view, but I believe that it is not the best attitude to take.
It’s more humane to spend time getting to know people before judging them. I know that I don’t always make a good first impression even when I truly like the person with whom I am interacting. We all have bad days, I wouldn’t want to lose a job or a potential friendship simply because I picked out the wrong clothing or said something wrong. I think everyone deserves the chances make a second impression.
If we all base our final opinion of others on first impression, it would be hard to get to know anyone. There is always more to people than meets the eye. If we don’t give someone a chance, we may be missing out on meeting a life-long friend. That would truly be shame.
You may think that your writing practice begins with a piece of paper and a writing topic from a TOEFL test-prep book. But before writing a full essay, it is important to practice writing sentences and shorter paragraphs first. It is also important to understand certain concepts you will be using in your essays.
8 Wise Steps to Practice Writing for Your TOEFL Test
1. Use Reading Materials with Follow-up Questions
To learn how to compose sentences, short paragraphs and short answers, look for some college textbooks, language books or online reading materials with follow-up questions after each story or chapter.
Breaking News English is an absolutely wonderful website for this because it has a library of news articles, all followed by questions. If your favorite book doesn’t include questions, you can always ask a teacher or a friend to write you some.
Read the stories/chapters carefully. Don’t just pay attention to the storyline and the main ideas, but also examine the vocabulary, sentence structures and grammatical features used. By observing and analyzing the English language, you will improve your understanding and can use what you have learned in your own writing.
Don’t forget to take notes while reading.Who are the characters? What is the main idea? What happened? These are all questions you want to know the answers to. Underline and circle words or passages that you find important.
Once you have read the text, answer the questions. Review your answers before checking the key for the correct answers. Ask a teacher or native speaker if you have questions about any of the answers.
2. Learn How to Summarize
Being able to summarize is very important for your writing practice, your TOEFL test and your academic or professional career in English.
Quoting someone means that you share their words exactly as they were originally said/written. You must use quotation marks and include the name of the author.
Remember the quote by Anaïs Nin up in this post’s introduction? Notice the quotation marks how we included her name. If you don’t use quotation marks but include someone else’s work in your writing, it is plagiarism—which is absolutely unacceptable.
Paraphrasing involves rewording someone’s message. A paraphrase still has to be linked to the original source, but since you are not using someone’s exact words, you should not use quotation marks. This is an example of paraphrasing:
According to Anaïs Nin, when we write, we taste life twice: at the moment of writing and later when we read what we wrote.
Summarizing is when you share the main idea of a story, book or article in your own words. Summaries are always shorter than the original text/story.
Cinderella was forced to do work by her evil stepmother and two jealous stepsisters. One day a fairy used magic to allow Cinderella to go to a royal ball dressed as a princess. She met the prince, but had to run away at midnight because the magic spell ended. One of her glass shoes fell off as she ran. The prince found the shoe and searched for the girl. In the end, he found Cinderella because her foot fit into the shoe perfectly. They got married and lived happily ever after.
As you see, when you summarize stories, books or articles, only the main ideas are important.
Stating your own opinion is very different from quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing. The first three are all objective—meaning you share facts and stories as they are. Your opinion is subjective, though, which means it may differ from other people’s opinions.
For example: I may think that Cinderella and the prince will be happy forever and have beautiful children, but you may believe that they got married too soon and will not be happy together.
On the TOEFL test and in your academic or professional writing, you will be using all of these techniques. So make sure to always use the appropriate technique.
After you finish reading this post, try using all four: quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing and stating your opinion. You can do the same with any other text for practice.
3. Create a List of Topics to Write About
Now that you have practiced short writing and understand some important techniques, you are ready to start writing practice essays for the TOEFL test.
Create a list of potential topics now so that you won’t waste time brainstorming later.
Think about topics you are interested in and know lots about. Are you passionate about the environment? Write that down. Do you enjoy traveling? The benefits of traveling could be a good topic for you.
Skip topics you don’t enjoy or don’t know anything about. I don’t know much about cars, for example, so I wouldn’t write the auto industry as a potential topic.
Then, choose debate and opinion topics. Think about controversial issues and start making a list. An opinion topic doesn’t always have to be deep, like abortion or gun control. They can also be simpler, like having more than on child in a family, having a pet or studying abroad.
Here are a few more examples of good opinion topics:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Social media websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have made communication between people less personal. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Which one would you prefer: professional success or a happy personal life? Use specific reasons and examples to support your preference.
You have one day to show a foreign friend around your hometown. Introduce him or her to your culture, historic places and food. Where would you take your friend on that day, and why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to live on the university campus sharing a room with a roommate than living off-campus on your own. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
4. Brainstorm Ideas
Grab your list of topics and choose one. Then, spend about 3 minutes brainstorming.
This means you read your topic and start thinking about it. What can you write about? What is your opinion about the topic? Do you have personal experience about this topic? Have you read any articles recently related to it?
Write down your ideas on a piece of paper. You can use arrows to connect them, or even draw if it helps you. Don’t worry about writing full sentences, punctuation, grammar or spelling at this point. Just put down any words or broken sentences that come to mind.
Once you are done brainstorming, then you can begin your outline.
5. Create an Outline
Creating an outline is perhaps the most crucial (important) part of your writing process. An outline is a document that helps you organize your main ideas so they connect logically.
Your outline will tell you if you have enough evidence to support your main ideas. A good outline can guide you along through your essay, helping you build your story or argument in a logical and flowing manner.
Writing your outline should take you about 7-9 minutes.
Think about your outline as a list of headlines. When writing your outline, begin thinking about your spelling, word choices and grammar. However, short sentences or simply a few words are better than long arguments in outlines. Remember, you are not developing each idea, just listing them.
Write a strong thesis statement. Your thesis statement will be your guide throughout your entire essay. It will come at the end of your introduction paragraph. For example, if the topic is to share my opinion on the benefits of pets, my thesis statement may be:
I believe that it is very beneficial to have a pet at home because they provide companionship, they teach you responsibility and they support your exercise habit.
A strong thesis statement usually includes the main idea (i.e. pets are beneficial) and supportive reasons (i.e. 1—they provide companionship, 2—they teach responsibility and 3—they support your exercise habit). Try to have two to four supportive ideas.
List sub-points for each supportive reason. Don’t just list the reasons themselves, but jot down ideas of facts, opinions, strong arguments and/or examples to include with each. Think about the questions “Why?” and “How?” when developing your supportive ideas: Why and how is this point supporting your thesis statement? Try to have at least three sub-points for each supportive reasons.
In your outline, one supportive reason may look like:
B. Pets teach responsibility
1. Pets have specific feeding and play times (follow a daily schedule) 2. Pets need special pet food (monetary support) 3. Pets need to be taken to the vet regularly 4. Having a cat taught me responsibility
To review, your whole outline should look something like this:
I. Introduction
A. Introduction: quote, short story, joke, etc B. Thesis statement
A. Summary of the outline/rephrasing the thesis statement B. Call for action or suggestion
6. Write About Your Topics
Once you are finished with your outline, the most difficult part is over! You can start writing now.
Follow your outline format closely as you are developing your essay.
Begin with an introduction. Your introduction can be a quote, a short story or even a funny joke related to the topic. Be creative. End your introduction with your thesis statement.
In the body, you will now expand on the supportive details from your outline.
Finally, you will end the essay with a conclusion. The conclusion is a summary of your thesis statement and supportive ideas. For example:
Considering that pets provide us with companionship, teach us responsibility, and support our exercise habit, I believe that having a pet is beneficial to everyone.
You may even provide a suggestion or call for action, such as:
If you don’t have a pet yet, I suggest you consider getting one. If interested, go to your local humane society where you will find many loving dogs, cats and other animals in need of a good home.
Aim to write your essay in about 7-10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of review. This means you will spend around 25 minutes total per essay: brainstorming, creating an outline, writing and reviewing.
During this time aim to write 300-350 words. Being able write a 300- to 350-word essay within 25 minutes will be beneficial on your TOEFL test day. If you need more time or your essays are too short at first, don’t worry. You will improve with time. Just notice where you are at now and where you need to get better. Ask for help when you need it; your teacher or study buddy will be happy to support you.
7. Review Your Writing
As we briefly mentioned above, once you are finished writing your essay, go back and review your work. Try to take only 5 minutes to review and to edit.
Read your writing again slowly and carefully with high attention to detail.Check your grammar, your spelling and your word choices. If you are typing, spellcheck and Grammarly are there to help you. If you notice a mistake, correct it. Don’t be afraid to cross out a word or entire sentence to revise it.
If you notice repeated words, try to replace them with synonyms. For example, if you use the word “strong” five times in your essay, replace four of them with an appropriate synonym: “active,” “hardy,” “muscular,” etc. If you don’t know any synonyms, check your thesaurus. If you are unsure about your spelling or word choices, consult your dictionary.
During the TOEFL test, you won’t have the option to check your dictionary or thesaurus, but while you’re practicing it is a good idea to do so. When it gets closer to your test date, though, practice writing a few essays without a dictionary or thesaurus.
Take note of anything that was confusing. Knowing the areas that you need to pay more attention to or review again will help your progress.
8. Ask an English Speaker to Correct Your Work
Once you are finished writing, reviewing and checking, it is absolutely necessary to ask an English speaker—a native speaker or anyone with native-like expertise—to review your work. Remember, they speak English fluently, and will be able to point out all your tiny mistakes. Besides, four eyes see more than only two.
