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TOEFL Writing Practice: Improve Your Writing Skills with Free TOEFL Writing Sample Essays & Lessons

In this guide you can start a free TOEFL writing practice test with sample essays and learn some basic and advanced independent & integrated writing lessons to help improve your writing skills and successfully prepare you for your TOEFL writing test. This page contains everything you need to know and the essential skills for a high writing score.

First off, if you're looking to take a free TOEFL writing practice test or are just curious what taking an official TOEFL writing test is like, then click the START TOEFL writing SAMPLE TEST button below.

Next up is a list of all our TOEFL writing questions where you can study each question at your own pace. To start a free TOEFL writing test question, click the Mock Test 1 link.

TOEFL writing practice questions - integrated writing Task

TOEFL writing practice questions - academic discussion Task

Table Of Contents

Toefl writing introduction, toefl integrated writing task, toefl academic discussion writing task.

• How the TOEFL Writing Section is Scored
• TOEFL Writing Preparation

The writing section is the fourth section of the TOEFL iBT test and takes about 50 minutes to complete. It consists of two separate tasks: an Integrated Writing task and an Academic Discussion Writing task . The Independent task requires you to write an opinionated essay based on your own knowledge and experience, whereas the Integrated task requires you to write a response synthesizing a lecture and a reading passage. Below, we examine the two TOEFL Writing tasks in detail.

When you start the TOEFL Integrated writing task, you will be given 3 minutes to read an academic passage. After reading the passage, you will then listen to a lecture on the same topic. You’ll have a total of 20 minutes to write your response. Your response should be around 150-225 words . During this time, you may reread the passage; however, you may not listen to the lecture again.

The reading passage may or may not have a different point of view from the lecture. There are a total of two different scenarios that you can encounter.

• Contradiction: The lecture contradicts or casts doubt on the key points in the reading passage.
• Supporting with Examples: The lecture supports the key points in the reading passage.

It doesn’t matter which scenario you encounter. Your response must summarize the key points discussed in the lecture and explain how these points relate to the reading.

In this task, taking good notes is critical.

When taking notes for the reading passage, make sure to write down the position or opinion of the author and the main supporting reasons for that position or opinion. In most cases, there will be three main supporting ideas. Note that the reading passage are always presented in a point-by-point fashion. That is, the article begins with a main statement, followed by three paragraphs, each of which gives a main point supporting the main statement.

For the lecture, it’s the same basic idea as the reading passage. The lecture follows the same pattern, with the main points matching up with the main points in the reading passage. In other words, the main points directly support or refute the points made in the article, usually in the same order. You must be aware of this in order to take appropriate notes. One more thing! The lecture might include information that is not related to the reading. Remember this! You don’t need to write irrelevant information down in your notes!

In addition to taking good notes, you’ll need to write at least 5 paragraphs that synthesize the main points of the reading passage and lecture . You should also paraphrase when you write your response. DO NOT copy the exact words from the reading passage or lecture. Your score will suffer, if you do.

Here is the breakdown of your essay structure:

• Introduction

The introductory paragraph should contain the following:

• The main topic of both the reading passage and the lecture
• A paraphrase of the question describing the number of points made that were used to cast doubt on the reading passage.

Each body paragraph should cover one main point from the listening and explain in detail how it relates to the main points in the reading passage.

Finally, the conclusion paragraph should summarize the introductory paragraph ...and yes...you guessed it...you should paraphrase . Do not use the same wording you used in the introduction paragraph.

Now, let’s examine the two scenarios ("Contradiction" and "Supporting with Examples") in more detail. In the following section, we will provide you with TOEFL writing sample questions, sample writing responses, and useful writing templates for each of them.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Scenario 1 - Contradiction

This scenario is the most common scenario. In this scenario, the lecture will contradict or cast doubt on the key points in the reading passage. Here is a TOEFL Integrated Writing Task sample question:

Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture and explain how the speaker casts doubt on specific points made in the reading passage.

As you can see, the main points of the lecture contradict the main points in the reading passage. The passage states that pollution was the cause of the declining population of sea otters, while the lecture states that the predation is the most likely cause of the decrease in sea otter populations. Here is the sample essay:

TOEFL Integrated Writing Template: Scenario 1 - Contradiction

Now, let's look at the writing template for scenario 1 - Contradiction.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Scenario 2 - Supporting with Examples

In this scenario, the main points of the lecture are examples that support the key points in the reading passage. Here is a TOEFL Integrated Writing Task sample question:

Question: Summarize the points in the lecture, being sure to explain how they address the specific concerns for social media described in the reading passage.

To learn how to tackle this scenario, sign up for a 7 day free trial.

When you start the TOEFL academic discussion writing task, you will be asked a question. Your job is to plan and write an essay in response to this question. It’ll help if you understand the different types of writing questions you may encounter. Let’s take a look at them now.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Agree or Disagree

The first independent question type on our list is “Agree or Disagree“ . An "Agree or Disagree" question will give you a statement of opinion and ask you whether you agree or disagree with the statement. You will also have to provide specific reasons and examples to support your position. Here are examples:

• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All students should be required to study art and music in secondary school. Use specific reasons to support your answer.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? High schools should allow students to study the courses that students want to study. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
• When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Support or Oppose

This type of question is very similar to the Agree or Disagree question. However, Instead of asking you to agree or disagree with the statement, the “Support or Oppose” question will ask you to support or oppose a situation. Here is an example:

• It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan?

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Preference

"Preference" questions give you a choice between two options and ask which option you prefer. You must provide specific reasons and examples to explain why you prefer the option you choose. Here are two examples:

• Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
• Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: If / Imaginary

"If / Imaginary" questions give you a hypothetical – or imagined – situation and ask what you would do or what you would choose. Rather than choosing between two things or two opinions, you are typically not limited in your choice. That is, you can choose anything that fits the situation. Here are three examples:

• Imagine that you are preparing for a trip. You plan to be away from your home for a year. In addition to clothing and personal care items, you can take one additional thing. What would you take and why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
• If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an international exhibition, what would you choose? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
• If you could invent something new, what product would you develop? Use specific details to explain why this invention is needed.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Description or Explanation

A "Description or Explanation" question will ask you to describe a certain type of person – especially the good qualities of a person – or explain something in the world. You might have to choose something to explain, or you might be given something specific to explain. You might have to explain why something is beneficial, important, or significant, or you might have to explain the reasons for or effects of something. Here are three examples:

• How do movies and television influence people's behavior.? Give reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient. Other people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Compare and Contrast

This is our last question type on our list and is a little tricky. The “Compare and Contrast" Question can be fool you, so you need to pay attention to what it’s really asking. Generally speaking, you will see 2 variations of this type of question.

