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Sample Essays for the Writing Section of the TOEFL® Test

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Sample Essays for the Writing Section of the TOEFL Test ( document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) )

Did you hear about the updated TOEFL iBT Writing section?

On July 26, 2023, ETS introduced a new TOEFL Writing question : Writing for an Academic Discussion.

That’s right. The Independent Writing question has been retired from the official TOEFL iBT test.

Before we get into the topics and sample essays for the new TOEFL Writing question, let’s start with the first task, which hasn’t changed, the Integrated Writing.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

In the TOEFL Writing Section, there are two questions you must respond to. The first question is called the TOEFL Integrated Writing task. The second question is called the TOEFL Writing for an Academic Discussion task.

The integrated question presents a reading and listening passage, followed by a question, which is a bit more complicated.

Simple, right?

No? Still confused.

No worries. The best way to understand something better is through examples.

Let’s do one together.

This TOEFL integrated writing topic deals with the use of  Corn Ethanol .

Give yourself three minutes to read it:

The chemical compound, ethanol, has risen in recent years as the most viable alternative to fossil fuels. Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from crops, mainly from corn in the United States, which can power engines. There are many who argue that corn ethanol should replace fossil fuel gas as the primary source for running cars.

One major benefit of using corn ethanol is that it uses less energy than gasoline. Using less energy means that people can get better gas mileage while driving these more fuel-efficient cars. In the long-run, this will be cheaper for consumers because they can drive further than they do now with fossil-fueled cars. People will spend less money on gas because they won’t have to stop to fill up as frequently.

Another advantage of switching to corn ethanol is that it helps the American economy become less reliant on energy sources from other countries. Petroleum is not readily available in the U.S., so it must be imported from other countries. Depending on foreign relations with those countries, fuel becomes a political issue. Corn is a crop that America has in abundance. By using corn ethanol instead, the cost of gas will decrease because now the import taxes on fossil fuels are calculated into the price. This also means that we will be putting the money into our own economy, thus helping local corn farmers.

One of the most attractive aspects of corn ethanol is how environmentally friendly is when compared to current automobile gasoline. Fossil fuels release carbon that has been stored for years from the earth. Burning biofuels, like corn ethanol, is better for the environment because it releases less greenhouse gas emissions. Lessening the amount of carbon emissions will help prevent global warming and all of the other negative effects of climate change.

Once three minutes have ended, listen to a conversation about the same topic

Now, it’s time to write your TOEFL essay.

Stop reading.

Start writing.

Write your essay before you look at this TOEFL Writing sample. You will learn a lot more if you actually write the essay and then compare this to your own.

Here’s an expert TOEFL teacher’s sample essay to this particular TOEFL Writing topic.

The article introduces the topic of corn-based ethanol. More specifically, the writer discusses the advantages of switching from fossil fuels to this alternative energy source. The lecturer in the listening passage disagrees. He believes that the benefits the author mentions are misleading and attacks each of the claims made in the reading.

In the reading, the author begins by stating that drivers will get better gas mileage on corn ethanol than on fossil fuels, and therefore save money on gas. The speaker, however, disagrees. He states that the production of corn ethanol is very expensive. He says that in order to make for the costs to create and distribute this biofuel, the price of ethanol gas will increase.  Therefore, it will not be any cheaper for consumers in the long run.

The writer also claims that making the switch to corn ethanol will help the American economy because it will make the United States less dependent on foreign oil. Again, the lecturer believes there are flaws in the writer’s argument. He holds instead that mass use of corn-based ethanol will hurt the economy. He elaborates this by point out that the inevitable competition for corn by multiple consumers, including beef and dairy farmers, will drive the price of corn up.

Another reason why the author feels that moving from traditional gasoline to corn ethanol is a good idea is that they are more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. The professor in the listening passage is doubtful that this is accurate. He suggests that as more farmlands are created to support the demands for more corn, more carbon will be absorbed by the land. This means that these emissions will still be released to negatively affect the environment.

As you can see the author and speaker hold very different views about the use of corn ethanol.

The author here clearly defined the main idea, organized the supporting points from both the reading and listening passage, and showed how they differ from each other. 

I know it may seem a bit difficult, which is why I recommend that you start off with a TOEFL Writing template for both the Writing for an Academic Discussion task and Integrated essay.

examples of essay toefl

Looking for more example essays?

Download our TOEFL Writing 24+ Guide if you would like more sample essays. It includes extra tips, tricks, and strategies you will not find anywhere else. Download it for free here

Too complicated? Don’t worry.

I will share TOEFL writing templates for the Integrated Writing question, which will make your life a whole lot easier.

We have to talk about the Writing for an Academic Discussion question.

Writing for an Academic Discussion Question

You will have 10 minutes to complete the Writing for an Academic Discussion question .

For this task, you will participate in an online discussion. After you read the question and student responses, you will have to write a response that adds to the conversation.

Here’s the breakdown:

This question is straightforward, but let’s do a sample together.

When the question appears on the screen, take two minutes to scan the passage and the student’s opinions.

examples of essay toefl

Start to write your response. Be sure to add to the discussion and avoid repeating the same points as the other students.

Aim to write at least 120 words.

examples of essay toefl

Get peace of mind with these TOEFL Writing Templates

Now that you have a few TOEFL Writing topics and sample essays to study from, you may want to use a writing template to help guide your writing.

A TOEFL template is basically a pre-organized set of words and phrases that you can use in almost any TOEFL Writing response.

Here’s TST Prep’s template for the integrated TOEFL Writing question (question one) :

The article introduces the topic of (general topic). More specifically, the writer discusses (stance of the author on the topic). The lecturer in the listening passage disagrees. He believes that (stance of the professor on the topic) and attacks each of the claims made in the reading.

In the reading, the author begins by stating that (first point made to support stance). The lecturer, however, disagrees. He states that (first counterargument by the professor). He goes on to say that (additional detail about first counterargument).

The author also claims that ( second point made to support stance). Again, the lecturer believes there are flaws in the writer’s argument. The speaker holds that (two sentences about the professor’s second counter-argument).

Another reason why the author feels that (restate stance of author ) is that ( third point made to support stance). The professor in the listening passage is doubtful that this is accurate. He suggests that (two sentences about the professor’s third counter argument ).

To sum up, both the writer and professor hold conflicting views about (general topic). It’s clear that they will have trouble finding common ground on this issue.

And here’s our template for the independent TOEFL Writing for an Academic Discussion (question two) :

You will notice that the sample essays in this article differ from the templates.

You do not have to use templates, it’s up to you. Some people prefer to write in their own unique fashion for the entire exam. However, you will notice that the structure of the templates is similar to the TOEFL example essays.

These templates follow the exact organization and structure you are expected to use on test day, so don’t hesitate to use them in your writing.

Also, don’t forget to download the free 24+ TOEFL Writing Guide if you would like more example essays, templates, and exclusive tips to help you earn the best possible TOEFL Writing score on test day.

If you read this far, it means you are serious about your TOEFL studies. Don’t hesitate to send us an email and let us know how we can help you earn the TOEFL score of your dreams – [email protected]

Did we forget anything? Please comment and let us know how we can improve our TOEFL Writing advice (or if you want to just say hi that would be great too).

Other articles

Ten Awsome Tips for the Writing Section of the TOEFL Test

100 Free Questions for the Listening Section of the TOEFL Test

Check other articles on TOEFL

109 Comments

Abdul Siyar Azizi

Hello Josh, I have a question regarding how we can write an advanced writing that will be scored 25+?

Josh

Thanks very much for your question. We do have some templates that can help to increase your score. However, to give you a more detailed answer, I would suggest you consider doing an essay evaluation with us so we can help you determine specific areas for improvement. In the meantime, here are some articles that can help.

https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/ten-awesome-tips-for-the-writing-section-of-the-toefl-test/

https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/sample-essays-for-the-writing-section-of-the-toefl-test/

Ireen

Hi Josh! For the academic writing, I only gave my reason for the topic, and I forgot to mention the opinion of the other student. I checked my word count. It is already past 100 words, and I do not want it to be too long. Do we really need to mention the other students’ opinion?

Hi Ireen. Great question! We often suggest mentioning one of the other students, but it is not required. As long as what you said was on topic, you “added to the discussion,” and gave specific reasons and examples, you should be okay with the 100 words you wrote.

Sarah

Hello, I have a question about the independent writing: Is it a problem if I just give one reason in my essay (but detailed enough)? Thank you

Hi there and thank you for your question. There are no specific grading criteria that say you MUST give two reasons for your opinion, so, in theory, yes, you can just give one reason. I don’t think you will be marked down for it. If possible, try to give two though. It will make your word count higher.

Lobna

Hello Josh, I was wondering if you have more integrated writing questions that we could do for practice, do you know where to find them?

Hi there and thank you for your question. If you search “TOEFL Writing Practice test” on Youtube you will find 2-3 TST Prep practice videos with an Integrated Writing practice question. I’m sure there will be tests from other providers as well.

Ashina

Hey Josh, I have been following your YouTube channel for my TOEFL preparation, where I learned a lot. My question is that I got stuck between 15-17 scores in the reading section and could not figure out what I would do to enhance my scores. Any suggestions?

Hi there Ashina, and thank you for your question.

It is, indeed, a difficult question to answer. Here are two pieces of advice on how to practice at home and how to improve time management:

HOW TO DO A PASSAGE

I am going to breakdown the process you should go through when you do a TOEFL Reading passage:

1. Copy the test conditions (set a timer to complete the passage and all the questions in 18 minutes)

2. Check your answers

3. Identify the reason you got a specific question wrong (or didn’t understand why you were correct) and write down what you can do to avoid the same mistake next time. Step #3 is the most important and the one often overlooked because most test-takers are pretty tired after reading and answering questions. This will help you notice patterns in incorrect choices and apply what you have learned later.

4. (Optional) Do the same passage again two weeks later. (You will remember much of what you did before, but it should help remind you of what you have learned)

TIME MANAGEMENT

My advice is pretty simple here, practice with LESS TIME. If it is not too stressful, try to complete a passage and all of the questions in 16 minutes (instead of 18). This usually does the trick for most students over time.

I hope you find some of this helpful. Good luck, and let me know if you need anything.

Kiba

Hey Josh, in the Reading section the last question holds two marks where we are asked to pick three choices. I have always have a hard time getting the perfect score here. any suggestions, please…

Hi Kiba, this is a popular complaint. I posted a video about summary questions here. You might find it helpful.

Joud

Hey Josh, I have a question. If the question is saying a good essay is between 200 and 300, and I wrote more than 300, is this okay? Or should I make it only as maximum as they are saying?

Hi Joud and great question. Definitely write MORE. There is a direct correlation between test scores and word count, so the more you write the better. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should write as much as possible as fast as possible, but anything between 350-450 words would be great.

Aziz

Hey Josh, I think I do well in my writing section, but my score doesn’t improve. Is there anything that I can do to know my mistakes from the ETS?

Hi Aziz, good question, and unfortunately, no, they do not release that information. The best you can do is work with an experienced teacher who can point out your weaknesses and work on them at home before test day.

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TOEFL iBT Test Writing Section

The TOEFL iBT test Writing section measures your ability to write in English in an academic setting, and to present your ideas in a clear, well-organized way.

There are two writing tasks.

  • Integrated writing task (20 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you read and listened to.
  • Writing for an Academic Discussion task (10 minutes) — state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion.

You'll type your responses on a computer keyboard.

Test time:  It should take about 29 minutes to complete the Writing section.

Scoring: Writing tasks are scored based on the  Writing Scoring Guides (Rubrics) (PDF)  by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters. Raw scores are converted to a scaled section score of 0–30.