You can use Lang-8 to check your writing. Native English speakers will edit your essay for free. In return, for good karma, you can review the writing of other members who are learning your native language.
Of course, working with an English teacher one-on-one in person or online is even better, as it provides you with further opportunities to discuss your concerns, and get specific assignments to strengthen your weaker areas.
Once someone has reviewed your work, rewrite your essay by correcting your mistakes. Then ask for another round of corrections to see if you have missed something.
Take note of your mistakes. I cannot emphasize this enough. Review the areas that you had mistakes in, and clarify any questions. Continue focusing on expanding your vocabulary as well. A week or two later, write about the same topic again to see how much you have improved.
Use these steps to practice your writing 2-3 times each week. Your writing will greatly improve, allowing you to score higher on the TOEFL test and to write better for the rest of your life. Good luck and have fun!
The TOEFL writing section, also known as the TOEFL essay section, is the last section of the test.
It comes after all the difficult steps of the TOEFL reading, listening and speaking tests. Showing that you know how to write well in English is crucial for your final test score.
The TOEFL writing section measures your ability to come up with a structured essay with clear arguments, while also checking your knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary.
How to Master the TOEFL Independent and Integrated Writing Tasks
What You Should Expect from the TOEFL Writing Section
The first task combines elements of listening and reading. You may be asked to listen to a lecture excerpt or a recording of a conversation, or you may need to read a short text. Taking notes during listening and reading is allowed. After listening or reading, you must then answer a question based on the content.
The second task is an opinion essay, where you are asked to offer your thoughts on a general question. You will have a total of 50 minutes to complete both writing tasks.
Writing for either TOEFL task is certainly not easy!
Coming up with things to write with a timer on is often difficult and stressful. You need solid essay writing skills, and you need good general English writing skills. For the first task, your reading and listening skills need to be excellent. Last but not least, good English grammar is just as important for a good essay as vocabulary.
The writing section of TOEFL is challenging, true, but there is good news. You can practice and improve your writing skills even if you never thought you were good at writing! Read on for useful tips and tricks on how to excel at writing great TOEFL essays that will help you earn a top score of 5.
What Does a Perfect TOEFL Essay Look Like?
Before you begin improving your writing skills, you need to know how tostructure an essay properly.
Knowing how to write an essay will help you to present your thoughts in the most logical way possible.
Generally, a good TOEFL essay has four or five paragraphs.
The first paragraph clearly states the main idea or main argument of the essay. This main idea is also known as the thesis, and it should be part of every paragraph in your essay. The whole essay needs to relate directly to this thesis.
Then, the next two or three paragraphs after the first paragraph should elaborate on the thesis and explain your arguments very clearly. You should have many ideas, thoughts and examples to support your thesis in these paragraphs.
Finally, the last paragraph is a conclusion which restates the thesis and summarizes the arguments you presented in the essay. You will summarize everything here and make a big conclusion about your main idea. You must show how everything ties together and is related.
Now, how exactly do you divide your essay ideas into paragraphs?
A general rule is to try and dedicate one paragraph to one idea or one argument. You should not try to explain more than one idea in each paragraph. Be very focused, and take time to make each paragraph very clear. This way, your essay will follow a format that looks like this:
Paragraph #1: Thesis (main idea)
Paragraph #2: First argument to support the idea
Paragraph #3: Second argument to support the idea
Paragraph #4: Third argument to support the idea, a different perspective on your thesis or an opposing idea.
Paragraph #5: Conclusion (thesis restated)
Unlike the list above, your essay should not look like a collection of bullet points. Rather, you must write full sentences and full paragraphs. There also needs to be clear and smooth progress from one idea to another (good text flow).
Using conjunctive adverbs like “however,” “furthermore” and “nonetheless” is one of the easiest ways to introduce more flow to your essay. Subordinating conjunctions (“although,” “while”) will be helpful here too.
What will also assist you immensely is having a clear thesis to argue. It really is vital for you to decide exactly what you want to say before you start saying it.
It does not matter if your idea of thesis is very simple. In fact, it should not be too complicated, because you may run out of time trying to cover all your ideas if the main thesis is very complicated.
Having a simple, clear thesis will allow you to focus on ways to support it. Then you can pay more attention to using good grammar and vocabulary and presenting your arguments in a structured way throughout the essay.
Why Good Grammar Is Important for the Writing Section
Yes, you may hate studying grammar, but it is of the essence in the writing section!
These two essays are the only part of the test where your grammar knowledge is measured directly.
Speaking does measure your grammar to a lesser extent, but writing is the one section where poor grammar will most directly impact the quality of your essay and your overall score. (Interestingly enough, there used to be a separate grammar section in older versions of TOEFL, but this is no longer the case.)
When it comes to grammar usage on TOEFL, being correct is the most important. You may use complex verb tenses and clauses, but only do so if you are absolutely sure you are using them right. It is better to correctly use simple grammar than to incorrectly use complicated grammar.
There is not necessarily a need to use complex grammar in your essays, since arguments and examples may be laid out in Simple Past or Simple Present.
You may use gerund and simple conditional forms, but keeping it simple applies not only to your thesis, but to your grammar too. Play it safe and simplify if you are unsure.
Here are some essential grammar elements you might want to pay attention to and rely on in your essays:
Simple present and simple past: This is obligatory for you to get right. Know the correct verb endings, revise the irregular verb forms and practice catching small but alarming mistakes like “”People says” (“people” is plural so it should be “people say”).
Master the difference between present perfect and past perfect: Is it “I have been doing” or “I had been doing”? Both are correct forms of present perfect and past perfect, respectively, but you would use one or the other depending on context. Make sure you understand how.
Gerund and conditional tenses: These will enrich your essay, showing the grader that you are capable of using more complex clauses and expressing yourself in a variety of ways.
Minimize the use of passive voice: This will also help you with presenting your argument (for example, “British scientists have discovered” sounds stronger and more authoritative than “It has been discovered”).
Why Good Vocabulary Is Your Best Friend
You have probably experienced the frightening situation where you know exactly what you want to say, but do not know how to say it. We have all been there (and wished for a dictionary on hand to consult).
Acquiring good vocabulary of a wide range of words and phrases to express your ideas and thoughts is probably the most important part of preparing to write good TOEFL essays. The richer your vocabulary, the better! When you know more vocabulary, you will have more ways to express your ideas.
Playing it safe is an acceptable strategy with grammar forms, but this does not work well with vocabulary. Relying on generic, basic words will leave you with a flat, uninteresting essay that will not earn the top mark of 5 points even if its grammar and structure are good. So how do you avoid that?
Once you begin practicing writing essays in preparation for the test, you will notice the vocabulary you rely on the most.
Make a list of the English words that you use most often. How many times per essay do you use words like “agree/disagree,” “think,” “say,” “people,” “many,” etc.? These are simple words that may not have many substitutions. However, it is essential for you to have some alternatives. Studying synonyms is one of the easiest ways to expand your vocabulary, useful even beyond passing TOEFL.
To study synonyms, make a list of your most commonly used words and learn a few of their synonyms with the help of online dictionaries and resources available (like Synonym Finder or this simple thesaurus). Learn two or three ways of saying “to do,” “to say” and “to think.” Find alternatives to adjectives like “good,” “bad,” “beautiful” and “nice.” Attempt to substitute “people,” “company,” “students” and “country” with appropriate equivalents. You will notice improvements in your writing in no time.
Another very important point to work on when it comes to vocabulary is identifying words you may be using incorrectly. For example, these could be verbs or adjectives that sound similar:
compliment and complement
acquire and inquire
gregarious and egregious
whet and wet
master and muster
There also might be words whose meanings you are unsure of but may end up using in hopes of sounding “fancy” or more advanced. Do not fall in that trap! In preparation, learn the correct meanings of words you like and practice putting these words in context. When in doubt, rephrase the sentence and do not use any vocabulary you are not familiar with.
How to Practice for the TOEFL Writing Section
The more writing practice you do for TOEFL, the easier essay writing will come to you. You will get used to identifying your main arguments, structuring your essay correctly and logically and employing diverse vocabulary and grammar.
If you need additional support and guidance, you can take a course online to improve your English writing skills. Inklyohas a great selection of books and courses that instruct ESL students in the art of English writing. The books and courses cover specific topics such as letter writing, essay writing and resume writing, so you can pick the topics that are most helpful for the TOEFL essay.
Writing a lot of essays will also help you feel more prepared when the test day comes, lowering your stress level. You will be able to focus on the actual task without being too nervous.
Another way to get rid of nervousness is to take practice TOEFL exams. After taking a full practice TOEFL exam, you will know exactly what to expect on the actual TOEFL exam day.
And when you are writing an essay, remember that it is not what you argue, but how you argue it that is important for the TOEFL writing section. The grader will not penalize you for your opinions. She is more interested in seeing a well-written, well-argued essay with good grammar usage and a few complex words thrown in here and there.
Great news: You can definitely prepare for this part of the TOEFL.
Here are some ways you can do it:
Set a goal of doing one or two practice essays each week. You will notice your essays improve. You can test your skills with Integrated practice test questions online, or even make your own practice test by using passages from books and free lectures online.