First, the question might give you two subjects and could ask you to compare and contrast them. That is, to show the similarities and differences between them. However, the question might ask you to compare the advantages and disadvantages of only one subject, so read the question carefully.

Both variations could also ask you to state your personal opinion or your personal preference.

Here are examples of the first variation:

• It has been said, “Not everything that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?
• Some people trust their first impressions about a person’s character because they believe these judgments are generally correct. Other people do not judge a person’s character quickly because they believe first impressions are often wrong. Compare these two attitudes. Which attitude do you agree with? Support your choice with specific examples.
• Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference.

Here are examples of the second variation:

• Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.

So! Can you see the difference between them? When you write a comparison and contrast essay, you need to be aware of what the question is asking. Is it asking for the comparison of two different things or is it asking you to describe advantage and disadvantage of one thing? Okay! Let’s look at the essay structure of both variations.

As you can see, the major difference is how you write your two body paragraphs.

When the question is asking you to compare aspects of two subjects, each body paragraph compares and contrasts two subjects in one aspect.

When the question is asking you to compare pros and cons of one subject, your first body paragraph discusses the advantage and your second body paragraph discusses the disadvantages.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Essay Structure

This 5 paragraph structure approach can be used for 5 out of the 6 essay question types. The “Compare and Contrast” question type is the only essay question that will require a different structure.

How to Write a High-scoring TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Essay

Now, let's learn how to write a good introductory, body, and conclusion paragraph for the TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task.

How to write a high-scoring introductory paragraph - Part 1

How to write a high-scoring introductory paragraph - part 2, how to write a high-scoring body paragraph, how to write a high-scoring conclusion paragraph.

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access this lesson.

How is the TOEFL Writing Section Scored?

When you complete your TOEFL test, your writing must be evaluated. This is done by a combination of human readers and a computer program called e-rater®. Each of your essays is given a score from 0 to 5. Your combined essay scores are converted to a section score of 0 to 30.

There are four basic criteria on which your essay is evaluated. These four criteria are:

• How well you address the topic .
• How well you develop and support your ideas.
• How well you organize the essay and connect your ideas.
• How well you use the English language , including grammar, vocabulary, and writing conventions.

"Writing conventions" are the special rules of writing in English, including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

As for the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task, here are four basic criteria on which your essay is evaluated. These four criteria are:

• How well you select important information from the lecture.
• How well you relate the lecture points to the reading points.
• How well you organize the essay and provide details

How to Prepare for the TOEFL Writing Test

It takes time to develop good writing skills. Chances are a good English writer already has years of experience writing English and using English in their daily life. If you are not a good English writer, do not get frustrated.

The good news is that you only need to be able to write well on TOEFL independent and integrated tasks. Here are a few things we suggest you do in order to complete the TOEFL Writing section in the most effective manner.

• To write well, first you need to read good essays so your brain has a database of good English structures and vocabulary you can use when writing. That being said, we recommend that you read and learn from our sample essays as much as possible. When learning these sample essays, do not just memorize them, but study how a paragraph is formed with different sentence structures, what words are used, and what main ideas are included. Ask yourself “Can I write similar sentence structures?” and “Can I form a sentence with these vocabulary words?”. The more you study, the more your writing skills will improve. The next time you write about a similar topic, you will be able to utilize them in your writing and add your own ideas.
• If you are not a good writer, spend at least an hour a day practicing academic discussion writing and integrated writing tasks.
• Spend some time brainstorming ideas for all academic discussion writing essays.
• Complete our writing lessons to ensure you know what characteristics a high-scoring TOEFL essay should have. In short, the following are key factors in scoring well on the TOEFL Writing section
• Understand the different types of prompts that appear in the academic discussion writing section.
• Write a clear opinion or position on an issue.
• Write a good introduction and a good conclusion paragraph.
• Write 3 main body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should consist of a main idea and specific examples with details that support the main idea.
• Make good use of transition words to connect your ideas.
• Use a variety of words, both common and academic, correctly and appropriately.
• Use a variety of sentence structures correctly and appropriately.
• Master paraphrasing, synthesising, citing, and note-taking skills.
• Utilize all of our writing lessons

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TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

How to ace the toefl writing section: 7 expert tips.

Want to know all the information you need to write two great essays and ace the TOEFL Writing section?

This guide has all the tips you need to do well on TOEFL Writing. We’ll explain exactly what you can expect to see in this section, then give TOEFL Writing tips tips on how to answer both essay types, how you should study, and what you should do on test day to make sure you ace this section.

Overview of the TOEFL Writing Section

The TOEFL Writing section lasts 50 minutes and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. It’s the final section of the TOEFL. After this, you’re done!

You’ll have 20 minutes to plan and write the Integrated Writing Task and 30 minutes to plan and write the Independent Writing Tasks. Both essays will be written on the computer. We’ll discuss the tasks and what you’re expected to write in more detail in the next section.

After you complete the exam, your essays will be graded by several (typically four) graders. Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The sum of those two scores will then be scaled to a score from 0-30, which is your official Writing score. The Writing section makes of 25% of your total TOEFL score (from 0-120).

What Types of Questions Are on TOEFL Writing?

The Writing section contains two tasks. In this section, we’ll explain the format and content of the tasks and give an official example question and response tips for each question type.

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TOEFL Integrated Writing

The TOEFL 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.

During the writing time, you’ll be able to look at the written passage again, but you won’t be able to re-hear the audio clip. You’ll be able to take notes while you listen to it though.  The suggested response length for this task is 150-225 words. You’ll be graded on the quality of your writing as well as how well your response represents the main points of the audio clip and written passage and how they relate to each other.