Practice Your Writing Skills

Explore a variety of official prep offerings to practice your English-writing skills with TOEFL ® TestReady ™ . Get insights and feedback on your grammar, usage, mechanics and more.

Writing videos

Watch these videos to learn about the questions in the Writing section, plus helpful tips.

Video About Integrated Writing

Question 1: Integrated Writing

Read a passage and listen to a lecture. Then write a response comparing them.

View Transcript

Video About Independent Writing

Question 2: Writing for an Academic Discussion

Share your opinion in an online discussion with a professor and other students.

Do you need to be an expert on the topics?

The writing tasks measure your English proficiency, so you don't need deep knowledge on a specific topic to get a high score. Score raters recognize that each essay is a first draft, and you can receive a high score with an essay that contains some errors.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the best toefl writing practice: 300+ topics to study with.

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Writing is the last section you’ll complete on the TOEFL. You’re so close to finishing, yet you still have two essays to write before you can celebrate completing the exam. In order to finish the test on a high note, you’ll need to be prepared for this section.

In this guide, we explain the ins and outs of the Writing section and the materials you need to do well. We then go over all the best TOEFL Writing practice resources available , including free and official practice Writing topics. We'll end with final tips to keep in mind in order to ace the TOEFL Writing section.

Overview of TOEFL Writing

The TOEFL Writing section is 50 minutes long (broken into two parts) and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. You’ll type both essays on the computer.

The Integrated Writing task requires you to use listening, reading, and writing skills. For this task, you will have three minutes to read a short passage, then you will listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers. You will have 20 minutes to plan and write a response that references both of these sources. You won’t discuss your own opinion.

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll receive a question on a particular topic or issue. You’ll have 30 minutes to plan and write a response to that topic that explains your opinion on it. You’ll need to give reasons that support your decision.

Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The sum will then be scaled to a score from 0-30, which is your official Writing score. The Writing section makes up 25% of your total TOEFL score (from 0-120).

What You’ll Need to Be Prepared for the TOEFL Writing Section

As you likely expect, you’ll spend most of your time on the TOEFL Writing section, well, writing. However, you’ll also need to have solid reading and listening skills for the Integrated task. Since the Writing section requires multiple skills, you’ll need multiple study tools in order to be completely prepared. Some of the most important things you’ll need to prepare for TOEFL Writing include:

  • Complete practice Writing sections
  • Individual practice questions or TOEFL Writing topics
  • Opportunities to practice your writing skills
  • Opportunities to practice your listening skills

In the next section, we'll go over the best TOEFL Writing practice tests and questions.

The Best TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

This section contains links to the top practice materials to use while preparing for TOEFL Writing. What makes a practice material the best?

  • First, the practice questions must be similar in content and format to the real TOEFL Writing section to give you the best preparation for the real exam.
  • Second, it’s a major plus if the practice questions come with answer explanations that help you understand how to answer an essay prompt well.
  • Finally, prep materials that include useful tips and strategies for answering Writing questions are useful because they give you advice on how to raise your score on this section.

Official Prep Materials

Official resources are the best to use since you can be confident they’ll be very similar to the real TOEFL Writing section. The topics will be much more realistic in format and content.

Below are all the official TOEFL Writing practice materials available, both free and paid resources. ETS doesn’t provide just Writing questions, so each of these resources also have practice resources for the other sections of the TOEFL. Be sure to include at least some of these materials in your studying. The next section has more tips on how to make the most of official practice resources.

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TOEFL iBT Sampler

The TOEFL iBT Sampler is a program you can download with official practice questions, and it’s a great free and official resource to use. In addition to other TOEFL sections, it includes a complete TOEFL iBT Writing practice section (two tasks). Sample answers for both tasks are included so you can get an idea of what a good essay looks like. Unfortunately, the Sampler only works with Windows; you can’t download it with a Mac.

TOEFL iBT Sample Questions

This PDF is another free and official resource. In addition to other question types, it includes two Writing tasks: one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice question and one Independent Writing practice question. Each sample TOEFL Writing topic is followed by a sample essay as well as an in-depth score explanation, which is a great tool for studiers.

TOEFL iBT Quick Prep

The Quick Prep contains four different volumes, each of which contains one or two Writing prompts. The first volume is the best for TOEFL iBT Writing practice, since it contains two tasks (the others each only contain one) and also has an in-depth explanation of what your essays should include. The other three volumes only contain the essay rubrics without any advice on how to answer the specific essay prompt given.

TOEFL Practice Online (TPO) Tests

TPO tests are retired TOEFL exams now offered for test prep. They give the closest experience to the real TOEFL, and, because of that, they aren’t cheap. You’ll have to pay $45 for each complete TOEFL you buy (you can’t just buy individual TOEFL iBT Writing practice sections).

Your exam will be automatically graded after you finish it, although I was not particularly impressed with how the Writing section was graded when I took it. For the actual TOEFL, two human graders and a computer program review your essays and assign grades to each one. For this exam, a computer grades your Writing section within less than a minute of you completing the exam, and there is no explanation of how that grade was determined.

This is a useful resource, but if you don’t want to spend that much money on a practice test, it’s completely possible to do well just using the above practice resources.

Official TOEFL Prep Books

There are several official TOEFL prep books for sale by ETS. The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test , in addition to explaining the types of questions on the test, contains numerous practice questions and three full-length exams.  This is also the only official prep book that includes sample essays of varying scores along with scoring explanations, which can be a big help if you’re trying to guess what score your essays would get.

There’s also the Official TOEFL iBT Tests Volumes 1 and 2. Each of these books contains five unique practice tests, available on paper and the computer. However, no sample responses are given for Writing questions, which make them a less useful resource compared to The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test.

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Unofficial Prep Materials

You have to be more careful when using unofficial prep resources since not all of them are reliable. Some are high-quality and very similar to the TOEFL, others are not. For the Writing section in particular, because it’s so easy to make up essay prompts, there are many sites that claim to offer TOEFL Writing practice when their practice questions are actually low-quality. Below are some of the top unofficial prep resources out there. All of them (except the prep books, if you buy them) are free.

English Club

This site contains one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task and five Independent Writing practice tasks. All six TOEFL Writing topics are similar to the real test, and the Integrated task as well as one of the Independent tasks have sample responses you can compare your answers to. At the bottom of the web page is a checklist of things your essays should include to help give you a guideline of what you should be aiming for when you write.

Magoosh offers one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task. That’s not a lot of practice, but it is a high-quality question that includes a sample response. Magoosh also offers three complete TOEFLs, so you can use those Writing questions as well.

Good Luck TOEFL

This site has a huge number (several hundred) of Independent Writing tasks, separated into five different categories depending on question type. Some of the questions are more simplistic than you’ll see on the real TOEFL , and there’s no scoring information or sample responses, but there are a good source if you need more TOEFL Writing topics to write about.

Beat the Test

This site contains 155 Independent Writing tasks. Like Good Luck TOEFL, some of these TOEFL Writing topics are easier than you’ll find on the TOEFL, and there are no sample responses included, but they do give you the opportunity to practice writing.

Unofficial Prep Books

Prep books, even unofficial ones, often are a great resource for practice questions. Most books include sample Writing questions, along with scoring explanations , and then contain one or more complete practice TOEFLs at the end of the book. You can learn all about the best TOEFL prep books by reading our guide .

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Other TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

There are other ways to practice besides just answering sample Writing questions. TOEFL Writing is designed to measure how strong your English writing skills are, so, any practice you get writing English will help you with this section, even if you’re not directly answering practice exam questions. There are many ways to get writing practice; several of them are described below.

Duolingo is a popular free language-learning site. Users answer different types of questions, including writing questions. You can’t choose to only answer writing questions, so this isn’t the best resource for targeted writing practice, bu t it’s a good way to strengthen your overall English skills.

For advanced English learners, many of Duolingo’s beginning problem sets will likely be too easy, but you can take a quiz to figure out where in the program you should start.

Free Writing

Finally, you can also practice writing about topics that have nothing to do with the TOEFL. As long as you’re writing in English, you’re getting good practice. Writing about something that interests you can also encourage you to write more. Some ideas for free writing include:

  • Keeping a journal
  • Getting an English-speaking pen pal
  • Starting a blog about a topic that interests you

How to Get the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

Now that you’re an expert on the best practice resources for TOEFL Writing, the next step is to put those materials to use in the most effective way in order to see results on test day. Follow these four tips in order to get the most out of your practice.

Practice Writing in English Regularly

The most important thing you can do to practice for the Writing section of the TOEFL is to practice writing English regularly. If you can practice every day, that would be ideal, but at the very least you should aim to practice writing 1,000 words in English a week.

Remember, this writing practice doesn’t only have to consist of answering TOEFL Speaking questions; any free writing, even just jotting down what you did that day in your diary, counts as writing practice.

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Make Use of Official Materials

As mentioned above, official TOEFL resources have the best practice questions out there, so you want to make the most of them. Spread these questions throughout your TOEFL studying; don’t use them all up at the beginning or save them all for the end. You want to be regularly seeing these questions as you prepare.

Also, when you answer official practice questions, make sure you set enough time aside to devote your full attention to them. Practice them in a quiet room with no distractions, and carefully compare your responses to the sample responses. These aren’t the questions to practice when you have a few minutes to spare and need some quick practice while scrolling through your phone.

Time Yourself When Writing Practice Essays

When you are writing practice essays, you should also time yourself. Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write each Integrated Writing task and 30 minutes for each Independent Writing task.

Timing yourself when you write will help you be better prepared for test day because you’ll have practice planning and writing essays within a limited time frame. When you first begin writing practice essays, it can be easy to spend too much time preparing and run out of time before you finish writing. Taking timed practice essays will help you avoid this. You should also count how many words each of your essays contain after you’ve finished writing them. Integrated tasks should be 150-225 words and Independent tasks should be at least 300 words.

Review Your Practice Essays

After you write each TOEFL practice essay, you should also review it and think about how well it answered the question. This is easier to do if the practice question comes with sample answers that you can compare your answer to, but you should do this step for all practice essays you write, even if they don’t come with any answer explanation. You can also assign your essays a score or have a tutor or friend who’s also studying for the TOEFL score your essay.

It’s tempting to take a break from TOEFL studying as soon as you’ve finished your essays, but it’s important to do this step because it will get you thinking about what great essays look like and how yours can be improved. The ETS provides the rubric it uses to grade TOEFL writing tasks which you can use to evaluate your essays.

Conclusion: Getting the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

In order to write two awesome essays for the TOEFL Writing section, you’ll likely have to put in some practice. Once you know what to expect from this section and how you’ll be graded, use a variety of official and unofficial practice resources during your studying.

As you’re preparing for the Writing section, you should also practice writing in English regularly, use official resources wisely, time yourself when writing practice essays, and review your essays after you write them.

What's Next?

Looking for more information on the TOEFL Writing section? Learn all the tips you need to know in order to ace TOEFL Writing !

What score should you be aiming to get on the TOEFL? Learn what a good TOEFL score is based on the schools you're interested in attending.

Looking for a great TOEFL prep book? A good prep book can be the most important study tool you use, and we have information on all the best TOEFL prep books you should consider .

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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TOEFL Sample Essays

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  • Updated on  
  • Jul 14, 2023

TOEFL Sample Essays

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) conducts the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and those planning to study abroad undertake this esteemed language proficiency exam. Among the English proficiency tests TOEFL is a widely accepted one. It aims to assess candidates on four parameters, i.e. Reading , Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Essays are a part of the Writing section of the exam. Also, according to the recent changes in the TOEFL exam pattern, the most fundamental change has happened in the writing section. Therefore, for all the aspirants preparing to get their dream score in this exam, here is a blog to providing with various TOEFL sample essays and preparation tips for the updated writing section of the test.