Practice your listening skills daily. You can do this by listening to podcasts, and the best English podcast to start with is EnglishClass101 by Innovative Language. It is designed for English students at all skill levels, from beginner to advanced, and it can help you improve your listening in an easy, friendly way.
Get real-world English experience with FluentU. You’ll get to hear English as it’s spoken by native speakers!
Read current events about major topics in Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Physical Science and Humanities. There are sites on these subjects that are made for English language learners, like Discovery Earth. Sites like this are great resources for learning about common TOEFL topics. Of course, you can never guess exactly what topic you will get on the day of the TOEFL, but at least you will get plenty of reading practice!
Take a full, scored practice exam. Don’t just take a practice exam at home, alone. Take a full practice exam that gives you a real score and feedback from TOEFL-certified educators instead.
Find a TOEFL tutor. If you would prefer to meet with a tutor online in your free time, then start looking for TOEFL tutors on Verbling. If you would prefer to meet your TOEFL tutor in person, then look on Wyzant—there are even tutors on Wyzant who have a specialization in teaching English writing, so look for these tutors if you need essay help more than anything else.
Finally, after all your preparation…it’s test day!
Writing the TOEFL Integrated Essay Without Fear: A 7-step Plan
Writing the TOEFL Integrated Essay Without Fear: A 7-step Plan
1. Find the Topic
Start by finding the shared topic of the reading and listening passages. The topic is the general idea that is found throughout the passages, and will be just a few words. To find it, look (or listen) for repeated words and ideas throughout the passages.
Let’s Practice!
What do you think the topic of this passage is?
Lemon, strawberry, chocolate…no matter what the flavor, birthday cake has been a tradition for thousands of years. Often decorated with flowers or candles, birthday cake is an important part of any birthday celebration.
Answer? Birthday cake. These repeated words are the most general idea throughout the paragraph!
2. Find the Claim
Ask yourself, “What is the author or speaker saying about the topic?” The answer to this question is your claim. Often, you will hear the claim after a brief introduction to the topic.
Let’s Practice!
Can you find the claim in this example? Remember, it’s the author’s main point about the topic (birthday cake).
Often decorated with flowers or candles, birthday cake is an important part of a birthday celebration for a few reasons. First, it helps the birthday person feel special. It also provides a fun activity for the party and a way for each guest to be included in the celebration.
Answer? It’s in the first sentence: “Birthday cake is an important part of a birthday celebration.” That’s the author’s main point: their claim that they are proving. If you need some extra practice identifying topics and details, check out this free interactive lesson.
3. Find the Reasons
Next, listen or read for reasons that explain or prove the claim in both the reading and listening passages. These may be examples, facts or other details. If you are starting to feel lost, don’t panic! Listen for addition transitions like “next,” “also” and “furthermore.” These transitions give you a clue that important details are coming!
Let’s Practice!
Let’s look at our example again. This time, let’s find the reasons that the author believes birthday cake is so important. Don’t forget, those transition words give you clues to find the reasons!
Often decorated with flowers or candles, birthday cake is an important part of a birthday celebration for a few reasons. First, it helps the birthday person feel special. It also provides a fun activity for the party and a way for each guest to be included in the celebration.
Answer? There are three reasons:
Birthday cake makes the birthday person feel special.
It provides a fun activity for the party.
It provides a way for each guest to be included.
Tip: Some students find it helpful to note the topic, claim and reasons (using their own numbering system or symbols) as they are reading or listening. This way, they are able to easily organize their essay later. But don’t try to write down every word you hear! Just note the topic, claim and reasons as best as you can. You will want to write your essay in your own words, anyway.
4. Find the Connection Between the Reading and Listening
The goal of the TOEFL Integrated essay is to consider how the reading and listening passages connect to each other. Take a look at the claims that you identified in the reading and listening passages. Do they agree or disagree?
Let’s Practice!
Take a look at these two claims. Do you think they agree or disagree?
Claim #1: Birthday cake is a positive tradition because it helps people celebrate with family and friends.
Claim #2: Birthday cake is a negative tradition because people should be able to celebrate their birthdays with whatever dessert they like, not just birthday cakes.
Answer? These two claims disagree.
5. Organize Your Essay!
There are two options to organize your essay: block style or point by point.
Block Style
For a block style essay, you start with an introduction that explains the connection between the reading and listening lecture.
Then, you combine all of the points from the reading in one paragraph, and combine all of the points from the listening in another paragraph.
This is an especially good option if you had a hard time understanding some of the details in the reading or listening passages (or both).
Let’s Practice!
How could you organize these ideas in a block style?
Reading Claim: Birthday cake is a positive tradition because it helps people celebrate with family and friends.
Listening Claim: Birthday cake is a negative tradition because people should be able to celebrate their birthdays with whatever dessert they like, not just birthday cakes.
Answer? For block style, just make two paragraphs! Put all of the ideas from the reading in the first paragraph, and all of the ideas from the listening in the second one. In this case, the first paragraph would talk about birthday cake being a positive tradition, and the second would talk about it being negative.
Point by Point
This type of organization starts out similar to block style, with an introduction explaining the relationship between the claims.
But instead of separating the reading and listening in blocks, each paragraph is organized around a single point. The reading and listening are connected through the detail that they share. This type of organization shows a deeper understanding of the reading and listening lecture.
Let’s Practice!
How could you organize these ideas in a point by point style?
Reading’s Claim: Birthday cake is a positive tradition because it helps people celebrate with family and friends.
Listening’s Claim: Birthday cake is a negative tradition because people should be able to celebrate their birthdays with whatever dessert they like, not just birthday cakes.
Answer? For a point by point essay, you would have a paragraph focused on “Celebrations.” Here, you would explain the detail in both the reading passage (people should celebrate by having birthday cake with family and friends) and the listening passage (people should celebrate in whatever way they choose).
6. Use Transition Words
Okay, so you have identified the topic, claim and details. You have decided which type of organization to use. Now, how do you write the essay?
First, use your transition words. A transition shows the reader how your sentences are related to each other. These words are often at the beginnings of sentences.
If the reading and listening passages have opposite viewpoints, you will want to show that you understand that by using contrast transitions like “however,” “but” and “although.”
If the viewpoints are similar, use comparison transitions—like “similarly,” “also” and “equally.” You can also use number transitions at the beginnings of paragraphs. For example: “first,” “next” or “lastly.”
7. Paraphrase
Paraphrasing (or restating the ideas in your own words) is key for high scores!
Check out the official TOEFL Writing Rubrics to see how important paraphrasing is. Try to avoid using the exact same words, phrasing or idioms as the reading or listening passage.
Here are some things you can do to make it easier to paraphrase while writing your essay:
Learn lots of synonyms (words that have the same meaning).
Build your English vocabulary.
Learn lots of sentence structures and verb forms.
Remember, you will get a chance to share your own opinion in the TOEFL Independent essay. For the Integrated essay, you want to stick to the points that you have heard or read. Don’t add any of your own opinions, even in the conclusion paragraph.
This essay is all about understanding the connection between the reading and the listening passages, and restating it in your own words as much as you can.
So when it’s time to take out your pencil and start the TOEFL Integrated essay, write with confidence.
Even if English composition isn’t your forte, you can still earn a high score on the TOEFL Writing section by following a template. But what exactly is a TOEFL Writing template? Simply put, TOEFL essay templates teach you how to organize your thoughts, select strong pieces of evidence, and get the Writing score you want.
In this article, we’re providing you with two high-quality TOEFL essay templates for the Integrated and Independent Writing tasks. Before that, we’ll go over the differences between the two TOEFL Writing tasks and then discuss how our TOEFL essay templates can benefit you. After, we’ll teach you how to customize and use our templates.
What Essays Will You Write on the TOEFL?
The Writing section is the final section you’ll face on the TOEFL, and it consists of two separate tasks: an Integrated Writing task and an Independent Writing task. The Integrated task requires you to write a response comparing a lecture and an article, whereas the Independent task requires you to write an opinionated essay in which you agree or disagree with an idea.
Below, we examine the two TOEFL Writing tasks in detail.
The Best TOEFL Writing Templates for Any Prompt
Integrated Writing Task
For the Integrated task, you must read a passage on an academic topic for three minutes and then listen to a short lecture on the same topic. This lecture will either support or challenge what’s written in the passage. Your response must summarize the main points discussed in the lecture and explain how these points relate to the reading.
You’ll have a total of 20 minutes to write your response. Your response should be around 150-225 words. During this time, you may reread the passage; however, you may not listen to the lecture again.
The score you receive for this task will be on a scale of 0-5. According to the official rubric, a level-5 essay (i.e., a perfect essay) selects the most crucial information from the lecture and presents it in a coherent, accurate, and well-organized manner. A level-3 essay is satisfactory but overall vague, with fewer key points and several grammatical errors. Finally, a level-1 essay offers minimal coherency and fails to address any of the main points in the lecture. ETS (the creators of the TOEFL) offers several samples of scored Integrated essays online.
Below is an example of an Integrated Writing task borrowed from ETS:
Reading Passage
Critics say that current voting systems used in the United States are inefficient and often lead to the inaccurate counting of votes. Miscounts can be especially damaging if an election is closely contested. Those critics would like the traditional systems to be replaced with far more efficient and trustworthy computerized voting systems.