Sample TOEFL Integrated Writing Question

(On the real TOEFL, the lecture would be an audio clip instead of a transcript.)

TOEFL Writing Tips for Answering

• Frequently refer back to the audio clip and written passage when making an argument. A key part of your grade is how well you show you understood the information these two pieces contained.
• However, don’t just copy portions of the audio clip or passage into your essay; that doesn’t show your English skills. Always rewrite the main ideas in your own words.
• When answering this question, pay careful attention to any differences between the information in written passage and the information in the audio clip. These differences are often an important part of your response.
• Take good notes when the audio clip is playing. You won’t have an opportunity to listen to it again.
• Don’t inject your own opinion. Only discuss what the audio clip and passage are saying. You’ll only discuss your own opinion on the Independent Writing Task.

TOEFL Independent Writing

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.

It’s recommended that your response to this task be at least 300 words, and you’ll be graded on how well you develop your ideas, how well your essay is organized, and how accurately you use English to express your ideas.

Sample TOEFL Independent Writing Question

• Don’t be afraid to make things up. This essay is all about creating a strong argument for your opinion on a topic. If you don’t really care about the topic you’re supposed to write about, choose whichever side you can write a stronger essay for, and act like that’s your opinion.
• Make your opinion clear within the first paragraph of your essay. There should be no doubt as to how you feel about the topic.
• Longer isn’t always better. The minimum recommended length for this essay is 300 words. If you have spare time and points you still want to make, keep writing, but don’t feel like your essay needs to be 600 words. Aim for your essay to be at least 300 words, but if it’s only, say, 320 words, it’s still possible for it to get a top score if you’ve written it well.

TOEFL Writing Study Strategies

You should absolutely study the TOEFL Writing section and do practice essays before exam day. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your studying.

Study Strategy 1: Study the 2 Essay Types

The two essays you need to write for this section are more different than they may appear at first glance, and it’s important to be aware of those differences to understand how to get top scores for both essays.

For the Integrated essay, you should not give your own opinion on the topic, and you’ll need to refer to specific points in the audio and written passages to back up your claims. For the Independent essay, you will have to give your own opinion, along with specifics to back it up.

Completing practice essays will help you become more familiar with what the prompts will look like (see next section), and you should also look at the rubrics TOEFL graders will use when grading your essays so you get a better understanding of what you need for a high score.

Study Strategy 2: Take TOEFL Writing Practice Essays

Any writing you do in English can help strengthen your skills and help you do better on TOEFL Writing, but it’s especially important to take practice TOEFL essays. Completing practice essays will help you become more familiar with the different essay prompts, strengthen your writing skills, and learn how to manage your time when writing essays.

We have a guide to all the best TOEFL Writing practice resources, including numerous free and official practice essays. Check it out to get some great study materials for the Writing section.

Study Strategy 3: Time Yourself When Writing Practice Essays

When you’re doing practice essays, you should also be sure to time yourself. Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write an Integrated Writing essay and 30 minutes to write an Independent Writing essay.

Timing yourself when you write will help you be more prepared for test day since you’ll get practice planning and writing essays within a limited time frame. When you first start writing your practice essays, it can be easy to spend too much time preparing which will cause you to run out of time before you finish writing. Completing timed practice essays will help you avoid this.

You should also count how many words 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.

Study Strategy 4: Review Your TOEFL Writing Practice Essays

After you write each 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.

TOEFL Writing Tips for Acing the Section on Test Day

The last step in acing TOEFL Writing is having a great exam day. Follow these TOEFL writing tips to help ensure everything goes smoothly while you’re completing the Writing section.

Test Tip 1: Take a Few Minutes to Plan Your Essays

Since you only have a limited amount of time to complete your essays, it can be tempting to start writing the second your time starts. You want to avoid doing this, however. Spending just a few minutes planning your essay can help keep your writing focused and on topic, and it can often help you write faster because you know what you’ll be discussing next.

Spend a max of two to three minutes writing a basic outline for your essay. It should include:

• Your thesis statement (the main point you’re making and will discuss throughout the essay)
• The main point of each paragraph you’ll have in your essay
• Any specific examples you can quickly think of (either from the included passages or your own opinion, depending on the essay) to back up your claim

Before you begin writing, reread the essay prompt again to make sure your outline answers the question well (see next section for more details).

Test Tip 2: Keep Referring Back to the Question

Even if you craft a beautiful essay with perfect English, you won’t get a good score if you don’t answer the question properly.  It can be easy to go off on a tangent or begin to discuss something other than what the question is asking.

For example, the Independent Writing sample question above asks you to explain whether it’s more important for teachers to relate well to students or have excellent knowledge of the subject they’re teaching. In your essay, you might include an example of a great teacher you had and spent the majority of the essay explaining why that teacher was your favorite. Even if your writing is flawless, you wouldn’t get a good score because you’re not discussing the question the essay prompt is asking.

This is something practice and making an outline before you begin writing can help you avoid, so be sure to do both, and remember to reread the prompt as you write your essay to make sure you’re on track.

Test Tip 3: Leave Some Time to Review Your Essays

After you’ve finished writing your essay, it’s helpful if you can spend a little bit of time looking it over.  Even setting aside 60 seconds can give you enough time for you skim your essay and catch and spelling or grammar errors or any sentences that aren’t clear. F ixing these little mistakes can help you from losing points when your essays are scored. Doing practice essays will help you get better at managing your time so it’ll become easier to finish your essays with some time to spare for reviewing.

Acing TOEFL Writing: What You Need to Know

In order to do well on the TOEFL Writing section, it’s important to first learn exactly what types of essays you’ll be expected to write, what they should include, and how you’ll be graded on them. While you’re studying for this section, be sure to study the two essay types, take practice essays, time yourself when writing essays, and review your practice essays.

On exam day, during the Writing section you should outline your essays before you begin writing, refer back to the essay prompts regularly, and leave yourself a bit of time at the end to review what you’ve written. Keep these TOEFL Writing tips in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to writing great essays. And remember, this is the last section of the TOEFL. Once you finish the Writing section, you’re done!

What’s Next?