This Blog Includes:

Toefl exam changes in the writing section, toefl writing samples- task 1, toefl sample essays: writing task 2, toefl sample essay type, toefl sample essay list, toefl writing tips .

The TOEFL exam section is now only 1 hour 56 minutes long in duration. Hence, the exam sections underwent several developments to incorporate such a change, except for the Speaking Section, which remained the same. The writing section of the exam received some changes as well. Here are the changes that were made.

  • The duration of the writing section is reduced to 29 minutes .
  • The sections still contain 2 tasks. One is an integrated task but the other independent writing task has been transformed into a writing for academic discussions .
  • The new task is also a single writing task for which the candidates are given a lecture excerpt from a professor accompanied by some opinions by other students.
  • The candidates have to write their own opinion and give supporting arguments for the same.
  • The task will be evaluated for the candidate’s ability to understand the classroom environment and ability to understand along with other parameters.
  • Other factors such as allotted scores will remain the same.

New TOEFL writing task sample by ETS

Recommended Read: TOEFL Registration

TOEFL Writing Task 1- TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

The first TOEFL Writing task is Integrated Writing. This task expects you to use your reading, writing and listening skills. In this, you first read a short passage for three minutes, then you listen to an audio clip of the speaker discussing the same passage. Now you get 20 minutes to respond to the question with reference from these two sources.

During your answer, you can read the passage again but cannot listen to the clip again. The examiners mark this section from 0-5 and they judge you not only on your writing skills but also on your reading and listening skills.

The following Sample is from the official website of TOEFL iBT :

Were Dinosaurs Endotherms?

Reading passage: .

Endotherms are animals such as modern birds and mammals that keep their body temperatures constant. For instance, humans are endotherms and maintain an internal temperature of 37°C, no matter whether the environment is warm or cold. Because dinosaurs were reptiles, and modern reptiles are not endotherms, it was long assumed that dinosaurs were not endotherms. However, dinosaurs differ in many ways from modern reptiles, and there is now considerable evidence that dinosaurs were, in fact, endotherms. Polar dinosaurs One reason for believing that dinosaurs were endotherms is that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in polar regions. Only animals that can maintain a temperature well above that of the surrounding environment could be active in such cold climates. Leg position and movement There is a connection between endothermy and the position and movement of the legs. The physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. But running is efficient only if an animal’s legs are positioned underneath its body, not at the body’s side, as they are for crocodiles and many lizards. The legs of all modern endotherms are underneath the body, and so were the legs of dinosaurs. This strongly suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms. Haversian canals There is also a connection between endothermy and bone structure. The bones of endotherms usually include structures called Haversian canals. These canals house nerves and blood vessels that allow the living animal to grow quickly, and rapid body growth is a characteristic of endothermy. The presence of Haversian canals in bone is a strong indicator that the animal is an endotherm, and fossilized bones of dinosaurs are usually dense with Haversian canals. 

[Narrator]   Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. 

[Professor] Many scientists have problems with the arguments you read in the passage. They don’t think those arguments prove that dinosaurs were endotherms. Take the polar dinosaur argument. When dinosaurs lived, even the polar regions where dinosaur fossils have been found were much warmer than today—warm enough during part of the year for animals that were not endotherms to live. And during the months when the polar regions were cold, the so-called polar dinosaurs could have migrated to warmer areas or hibernated as many modern reptiles do. So the presence of dinosaur fossils in polar regions doesn’t prove the dinosaurs were endotherms. Well, what about the fact that dinosaurs had their legs placed under their bodies, not out to the side, like a crocodile’s? That doesn’t necessarily mean dinosaurs were high-energy endotherms built for running. There’s another explanation for having legs under the body: this body structure supports more weight. So with legs under their bodies, dinosaurs could grow to a very large size. Being largely had advantages for dinosaurs, so we don’t need the idea of endothermy and running to explain why dinosaurs evolved to have their legs under their bodies. OK, so how about bone structure? Many dinosaur bones do have Haversian canals, that’s true, but dinosaur bones also have growth rings. Growth rings are a thickening of the bone that indicates periods of time when the dinosaurs weren’t rapidly growing. These growth rings are evidence that dinosaurs stopped growing or grew more slowly during cooler periods. This pattern of periodic growth—you know, rapid growth followed by no growth or slow growth and then rapid growth again—is characteristic of animals that are not endotherms. Animals that maintain a constant body temperature year-round, as true endotherms do, grow rapidly even when the environment becomes cool. 

Prompt: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage. 

Life on Mars 

For years, scientists have been trying to discover whether life exists on Mars. Most have concluded that the Martian environment today is too harsh to support living organisms. However, three recent discoveries lend support to the idea that there may very well be life on Mars after all. First, large amounts of methane have been detected in the Martian atmosphere. This suggests the presence of living methanogens, tiny organisms that release methane into the atmosphere as a by-product of their life processes. Methanogens get their energy from hydrogen in rocks and do not need oxygen or sunlight to live, so they can survive in harsh environments like Mars. Since methane can remain in Mars’ atmosphere only for a few centuries after it’s created, these methanogens must be present and producing methane today.             

Second, the existence of life on Mars is also strongly supported by a meteorite discovered in Antarctica in 1996. The particular chemical composition of this meteorite indicates that it is a rock from the surface of Mars. The meteorite also contains chemically pure and flawless crystals of the compound magnetite. Such magnetite crystals are produced in nature only by bacteria. Third, observations of hydrogen on Mars made in 2001 by NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft suggest the presence of liquid water there that could support organisms. The spacecraft detected the hydrogen in the top layer of Martian soil. This hydrogen is just what one would expect if there were liquid water under the surface. A subterranean reservoir of liquid water is an extremely suitable environment for microscopic life. 

Listening: 

[Narrator] Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. 

[Professor] Mars is a very unfriendly place for life. The evidence that has been put forward as supporting there being life on Mars is actually very ambiguous. The facts as we know them can easily be accounted for without supposing life on Mars. First, methanogens are not necessarily the source of methane. Methane can be produced by non-biological processes like volcanic eruptions. The same experiments that detected the atmospheric methane also indicated recent volcano activity. Moreover, unlike methanogens, volcanoes have actually been found on Mars. So since no methanogens have been found yet, it’s more likely that volcanoes are the source of Mars’s methane. Second, while the magnetite crystals found in the meteorite from Mars were probably made by bacteria, there is no indication that the bacteria themselves originated on Mars. The meteorite arrived on Earth about 13,000 years ago, which means it has had thousands of years to become exposed to bacteria on Earth. So it could have been bacteria on Earth that formed the crystals we now observe. Indeed, recent research performed on the meteorite found that, in fact, it has become contaminated by Earth bacteria. Since the sample has been contaminated, the magnetite crystals on the meteorite cannot be used as evidence of life on Mars. Third, what about the supposed existence of liquid water near enough to the surface of Mars to support life? The recent investigations of Mars detected hydrogen; they didn’t detect liquid water per se. It’s actually much more likely that if there’s any water close to the Martian surface, it’s frozen; in other words, it’s ice, not liquid water. And that’s not a great environment for life. 

Prompt: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific points made in the reading passage.

TOEFL Writing Task 2- TOEFL Writing on Academic Discussion

The second task of writing for an academic discussion is the independent writing task. In this, you will be asked a question on a particular topic or issue. You will get around 10 minutes to write your views on the topic and explain your opinion. You must give reasons for your opinion with logical arguments.

Also Read: TOEFL Sample Test

Now that you know the key tips and tricks, take a look at the following TOEFL sample essays to understand the format, structure and style of writing that will get you a higher score: 

Exploring TOEFL Sample Essays? You must also check out IELTS Sample Essays!

Here is a type of Questions that can be asked in the Independent Writing Task:

  • Motion For or Against a Topic
  • Explaining both sides of a topic
  • Choosing your stance from different options
  • What are your observations on the effects of widespread use of the internet?
  • Movies and television tend to create certain notions of a perfect lifestyle/human being. How would you elucidate that?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the idea that young people can teach older people?
  • What do you think is the impact of the place in which a person spends his/her childhood?
  • Parents are the best teachers. What’s your take on that?
  • Do you believe that technology is helping people connect on a deeper level?
  • What do you think brings out better solutions? A group or an individual?
  • If you could change one thing about your family what would it be and why?
  • At some point or other, you’ll have a co-worker in your life. What measures will you take to bring out the best in both of you?
  • If your school announced that students with low GPAs will be kicked out of the school. What will you do in response to the situation?
  • What’s your take on the compulsion for traditional schooling? What do you think will happen if we start studying whatever we want by ourselves?

The writing section is an integral part of language proficiency assessments. Thus, it becomes important to work on your writing skills as well as vocabulary and grammar before appearing for the exam. Here are the best TOEFL preparation tips for the writing section which will surely help you gain your desired score:

  • You must wisely utilize your time and keep in mind that you only have 20 minutes to draft a 250-word essay.
  • Take precise notes of the audio passage which will help you while writing the essay.
  • Do not construct long and complex sentences but adhere to a simpler and concise style of writing.
  • While writing the essay where you are asked to present your views on one side of an argument, do not dwell on both sides. Stick to one opinion and elaborate on the same.  
  • Conclude each body paragraph with a precise sentence. 
  • Using transitional words will help you connect better with the situation. 

Also Read: TOEFL Preparation Tips

  • TOEFL Speaking Topics
  • Common Mistakes Made in TOEFL Listening Section and How to Avoid Them
  • All you Need to Know About TOEFL
  • IELTS vs TOEFL
  • TOEFL Sample Speaking Questions
  • TOEFL Reading Practice
  • TOEFL Test Centres
  • TOEFL iBT Vs TOEFL PBT
  • Top Universities Accepting TOEFL Scores

There are a few things to keep in mind as you write the body paragraphs: Use a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences. Emphasize the examples. … Avoid very short sentences (less than seven words) and very long sentences (more than 60 words). Don’t start sentences with coordinating conjunctions.

The introduction is the most important paragraph of your TOEFL essay. The first paragraph of the essay. Usually 3 to 5 sentences long. Introduces the essay topic. Clearly gives your opinion. Has a strong thesis statement.

You can use percentiles to determine what a “good” TOEFL Writing score is. You might define “good” as anything that’s above average, or the 50th percentile. Using that definition, any scaled Writing score higher than 22 would be a good score.

Candidates who want to prepare for TOEFL or any other language proficiency test, can Build a plan with Leverage Edu‘s Leverage Live classes and our top trainers and strengthen your English score as well as your application so that you can secure your spot in your dream college.

Fulfil your dreams of studying abroad with Leverage Edu , to get a free counselling session, reach us at 1800572130 . 

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TOEFL Preparation Guide With Tips & Resources

examples of essay toefl

What You Need to Know About the TOEFL Exam

For language learners willing to prove English proficiency while planning to study or work in an English-speaking country, taking the TOEFL exam is a necessary step. But before you dive into exam preparation, here's what you need to know about how to pass TOEFL.

First, the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) measures your ability to use and understand English in an academic setting. The exam consists of four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing, and it takes about four hours to complete.

For the TOEFL preparation online, it's critical to practice your English in each area and become comfortable with the exam's framework. Additionally, knowing some TOEFL tips and tricks can help you score better on test day.

When it comes to the Reading section, read the passage thoroughly and pay attention to details, such as the main idea and supporting evidence. For the Listening section, take notes while you listen and use them to answer the questions. In the Speaking section, practice speaking English aloud and expressing your ideas clearly and coherently. Lastly, practice writing essays with clear thesis statements and supporting evidence for the Writing section.