In traditional voting, one major source of inaccuracy is that people accidentally vote for the wrong candidate. Voters usually have to find the name of their candidate on a large sheet of paper containing many names—the ballot—and make a small mark next to that name. People with poor eyesight can easily mark the wrong name. The computerized voting machines have an easy-to-use touch-screen technology: to cast a vote, a voter needs only to touch the candidate’s name on the screen to record a vote for that candidate; voters can even have the computer magnify the name for easier viewing.
Another major problem with old voting systems is that they rely heavily on people to count the votes. Officials must often count up the votes one by one, going through every ballot and recording the vote. Since they have to deal with thousands of ballots, it is almost inevitable that they will make mistakes. If an error is detected, a long and expensive recount has to take place. In contrast, computerized systems remove the possibility of human error, since all the vote counting is done quickly and automatically by the computers.
Finally some people say it is too risky to implement complicated voting technology nationwide. But without giving it a thought, governments and individuals alike trust other complex computer technology every day to be perfectly accurate in banking transactions as well as in the communication of highly sensitive information.
Lecture Transcript
(Narrator) Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
(Female professor) While traditional voting systems have some problems, it’s doubtful that computerized voting will make the situation any better. Computerized voting may seem easy for people who are used to computers. But what about people who aren’t? People who can’t afford computers, people who don’t use them on a regular basis—these people will have trouble using computerized voting machines. These voters can easily cast the wrong vote or be discouraged from voting altogether because of fear of technology. Furthermore, it’s true that humans make mistakes when they count up ballots by hand. But are we sure that computers will do a better job? After all, computers are programmed by humans, so “human error” can show up in mistakes in their programs. And the errors caused by these defective programs may be far more serious. The worst a human official can do is miss a few ballots. But an error in a computer program can result in thousands of votes being miscounted or even permanently removed from the record. And in many voting systems, there is no physical record of the votes, so a computer recount in the case of a suspected error is impossible! As for our trust of computer technology for banking and communications, remember one thing: these systems are used daily and they are used heavily. They didn’t work flawlessly when they were first introduced. They had to be improved on and improved on until they got as reliable as they are today. But voting happens only once every two years nationally in the United States and not much more than twice a year in many local areas. This is hardly sufficient for us to develop confidence that computerized voting can be fully trusted.
Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.
Independent Writing Task
For the Independent task, you will write about your opinion on a certain topic. You must provide clear reasons and specific examples for why you agree or disagree with the issue or statement. (This doesn’t have to be your real opinion, though!) You’ll have 30 minutes to write your response. A typical high-scoring essay is at least 300 words.
You’ll receive a score on a scale of 0-5. According to the official rubric, a level-5 essay effectively addresses the topic, provides clear and ample details, and contains at most only minor issues with grammar and word choice. A level-3 essay offers a generally coherent response with occasional slips in clarity. Finally, a level-1 essay offers little to no detail and contains multiple technical errors. You can look at samples of Independent essays on the ETS website.
Here is an example of an Independent Writing task taken from ETS:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Integrated Task vs. Independent Task
So far we’ve covered all of the basic components of the TOEFL Writing tasks. To briefly recap, here is an overview of the Integrated and Independent Writing tasks:
Integrated Writing Task
Independent Writing Task
Time
3 minutes to read a passage, 20 minutes to write a response
30 minutes to write a response
Length
150-225 words
At least 300 words
Score
0-5
0-5
Purpose
To summarize the main points of a lecture and compare the lecture to a passage
To explain whether you agree or disagree with an issue or statement
Additional Details
You must read a passage and listen to a lecture before you begin writing. You may look at the passage as you write your response.
You do not have to write about your real opinion! You may pretend to agree or disagree.
What Is a TOEFL Writing Template?
The purpose of a TOEFL Writing template is to help you compose a detailed and eloquent essay — and of course get you a high Writing score! But what exactly is a template?
It’s easiest to think of an essay template as a skeleton. While a skeleton is the framework for a body, a template is the framework for an essay. Thus, a TOEFL Writing template highlights basic structural patterns and phrases you can integrate into your own writing. What a template doesn’t do is write your essay for you. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you’ll add the skin and muscles (i.e., the details and supporting evidence) to your “skeleton.”
Furthermore, writing templates are typically created to suit different types of essays. For example, a template for a compare/contrast essay will differ from a template for an editorial piece. This is why it’s so important you use a writing template specifically geared toward the TOEFL!
What Are the Benefits of a TOEFL Writing Template?
There are three major benefits to using a TOEFL Writing template.
It Organizes Your Thoughts
Using a TOEFL Writing template ensures you’ll have a focused and well-organized response. A high-quality template teaches you how to structure your response so that your introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs are all clearly defined. This way, even if your grammar and spelling aren’t perfect, your response will still have an overall strong framework that’s easy to follow.
TOEFL essay templates also show you what kinds of transitions you can use and where. Transitions are a key component of essays that allow you to connect your thoughts and progress to new ideas smoothly. Truth be told, you probably won’t score super highly on the TOEFL Writing section if you don’t use any transitions!
It Saves You Time
Another big benefit of using a TOEFL Writing template is that it saves you time on the Writing section. Since you’ll already have a sense of how you’re going to structure your essay, you’ll spend less time planning it out andcoming up with transitions, openings, and closings. As a result, you’ll get more time to actually write out your response!
It Gives You Confidence
Lastly, a TOEFL Writing template allows you to feel more prepared on test day. Many test takers find it difficult to write out responses to English-language prompts in only 20 or 30 minutes. But TOEFL essay templates equip you with the skills you’ll need to feel more confident in your writing skills — and confidence is the first step toward getting a great TOEFL score!
2 TOEFL Essay Templates for You to Use
In this section, we offer youa TOEFL Integrated Writing template and an Independent Writing TOEFL template. We also provide you with a handy list of key transitional words and phrases you can incorporate into your essays.
Please note that you do not need to follow these templates directly. In fact, we strongly encourage you to replace our sample words and phrases with your own. We will talk more about how to customize our TOEFL essay templates in the following section. But for now, let’s take a look at the templates!
Template 1: Integrated Writing Task
Integrated Writing Task
Before we dive into our TOEFL Integrated Writing template, let’s get a quick reminder of what the Integrated task entails.
For this task, you’ll read a passage and then listen to a lecture. Your task is to summarize the lecture and explain whether the lecture challenges or supports what’s written in the passage. You’ll have 20 minutes to compose a response of around 150-225 words.
We’ll divide our template into four paragraphs: an introduction and three body paragraphs. You shouldn’t need a separate concluding paragraph for this task, as you can still score a 5 without one (plus, you likely won’t have enough time to write one!). But if you want to write a conclusion, just be sure you keep it short — two to three sentences at most.
Now, on to the TOEFL Integrated Writing template!
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
Your first paragraph will introduce the lecture and how it relates to the reading. This paragraph doesn’t need to be long; a simple two or three sentences should suffice.
1. Begin with a topic sentence that summarizes the main point of the lecture.
Examples:
According to the lecture, …
Based on the lecture, …
The lecturer states/believes that …
The lecturer talks about …
The lecturer discusses …
2. Next, explain whether the passage refutes or supports the main point of the lecture.
Examples (Contrast):
By contrast, the author of the passage explains/states/posits that …
The author of the passage, however, disagrees with this idea/belief. Instead, he/she believes that …
The author of the passage, however, doubts this idea/belief and thinks that …
The author challenges this point, however, by explaining/suggesting/positing that …
Examples (Agreement):
This line of thinking agrees with that of the author, who states that …
The author of the passage agrees with this notion/idea/belief, stating that …
Likewise, the author of the passage explains/states/posits that …
The author of the passage supports this idea/belief, explaining that …
Paragraph 2 (Body)
In this paragraph, you’ll want to focus on one of the key points in the lecture and explain whether the passage refutes or supports this idea.
1. Introduce the main point you’ll be discussing.
Examples:
First, the lecturer asserts/claims/suggests that …
For one, the lecturer thinks/believes that …
The first point the lecturer makes is that …
2. Next, describe this particular point in more detail and then discuss how the passage either refutes or supports it. I suggest using one to two sentences here.
Examples:
On the other hand, the author asserts/claims/suggests that …
Likewise, the author thinks/believes that …
This concept is refuted/supported by the passage, which asserts/claims/suggests that …
3. Finally, conclude your paragraph by explaining what this difference or similarity means.
Examples:
This difference/similarity ultimately means/indicates that …
Basically, the lecturer/author is saying that …
The lecturer and author are essentially in agreement with each other. Both think/believe that …
Clearly, the lecturer and author maintain different views on …
Paragraph 3 (Body)
In this paragraph, you’ll focus on another key point in the lecture and again discuss how the passage either agrees or disagrees with this idea. The structure here is essentially identical to that of paragraph 2, so make sure you are using new transitions and varying your word choice.
1. Start by introducing the second point in the lecture you’ll be discussing. Because this is your second body paragraph, do not use transitions such as “first” or “first of all.”
Examples:
Second, the lecturer argues/contends/asserts that …
Next, the lecturer suggests/proposes that …
Another key point the lecturer makes is that …
2. Next, explain this key point in more detail and elaborate on how it is either refuted or supported by the passage. As with paragraph 2, I recommend using one to two sentences here.