Not sure what TOEFL score you should be aiming for?  Learn what a good TOEFL score is based on the schools you’re interested in.

Want more tips on how to prepare for TOEFL Writing questions? Check out our guide to the best ways to practice for TOEFL Writing!

Once you’ve taken the TOEFL, how do you send your scores to schools?   Learn the six tips you need to know for sending your TOEFL Scores.

Ready to improve your TOEFL score by 15 points?

Author: Christine Sarikas

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. View all posts by Christine Sarikas

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• Free Sample TOEFL Essays

Learning to write well is a skill, like any other. This skill is important not only on your TOEFL exam, but also in your academic and professional career. The TOEFL Writing section consists of two parts:

• Integrated Writing , which includes reading, listening and then writing a summary/ comparison piece of 250 word in 20 minutes
• Independent Writing , which involves writing a four to five-paragraph essay of 300-350 words in 30 minutes

The following free sample TOEFL essays illustrate how to get a high score on the independent writing section of the iBT. By reading through the essays, you can learn how to:

• develop any topic into a well-organized, logical answer
• use synonyms to paraphrase the question
• use a variety of sentence structures & grammatical forms
• begin with a simple, strong introduction
• create body paragraphs that flow logically
• develop unity by linking the body paragraphs
• end with a memorable conclusion

Try to write an essay each day. The added practice will enable you to complete a strong essay, with ease, confidence, and speed, on the day of your TOEFL exam and throughout your life.

• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #1 "Doing Unenjoyable Things"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #2 "Money & Success"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #3 "Studying Abroad"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #4 "Family or Friends More Important?"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #5 "Virtual or Real University"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #6 "Children & Formal Education"
• Free Sample TOEFL Essay #7 "Household Tasks for Children"

1. TOEFL BASICS

Toefl overview.

• TOEFL Exam Details
• Registration
• Administration

TOEFL iBT Format

2. toefl skills, primary skills.

• Reading Skills
• Listening Skills
• Speaking Skills
• Speaking Tips
• Free TOEFL Speaking Samples
• Writing Skills
• TOEFL Writing Topics

Secondary Skills

• Pronunciation

Support Skills

• Summarizing
• Paraphrasing
• Mind Mapping
• Synthesizing

3. TOEFL RESOURCES

Toefl books, in-class training.

• TOEFL Prep Centres
• ESL Schools

Online Training

Studying toefl abroad, 4. attitude, test anxiety.

• Types of Anxiety
• Causes of Anxiety
• Symptoms of Anxiety
• Reducing Anxiety

5. TOEFL Videos

6. toefl blog.

9 Engaging TOEFL Writing Samples to Hone Your Skills

Struggling to weave words that score high on the TOEFL writing section? You’re not alone.

This concise guide laces your preparation with TOEFL writing samples —your key to unlocking eloquence and precision in your test responses.

Excel in crafting essays that resonate with evaluators, using these exemplary models.

1. Capturing the TOEFL Integrated Writing Essence

2. excelling at independent toefl essay writing, 3. where to uncover more toefl writing examples, 4. analyzing toefl writing samples: a review strategy, 5. templates: simplifying the toefl writing process, 6. tips and tricks from toefl writing veterans, 7. mastering toefl integrated writing topics, 8. tackling the toefl independent writing challenges, 9. practicing your writing skills with sample prompts, toefl writing guidelines and evaluation criteria, leveraging writing samples beyond the toefl, conclusion: fine-tuning your toefl writing mastery.

When approaching the intriguing challenge of the TOEFL Integrated Writing task, the essence lies in harmonizing diverse sources of information into one cogent piece. Here’s a closer look at a top-scoring TOEFL writing sample:

• Synchronization of Ideas: The sample excels at integrating concepts from the reading and listening passages. It doesn’t just summarize the points but rather compares, contrasts, and connects them thoughtfully.
• Language Precision: Linguistic accuracy is pivotal. Notice how the writing uses complex sentence structures without compromising clarity.
• Cohesion and Coherence: Seamless transitions maintain the argument’s flow. The use of conjunctions and transitional phrases like “ however ” is artful, ensuring that each paragraph smoothly leads to the next.

By examining this top-scoring example , you can better understand how to create a composite narrative that stands up to stringent assessment.

Shifting gears to the Independent Writing task, this is your chance to shine – your argument, your structure, your voice. A high-scoring independent writing sample charts a path for success:

• Strong Introduction: It opens with a clear thesis statement that sets a compelling direction.
• Logical Development: Each paragraph presents a distinct but connected idea, reinforcing the central argument.
• Rich Examples: Concrete examples ensure your arguments resound with credibility and weight.
• Stylistic Fluency: The sample radiates linguistic finesse, sporting a range of vocabulary without appearing forced.

An effective strategy is to dissect writing samples that have aced the test. Analyze their structure and the techniques they employ in articulating persuasively held viewpoints.

Variety is the spice of language learning, and you’ll find a plethora of TOEFL writing samples online. Sources that could enrich your preparation include:

• Official Test Prep: A treasure trove of authentic material can be found on official TOEFL prep sites, ensuring you’re practicing with examples that accurately reflect the exam standards.
• Educational Platforms: Websites specializing in standardized test preparation often publish high-quality, evaluated samples accompanied by insightful analysis.

Embark on a quest to uncover more writing examples to help you master the art of writing essays that resonate with the TOEFL’s evaluation criteria.

Harness the power of reflection to elevate your writing. As you review TOEFL writing samples, employ strategies that seasoned language educators recommend:

• Organization Scrutiny: Examine how sample essays are structured, and identify the scaffolding of strong introductions, supporting paragraphs, and conclusive endings.
• Contrast and Compare: Zero in on the usage of contrast words, like “ however ,” which signify the writer’s ability to weave nuanced discussions.
• Grammar and Syntax: Pay particular attention to grammatical precision. Sample essays often illustrate complex entities like compound sentences that lead to higher language proficiency without sacrificing accuracy.

Delving into the intricacies of samples will arm you with the know-how to replicate success elements in your own writing endeavors.