To further improve your English proficiency, consider taking an English course, practicing with English-speaking friends in their native language, or reading English texts regularly.

Now that you know the what is TOEFL, it's time to get started on your exam preparation techniques. Check out these TOEFL tips and tricks from our custom essay writers to help you succeed on test day.

Exam Preparation Techniques: TOEFL Tips and Tricks

Preparing for the TOEFL exam can be challenging, but with the right techniques, you can boost your confidence and improve your chances of success. One helpful tip is to practice time management, as the exam is timed and requires you to move quickly through each section. Another key strategy when wondering how to prepare TOEFL vocabulary is to improve your terminology by having a strong command of English words and phrases. Additionally, practicing with past TOEFL exams can help you pinpoint any areas that require improvement.

Meanwhile, don't forget that you can always ask us and free up your precious time for taking practice tests!

Let's now explore how you can make the most of your TOEFL preparation.

preparation toefl

Understand the TOEFL Exam Pattern

First, understanding the TOEFL exam pattern is essential for anyone preparing for this test. The TOEFL exam comprises the following parts: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.

The TOEFL test is taken on a computer, and each section has a time limit. The Reading section lasts for 60-80 minutes, the Listening section for 60-90 minutes, the Speaking section for 20 minutes, and the Writing section for 50 minutes.

These are the initial steps when you're confused, asking - 'how to pass TOEFL?'. Knowing these will help you to practice each section more effectively and become familiar with the timing and format of the exam.

Ready to Achieve Your Dream TOEFL Score?

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Devise a Study Plan for TOEFL

Making progress toward your objective of receiving a good TOEFL score is much easier when you have a study strategy in place. Here are some tips for devising a study plan for TOEFL:

  • Determine your time before the exam and set a realistic goal for the amount of study time you can commit to each day or week.
  • Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each section and prioritize the sections you need to improve.
  • Schedule regular practice sessions for each section and stick to the schedule.
  • Use study materials and practice exams to guide your preparation and identify areas that require more attention.
  • Track your progress and adjust your study plan as needed.

TOEFL Speaking Tips

The Speaking section of the TOEFL exam requires you to speak fluently and coherently on various academic topics. Here are some TOEFL speaking tips to help you succeed on this challenging section of the test:

  • Improve your pronunciation and intonation by listening to and imitating native speakers. You can also use online resources such as Forvo or the Pronunciation App to practice.
  • Provide specific examples and details to support your arguments. For instance, if you are asked to talk about a memorable event, you might describe a trip you took and explain why it was significant.
  • Use idioms and expressions appropriately to convey your meaning more effectively. For example, you might say 'it's a piece of cake' to describe an easy task or 'a needle in a haystack' to describe a difficult search.
  • Speak clearly and at a moderate pace, and avoid rushing or speaking too slowly. Ensure you enunciate your words clearly so the examiner can understand you.
  • Finally, be confident and relaxed. Take deep breaths and remember that the examiner is not there to judge you but to evaluate your English skills.

By following these suggestions and practicing consistently, you may enhance your speaking abilities and perform well on the TOEFL exam. Remember to focus on expressing your ideas clearly and effectively and using the best techniques for you.

TOEFL Writing Tips

The Writing section of the TOEFL exam requires you to compose two essays: an integrated essay and an independent essay. To aid you in conquering this demanding part of the exam, below are some valuable TOEFL writing tips.

  • Familiarize yourself with the essay prompts and the expectations for each essay type. The integrated essay requires you to read a passage and listen to a lecture, while the independent essay allows you to express your opinion on a topic.
  • Use specific examples and details to support your arguments. For example, if you are asked to describe your favorite hobby, you might provide specific details about why you enjoy it and how it has impacted your life.
  • Before you begin to write, arrange your thoughts and ideas. Make a rough outline for your essay that contains your thesis statement and the key themes you wish to cover.
  • Use transitional phrases to connect your ideas and create a cohesive essay. Examples of these phrases include 'furthermore,' 'in addition,' and 'on the other hand.'
  • Plan how much time you will spend on each essay, and leave time to review your work before time runs out.

Consistent, practice timed writing and adherence to these tips can enhance your writing abilities and help you achieve excellence on the TOEFL exam. It's crucial to emphasize clear and effective communication of your ideas while using the most suitable techniques.

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TOEFL Tips for Reading

The Reading section of the TOEFL exam requires you to read passages and answer questions based on the content. Here are some TOEFL tips for reading to help you excel on the test:

  • Skim the passage first to get an overall idea of the topic and main ideas before reading it in detail. This can help you save time and focus on the relevant information.
  • Look for signal words and phrases that indicate the author's main point and the relationships between ideas. Examples of these words include 'however,' 'therefore,' and 'in contrast.'
  • Use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. Look for clues, such as synonyms or antonyms, and try to infer the meaning from the context.
  • Take notes while you read to help you remember important details and organize your thoughts. You can use shorthand, abbreviations, or diagrams to summarize the information.
  • Make sure to read the questions carefully and refer back to the passage to find the answers. Pay attention to keywords and phrases in the questions to help locate relevant information.

Follow these tips and remember to focus on understanding the main ideas and the relationships between ideas. You might also consider taking a TOEFL preparation course to further enhance your reading comprehension skills. Just make sure to use the techniques that work best for you!

TOEFL Tips for Listening Skills

The Listening section of the TOEFL exam requires you to listen to lectures, conversations, and discussions and answer questions based on what you hear. Here are some tips to help you improve your listening skills and achieve success on the TOEFL exam.

  • Listen for the main ideas and details. Focus on the key points that the speaker is making and take note of any important details that support those points.
  • Pay attention to the speaker's tone and attitude. This can provide clues about the speaker's opinion, the purpose of the conversation, or the relationship between the speakers.
  • Take notes while you listen to help you remember important details and organize your thoughts.
  • Watch out for terms and phrases that serve as cues about how the discussion or presentation will be structured. Examples of these words include 'first,' 'second,' 'in addition,' and 'in conclusion.'
  • Be aware of distractions and avoid letting them affect your concentration. Eliminate all distractions and keep your attention on the speaker.
  • Lastly, pace yourself and avoid focusing too much time on any one question to successfully manage your time. Avoid challenging questions and, if you have time, return to them later.

Meanwhile, you can always send us a request - ' do my essay for me ' while you take TOEFL practice tests to master your preparation!

Use Our Advanced Academic Assistance

In conclusion, preparing for the TOEFL exam requires time, effort, and dedication. Understanding the exam format and creating a study plan tailored to your needs and learning style is crucial. Utilizing various resources such as online programs, books and taking speaking and writing practice tests can also be beneficial. Remember, success on the TOEFL exam is achievable with the right preparation and mindset. Even if you only have a few days left before the exam, there are still ways to prepare and increase your chances of success.

Don't forget that our advanced academic assistance is here to help. With our research paper writing services and support, you can feel confident and well-prepared to tackle the exam and achieve your desired score!

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FAQs on TOEFL Exam Preparation

To help you navigate the process of TOEFL exam preparation, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions about the test prep. We aim to provide you with the TOEFL tips and tricks along with the detailed guidance you need to succeed on test day. So, let's dive into these FAQs and help you feel confident and well-prepared for the test.

How Much is the TOEFL Exam Fee?

Which is the best toefl preparation online program, which is the best book for toefl preparation, how long does it take to prepare for toefl, related articles.

How to Write an Outline in MLA and APA

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TOEFL Writing Task 2: Model Prewriting and a Model Answer

examples of essay toefl

Table of Contents

What is prewriting.

Prewriting is organizing the ideas in your essay before you actually create the essay itself. Prewriting is a two-step process. First you  brainstorm — you write down your ideas in no particular order, using simple words and phrases. Then you  outline . Outlining involves putting the ideas in a logical order, the order they’ll have in the essay itself.

Brainstroming in TOEFL prewriting

In TOEFL Idependent Writing, brainstorming should be a very quick response. Look at the question, think of the first ideas you can, and write them down. So, here’s the question:

  • Some people prefer to leave their house and see movies in the theater. Others would rather stay at home and watch movies on their TV screen or on a computer. Which one do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

As you brainstorm for this question, you want to express your ideas in simple phrases. For the question above, here are the words and phrases I thought of (these would be my brainstorming notes ):

  • watch at home
  • theater = too expensive
  • more choices @ home
  • home = easier w/small children
  • theater = stress
  • theater = sometimes good — popular movie releases

So those are my basic ideas. Once you’ve written down a list of ideas for your essay, you should double-check your brainstorming notes and see if there are any ideas you should get rid of. In my case, I’ll get rid of the idea that it can be good to go to the theater to see a popular movie that’s just been released.

“Theater = sometimes good — popular movie releases” is a counter-argument to my main claim that watching movies at home is better. It’s a somewhat complicated counter-argument. How is “popular movie” defined? Why is seeing a popular movie “sometimes” a better experience in the theaters? I’m not sure I’d have time to fully develop this counter-argument. And besides, as I’ve mentioned before, counter-arguments aren’t actually necessary in TOEFL Writing Task 2 .

So with one item crossed out, these are my brainstorming ideas:

  • home = easier w/ small children

Once you’ve chosen your best “brainstormed” ideas, you’re ready to put those ideas into a logical order in an outline. The outline will be more complex than your brainstorming notes, but it will still be simpler than your essay. For your outline, you’ll want to continue using words and phrases. You shouldn’t write in complete sentences until you’re actually writing your essay; including complete sentences in your prewriting takes up too much time.

In the section below, we’ll take the brainstorm notes I made and turn them into an essay outline.

Practice for your TOEFL exam with Magoosh.

Turning Your Brainstorming into a TOEFL Writing Task 2 Essay Outline

As I’ve mentioned above, prewriting a TOEFL Independent Writing essay involves two steps: brainstorming and outlining. Brainstorming involves writing down your ideas for the essay, in the form of words and short phrases. From there, you choose which ideas you’ll actually use in your outline and essay. As you saw above, in this tutorial, we have been using this TOEFL Independent Writing question:

And I came up with this as my list of brainstorm ideas for making my outline and essay:

watch at home theater = too expensive more choices @ home home = easier w/small children theater = stress

From here, we’ll build on these brainstorm notes to make an outline for the essay.

Making a TOEFL Independent Writing outline

Now to turn these simple brainstorming notes into an outline. For the outline, I will create a brief description of the essay’s introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is my outline:

Paragraph 1: Introduction, prefer watch movies @ home P2: more choices at home — all available movies, recent and past (theater — only newest ones) P3: home watching = best if you have kids — hard to get kids into car, to movies, kids more comfortable @ home P4: home movies = cheaper, theater many expenses (gas, snacks, movie tickets) P5: conclusion: choices, family friendliness, budget >> home watching = best Now obviously this outline doesn’t have anywhere  near all of the things I’ll write in the essay. But that’s the idea; the outline should be a short list of the main ideas that you’ll write. Think of the outline as a “recipe” for your essay. Each idea is one of the ingredients for the essay. And the order of the ingredients, with paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, are the instructions on how to put the ingredients into the essay, so that the final product is good.

But we’re not done with this “recipe” yet! Notice that the outline provides for five paragraphs of writing, the kind you’d see in a five paragraph essay. But as Kate has mentioned before , your TOEFL essay should be a simpler version of a five paragraph essay. You won’t have time to write a full five paragraphs. So you’ll want to put your introduction, body, and conclusion into just three paragraphs.

So we’ll revise out outline slightly, just as we made small changes to our brainstorming notes before we moved on to the outline itself.