Examples:
In other words, the lecturer is suggesting/proposing that …
The author, however, agrees/disagrees with this idea/belief, suggesting/proposing that …
Similarly, the author argues/contends/asserts that …
3. Finally, explain what this difference or similarity means.
Examples:
What this difference/similarity means is that …
This difference/similarity in thinking tells us that …
Evidently, the lecturer thinks/believes that … , whereas the author thinks/believes that …
Paragraph 4 (Body + Conclusion)
This final body paragraph will offer your last key point in addition to a brief conclusion. Once again, try to vary your transitions and words here so that your body paragraphs do not sound redundant.
1. Introduce and summarize the third point in the lecture. This is your third and final body paragraph, so do not use transitions such as “first” or “next.” Instead, use transitions such as “third,” “finally,” “last,” and “lastly.”
Examples:
Third, the lecturer explains/states that …
Finally, the lecturer introduces the idea that …
Lastly, the lecturer goes on to say that …
2. Then, explain this point in more detail and discuss whether the passage matches or challenges it. Use one or two sentences here.
Examples:
This point is also made in the passage, which argues/contends/asserts that …
The passage supports this idea, suggesting/proposing that …
On the contrary, the author writes that …
3. Finally, conclude your paragraph by explaining the significance of this similarity or difference. You should also look at this sentence as the conclusion to your entire response. Remember, you do not need to write a separate concluding paragraph for this task; it’s perfectly OK to combine it with your last body paragraph!
Examples:
In conclusion, the lecturer and author appear to be in agreement/disagreement about …
All in all, the lecturer argues/contends/asserts that … , whereas the author argues/contends/asserts that …
Template 2: Independent Writing Task
Independent Writing Task
For this task, you will read a short prompt and then write a response explaining whether you agree or disagree with the issue or idea. Unlike the Integrated task, here you’ll be writing an opinionated response (though you do not have to write about your actual opinion).
You’ll have 30 minutes to write an essay of at least 300 words. Because this essay should be longer than the Integrated task, it’s best to use the basic five-paragraph structure, with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Note that many of the example sentences below are based on the sample Independent Writing prompt used above. This means that these sentences will not apply exactly to other prompts! So don’t simply copy the sentences onto your test; instead, use them as a general guide to help you develop a better sense of style and flow in your writing.
Now, let’s take a look at our Independent Writing TOEFL template.
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
In this paragraph, you’ll introduce the main issue or idea and rephrase the prompt in your own words. Then, you’ll state whether you agree or disagree with the statement and why.
1. For your first sentence, you’ll want to come up with a hook that introduces the topic of your essay in a unique and creative way. Most people start broad and then get specific. This sentence is also a great opportunity to insert a hypothetical question.
Examples:
There is great debate about …
It is said that … But is this always true?
Many people wonder whether telling the truth at all times is necessary in order to maintain a healthy relationship with someone.
2. Next, introduce your opinion on the topic. You may list your specific reasons for your opinion here or in the following sentence(s). Remember, this doesn’t need to be your real opinion!
Examples:
In my opinion, …
I believe that … is important because …
I agree/disagree with this idea/suggestion because …
For me, although telling the truthis important, there are many cases in which it’s OK to lie.
3. Here, state how many points (three is ideal) you’ll be discussing in your essay and then briefly summarize what these reasons for agreeing or disagreeing are. Your reasons may come from facts, predictions, personal beliefs, experiences, etc.
Examples:
In this essay, I will address three potential problems with lying in relationships.
Lying is never a smart idea because it undermines trust in relationships, causes feelings of betrayal, and often leads to more lying.
Paragraph 2 (Body)
In this paragraph, you’ll introduce your first key point about the issue and offer specific examples illustrating why you agree or disagree.
1. For the first sentence, introduce the key point you want to talk about.
Example:
First of all, lying can make it difficult to trust someone in a relationship.
2. Next, provide an example to explain why you believe this is the case. I suggest using a hypothetical situation somewhere in your essay to help illustrate one of your points.
Example:
For example, if a father lied to his daughter by telling her she was good at drawing, the daughter might begin to wonder whether her father has lied to her about other things, too.
3. Continue your paragraph by elaborating on your example. Explain any effect or consequence of the example and discuss how this outcome supports your viewpoint.
Example:
The next time the father praises his daughter for something, she might believe he is lying, even if he isn’t. In other words, the daughter might find it difficult to trust her father, thereby damaging their relationship.
Paragraph 3 (Body)
This paragraph will follow a similar structure to that of paragraph 2, only this time you’ll discussyoursecond key point. To prevent this paragraph from sounding too similar to the one before it, vary your word choice and choose a different type of example on which to focus.
1. In the first sentence, introduce your second key point. Because this is your second body paragraph (and second point), make sure you employ appropriate transitions, such as “second,” “secondly,” and “next.”
Example:
Second, lying can cause feelings of betrayal in relationships.
2. As you did in paragraph 2, use these next few sentences to elaborate on your point and offer specific examples. Always clarify how your examples support your stance (agree or disagree) and how they relate back to the issue stated in the prompt.
Example:
When I was young, I lied to my best friend about being able to attend her birthday party. She later told me I’d betrayed her and that we couldn’t be friends anymore. Essentially, because I’d lied to her, I destroyed our relationship.
Paragraph 4 (Body)
This is the last body paragraph in which you will introduce and explain your third and final key point.
1. First, introduce your third point. As this is your final body paragraph, make sure you’re using appropriate transitions, such as “finally,” “last,” “lastly,” and “third,” to introduce your point.
Example:
Lastly, lying often begets more lying. This means that once you tell a lie, you will become more likely to tell other lies.
2. As you did in paragraphs 2 and 3, elaborate on this point by providing new evidence, details, and/or examples. Explain why this point is important and how it supports your stance on the issue.
Example:
If you lie but nobody knows you’ve lied, you might begin to believe it’s OK to lie. As a result, you start to lie more and more. However, once people realize how often you lie, they’ll likely lose all trust in you and might even decide to end their relationships with you.
Paragraph 5 (Conclusion)
Like the Integrated Writing task, a separate concluding paragraph isn’t always necessary here. That said, if you have time, I recommend quickly wrapping up your points in a concise yet effective conclusion. One to three sentences should suffice.
1. In the first sentence or two, summarize your stance and explain why you feel this way. You may re-introduce your three main points here. You may also paraphrase the prompt and explain once more whether you agree or disagree with the issue and why.
Examples:
In the end, I believe telling the truth is the most important consideration in a relationship.
Ultimately, lying can easily destroy relationships because it weakens trust, results in feelings of betrayal, and often causes more lying.
2. Finally, if you have time, bring together your concluding paragraph with a single general statement about your viewpoint.
Examples:
This is why it is imperative we always refrain from lying.
Thus, the only way to ensure your relationships with others are healthy is to always tell the truth.
54 Key Transitions & Phrases
In addition to TOEFL essay templates, we offer you an assortment of common transitions and phrases you can use in your TOEFL responses. These words will allow your writing to flow more smoothly and connect your thoughts in a clearer, more logical manner.
To add information to a point, or to introduce a new (related) point:
In addition, …
Additionally, …
Furthermore, …
Moreover, …
Besides, …
Also, …
To introduce an example:
For example, …
For instance, …
To introduce an opinion:
In my opinion, …
I believe that …
I think that …
To start a new body paragraph:
First, …
First off, …
First of all, …
To begin/start, …
Second, …
Secondly, …
Next, …
Third, …
Finally, …
Last, …
Lastly, …
To add similar or related information:
Likewise, …
Similarly, …
On a related note, …
To restate information in a shorter or clearer way:
In other words, …
In short, …
Simply put, …
Essentially, …
In essence, …
Basically, …
To contrast information:
However, …
That (being) said, …
Nevertheless, …
Nonetheless, …
By/in contrast, …
On the contrary, …
On the other hand, …
To show cause and effect:
As a result, …
Because of this, …
As such, …
Consequently, …
Therefore, …
Thus, …
Hence, …
To emphasize information:
Indeed, …
Evidently, …
Clearly, …
Certainly, …
To conclude information, a paragraph, or your overall response:
In conclusion, …
All in all, …
As you can see, …
In the end, …
Ultimately, …
How to Customize a TOEFL Writing Template
How to Customize a TOEFL Writing Template
Below, we offer you a few pieces of advice to help you customize your TOEFL Writing template.
Integrated Writing Template
Here are two ways to customize our TOEFL Integrated Writing template.
#1: Tweak Sample Sentences & Openers
The sample sentence and openers we’ve provided above don’t contain any specific information, so you are welcome to incorporate these examples into your own Integrated Writing response however you like.
That said, you don’t need to use these examples exactly as they are. If you’d like to tweak them, try replacing the verbs and transitions with other (synonymous) words. I also suggest adding adverbs to emphasize certain words. So for example, instead of writing, “The author, however, disagrees with this belief,” you could write, “The author, on the other hand, strongly challenges this concept.”
Just be sure that the examples you’re using in your essay fit with the type of lecture-passage relationship you’re given. Remember, this relationship can be either supportive (in which the lecture agrees with the passage) or contrastive (in which the lecture disagrees with the passage).
#2: Use Different Words to Emphasize Contrast
Most Integrated Writing tasks will give you a lecture that challenges what’s written in the passage. In these cases, it’s important you use a variety of transitions, conjunctions, and prepositions to emphasize this important contrast throughout your essay.
There is one caveat, though: do not use a single transition more than once in your response. For instance, if you were to consistently start your supporting sentences with “however,” your essay would lack balance and begin to sound redundant. So be sure to vary your word choice!