Templates: they’re like blueprints for your TOEFL essays, providing a clear outline to follow for both integrated and independent tasks. Consider utilizing templates to:

• Structure your response: Following a template ensures all necessary components are present, making your essay complete and coherent.
• Streamline your writing: With a blueprint at hand, your focus can remain on expressing your ideas rather than worrying about the essay’s format.
• Gain confidence: Having a go-to structure can bolster your writing confidence, knowing you have a tried-and-tested formula backing you up.

For practical templates that can simplify your writing process, you may find the suggestions on TOEFL Resources particularly helpful.

Every athlete has a coach, and every successful TOEFL candidate has a slew of tactics up their sleeve. Here are some insider tips:

• Effective Note-Taking: Learning the art of jotting down quick, useful notes from passages can be a game-changer for your integrated writing task.
• Transitional Phrasings: Using phrases that bridge thoughts and ideas gives your essay a polished, expert feel, much like threading beads on a string.
• Mindful Time Management: Watching the clock is essential. Allocate your writing and review time efficiently to ensure a finished, well-polished submission.

Gleaning advice from those who’ve achieved high scores will provide a wealth of actionable writing tips and strategies to enhance your own performance.

Crafting a stellar response for the TOEFL Integrated Writing task first begins with a keen understanding of the topics you may encounter. While the topics are wide-ranging and sourced from various academic subjects, the primary goal stays constant: to sieve through the given resources and create a unified, coherent critique.

Typical themes could range from business dynamics to environmental policies, all the way to nuances in artistic movements. Here’s how you can prepare for any curveball:

• Stay Informed: Regularly read up on general knowledge subjects. The more informed you are, the more angles you’ll find to approach the integrated writing task.
• Practice Synthesis: Learn to quickly identify key points from reading and listening sources and integrate them using comparative language.
• Develop Critical Thinking: Go beyond surface-level comprehension. Assess the reading and listening material critically to make compelling arguments.

Understand that TOEFL writing samples serve as archetypes—steep yourself in their strategies, yet always be prepared to apply your own intellect to unique topics.

Indeed, TOEFL Independent Writing offers its unique set of challenges. Your opinion is the helmsman, steering the essay’s direction amidst the turbulent tides of ideas and elaboration. What common pitfalls might you face, and how can you triumphantly bypass them? Consider the following:

• Overly Complex Language: Clarity trumps complexity. It’s tempting to use sophisticated language, but if it muddles the clarity of your argument, it’s counterproductive.
• Insufficient Support: An opinion isn’t enough; your statements must be substantiated with relevant examples and explanations.
• Wavering Off-Topic: Remain vigilant in ensuring your essay stays tightly aligned with the assigned topic, resisting the drift into irrelevant tangents.

Nurturing the knack to sidestep these pitfalls comes from immersing yourself in exemplary TOEFL writing that exemplify the balance between complexity and clarity, while anchoring firmly to the topic.

To hone your skills effectively, what could be better than diving headfirst into practice? Find solace in the plethora of TOEFL writing samples and prompts available:

• Brainstorm and Outline: Before free-writing, take a moment to brainstorm and create a structured outline for each prompt.
• Timed Writing Sessions: Simulate test conditions by timing yourself, which will also aid in managing exam anxiety.
• Peer Review: Swap essays with fellow TOEFL hopefuls or use online forums. Fresh eyes on your work can provide valuable feedback.

Equip yourself with a plethora of TOEFL Independent Writing topics to kickstart your focused writing practice sessions.

Grasping the TOEFL writing samples is one part of the journey—understanding how they are evaluated is another mile to tread. What exactly are evaluators looking for in your essay to deem it as high-scoring?

• Focused and Coherent Responses: Your writing should signify clear, purposeful leadership toward a central idea.
• Language Usage : Mastery of English language conventions is vital—the more control you have over your linguistic tools, the finer the craftsmanship of your essay.
• Development and Support : Adequate examples and clear reasoning solidify your arguments, indicating depth in your understanding and expression.

Plunge deeper into the specifics of what makes a TOEFL essay transcend average quality; study the official scoring rubrics thoroughly to see through the lens of an evaluator.

The mastery achieved through dissecting TOEFL writing samples can transcend test day; you’re essentially honing a lifelong skill set. The clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness you labor over for your TOEFL essay are not merely for exam halls:

• Academic Endeavors: Essays, research papers, and dissertations will demand the same structured thought and command over language.
• Professional Aspirations: In the workplace, you’ll find that the ability to clearly articulate information is invaluable, from emails to reports to presentations.

Embrace the practice with TOEFL writing samples as a foundational exercise that fortifies your general English writing proficiency , carving a path of eloquence in both academic and professional landscapes.

Refining your TOEFL writing skills is an ongoing process—a harmonious blend of studying exemplary TOEFL writing samples and diligently practicing what you acquire from each analysis. Imprint upon your mind the ethos that each writing task is not only a testament to your English language abilities but also a stepping stone to greater academic and professional writing prowess.

Revisit the templates, prod the prompts, scrutinize the samples and, most importantly, acquaint yourself with the intricate tapestry of evaluation criteria. With each paragraph you compose, remember that you are knitting together strands of skills that will extend far beyond the TOEFL exam.

Finesse in TOEFL writing is a quiet herald of victories to come, both on your score reports and in the many chapters of your educational and career ambitions that lie ahead.

Toefl writing samples explored: Enhance your test preparation with our collection of model essays and effective writing strategies.

TOEFL Writing Task 1: The TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

The TOEFL Integrated Writing Task requires you to read a passage that is about 250-300 words long. You then must listen to a lecture that is 2 to 2.5 minutes long. The lecture will challenge or disagree with the ideas in the reading passage for TOEFL Writing Task 1.

Because this task is so test-specific, it’s difficult to find authentic practice with TOEFL Integrated Writing topics, outside of official TOEFL prep materials that take questions from the real test. But you can find reading passages and audio for TOEFL Integrated Writing in the official TOEFL Writing practice sets . Additional free prep for this task can be found in TOEFL Quick Prep (the tasks all come with reading passages, but some of them have transcripts rather than audio).

You can also find practice for this TOEFL Writing task in the official TOEFL books from ETS . Last but not least, you can sharpen your TOEFL Writing skills by practicing a TOEFL Integrated Writing task from Magoosh, free of charge, right here in this post! Near the bottom of this page there is a TOEFL Writing Task 1 practice exercise with a sample answer.