Here is the changed outline, now designed for a four-paragraph TOEFL Writing response:

Paragraph 1:  Introduction, prefer watch movies @ home, for choices, convenience, save money P2: more choices @ home, home = more kid friendly environment, save money @ home P3: Movie: inconveniences (smaller selection, kids not comfortable) expenses (gas, snacks, movie tickets), P4: Conclusion: choices, family-friendly, save $ >>> home watching = best

As you can see, I’ve now rearranged the outline so that all the benefits of watching movies at home are in one paragraph. Then, all the disadvantages of watching movies in the theater are mentioned in the second part of essay body.

And now we have an outline that’s perfect. It’s simple, well-constructed, and ready to be expanded into a full essay. Finally, we’re ready to look at the next step after prewriting: changing your TOEFL Independent Writing outline into a full essay.

Final Step: Review Your Prewriting, and Turn it Into a TOEFL Integrated Writing Essay

So far, we’ve looked at the two steps for  prewriting a TOEFL Independent Writing essay: brainstorming your ideas, and putting them into an outline. In this post, we’ll take the outline that I made and turn it into a full essay.

But before we do that, let’s review the prewriting that I’ve done so far. First, I took this TOEFL Independent Writing question:

Then I  brainstormed . Which is to say, I quickly thought of some ideas for my answer and wrote those ideas down, making this list:

watch at home theater = too expensive more choices @ home home = easier w/small children theater = stress theater = sometimes good — popular movie releases

After that, I got rid of one of the brainstorm ideas that didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of my notes. My new brainstorm notes looked like this:

And from there, I created an outline — a list of my main ideas and my supporting details, in the same order they’ll appear in when I write the essay:

Paragraph 1: Introduction, prefer watch movies @ home P2: more choices at home — all available movies, recent and past (theater — only newest ones) P3: home watching = best if you have kids — hard to get kids into car, to movies, kids more comfortable @ home P4: home movies = cheaper, theater many expenses (gas, snacks, movie tickets) P5: conclusion: choices, family friendliness, budget >> home watching = best

Next, I simplified my outline into a plan for four paragraphs rather than five. (Four paragraphs is a more appropriate length for a TOEFL Integrated Writing response.) Here is the revised outline:

Paragraph 1:  Introduction, prefer watch movies @ home, for choices, convenience, save money P2: more choices @ home, home = more kid friendly environment, save money @ home P3: Movie: inconveniences (smaller selection, kids not comfortable), expenses (gas, snacks, movie tickets), P4: Conclusion: choices, family-friendly, save $ >>> home watching = best

Finally, we can turn the outline into a model response.

TOEFL Independent Writing: model answer (written from an outline)

In my opinion, it is better to watch movies at home, compared to watching them in the theater. I feel this way because watching movies at home gives you more viewing choices. In addition, staying home to watch movies is easier if you have children, and costs less money.

You have more choices of what to watch at home because you can watch movies that are on TV or the Internet. This means you can watch thousands of different films, both old releases and new. It’s also a lot easier to get the kids together for a home movie because they don’t have to leave the house to watch the movie with you. Not only that, but watching movies is simply cheaper. Tons of movies are available for free on the web and on broadcast TV, and you can eat and drink affordable refreshments from your own kitchen while you watch. All of this makes watching movies at home a great choice.

In contrast, if you go to the movies, you face a lot of inconveniences. The selection of movies is tiny. On any given day, your local theater might be showing only 10 different movies, or fewer. In addition, you need to get your kids dressed, get them into the car, drive them to the theater, sit them down, buy them snacks, and so on. Speaking of snacks, going to the theater has many financial costs. Cinema snacks are expensive, and you also need to pay for gas to drive to the theater, and buy tickets for the movie.

Compared to watching movies in the theater, watching movies at home is so much more enjoyable. You get to choose almost any movie you want and enjoy a relaxing time at home with your family, and you save money too. So for me, I prefer watching a movie at home over a trip to the cinema.

Where to Find More Sample TOEFL Essays

I hope this sample essay has helped, and I definitely recommend looking at additional model TOEFL Writing responses. They’re a great study aid. Where can you find more? Glad you asked. Check out the model essays and links in Magoosh’s complete guide to TOEFL sample essays . And be sure to also check out Magoosh’s roundup of free TOEFL Writing topics .

David Recine

David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles , his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube , Facebook , and Instagram , or connect with him via LinkedIn !

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TOEFL Writing Task 1: The TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

2 responses to “TOEFL Writing Task 2: Model Prewriting and a Model Answer”

Tiredfromtoefl Avatar

For the last paragraph, i restate my side. Then, i wrote ” This is because (rephrasing the first reason), and because……” I could not finist that last sentence. In your opinion, how much will it lower my grade out of 30, or maybe will it lower

Magoosh Expert

Hi there, it’s hard to say how much (if at all) this will affect your score. If you wrote a strong and clear essay and made good points, it may not affect your score much at all. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say with so little information.

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Test Resources

TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

How to write a fantastic toefl integrated essay (2023).

Here’s how the TOEFL Integrated Essay works:

  • It is the first writing task on the TOEFL test.
  • First, you will have three minutes to read an article (four paragraphs, 250 to 300 words) about an academic topic.
  • Next, you will listen to a lecture (about 2 minutes) about the same topic.
  • Finally, you will have 20 minutes to write an essay about the relationship between the two sources.  I recommend that you write about 280 words.
  • You can see the article while writing your essay, but you cannot hear the lecture again.

Essay Evaluation Service

Do you want some personal help with the essay?  You can sign up for my essay evaluation service and boost your score!

The Relationship

The relationship between the article and the lecture will be one of the following.

Argument Style (Frequent)

The reading presents an argument and the lecture presents a counter-argument.

Problems and Solutions Style (less common)

The reading presents a problem and the lecture presents solutions to the problem.

Solutions and Problems Style (less common)

The reading presents solutions to a problem and the lecture challenges the solutions.

The Article 

The article begins with an introduction which mentions the topic and the author’s main idea. Next are three body paragraphs.  Each body paragraph contains one supporting argument (opposition style), one problem (problems and solutions style), or one solution (solutions and problems style).

Here’s an example:

The idea of colonizing asteroids has long been a topic of fascination and speculation in science fiction and popular culture. In recent years, however, the idea of asteroid colonization has become more realistic and feasible, thanks to advances in technology and space exploration. There are many potential benefits to colonizing asteroids, and these benefits make the pursuit of asteroid colonization a worthwhile endeavor. One of the most obvious benefits of asteroid colonization is the scientific potential. Asteroids provide a unique environment for scientific research due to their small size, low gravity, and lack of atmosphere. Research conducted in these environments could provide valuable insights related to many different academic fields. Not only that, but asteroids could also serve as stepping stones for future missions to other destinations in the solar system, such as Mars or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Another benefit of asteroid colonization is the potential for economic growth and development. Natural resources mined on asteroids could create new industries and job opportunities, which would generate significant revenue for both governments and private companies. Asteroid mining could also reduce the need for resource extraction on Earth, which could help to preserve our planet’s natural environment. In addition to economic benefits, asteroid colonization could also have important implications for the long-term survival of humanity. Asteroids could serve as potential refuge for humans in the event of a large-scale disaster on Earth, such as an asteroid impact or a nuclear war. Even if such a disaster doesn’t occur, asteroids could provide valuable information regarding the origins and evolution of the solar system, and how life emerged here in the first place.

You have three minutes to read it and take notes.  Then you hear the lecture. You will be able to see the article again when the lecture is finished.

The Lecture

The lecture is on the same topic, and it is about two minutes long.  You can only hear it once, so take notes.

At the beginning of the lecture, you will hear the lecturer’s main idea.   The rest of the lecture consists of three opposing arguments, three solutions, or three problems.  These directly respond to  the three arguments/problems/solutions mentioned in the reading.  Not only that, but they are  in the same order as the reading. 

Here’s a transcript of that:

While some people argue that starting colonies on asteroids could have many benefits, this claim is not necessarily supported by evidence. In fact, there are several reasons why starting colonies on asteroids may not provide the advantages that are often claimed. One reason why asteroid colonization may not provide significant scientific benefits is our lack of knowledge about asteroids. Despite decades of space exploration and study, our knowledge of asteroids is still limited. We do not know how many asteroids exist, what resources they contain, or what conditions are like on their surfaces. Until we have a better understanding of asteroids, it is difficult to predict what scientific benefits colonization might provide. Next, we can’t exactly predict the economic benefits of settling on asteroids. While asteroids are known to contain valuable resources, such as metals and minerals, it’s not clear how much of these resources exist on asteroids, or how much they would be worth when transported back to Earth. We don’t know whether mining for resources in space would be more cost-effective or efficient than simply getting them through conventional methods here on earth. Finally, asteroids are just not suitable for long-term human settlement right now. Most asteroids are small and do not have enough mass to generate significant gravitational pull. This means that any human settlements on asteroids would need to be designed to cope with the challenges of low gravity, such as serious difficulty moving around and possible damage to our bones and muscles. These challenges could make living on asteroids extremely uncomfortable and dangerous.

The Question

After the lecture finishes, the question will be shown.  It will look something like this:

  • Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.
  • Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they answer the specific problems presented in the reading passage.
  • Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific solutions presented in the reading passage.

After you see the question, you will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise your essay.  Have fun!

Taking Notes

If you understand how the sources are structured, note-taking should be easy.  You can do something like this:

Taking Notes for the TOEFL integrated essay

Here are my notes from the above samples (colonizing asteroids):

examples of essay toefl

Note-Taking Tips

  • Prepare your paper before the question beings by writing “reading” and “listening” and drawing arrows.
  • Even though you will see the article as you write, it is a good idea to take notes.  That will force you to pay attention during the three minutes you have to read it.
  • Use short forms like “grav” and “cond” and “effec” to save time.
  • Use “x” to refer to negatives (not, no, can’t, etc).
  • Immediately after the lecture finishes expand your notes with details still fresh in your head.  I used blue ink to show what I did.
  • You will use a pencil on test day.  Not a pen.  Practice with a pencil.

Writing Your Essay with Templates

Your TOEFL integrated essay should include an introduction  and  three body paragraphs . You don’t need to write a conclusion.

The following templates suggest a way to structure your paragraphs.  I don’t really think you should use the templates below word for word. Instead, use something similar to this and personalize it as you like.

The Introduction

No matter what question style is used, you can write an introduction that looks something like this.

  • The reading and the lecture are both about _____. 
  • While the author of the article argues that _____, the lecturer disputes the claims presented in the article.
  • His position is that _____.

The Body Paragraphs

You can use something like the following templates for the body paragraphs:

  • According to the reading  _____.
  • The article mentions that ____.
  • This argument is challenged by the lecturer.
  • He claims that ____.
  • Additionally, he points out that ______.
  • Secondly, the author suggests ______.
  • In the article notes that _____.
  • The lecturer, however, asserts that ______.
  • He goes on to say that ______.
  • Finally, the author puts forth the idea that _____.
  • The author contends that ____.
  • In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is  _____.
  • He says that _____.

You don’t need to write a conclusion.

Sample Essay 

Using the above notes and suggested templates I created this essay. Notice how I gently modified the template.  I didn’t use it word for word.  Feel free to follow it 100% or to personalize it to suit your preferences!