Here is a list of strong contrastive words you can use in your Integrated Writing response:
However, …
That (being) said, …
Nevertheless, …
Nonetheless …
By/in contrast, …
On the contrary, …
On the other hand, …
Although
Though
Even though
Even if
Despite
In spite of
While
Whereas
But
Yet
Independent Writing Template
Here are three ways you can customize our Independent Writing TOEFL template.
#1: Choose the Side That’s Easier to Support
Although the Independent Writing task asks specifically whether you agree or disagree with an idea, you do not need to write about your real opinion. What you should really do is choose the side that’s easier to argue — regardless of whether you actually agree or disagree with it!
In other words, it’s perfectly OK to make things up for this response and pretend you support something you don’t actually believe. Remember, you are not being judged on which stance you choose but on how effectively you support your stance.
#2: Do Not Copy Sample Sentences Word for Word
For this task’s examples, I’ve primarily supplied you with whole sentences, all of which were based on the sample Independent Writing prompt used above. Because our examples refer to a specific prompt, you cannot copy these sample sentences word for word and use them in your own essay. Failing to change these sentences means your essay won’t make a whole lot of sense, if any at all!
Therefore, what you should actually be doing is using these example sentences to learn what types of details to include in your Independent Writing response. You may also use our examples to get a feel for how you can change up your sentences and word choice.
#3: Vary Your Supporting Details
For your response, you must come up with specific details and examples to support your viewpoint. These examples can range from facts and statistics to experiences and hypothetical situations.
In order to produce a truly compelling response (and get a high essay score), you must incorporate a variety of effective examples into your essay. This means you’ll want to avoid using the same types of examples for each point you make. So if you were to discuss a personal experience for your first body paragraph, focus on a different type of detail, such as a universally accepted fact or a hypothetical scenario, for your second body paragraph.
How to Use a TOEFL Writing Template: 4 Tips
Finally, here are four general tips for using a TOEFL Writing template effectively.
How to Use a TOEFL Writing Template: 4 Tips
#1: Employ a Variety of Transitions
The sample sentences and openers we’ve given you for each template above contain different transitions to help link ideas together; thus, we encourage you to use a variety of transitions in your own essays. For ideas, refer to our transition list above. This list can help you swap out some of our sample transitions for other ones you believe fit better with your writing.
Ultimately, varying your word choice is critical to ensuring your essay is well written. This means that a high-scoring TOEFL essay will not simply use transitions but use them well. So if you’ve already inserted “therefore” in one area, try using “as a result” or “thus” in another area. You’ll still get the same meaning but with a stronger, more versatile effect.
#2: Add Details Without Rambling
Don’t feel limited by the number of sentences we’ve included in each body paragraph in our templates. If you need to use two or three sentences to explain a point, that’s OK! You should always give a lot of detail for your points — so long as you are staying concise and focused.
For example, if you spend a paragraph discussing a hypothetical scenario but fail to offer any analysis, you probably won’t receive a high TOEFL score. Likewise, if you write a verbose introduction or conclusion, your score may end up being lower than you wanted it to be.
Basically, you must find the perfect balance between detail and analysis. A good way to monitor this balance is to always try to hit the word minimum for each task. Doing this means you’ll likely have an essay that’s sufficiently detailed. Just try not to exceed the maximum or you’ll risk rambling!
#3: 2 Strong Points Is Better Than 3 Weak Ones
Each of our TOEFL essay templates above has three body paragraphs and three main points. Although three points is a solid number of points, if you can only think of two points, just stick with those and try tosupport them as clearly and effectively as possible.
As you can see in the sample TOEFL essays here, many essays with scores of 2 and 3 actually address three points — but their points are altogether weak, with few supporting details and insufficient analysis. What this means is that just having three points in your essay isn’t enough to guarantee you a high essay score. Thus, it’s far better to write an essay with two strong points than three weak ones.
#4: Do Not Copy Entire Sentences From the Prompt
If you struggle with English, you might be tempted to borrow some sentences and phrases from the prompt. While it’s OK to paraphrase sentences, you should never copy exact sentences from your prompt.
Copying the prompt shows evaluators that you lack the English level necessary for writing creatively and analytically. On top of this, copying is also a form of plagiarism, which means you are essentially “stealing” another’s work.
Recap: How Can a TOEFL Writing Template Help You?
TOEFL essay templates are an especially useful component of TOEFL prep because they raise your chance of achieving a high TOEFL Writing score.
With TOEFL essay templates, you can organize your thoughts more clearly, spend less time outlining your responses, and prepare for the TOEFL with increased confidence. Our templates are also flexible, allowing you to customize certain elements to your liking and cater the templates to many different prompts.
When using a TOEFL template, always remember the following four tips:
Employ a variety of transitions throughout your essay
Add details but try not to ramble
Two strong point are better than three weak ones
Do not copy exact sentences from the prompt
Now that you’re equipped with our TOEFL essay templates and the knowledge of how to use them, you should have no trouble getting a great TOEFL Writing score!
The TOEFL Integrated Writing Task does not have to be scary.
However, if you are not prepared, it might seem like the most complex writing task in any test of the English language.
You may not be familiar with writing in English, and this TOEFL task gives you only 20 minutes to create your written response.
Unlike the TOEFL Independent Writing Task, you have to do more than write. You need to read and listen before you get started writing. Plus, you still need to do some good writing to score high in this part of the test.
Fortunately, if you follow these steps, you will be totally prepared to write on test day.
Achieve a High Score on the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task in 7 Steps
1. Understand the Task
If you are taking the TOEFL test, you are probably preparing for university abroad. That is why you have to prove you can understand the main ideas of lectures and texts. Being able to understand spoken and written English is also important for anyone who wants to travel abroad, work abroad or work with English-speaking people in their home country.
In this part of the test, you have to read a passage that is 250 to 300 words long and listen to a lecture that is 1 to 2 minutes long. Both the written passage and the lecture are about the same academic topic. They present two perspectives on the same issue.
You should take notes while reading and listening so you can remember the important things you want to write about. After you read and listen, you need to be able to write a 150-225 word response about how the reading and the listening passages are related.
2. Use Directions to Your Advantage
The directions for the Integrated Writing Task will be the same on all tests.
Prepare by doing as many practice tests as you possible can before the exam. This way, you will know all the directions before the exam so you don’t need to waste time and energy reading them carefully during the actual test.
The more you know about the directions, the more prepared you will be. You will know exactly what to do! That sounds less terrifying already, right?
3. Take Excellent Notes
You are supposed to take notes while reading and listening in order to be able write about the main ideas in the two passages and show how they are related. Good notes are going to help you remember information. But how do you write good notes?
Use Key Words
Do not try to write in full sentences. Especially while listening, it can be very hard to concentrate on both understanding English and writing down sentences word-for-word.
You will have access to the reading passage while you do the writing task, so you can always look at it one more time while you are writing. However, this takes time! You want to maximize your writing time so you have extra minutes to work on creating your response. You do not want to look at the passage more than once if possible.
Try not to read passage again and again. Take brief notes while you are reading the passage the first or second time.
Taking notes also means that you will be writing down your ideas and opinions about the reading, and you will be writing using your own words. You do not want to copy any of the language from the passage when you are writing your response. You want to use original language and prove that you have a wide range of vocabulary.
Use Symbols
You can save time while taking notes by replacing words with symbols. One symbol can replace an entire sentence! It saves you time to make only a couple of quick marks, rather than writing out an entire sentence.
For example, you could use <—> to show contrast between two ideas.
Use —>to show cause and effect.
You can come up with your own list of symbols while preparing for the exam. Create ones that make sense to you. If you use them repeatedly, you will be able to be very effective while taking notes on the test.
Practice Makes Perfect
Keep a notebook nearby whenever you are reading or listening to something in English. You can practice taking notes while doing reading in your spare time or while listening to science-related TED talks.
It’s best to practice with academic passages because these tend to be more structured, like the ones you get in the test.
Use a Table to Take Notes in a Structured Way
It is very quick and easy to draw a table while taking your test, and it will help you a lot. Draw a table before you start reading or listening.
This will help you focus on the main ideas in the two passages and how they are related. You will be able to see the main ideas and the connections between them at a glance. This will save a lot of planning time before writing.
You can use this model:
Main Idea
Reading
Listening
1.
2.
3.
Stay Calm While Listening
You only get to listen to the spoken passage once, so you can feel a lot of pressure to understand everything, take great notes and get all the information you need to get the written response right.
There is no way to press “rewind” or play the passage again. When it is over, it is over.
That might sound really scary, but it is not that bad when you know how the test works.
Remember that you are only supposed to understand the main ideas andconnect these to the main ideas of the reading passage. So, don’t worry if you don’t understand every single word! This is not a vocabulary test. You do not have to answer 30 specific questions after listening. You just have to understand the main points.
Try not to worry if you do not remember very specific information. When you do the writing task, you are the one who decides what to include. For this, you are going to need the main ideas and connections between them. If you can only take notes on just a few supporting ideas from the listening passage, remember you can access the reading passage for more details while writing.
4. Organize Your Writing
Plan
You should spend only 1-2 minutes to plan your written response, but do not panic while planning! Remember the table you made while you read and listened? Use it now and you can save time.
Divide Your Response into Paragraphs
You should attempt to write 4 paragraphs.