Before we get to that mock test, though, let’s talk about a few basics of TOEFL Integrated Writing. Click the table of contents below to navigate these basics, and hop down to the practice exercise.

Table of Contents

• TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics: What to Expect
• Structuring Your TOEFL Integrated Writing Task
• Difficult Integrated Writing Tasks: What to Do
• Free TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task
• Model Answer for the Free TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task
• Additional Practice and Resources for TOEFL Writing Task 1

What should you expect from TOEFL Integrated Writing topics?

Since you’ll still be wearing headphones after the Speaking section, the Writing section begins with the integrated task, for which you’ll need to keep your headphones on.

So what do TOEFL Integrated Writing topics look like? Well, the materials you’ll be using to answer the question are a reading passage and a lecture excerpt. Both of these will be longer than the ones you encountered in the Integrated Speaking questions—the reading passage will give you three minutes to read, and it will go into more detail than the one in the Speaking section did.

Whereas other integrated reading samples have served mainly to define a key concept, the one in the Writing section will describe a process or defend a position. The lecture (actually, it will be a short part of a lecture) will then expand on this information by offering examples, explaining in greater detail, or, most likely, describing conflicting viewpoints on the topic introduced in the reading passage. The author will use reasons that respond directly to the ideas in the reading passage.

The question will follow one of several formulas. The question you answer will probably be almost identical to one of these:

• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage.
• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge specific claims/arguments made in the reading passage.
• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to specifically explain how they answer the problems raised in the reading passage.
• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to specifically explain how they support the explanations in the reading passage.
• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to specifically explain how they strengthen points made in the reading passage.
• Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to include specific reasons that they strengthen points made in the reading passage.

The first two are by far the most common; usually, you will hear a lecture that contrasts with the reading.

Altogether you will have 20 minutes to plan and write your TOEFL Integrated Writing essay. The essay will not be long—most responses are between 150 and 225 words—but there’s still no time to waste, and you’ll want to keep your writing skills sharp. Remember that your organization and content are just as important as your language use. Your essay needs to have a clear structure with separate points and specific examples that transition smoothly. Most of all, it’s very important to draw from both the reading passage and the listening passage. If you only reference the written passage, the very best score your essay can get is a 1. In many ways, the integrated essay is a summary of the lecture that you heard, but be sure to mention both sources.

You can take notes as you read and listen. With enough practice you will be able to identify the important points in the reading passage that will most likely be discussed in the lecture, and your notes should reflect that. Then, when you listen, it will be easy to take notes that relate to the ones that are already on your paper. Make as many connections between the two as possible while listening. If you have trouble with this, it’s okay—you can take a minute to connect information before you start writing, after the lecture is finished.

Typical TOEFL Writing Task 1 topics will be scholarly, the kinds of things that you’d read about or hear lectures about in an academic setting. Typical topics include things such as the spending habits of American consumers, lectures on history or classic literature, scientific debates, and so on. Topics will seldom be contemporary. For example, you are unlikely to see TOEFL Integrated Writing topics that focus on social media, cell phone use, contemporary popular culture, etc. These more modern topics are far more common in the TOEFL Independent Writing task that follows this one.

As you can see, success in TOEFL Integrated Writing is not just a matter of writing, but also comes down to reading and listening. For additional tips on these two skills in TOEFL Writing Task 1, read the following blog posts:

• Good Reading Practice for TOEFL Integrated Writing
• Listening Practice for TOEFL Writing Task 1

How should you structure your TOEFL Integrated Writing task?

Even though the 20 minutes you have to write the integrated essay will fly by, it’s still worth taking a minute or two to write an outline of your own prior to beginning your response (the test proctor will provide as much scratch paper as you need). Even jotting just a few lines that connect parts of your notes and circling the main examples you want to cover will give you the guidance you need to stay on task when writing your response.

Below I’ve written an outline that demonstrates an effective structure to use on the exam when responding to TOEFL Integrated Writing topics. I highly recommend that you practice writing with this outline as your guide, at least at first. Once you’ve gotten some feedback and have some good practice under your belt, you can deviate from it. At first, though, it’s good to know the rules before you break them, and to have a structure you can rely on when test day comes.

Note that this outline template involves a lot of paraphrasing. Before you get started on making a practice outline of your own, be sure to check out Magoosh’s tutorial on paraphrasing in TOEFL Integrated writing .

A. General statement about the relationship between the resources you heard and read.

B. Short description of the structure of the lecture

A. Paragraph on first point

1. Paraphrase the professor’s point

2. Contrast/compare with the reading

3. Give extra detail and additional specific examples on the professor’s point (optional)

B. Paragraph on second point

C. Paragraph on third point

III. Conclusion

Note that you don’t have a conventional essay structure here. There is no thesis statement, and the difference between a body paragraph and introductory paragraph is less pronounced. When responding to TOEFL Integrated Writing topics, you also don’t have a concluding paragraph per se. If you’re having trouble picturing exactly what this looks like, you can see an example task and model answer at the bottom of this post. You can also see some sample essays for this task in the official TOEFL Writing practice set PDF from ETS . (And this PDF contains TOEFL Writing samples for task 1 as well!)

Above all, remember that the key to a good essay here is simply to take good notes on what you read and hear, and translate those notes into a full essay. For more info on the best ways to do that, see my post on note-taking and organizing your answer in TOEFL Integrated writing . Those tips can help you even when you encounter a particularly challenging Independent Writing task. And for more advice to help you through harder prompts, see the section immediately below.

Dealing with an Extra Hard TOEFL Writing Task

In all of the years that I’ve been tutoring the TOEFL, the part of the test that seems to inspire the most extreme reactions in students is the TOEFL Integrated Writing task. Students either happily breeze right through it or get very stressed out. Why? Because the difficulty levels on this task can vary so much! This, combined with the general complexity of the task, makes TOEFL Integrated Writing challenging for the average TOEFL test taker.