The reading and the lecture are about the possibility of starting colonies on asteroids. While the author feels that this is a good idea due to scientific benefits, economic benefits and the long-term survival of humans, the lecturer does not believe that the author’s claims are correct. His position is that it might not be a good idea to colonize asteroids. First of all, the author argues that asteroids are a great environment for scientific research because they are small, with low gravity and no atmosphere. Moreover, the article notes that they could be a way to start missions to more distant locations in the solar system. This argument is challenged by the lecturer. He says that we just don’t know enough about asteroids to be sure of their scientific value. We don’t know how many exist, or about conditions on their surfaces so it is difficult to really predict the scientific benefits of colonizing them. Second, according to the article, there could be great economic benefits of colonizing asteroids because they contain natural resources. Mining the resources could be very profitable, and reduce the need to mine them on Earth. In contrast, the lecturer notes that we don’t know exactly how many resources asteroids contain, nor how much they would be worth back on Earth. As a result, it isn’t clear if mining in space is more cost-effective than doing so on Earth. Finally, the author claims that colonies on asteroids could ensure the long-term survival of humanity. To be more specific, we could survive on them if a war or disaster affects the Earth. In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is that human settlements would have to be designed to deal with the unique challenges of the gravity found on asteroids. These challenges could make living on them extremely uncomfortable and dangerous in the long run.
  • The lecture summary is the most important part of the essay.  Shorten the reading summary if you need to save time.
  • I recommend between 280 and 300 words.
  • Use transitional phrases like “in contrast” and “moreover” and “finally” just like I did.
  • Always be sure to indicate where the details are from (the reading or the lecture).
  • Avoid copying from the reading word for word. Paraphrase as much as you can.
  • You don’t need fancy grammatical structures.  The accuracy of your details is more important in this task.
  • Save about one minute to proofread your work.
  • I maintain a collection of complete sample essays written using the above technique. Read them!

How about the Independent Essay?

If you haven’t seen it already, you might want to read my article about the independent writing task .

examples of essay toefl

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TOEFL integrated writing

TOEFL integrated writing task 2023 | Examples and sample essay.

Want to excel in the toefl writing task elevate your skills with the most up-to-date examples, carefully crafted sample essays, and insights in 2023. maximize your potential to succeed in the integrated writing task., table of contents, introduction, toefl integrated writing task structure and format , toefl writing task topics , toefl writing task sample , toefl writing task pdf and other resources , strategies for toefl integrated writing task , scoring criteria for toefl writing task , key tips for success , example 1: environmental conservation , example 2: technological advancements in medicine , introduction: , body: , key takeaways .

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a critical stepping stone for students who aspire to study in English-speaking universities. The TOEFL writing task is one part of this examination that can often become a cause for concern. It not only tests your ability to understand English but also your ability to express thoughts, ideas, and opinions in a clear and precise manner. 

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various aspects of the TOEFL writing task, including topics, samples, format, and specific answers to common questions. The information provided is tailored to the 2023 edition of the test, ensuring relevance and applicability to your preparation. So, if you’re planning to take on this challenge in 2023, let’s begin by understanding the structure and requirements of the TOEFL writing task. 

The TOEFL integrated writing task is the first of the two writing tasks in the TOEFL exam. It’s designed to assess your ability to combine listening and reading skills to write a coherent and well-structured essay. Here’s a detailed breakdown: 

  • Reading passage : A passage around 200-250 words long is provided. You’ll have three minutes to read it. 
  • Listening clip : A short lecture related to the reading passage is played. You’ll be given time to take notes to remember the content better. 
  • Writing task : You will have 20 minutes to write a response of about 150-225 words, summarizing the points made in the lecture and explaining how they relate to specific points in the reading passage. 

The topics for the TOEFL integrated writing task are generally academic and range from subjects like history, science, art, and social sciences. Here’s an example of how the topics will be given: 

  • Reading passage : An excerpt will be provided about Renaissance art and its influence. 
  • Listening clip : A lecture discussing a specific Renaissance painting. 
  • Writing task : Compare and contrast the information in the reading passage and the lecture.

Practicing in advance by working on such topics will help you write and format your writing tasks better. Here’s a sample for you to practice: 

TOEFL integrated writing

  • Reading passage: Brief description of climate change and its effects. 
  • Listening clip : A lecture discussing various solutions to combat climate change.
  • Writing task : Summarize the solutions from the lecture and relate them to the problems mentioned in the reading passage. 

To support your preparation, TOEFL writing task PDF materials, containing practice questions and samples are available online. These resources often include: 

  • Guides on TOEFL writing format 
  • Collection of TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF 
  • TOEFL writing task 1 sample answers and TOEFL writing task 2 sample answers 
  • Practice tests for TOEFL writing task 2 

These materials are instrumental in understanding the pattern and honing your skills to succeed in the TOEFL writing task. 

  • Understanding the structure : Familiarize yourself with the TOEFL writing format, including reading, listening, and writing phases. 
  • Time management: Allocate time for reading, note-taking, and writing, keeping in mind the 20-minute time limit for the writing task. 
  • Note-taking skills : Practice jotting down crucial points from both the reading passage and the listening clip. Focus on the main ideas, supporting details, and the relationship between the reading and listening parts. 
  • Creating an outline : Before diving into writing, create a rough outline to organize your thoughts. This helps in maintaining coherence and connection between various sections of the essay. 
  • Practicing with samples : Utilize the TOEFL writing task sample, TOEFL writing task 1 sample answers, and TOEFL writing task 2 sample answers for regular practice. 

Understanding the scoring can guide you in preparing effectively. The TOEFL integrated writing task is scored on a scale of 0-5 based on the following criteria: 

  • Content : Accuracy, completeness, and connection between reading and listening. 
  • Organization : Logical progression, clear introduction, body, and conclusion. 
  • Language use : Grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and overall fluency.
  • Use transitional phrases : Transitional words like “however,” “in addition,” and “therefore” can help in maintaining the flow. 
  • Avoid repetition : While using keywords is vital, avoid unnecessary repetition. Make sure your content is varied and engaging. 
  • Proofread : Reserve some time at the end for revising and correcting errors.
  • Access Quality Resources : Consider TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF, TOEFL writing task PDF guides, and practice tests for well-rounded preparation.
  • Tables, quizzes, and other interactive elements: Incorporating tables and quizzes can be an excellent way to enhance the learning experience. For instance, a table comparing different TOEFL writing task topics or a quiz testing understanding of TOEFL writing format can be included in online learning platforms or books. 

TOEFL integrated writing

Examples of TOEFL integrated writing task 

The TOEFL integrated writing task presents a unique challenge to assess your ability to analyze information from both a reading passage and a lecture. In this task, you must demonstrate your comprehension of the material and your capacity to connect ideas between the text and the spoken content. To give you a clearer picture, let’s dive into a few illustrative examples of TOEFL-integrated writing tasks:

Reading passage : Description of deforestation and its impact on biodiversity.

Listening Clip : A lecture discussing various conservation methods employed globally. 

Writing task: 

  • Reading: The passage highlights the critical loss of forests, leading to a decline in biodiversity and environmental balance. 
  • Listening: The speaker introduces multiple conservation techniques such as reforestation, wildlife corridors, and legal enforcement. 
  • Essay: The essay must summarise the conservation methods mentioned in the lecture and relate them to the problems of deforestation and biodiversity loss detailed in the reading passage. 

Reading passage: An overview of the traditional medical practices and their limitations. 

Listening clip: A lecture elaborating on recent technological advancements in medical diagnostics and treatments. 

Writing task : 

  • Reading: The passage outlines traditional medical practices, emphasizing their limitations in accuracy and efficiency. 
  • Listening : The lecturer elaborates on cutting-edge technologies like AI-powered diagnostics, robotic surgeries, and personalized medicine.
  • Essay : The essay should connect the advancements discussed in the lecture with the limitations outlined in the reading passage, showcasing how technology is revolutionizing medical practice. 

In-depth Analysis of a Sample Essay | Environmental conservation 

The essay must have a good flow and cohesiveness. This makes it easier to understand and leave a good impression. Here is the in-depth analysis of an essay on environmental conservation.

“The loss of forests and biodiversity has long been a global concern. However, modern conservation methods, as described in the lecture, offer promising solutions to the challenges outlined in the reading passage.” 

  • Paragraph 1: Discuss reforestation, its importance, and how it directly addresses deforestation. 
  • Paragraph 2: Explore wildlife corridors and their role in preserving biodiversity. 
  • Paragraph 3 : Explain legal enforcement, international agreements, and their impact on conservation efforts. 
  • The TOEFL-integrated writing task involves reading, listening, and writing. Understand the flow and practice each part. 
  • Make use of TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF, TOEFL writing task PDF guides, and various other materials for practice. 
  • Your essay should logically connect the reading and listening parts, maintaining a clear and concise structure. 

The innovative conservation techniques described in the lecture provide a comprehensive approach to combating the grave issues of deforestation and biodiversity loss mentioned in the reading passage. These methods signify hope and progress in environmental preservation. 

We hope you found this article insightful. If you have any more queries please reach out to us and get them solved quickly!

Liked this blog? Read: TOEFL requirements 2023 | Documents and minimum requirements guide. 

1. How much time do I have for the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task? 

Ans. You have 3 minutes to read the passage, a listening time for the clip, and 20 minutes to write the essay. 

2. Can I take notes during the listening part of the TOEFL Writing Task? 

Ans. Yes, taking notes is allowed and advisable during the listening portion.

3. What types of topics are covered in the TOEFL Writing Task Topics? 

Ans. Topics are typically academic, ranging from history, science, art to social sciences. 

4. Where can I find TOEFL Writing Task 1 sample answers and TOEFL Writing Task 2 sample answers? 

Ans. Various online platforms, prep books, and official TOEFL guides provide these samples.

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TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

Ultimate guide to toefl integrated writing: tips and practice.

examples of essay toefl

Writing English essays can be difficult for non-native speakers—especially on TOEFL Integrated Writing. For this task, you must compose a short essay comparing a lecture with a reading passage. And to get a high Integrated Writing score, you’ll need to know which resources to use as well as how to prepare effectively for the task.

In this guide, we’ll explain what TOEFL Integrated Writing entails and go over the best resources you can use for quality TOEFL Integrated Writing topics and practice. In addition, we give you six key tips to help you get the Integrated Writing score you deserve.

What Is TOEFL Integrated Writing?

There are two Writing tasks on the TOEFL: an Integrated Writing task and an Independent Writing task. The Integrated Writing task, which comes first, requires you to combine multiple skills. You must not only be able to write in English but also be able to read and listen to it. By contrast, the Independent Writing task only requires you to read a brief prompt and then write an essay explaining your opinion on the topic.

So what exactly does the Integrated Writing task entail? You’ll start by reading an academic passage. This passage is about 300 words long, and you’ll have  three minutes to read it.

Next, you’ll listen to an audio clip of a professor giving a lecture on the same topic as that of the passage. This lecture will usually be about two minutes long and will either agree or disagree with points made in the passage.

Finally, you’ll have 20 minutes to plan and compose a short essay of about 150-225 words. This essay must summarize the points made in the lecture and explain how they support or challenge what’s written in the passage. You will not write about your own opinion for this task (though you will for the Independent Writing task).

As you write, you’ll be able to look at the reading passage again if you need to. (You can also finish reading it during this time if you didn’t get to do so before.) However, you may not listen to the audio clip again. This is why it’s best to take notes while you listen to the audio clip (we’ll talk more about how to do this later).

By the way: we have built the world's best online TOEFL course . Get online practice (TPO-sytle!) and individual grading and feedback on Speaking and Writing.

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Now, let’s turn our attention to scoring. The Integrated Writing task—like the Independent Writing task—is scored on a scale of 0-5. According to the official rubric , a 5 response “successfully selects the important information from the lecture and coherently and accurately presents this information in relation to the relevant information presented in the reading.”

On the other hand, a 1 response “provides little or no meaningful or relevant coherent content from the lecture.” (Note that a score of 0 means you did not fulfill the prompt correctly—for example, you copied sentences from the passage, wrote in a foreign language, or didn’t write anything at all.)

After, your Integrated and Independent scores are combined and converted to a scaled Writing score on a scale of 0-30 (i.e., the same scale used for all sections of the TOEFL).