Try to target both the reading and listening passage in each paragraph. Do not write one paragraph about the text and then one about the lecture. It is better to discuss both.
You can follow the structure of the example paragraphs below:
Introduction: State the main topic of the two passages and the main connection between the passages.
Example: Both the reading and the listening passage discuss__________. The author of the reading passage argues that__________, while the lecturer challenges the points made by the article. He/She claims that__________.
1st Paragraph: State the first main idea of the text and relate it to a main idea in the listening passage.
Example:First of all, the author of the reading passage states that__________. He/She claims that__________. However, the lecturer in the spoken passage implies that__________. Moreover, he/she believes that__________.
2nd and 3rd Paragraph: State more main ideas of the text and connect these ideas to main ideas from the lecture. You can use the 1st paragraph example above to structure these paragraphs.
Conclusion: Write a short concluding paragraph about how the topic is seen differently by the two authors. If you don’t have time for a conclusion, don’t panic. You can turn the paragraph dealing with the last main idea into a conclusion like this:
Last but not least, the reading passage mentions__________. The author seems to believe that__________. In contrast, the lecturer argues that__________. He/She discusses__________. The two perspectives differ in their approach to__________.
Use connectors to make your writing more structured and logical.
To sequence ideas: firstly, secondly, last but not least
To contrast ideas: however, although, nevertheless, in contrast, on the one hand/ on the other hand
To show cause and effect: as a result, consequently, therefore
5. Remember: This Is a Language Test
Do not worry if you know nothing about the topic, you are not supposed to know about the topic! You may even lose points for focusing on your personal opinion.
The Independent Writing Task will ask you about your point of view. However, the Integrated Writing Task is about reading well, listening well, understanding and discussing the ideas that were given to you.
The raters (the people who read your test and decide your score) are interested in how well you can synthesize information from the two sources and, of course, they are interested in your level of English writing.
This means you have to prove your level of English is really good. How do you do that? By using complex grammar structures and a wide range of vocabulary.
You should try to use your most advanced knowledge of English here, but do not use words or phrases you are not sure about. You have a very important strategic advantage when you do writing: You have time to think!
When you are speaking you cannot stop and think about the words you are going to use, but when you are writing you can choose to use the vocabulary you are confident about.
Do some writing tasks and have a teacher or native speaker edit them for you. To find a native English speaker who’s trained to teach you about the TOEFL, visit Wyzant. This website will help you find a local TOEFL tutor anywhere in the United States, and you can even choose one who has specialized in English writing or English grammar.
If you’d prefer to meet with an English tutor online, search on Verbling. This huge website has thousands of professional tutors who you can choose from, and many offer very low, affordable prices for tutoring. And there are specialized TOEFL tutors here too!
While working with your TOEFL tutor, keep a “favorite mistakes” diary in which you record language mistakes so you avoid making them again.
6. Edit
Leave 1-2 minutes to proofread your work. Remember, you don’t have time for big changes. The raters know this is a first draft. What you can do, however, is correct spelling and punctuation mistakes.
7. Time Is of the Essence
Time is very important!
Exams are about using your time well so you can score as high as possible.
Time yourself as you do practice tests and do not waste any exam time on things that are not worth it. Do not waste valuable minutes to think about a word that you simply cannot remember. Use a synonym that you know very well instead!
Give yourself 1-2 minutes to do planning and editing work. All the rest of your time should be left for writing.
Use as much time as you can before the exam to do exam-like tasks, because practice makes perfect!
Before you take the real TOEFL exam, you should take at least one full practice TOEFL exam. An ideal place to do this is BestMyTest. When you take your practice TOEFL exam on this website, you will receive feedback from real, TOEFL-certified English teachers. They’ll read your writing and give you suggestions to help you improve your exam score.
Remember that, even after you have passed the TOEFL test, the skills you developed while preparing for the Integrated Writing Task will stay with you. These skills will be your valuable resources when you study or work abroad.
The time you spend studying now can greatly improve your overall level of English.
This isn’t the only reason to practice TOEFL writing though. If you’re taking the TOEFL, it’s probably because you want to go to a university in another country.
The TOEFL is based on a lot of the things that foreign learners struggle with. Studying for the TOEFL will prepare you for university abroad. If you can get a high score on the TOEFL, it likely means you’re more prepared for the university environment where teachers will ask you to discuss or write about unfamiliar topics all the time.
Top Mistakes English Students Make on the TOEFL (and Why I Know)
As a former TOEFL rater, I read hundreds of essays per week.
I saw the same mistakes over and over again.
Mistakes do matter, so I’m going to share the most frequent ones with you before we get started.
The first one is to apologize to your rater for your English skills. We know you’re not a native speaker, so do not apologize to us. You’ll lower our expectations of the rest of your writing, which can only make things worse.
Another is to freeze up and write down almost nothing. Some ideas are better than no ideas. Don’t try to be perfect when the clock is ticking.
One more thing: remember that there’s also an Integrated Writing Section of the TOEFL which is completely different. In that section, your opinions and ideas should not be included, so make sure to study for that section separately.
10 Simple Strategies to Pass the TOEFL Independent Writing Section
There are some ways you can improve your score by using some basic strategies. Today, I’ll share them with you, along with ways that you can practice them. Some of these things will probably surprise you because they might be different from what your English teacher taught you in school — but just stay with me! I know what I’m talking about here, and I won’t guide you down the wrong path.
10 Simple Strategies to Pass the TOEFL Independent Writing Section
1. Practice timed writing before the day of the test.
Preparing an essay for English class and writing on the day of the TOEFL are completely different experiences. With an essay for class, you have tons of time to formulate your ideas and write them down carefully.
When a timer is involved, things change. You need to think fast, write fast and correct writing fast. You must practice this, especially if you aren’t good at typing on a computer keyboard. Choose a topic and set a timer for thirty minutes. Try to spend the entire 30 minutes writing, without stopping.
When the timer is finished, read your writing carefully to see how you did. How was your grammar? How many sentences could you write?
Do this several times per week. Lots of practice can really help you improve on the TOEFL. With practice, you’ll be able to think about ideas faster and type your responses out more quickly.
Eventually, you’ll want to take a complete TOEFL practice exam—it’s the only way to be fully prepared for the TOEFL. When you’re ready, take a TOEFL practice exam on BestMyTest. You’ll get a real score and a full review of your writing from a TOEFL certified teacher.
2. Think quality, not quantity.
Shorter, well-written responses are fine. Many of the responses that receive scores of 4 or 5 are only one paragraph long. On the other hand, many longer responses receive only a 2 or a 3. If you use transitions and clear language, you can fit all of your reasons and details into one smooth paragraph. That will really impress your rater.
If the response is too long, you’ll be in a rush and you won’t be able to check your grammar and vocabulary. You also might repeat yourself or include irrelevant specifics. Of course, don’t make your response so short that you can’t show off your ability to make a good argument.
3. Learn some basic sentence patterns that you can use comfortably.
TOEFL raters look at your ability to make different types of sentences. Create your own toolbox of different types of English connectors, such as “but,” “however,” and “although.” Practice writing sentences and use them in your TOEFL response. If you only use simple short sentences, your response won’t receive a high score. You don’t need to be a grammar expert, but you do need to show sentence variety.
4. Learn the common types of TOEFL prompts.
You won’t have a choice of your topic on the day of the TOEFL exam.
The topic will be a complete surprise.
However, Educational Testing Services (the makers of the TOEFL) publish sample topics on their website. If you study these, you can be more prepared.
Look for keywords that are repeated over and over in the prompts, like “prefer” or “oppose,” and make sure you understand their meanings and how to respond to the questions they’re asking.
Ask yourself: “Should I make a choice? Agree or disagree?”
Once you notice these patterns, they’re be easier to identify and respond to correctly on the day of the exam.
5. Have (or Fake) an Opinion.
Don’t say that you don’t have an opinion.
This is an argumentative essay. In many cultures, people don’t express their opinions directly — but you’ve got to do it on the TOEFL Independent Essay.
If it’s new for you to have an opinion and express it strongly, practice. When you read something or listen to something, think: “Do I agree or disagree? Do I support or oppose this decision?”
Have coffee with another ESL student and practice discussing current events. Talking about your opinions will make it easier to write about them. On the day of the TOEFL, choose the side you can argue best, even if it’s not your true opinion. If you don’t have an opinion on the TOEFL topic, invent one!
6. Brainstorm before you start your response.
It’s good to make a little plan before you start writing your TOEFL response. Don’t immediately start writing.
Instead, take 1-3 minutes to decide what you’ll write about and think about some reasons and examples. Again, usually you’ll have to choose between two opposite arguments. That means it’s useful to quickly brainstorm both sides and see which one you have the most reasons and details for, even if you truly think differently.
7. Write a basic thesis statement.
This is the first thing your rater will see, so you should make a clear and grammatically-correct sentence that states the main idea of your response. You don’t need an introductory paragraph, but you should definitely write a thesis statement. This can be borrowed mostly from the prompt itself.
For example, if your prompt says, “In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this is a good idea?” I can write “I think it’s a good idea for teenagers to have jobs while they are still students” or “I don’t think it’s a good idea for teenagers to have jobs while they are still students.” Simply take the words from the original prompt and create a strong opinion sentence. The rest of your essay will be built around this sentence which strongly and clearly states your opinion on the topic.