Ultimately, the TOEFL Integrated Writing task may be the hardest part of the TOEFL. This task requires not only keen English language skills, but also good analytical abilities. You need to bring together different, opposing ideas from the lecture and passage. This is a complicated job. And to make things even harder, the task comes almost at the very end of the test, when most test-takers are exhausted.

Some TOEFL Integrated Writing topics are harder than others. And if you get a hard Integrated Writing Task, you could be in danger of “blowing” your whole TOEFL IBT Writing section—doing badly on both tasks! An unusually difficult Integrated Writing task can leave you so tired and frustrated that you aren’t able to focus on the easier second TOEFL Writing Task.

So if you come across a harder-than-usual Integrated Writing Task on test day, make sure you handle it carefully. With the right strategies, a really tough TOEFL Writing Task 1 doesn’t need to hurt your TOEFL score at all.

Early detection of hard TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

The worst thing you can do is not notice how hard an Integrated Writing Task is. If you mistakenly think an Integrated Writing task is relatively easy, you won’t plan for it correctly.

So try to immediately notice how complicated a task is. You should be able to tell just by looking at the reading passage, since the passage is the basis for the lecture. If the passage seems unusually complex, make note of this and proceed carefully. Don’t miss anything important, and don’t lose track of time. It’s really easy to leave out key facts or run down the clock in TOEFL Integrated Writing.

When you come across a potentially hard Integrated Writing Passage, start trying to mentally paraphrase the passage right away. Figure out whether you are able to paraphrase the passage effectively. Paraphrases should be shorter than their source, and should change the original wording significantly. If you are having a lot of trouble doing this, the passage may be too difficult for you to paraphrase.

Strategies once you’ve found a hard TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

If the ideas in the passage are really hard to paraphrase and shorten, don’t panic. For these more difficult Integrated Writing passages, there’s a simple solution: put less of the passage information into your essay. If necessary, put nothing directly from the passage into your essay.

This advice may sound strange. After all, the official TOEFL Writing Rubrics , which are used for scoring on the real test, say it’s important to include all the big ideas from the passage and the reading. But for a harder Integrated Writing Task, it really does pay to adjust your approach in this way.

Think about it. If the passage is really complex, then the lecture that follows will also be complex. And if the passage and the lecture are both very complicated, it can become almost impossible to correctly summarize them both. You won’t have enough time, and it’ll be too hard to focus on absolutely everything in the prompt. The lecture will need to be the main focus, since the task itself asks you to focus on the way that the lecture challenges the passage.

The lecture will of course contain ideas from the passage, since the lecturer is challenging the key points from the reading. So paying attention to what the lecturer says will allow you to indirectly use parts of the passage. And with this approach, you run less of a risk writing an unfocused or incomplete essay.

How this strategy can affect your score

Also remember how the TOEFL scoring system works . If you get a task that is harder-than-average, the TOEFL will adjust your task score upwards at least a little. Relying only on lecture content might hurt your score a bit. But you have a good chance of recovering those lost points when ETS adjusts your score. On the other hand, if you try to take on all of the complicated content in the task and fail, your score could really suffer, even with ETS’s score adjustments for difficulty. Ultimately, getting a high score on TOEFL Integrated Writing is a matter of balancing your priorities and focus, regardless of the difficulty level of a given individual task.

A Free TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

I have written and recorded a task for you that closely follows the real TOEFL Integrated Writing Task in length, content, and format. Read the passage, listen to my lecture and follow the instructions for an (almost) authentic TOEFL writing practice experience. To prepare, you may want to read some of Magoosh’s advice on this task. The official TOEFL Integrated Writing Rubric (page 2 of the linked document) may also be useful. And at the bottom of this post, you’ll be able to view a sample response to this task.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task Practice

Directions: Give yourself 3 minutes to read the passage.

The “comics medium” includes newspaper comic strips such as Dennis the Menace and comic books such as Spider-Man. Scholars around the world agree that comics are a uniquely American art form.

The first commercially successful comic strip was Hogan’s Alley , a comic strip from the 1890s. Hogan’s Alley featured the Yellow Kid, the world’s first popular cartoon character. This strip and its character marked the beginning of comics and was American in every respect. Set in a low-income neighborhood in New York City, Hogan’s Alley dealt with the lives of ordinary Americans. It was written and drawn by American cartoonist R.F. Outcault. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, two famous and influential American publishers, printed the comic strip in their newspapers.

The first popular comic book in the world was also American. Action Comics , a series that is still in print today, was initially released in 1938. It featured Superman, the world’s first superhero. Like Hogan’s Alley , Superman was American-created.

Americans invented comic strips, and Americans have exported their unique art form to the rest of the world. Japanese comics, called manga , were inspired by the comics that Americans brought to Japan after World War II. Popular European comics series such as Smurfs and Asterix are influenced by Disney comic books. Today, American-created Disney comic characters are more popular in Europe than ever.

The comics medium started in America. While it has spread around the world, even comics that aren’t created by Americans have an undeniable American influence. This is why so many art and literature scholars recognize the comic strip as a truly American art form.

Directions: Summarize the main points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage. You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage.

Listen to the lecture here:

  Once you’ve completed the practice task, you can assess the quality of your answer by comparing it to this sample answer . Good luck!

Ready for a Full Writing Test?

If you’re ready to try the independent and integrated tasks together under test-like conditions, check out our full-length video Writing Test!

And if you want more writing practice, download the FREE TOEFL Practice Test PDF .

Plus, Magoosh TOEFL online prep has six practice tests with sample answers, video explanations, strategies and tips for the every TOEFL speaking question!

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Model Answer

I have written a level 5 answer, which you can read below. This answer is followed by some commentary on why this response would earn the full five points.

Model level 5 TOEFL Integrated Writing answer

In the passage, the author argues that comics are an art form that is very unique to the United States, but has been borrowed by other countries. The speaker corrects many things the author wrote about comics being an American art form. Although the writing says all scholars agree that comics are uniquely American, the lecturer says that in modern times, very few scholars agree with that.

The speaker then points out that, contrary to the writing, the first popular comic strips were not American. According to the speaker, 100 years before the first American comic strip, there were popular comic strips in Europe. The lecture also states that Hogan’s Alley , the 1890s comic strip described as American in the article, is not completely American because the comic characters were not Americans. Moreover, the publisher and creator of the comic were immigrants from other countries.