Here is an example of a complete TOEFL Integrated Writing task :

Read the following passage and the lecture which follows. In an actual test, you would have 3 minutes to read the passage. Then, answer the question. In the test, you would have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words. Test takers with disabilities may request additional time to read the passage and write the response.

READING PASSAGE

body_toefl_integrated_writing_passage_sample

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.

body_people_laptops_outside

14 Resources for TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice

Now that you understand what a TOEFL Integrated essay entails, let’s take a look at some of the best resources you can use for TOEFL Integrated Writing topics and practice.

Note that most of these resources are geared toward the entire TOEFL test and therefore will contain practice questions and tips for other TOEFL sections as well.

Official Prep Materials

Official resources (i.e., those created by ETS) are far and away the best resources to start with when you want to find quality TOEFL Integrated Writing practice questions. All official TOEFL resources offer authentic test questions and prompts similar to those you’ll see on test day. And the best part is that many of these resources are entirely free!

TOEFL Online Practice (TPO) Tests

By far the most authentic TOEFL Integrated Writing practice you can get is through official TPO tests. These full-length TOEFL practice tests are real, retired exams and thus offer a highly realistic TOEFL Integrated Writing test-taking experience.

Once you finish a test, your Integrated essay is immediately graded by a computer. However, I’m not a huge fan of this scoring system since it isn’t clear why the computer grader assigns certain scores.  By contrast, on the actual TOEFL, your Integrated Writing task will be graded by a combination of human raters and a computer .

Unfortunately, each TPO test is quite costly:  45.95 USD.  So don’t buy one of these tests unless you’re 100 percent sure it’ll help you on the Integrated Writing task and other sections of the exam as well.

TOEFL iBT Interactive Sampler

One of the best TOEFL practice resources you can use is the TOEFL Interactive Sampler. This free, downloadable software contains an abbreviated TOEFL test, complete with a full Writing section.

What’s especially great is that the Integrated Task comes with  three sample responses: a high-level response, a mid-level response, and a low-level response. These are helpful in that they show you what kinds of details, structures, grammar, and vocabulary you’ll be expected to use in your own essay.

There are a couple of downsides to this resource, though. For one, the sampler doesn’t work with Macs. Another issue is that you can’t write your essay directly in the program. Rather, once the prompt is shown, all you’re given are the three sample responses. But you can still complete the task by opening Microsoft Word or another writing program and typing your essay there.

Once you’ve finished writing your essay, I suggest either using the TOEFL Integrated Writing rubric to score your response or asking a native English speaker to grade your essay for you.

TOEFL iBT Quick Prep

This free set of four PDFs offers a ton of high-quality sample TOEFL questions, including two Integrated Writing tasks (in Volume 1 and Volume 3 ).

Volume 1 provides you with a transcript of the lecture instead of an audio clip, so it’s not the most realistic test-taking experience you can get. But Volume 3’s TOEFL Integrated Writing task uses an MP3 for the lecture, making it far more similar to what you’ll get on the actual test.

Since these volumes are both PDFs and not software programs, you’ll once again need to use a separate computer program to type out your responses.

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TOEFL iBT Writing Sample Responses

Another free resource by ETS, this PDF presents  a number of TOEFL Integrated Writing sample responses, from low- to high-scoring ones.

With this resource, you’ll get one TOEFL Integrated Writing task  with a passage and lecture transcript. And as for sample essays, you’ll get:

  • Two level-5 essays
  • Three level-4 essays
  • Three level-3 essays
  • Three level-2 essays
  • Two level-1 essays

What I particularly love about this PDF is that it includes  detailed feedback on why certain essays received the scores they got.  Therefore, I strongly suggest reading these explanations to learn more about how ETS expects you to write and organize your Integrated essay on test day.

Official TOEFL Prep Books

Another solid option is to buy an official TOEFL prep book. Official books are excellent, comprehensive resources for TOEFL Integrated Writing practice, as well as Reading, Listening, and Speaking practice.

The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test  is perhaps your best bet. This resource offers a CD-ROM with three full-length practice tests in addition to 600 practice questions.

However, its Integrated Writing information isn’t all new. For example, many of its sample scored responses are the same as those in the TOEFL iBT Writing Sample Responses PDF above. Moreover, its first practice test uses the same Integrated Writing prompt contained in the free TOEFL Interactive Sampler.

Other official prep books include Official TOEFL iBT Tests Volumes 1 and 2 . Each volume contains five unique full-length practice tests, giving you a grand total of 10 Integrated Writing tasks  to practice with. Unlike The Official Guide, though,   which offers several sample responses for each scoring level,   each Writing task here comes with just one high-scoring sample response.

Official TOEFL prep books are usually reasonably priced at around 25 USD a piece.

TOEFL iBT Sample Questions

This free, handy PDF is similar to Quick Prep but contains far fewer practice questions. With this resource, you get one Integrated Writing task  (which we used above as an example).

Unfortunately, this PDF doesn’t contain any audio files, so you’ll need to read a transcript for the lecture. This, along with the lack of additional TOEFL Integrated Writing practice questions, ultimately makes this resource less realistic and less useful than some of the other ones on this list.

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Unofficial Prep Materials

While official materials are hands down your best bet for quality TOEFL Integrated Writing practice, some unofficial resources offer a solid array of TOEFL Integrated Writing practice questions as well.

The problem, however, is that most unofficial TOEFL resources are low quality, so you’ll need to learn how to distinguish the ones that are worth using from the ones that aren’t. Generally speaking, a solid TOEFL resource is one that offers realistic practice questions, comprehensive answer explanations, and useful test-taking strategies.

Below are our top picks for the best unofficial resources for TOEFL Integrated Writing topics. Like our list above, the majority of resources here are completely free to use!

Unofficial TOEFL Prep Books

There are many high-quality unofficial TOEFL prep books available on the market. The key is to know which ones are worth buying—that is, which ones will offer you the most authentic TOEFL Integrated Writing tasks you can practice with. Our guide to the best TOEFL prep books  includes three unofficial TOEFL prep books to consider incorporating into your prep.

As with any dense resource, unofficial TOEFL prep books come at a price. However, they’re not normally that expensive, with prices typically hovering around  10-30 USD.  (That’s cheaper than one TPO test!)

Strictly English

This website offers one free Integrated Writing task as well as several additional tasks you can only access if you are a paid member. Both the passage and audio clip for the free task are extremely high quality, making it an ideal resource to include in your prep.

Strangely,  the free Integrated task doesn’t include a prompt.  That said, you don’t actually need a prompt to write an Integrated essay anyway, as the prompt is always the same: compare a lecture with a passage.

Another convenient feature of this website is a box that you can type your essay in. Once you finish typing, though, ignore the “Submit My Essay” button below. This feature only works for paid members, so nothing will happen if you click it.

Like Strictly English, BestMyTest offers one free Integrated Writing task, though you can access many more Integrated Writing tasks with paid membership. The free task is high quality and consists of a decent reading passage and a clear, easy-to-follow audio clip.

One especially helpful feature is the timer,  which makes it easier to keep track of how much time you have left for each part of the task.

A solid choice, Magoosh offers one TOEFL Integrated Writing task that’s fairly high quality. The reading passage is very similar to those on the TOEFL, especially in length, and the audio clip is crisp and easy to understand.

While you won’t get a lecture transcript, you will get  a sample level-5 essay  with an in-depth analysis of what makes this essay strong.

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English Club

This free website offers one TOEFL Integrated Writing task with a passage, audio clip, and sample response. You’ll also get a transcript of the lecture, which is helpful if you’re struggling to understand any parts of it (though you won’t get a transcript on test day).

There are two drawbacks to this website, however. First, the reading passage, though good quality, is quite short.  Integrated Writing passages are generally around 300 words, but the passage here is only about half that length, making it not as realistic as it could be.

In addition, the audio clip quality isn’t particularly good. The voice often sounds muffled, making it difficult to understand at times.

PrepScholar

At PrepScholar, we offer   an original TOEFL Integrated Writing task,  complete with a reading passage, lecture transcript, and prompt similar to what you’ll get on test day.

As with any TOEFL task, make sure to abide by the official time limits so that you’re getting as realistic practice as possible. For Integrated Writing, this means you’ll have:

  • Three minutes to read the passage
  • About two minutes to read the lecture transcript
  • 20 minutes to plan and write a response

After you finish typing your essay on a computer, use our analysis of two high-scoring essays to grade your response and give yourself a rough idea as to how you can improve your spelling, grammar, organization, time management, and overall writing skills for the test.

Study.com offers one TOEFL Integrated Writing task, which you can access (mostly) via a free lesson preview. Included is an entire reading passage and lecture transcript—but no prompt, as that’s where the preview gets cut off.

In reality, though,  you don’t actually need a prompt  since all Integrated tasks require you to do the same thing: compare a lecture with a passage. Nonetheless, if you’d like to see the full TOEFL Integrated Writing lesson, you can make an account by signing up for a free five-day trial.

TOEFL Resources

Though TOEFL Resources doesn’t offer any original Integrated Writing tasks for you to practice with, it does contain a large assortment of sample Integrated Writing essays,  which you can compare with your own responses to get a better understanding of what a high-scoring TOEFL essay looks like.

Many of this website’s sample essays are based on Integrated tasks from popular TOEFL prep books, including The Official Guide and Official TOEFL iBT Tests, so if you’ve got any of these and want to see more high-scoring sample responses, this resource is definitely helpful!

What’s more, all sample essays were written by native English speakers, so you can be sure they’re grammatical and structurally solid.

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How to Prepare for TOEFL Integrated Writing: 6 Tips

So far, we’ve gone over all of the major resources you can use to strengthen your TOEFL Integrated Writing practice. Now, let’s take a look at our top six tips to help you get the Integrated Writing score you want.

#1: Strengthen Your Reading & Listening Skills

Since you must read a passage and listen to an audio clip for the TOEFL Integrated Writing task, it’s important to hone your reading and listening skills in addition to your writing skills.

To get better at reading, make sure you have a broad knowledge of  English vocabulary , particularly academic vocabulary.  I recommend reading real-life newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times  and  The Atlantic .  Additionally, try reading introductory notes and paragraphs in university-level textbooks. For more tips on what to read, take a look at  our guide to TOEFL Reading resources .

As for listening practice , take time to listen to spoken English by watching  YouTube videos and English news channels or listening to English podcasts. Some free, helpful resources for English-listening practice include VOA Learning English and EnglishClass101 .

#2: Keep a Journal

To do well on TOEFL Integrated Writing, you need to be a good writer. And to be a good writer, you need to write!

One great way to practice writing in English is to write in a journal (almost) every day. This allows you to consistently practice your writing skills and learn how to write more quickly and with better grammar.

Because you’ll be typing your Integrated essay on a computer, I recommend keeping a digital journal. You can do this online through a free website called Lang-8 . On this website, users write diary entries and other notes in their target languages. These entries are then posted and corrected by native speakers of the target language.

I myself have used Lang-8 many times while studying Japanese. All in all, it’s an incredibly fun and supportive resource that also offers a convenient way to connect with others studying English like you.

#3: Memorize Useful Transitions

The best writers are those who can effectively connect their thoughts to make their writing compelling. And one of the easiest ways to do this is to use transitions.

Transitions are words and short phrases that connect ideas in writing (as well as in speech). They often come at the beginning of paragraphs and sentences and can be used to:

  • Link similar ideas
  • Contrast different ideas
  • Emphasize ideas

We’ve compiled an extensive list of 54 transitions  to use in your Integrated and Independent Writing essays. Briefly, though, here are some of the most common transitions you should know:

  • In addition
  • Additionally
  • For example
  • For instance
  • In conclusion

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#4: Do Timed Writing Exercises

You can’t expect to do well on TOEFL Integrated Writing unless you actually sit down and practice. This is why you should use the resources above (particularly the official ones) to  carve out time to practice answering TOEFL Integrated Writing questions.