As you’re looking at sample TOEFL prompts, practice writing a thesis statement like this for each one.
On the day of the exam, your topic will probably be different from any sample topics you’ve looked at. Even so, the topics will probably be very similar overall. You don’t need to have much specific knowledge on any topic to succeed. It should be easy to write the thesis statement if you’ve already studied and practiced how to write.
8. Give specific reasons and details.
Every TOEFL prompt asks for specific reasons and details.
One reason a response receives a higher or lower score is because of the number of reasons and examples they can give.
To get the highest scores, you’ll need three different, well-written reasons along with specific details. When you do your timed practices at home, be sure to practice doing this.
Many students have trouble thinking of specific examples, but it’s an important part of good writing. You can also practice brainstorming or planning reasons even if you don’t write a complete response. You shouldn’t use statistics because you won’t be able to research during the exam. Instead, practice using experiences or facts from your general knowledge to support your thesis statements.
9. Stay on topic.
Unfortunately, you can’t choose or change your topic. Write only about the topic that’s given to you by the exam.
Keep in mind: TOEFL raters are always looking for pre-made essays. Some students will memorize essays before the TOEFL exam and use them instead of writing on their own. Therefore, one of the lowest scores students can receive is for missing the topic. Writing about a different topic is an easy way to get a low score. I don’t recommend trying to memorize an essay.
Honest, dedicated practice is much more useful and effective.
If there are unfamiliar words in the prompt, use context to guess their meanings. Try your best to write about the exact topic given to you. Don’t include sentences that don’t connect to your thesis statement — these irrelevant sentences will lower your score.
10. Edit your response if you have time.
Even native speakers make small mistakes in their writing, but if we read our essays again we can find our mistakes. Try to save the last 1-3 minutes for fixing your errors. Of course, the more grammar you learn the better you’ll become at fixing and avoiding errors as you write, but anyone can identify small mistakes in typing (typos) that would bring the score down.
That’s all we’ve got for now. Just keep practicing until next time, and good luck!
You need to practice for the writing sections? Try this list of past TOEFL independent writing questions, published by ETS (the people who make the TOEFL test).
These are also good for practicing independent speaking questions, too — just give yourself 45 seconds to talk on these subjects.
1. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
155 TOEFL Independent Writing Topics
4. It has been said, “Not everything that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?
5. A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.
6. If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
7. How do movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
8. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
9. Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
10. “When people succeed, it is because of hard 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.
11. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students’ sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
12. Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
13. Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
14. Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.
15. Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.
16. It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
17. Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.
18. What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (boss)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.
What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (boss)?
19. Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments spend more money on improving public transportation (buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.
20. 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.
21. In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.
22. We all work or will work in our jobs with many different kinds of people. In your opinion, what are some important characteristics of a co-worker (someone you work closely with)? Use reasons and specific examples to explain why these characteristics are important.
23. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Sometimes it is better not to tell the truth. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
24. In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.
25. A person you know is planning to move to your town or city. What do you think this person would like and dislike about living in your town or city? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.
26. It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
27. It has recently been announced that a new movie theater may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
28. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People should sometimes do things that they do not enjoy doing. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
29. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion.
30. Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
31. It has recently been announced that a new high school may be built in your community. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details in your answer.
32. Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.
33. Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
34. You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
35. You must select a person to teach others to do a job. Which one of the following is the most important for you to consider in making your selection?
the person’s education
the person’s work experience
the quality of the person’s previous work
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
36. Businesses should hire employees for their entire lives. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
37. Countries, businesses, and schools are three areas that need good leaders. Choose one of these three areas and describe the most important qualities of a leader in that area. Explain why these qualities are important, using specific examples and details.
38. Choose one of the following transportation vehicles and explain why you think it has changed people’s lives.
Automobiles
Bicycles
Airplanes
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Do you agree or disagree that progress is always good
39. Do you agree or disagree that progress is always good? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
40. 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.
41. The expression “Never, never give up” means to keep trying and never stop working for your goals. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
42. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of technology, students nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
43. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Games are as important for adults as they are for children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
44. Awards and prizes are given for excellence in various fields. Do these awards and prizes serve a useful purpose? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
45. Some people think that human needs for farmland, housing, and industry are more important than saving land for endangered animals. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
46. What is a very important skill a person should learn in order to be successful in the world today? Choose one skill and use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
47. Resolving problems between individuals or groups is important. What should be considered or kept in mind in resolving problems between individuals or groups? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
48. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Self-confidence is the most important factor for success in school or at work. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
49. Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
50. Which is more important for success: the natural ability you are born with or hard work? Explain your opinion, using specific reasons and examples.
TOEFL iBT Essay writing in twelve steps: Planning the essay
In this series, we will introduce you to the twelve steps to write an essay in the TOEFL iBT Writing test. The first five steps we’ll discuss today is about planning the essay. There are two important parts of planning:
Address the writing task
Step 1: Read the essay topic
Step 2: Identify the task
Step 3: Write your thesis statement
Organize the topic
Step 4: Make notes about your general ideas
Step 5: Expand your note to include specific details
Address the writing task
Step 1: READ THE ESSAY TOPIC
The first thing to do is read the essay topic carefully. It will be given to you on the computer monitor. To write a good essay,you must know what the topic asks you to do. You should know how to address the writing task. You must write on the topic. If you write on another subject, you will receive a O. Pay attention to the task.
Step 2: IDENTIFY THE TASK
There are four essay types on the TOEFL. The most common essay types are agreeing or disagreeing and stating a preference. It is more likely that you will get one of these essay topics to write, but you could also be given one of the others. You must know how to recognize the tasks in all four types. The tasks in making an argument and giving an explanation are similar. Your approach will be similar.
Topic type
Percentage of topics
Make an argument
34%
Agree or disagree
29%
State a preference
21%
Give an explanation
16%
*The data in the table may not be accurate at the present
Topic type
What you will do
Keywords/ Phrases
Example
Make an argument
In this essay,you will be presented with a hypothetical situation. You will have to determine what needs to be done, make a choice, and support your hypothesis. In these essays, the topic is usually
written in the future or conditional tense.
If/ How/ In your opinion/ What is the best way to/ If you could change.., what would you change/ Which of the following should you do?/How would you do…/How will (something) affect (something)?…
If you could make one important
change in a school that you attended, what
change would you make? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
Agree or disagree
In this essay,you must state an opinion and defend your point of view. You must give reasons for your thinking. You usually discuss only one side of the issue
Do you agree or disagree…/ Do you support or oppose…/Why or why not?…
Do you agree or disagree with the
following statement? Playing games teaches us
about life.Use specific reasons and examples to
support your answer
State a preference
In this essay, you must discuss both sides of an issue. You will be asked to compare and contrast both sides. You may be asked to give the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages of something. You must also state your own personal preference and give reasons to support your choice.
You may be asked to state what you think someone else’s preference is.
Some do this, other do that/ Which opinion do you agree with?/ Which would you prefer?/ Compare the advantages & disadvantages/ How is (something) different from (something)?…
It has been said, “Not everything that
is learned is contained in books:’ Compare and
contrast· knowledge gained from experience
with knowledge gained from books. In your
opinion, which source is more important.
Why?
Give an explanation
In this essay,you must describe what something is, howit happened, why it occurs, or how it is different. You may have to tell why something is good or bad. Youwill have to establish criteria and use those criteria to make a judgement.
Describe/ Explain/ What do you consider most important (list)/ Why do you think/ How has (something) changed?/ How does (something) affect (something)?…
People attend college or university
for many different reasons (for example, new
experiences, career preparation, increased
knowledge). Why do you think people attend
college or university? Use specific reasons and
examples to support your answer
Step 3: WRITE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT
In order to write a good essay, you must clearly state your thesis. Every essay must have a thesis. The thesis is the main idea of your essay. A thesis statement focuses the direction of the topic and helps the reader understand what you want to say. It tells the reader what your topic is.
Look at these example topics to see how different thesis statements can come from the same topic.
Topic :You have been told that,dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer .
Thesis statement A: Since I do not get along well with many people, I prefer to choose my own roommate.
From this statement, we can presume that the writer will discuss why s/he has difficulty having friendly relationships with people.
Thesis statement B:The opportunity to meet new people is an imp011ant benefit of a university education, so I believe it is better to let the university choose my roommate for me.
From this statement, we can presume the writer will discuss the benefits of meeting new people at a university.
A thesis statement must be on the topic. Pay close attention to what the topic asks you to do
Organize the topic
Step 4: Make notes about your general idea
To write a good essay,you must organize your thoughts before you write. First, of course, you must have some thoughts. You must have an opinion about a subject. Your opinion about a subject is the thesis of your essay. Concept maps will help you organize the topic. Use a concept map to make notes. There are many different types of concept maps. We will discuss five in this chapter. Some of them are more appropriate for certain topics. Some are appropriate for all topics. Use the one that works best for you
Concept map
Topic
Web
All
Fish bone
All
Venn Diagram
State a preference
Matrix
All
NPR
Make an argument
*We will have a separate post for explaining each type of concept map later
Step 5: Expand your notes to include specific details
Regardless of its shape, each concept map has three components: the thesis statement, some general ideas, and some supporting details. As a rule, you should try to have three general ideas per essay and at least two supporting details per general idea. This will vary according to your topic and the way you choose to organize your topic.
Now that you have finished planning the essay. Let’s move on to write the essay! ~Continue here