Each time you practice,  time yourself using the official time limits for Integrated Writing. In other words, give yourself:

  • About two minutes to read the lecture transcript (if not available as an audio clip)
  • 20 minutes to plan and type your response

Once you’ve finished reading the passage and listening to the audio clip, begin to type your response on a computer. Although you may write out your response on paper, a computer is preferable, as it more accurately recreates the TOEFL test-taking experience. After you’ve completed a task, use the official Integrated Writing rubric to score yourself and determine what you did well—and what you could improve.

If your Integrated task comes with any sample essays, use these to help score your response. High-scoring essays can help you understand what specific details to include in your essay and what stylistic or structural features ultimately make an essay more compelling.

If possible, ask a native English speaker to offer feedback on your practice essays as well. This will give you a more objective view of the overall strength and quality of your writing.

#5: Use Scratch Paper Wisely

You’ll have scratch paper to use throughout the exam, so make sure to use it wisely on the Integrated Writing task, too.

Since you’ll only get to hear the audio clip once, use your scratch paper to  take notes as you listen. (You can reread the passage, so you don’t need to take notes on it.)   As you listen,   write down the main point of the lecture and any important terms, concepts, steps, or examples the professor mentions.

Then, once your writing time begins,  spend the first three minutes or so outlining your essay on your scratch paper. Try to jot down the three main points you want to discuss as well as any key details or examples you can use to illustrate them. Don’t get too elaborate with your outline—just get the main points down and let the rest of the details come naturally as you write.

We cover more TOEFL note-taking tips in our in-depth guide (coming soon).

#6: Follow a TOEFL Writing Template

Finally, if you’re worried about your ability to coherently structure an essay, consider practicing with a TOEFL Writing template . A template offers you a basic framework to start with, which you can then modify to suit any Integrated Writing prompt.

The benefits of a template are numerous. For one, you’ll always have a sentence opener or transition to fall back on in case you’re unsure what to write next, giving you more confidence on test day. You’ll also have a clearer idea as to how to structure your thoughts and will therefore spend less time worrying about your essay’s organization and flow.

Recap: What Is TOEFL Integrated Writing?

The TOEFL Integrated Writing task is the first of two Writing tasks. For this task, you must combine your reading, listening, and writing skills to produce a compelling essay that compares a passage with a lecture on the same topic.

In order to get a high score on TOEFL Integrated Writing, try to practice with high-quality resources. Several official resources are free and offer a broad assortment of Integrated Writing prompts. Unofficial TOEFL resources, too, can be helpful, though you’ll need to be careful with what you choose since most unofficial materials are not as reliable as official ones.

As you prepare for TOEFL Integrated Writing, be sure to do many timed writing exercises and  get feedback on your practice essays. You should also:

  • Strengthen your reading and listening skills
  • Keep an English journal to further hone your writing skills
  • Memorize transitional words you can use in your essays
  • Use scratch paper to take notes on the audio clip and to outline your essay
  • Consider practicing with an Integrated Writing template to help you feel more prepared for test day

What’s Next?

Want more TOEFL Writing practice? Then check out our original list of 13 TOEFL Writing topics  as well as  our picks for the best TOEFL Writing resources .

Aiming for a high TOEFL Writing score?  Read our guide to learn what a good TOEFL Writing score is (coming soon), and then get a rundown of everything you need to know in order to ace the TOEFL Writing section .

Looking for more general TOEFL tips?  Learn how to prepare for the TOEFL with our eight expert tips.

Ready to improve your TOEFL score by 15 points?

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Author: Hannah Muniz

Hannah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in English and East Asian languages and cultures. After graduation, she taught English in Japan for two years via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. View all posts by Hannah Muniz

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Guest Essay

Jack Smith and Robert Hur Are the Latest Examples of a Failed Institution

A black-and-white photo of the Justice Department building.

By Jack Goldsmith

Mr. Goldsmith was an assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration and is a co-author of “After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency.”

On Tuesday, when the special counsel Robert Hur testifies before Congress, it will be high presidential-year political theater. This is just the latest example of the inversion of the aims of the special counsel office.

A special counsel is supposed to ensure that the Justice Department can credibly conduct sensitive investigations that are and that appear to be fair and apolitical. Yet special counsels (and their precursors) have for decades failed to achieve this goal — a failure that has now reached a peak with two special counsels having an extraordinary impact on a presidential election.

It is time to kill the special counsel institution.

Special counsels have had different labels over the years. They were first institutionalized when a post-Watergate statute created what came to be called an “independent counsel” appointed by a federal court upon application of the attorney general and removable by the attorney general or Congress only in extreme cases. This was the statute under which Lawrence Walsh investigated the Iran-contra scandal and Kenneth Starr investigated Whitewater and President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Both men — in calmer political times than today — drew sharp partisan attacks because of the political stakes and in response to what some said was norm-breaking behavior. Their principal decisions were perceived by different parts of the country to be wildly unfair for (in the case of Mr. Walsh) giving credence to unproven facts and allegations against people not charged or for (in the case of Mr. Starr) including salacious and politically damaging but legally irrelevant details in a referral to Congress that laid out grounds for Mr. Clinton’s possible impeachment.

Neither party shed a tear when the independent counsel statute lapsed in 1999. One consensus point at the time was that prosecutorial independence from the attorney general did nothing to arrest the perceived partisanship of the investigation but often did lead to over-investigation, undue commentary about targets and other instances of prosecutorial zeal. The supposed virtue of prosecutorial independence was viewed as a debilitating lack of political accountability.

The main aim of the 1999 regulations that govern special counsels today was to center accountability for sensitive investigations more firmly with the attorney general. The regulations gave the attorney general power to reverse a special counsel decision “so inappropriate or unwarranted under established departmental practices that it should not be pursued” and contemplated special counsel explanations of prosecutorial or declination decisions in a confidential report that the attorney general had discretion to disclose if in the “public interest.”

As Attorney General Janet Reno testified a few months before her department issued the regulations, centralizing accountability in the attorney general for high-profile decisions “goes to the very heart of our constitutional scheme” and is vital so that the blame for prosecutorial decisions can be assigned to someone who can be punished — the attorney general.

But the regulations have failed to accomplish this goal. They deny the attorney general “ day-to-day supervision ” of a special counsel. And attorneys general tend not to want the ultimate responsibility that Ms. Reno envisioned because it puts them more centrally in political cross hairs, which is contrary to the department’s ethos to appear apolitical. Checking special counsels’ excesses or failing to publish their reports invariably seems like political meddling or cover-up.

Attorney General William Barr, for example, believed that Robert Mueller’s report on Donald Trump departed from the department’s policy and legal views (part of their disagreement was about the special counsel’s need to make a “prosecution or declination decision”). But though he was not shy about taking politically controversial actions, he did not exercise his power to alter Mr. Mueller’s actions or keep the report confidential (with exceptions for redactions required by law and by continuing law enforcement interests).

Special counsels hold the real power in the relationship. This power — along with their singular focus on one matter, the extraordinary resources they are given and the special need to justify the intense investigation — leads them to make highly controversial decisions, often at the edges of propriety.

In a report after his investigation of Mr. Trump, Mr. Mueller drew justified criticism when he departed from the special counsel regulations by refusing to decide whether Mr. Trump had committed prosecutable crimes while commenting that his report did not “exonerate” him. The special counsel John Durham, appointed by Mr. Barr to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia inquiry, drew justified condemnation when his final report contained wide-ranging criticism of former officials beyond his remit to determine criminality.

The excesses in the Mueller and Durham reports deepened the perceived politicization of the Justice Department by different halves of the country — again, the opposite of the goal of the special counsel regulations. And then Congress churned the politics of the investigations when each party used testimonial appearances by Mr. Mueller and Mr. Durham to further its political narratives.

The same pattern with a potentially even bigger political impact is unfolding with two special counsels appointed by Mr. Garland — Jack Smith, to investigate Mr. Trump in connection with the events of Jan. 6 and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, and Robert Hur, to investigate Mr. Biden’s possible mishandling of classified documents. Mr. Smith and Mr. Hur have both made controversial decisions that, once again, different halves of the country believe, with some basis, violate department norms.

Mr. Smith has sought to fast-track Mr. Trump’s trial related to the events of Jan. 6 in ways that Mr. Trump’s lawyers and others view as having a purpose of affecting the presidential election in violation of Justice Department rules .

Mr. Hur’s final report concluded that Mr. Biden did not commit a crime, but it made pejorative comments about uncharged conduct and the president’s “poor memory” and “diminished faculties” that the president’s attorneys, among many others, said “violate Department of Justice policy and practice.”

Perhaps public confidence in these investigations would have been no different, or perhaps worse, if the department through normal channels and under the direct supervision of Mr. Garland had handled them.

But we must consider the view that Mr. Garland most likely would have taken a more temperate approach to both matters. Political accountability in this context helps to ensure that a wide range of interests and values are considered. If Mr. Garland were fully and transparently in charge, he may have been less likely to have publicly justified Mr. Biden’s nonculpability in the harsh, unflattering terms that Mr. Hur used. And he may have been less likely to have rushed a trial of Mr. Trump that so clearly appears to help his boss, Mr. Biden, politically.

Law enforcement against current and former senior public officials should not be removed from politics in this sense. Political accountability and political judgment, as Janet Reno realized, are crucial to the vindication of the rule of law and the Justice Department’s integrity in high-profile investigations.

Ms. Reno’s proposition is about to be further tested under great pressure. The Supreme Court has delayed Mr. Trump’s trial for the events of Jan. 6 until it decides his claim to presidential immunity. If the court denies that claim, as most commentators predict, Mr. Smith can proceed to trial, perhaps even in the fall, in the heat of the presidential campaign.

Should the Biden Justice Department subject Mr. Biden’s opponent in the presidential race to a lengthy and damning trial just before the election?

Some will argue yes, on the grounds that the allegations against Mr. Trump go to the heart of American democracy and should be resolved in due course, regardless of the political implications.

Others will argue no, on the grounds that it is an irreversible catastrophe for American democracy, as well as the Justice Department, for one presidential administration to use criminal law to attack the president’s opponent in a campaign. That’s especially true since the president’s central campaign theme (Mr. Trump’s threat to democracy) will dovetail with and find everyday support in Mr. Smith’s courtroom presentation.

Whether to allow Mr. Trump’s trial to proceed during the campaign, should the Supreme Court deny Mr. Trump’s immunity, is a decision with grave, crosscutting, long-term but hard-to-fathom consequences for the election, for the norm of prosecutorial noninterference in elections, for our broader politics, for the possibility of evenhanded justice and for the reputation of the Justice Department.

This monumental decision turns in part on the proper application of the Justice Department norm about avoiding prosecutorial interference in elections. The department’s inspector general has described this norm as “not written or described in any Department policy or regulation” and has indicated that its contours are uncertain. But the special counsel’s lawyers recently claimed, in the classified documents case, that the norm did not apply to the selection of a trial date in the shadow of the election.

The decision about the proper interpretation of this obscure rule, especially its application to a presidential election, can and should be made openly and with express responsibility by Mr. Garland, the person nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and not by Mr. Smith, an attorney who lacks democratic pedigree. On this call, Mr. Garland should not hide behind his special counsel. He needs to own it, one way or the other.

Jack Goldsmith ( @jacklgoldsmith ) is a law professor at Harvard, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former assistant attorney general. He is a co-author of “After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X and Threads .

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