Additionally, the speaker disagrees with the article’s claim that American comic book Superman was the first popular comic book. Instead, the lecturer says the Belgian comic book Tintin was popular before Superman. Also, the author points out that Superman’s creator is Canadian, not American as the article says.

Finally, the speaker disagrees that American cartoon art influenced international comics, as claimed in the writing. He says that popular European comics have a uniquely European style. He also argues that Japanese comics are influenced more by traditional Asian art. Finally, the speaker notes that even American Disney comics characters are drawn by European artists.

Per the official TOEFL Integrated Writing rubric , this answer would get a score of 5. It outlines all the main points from the lecture. It explains how each main point contradicts or challenges the main ideas from the reading. It is organized well, with good transition words for each paragraph. It has no major errors, using correct grammar and vocabulary . Look at this model answer and the rubric linked above as you write your own answer to the sample task . If you need some extra help, you can find a writing template for your own response here .

I also have some resources specific to this essay prompt. For a guide on how to paraphrase as you respond to this specific prompt, see my article “ How to Paraphrase in TOEFL Integrated Writing .” And for advice on how to reise your TOEFL writing, using this model Integrated task as a specific example, see “ How to Revise TOEFL Writing .” All of this advice is applicable to other TOEFL Integrated Writing essays as well! (And it can also be applied to Task 2!)

Follow-up TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice

For more TOEFL Integrated Writing tasks from Magoosh, check our the additional free TOEFL Integrated writing practice task found in Magoosh’s complete guide to TOEFL Writing samples . You may also want to consider signing up for Magoosh TOEFL (you can try a free trial of Magoosh TOEFL prep without entering any payment info, and then “go premium” if you like what you see).

You can also go to “the source”—official TOEFL Integrated Writing practice from ETS. This free TOEFL Integrated Writing task , which focuses on the ecological practices of American companies (a typical Integrated Writing topic) is a good place to start if you’re looking for some quick official practice that you don’t have to pay for. Unfortunately, this readily accessible official practice task is flawed: it has a transcript of a lecture, rather than lecture audio. The only free official TOEFL Integrated Writing task with an actual sound clip for the lecture is the one in the official online TOEFL mock test .

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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45 responses to “TOEFL Writing Task 1: The TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task”

u shud have atleast given a sample answer for us to compare our answers to.

Really that you are complaining? This is a great exercises. Just be grateful!

They have given it under the audio. Can’t you see that?

Hello Rabia,

That’s a good point and an excellent request. To meet your request, I’ll write up an example answer ASAP and make a blog post about it. My post will include an explanation of my writing approach, and reference to the TOEFL Integrated writing rubric. As soon as my example is up and posted, I’ll link it to the comments here.

Have a great day, David

Still waiting for the example answer.

You can find the sample answer here: https://magoosh.com/toefl/2015/toefl-integrated-writing-practice-task-model-answer/ 🙂

thanks for share.it helps me.

Thank you so much, I found a PDF file that was so useful.

You’re welcome! 😀

This is a very helpful integrated writing practice, especially with the sample answer. However, I can’t seem to figure out what question the essay should answer. The directions just say to write a response, but they don’t give any direction as to what is expected in this response. Is this typical of TOEFL integrated writing questions?

Hi K.C. The essay question is in this post, but I think I know why you can’t see it— I’ve just realized it’s kind of oddly placed. Or rather, the lecture track is oddly placed in this post. The lecture audio link appears right below the directions and right above the question, so that the question itself is easy to miss. But look carefully below the audio and you’ll see:

“Summarize the main points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage.”

This specific task is typical of the TOEFL, but the confusing screen layout is not. The layout was likely my mistake when I wrote and uploaded this. I’ll check with my editor about fixing that. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

Hmm…And now I do not see an audio link. Thank you for making the task more visible, though.

Hmm, indeed. I seemed to be having some issue with the external link. I just hosted the file locally, and the sound file should be playable now.

hello sir/Mam I have a question regarding the integrated writing task….will the passage reappear even after the listening part?

Yes, the passage reappears on the screen after you listen to the audio track, and the passage remains available the whole time that you write your response.

Hello Can you please introduce a good source for practicing integrated writing task.

Sadly, there aren’t a lot of good materials out there for TOEFL Integrated Writing tasks, compared to Independent Writing. This is because it’s a lot harder to create an Integrated Writing Task— it requires writing a complete passage and recording a lecture. Still, you get one Integrated Writing Practice task in each and every exam in ETS’s official TOEFL books and materials. And Magoosh TOEFL subscribers get access to quite a few of these practice tasks too.

I’m also happy to tell you that I’ll be putting up a few more Integrated Writing Practice tasks in the next few weeks! Watch this space, Mazdak. 🙂

how to download the given audio? I need to download and copy it in the pen drive so as i can practice when internet connection is not available.

There’s a version of this track on Soundcloud that’s available for download. You can find the link to the track here: https://soundcloud.com/david-recine-1/comics . You’ll need to create a SoundCloud account if you don’t already have one. ( Registering for SoundCloud is fast, easy and free.)

i m not good listening practice and also i have problem in matching and choosing the correct point to reading passage how can i improve score

OK, if I understand correctly, you’re having trouble with the questions that come at the very end of a reading passage question set? The text insertion and prose summary ones? I recommend checking out our blog’s tutorials on those two question types. Here is our guide to TOEFL Reading prose summary strategy , and here’s our tutorial on TOEFL Reading text insertion . 🙂

The reading and the lecture are both about comic medium, which includes newspaper comic strips. The author of the reading believes that the comics are of unique American art form and that scholars all over the globe agree on this. The lecturer casts doubts on the claim made in the article. He thinks that when more study was done, scholars realized that the comic mediums were not uniquely American.

First of all, the author of the reading claims Hogan’s Alley to be the first commercially successful comic strip having first popular cartoon character. He believes that Hogan’s alley focused mainly on the lives of ordinary Americans and that the people involved in making it were all Americans. This point is challenged by the lecturer. He says that Hogan’s Alley was not the first successful comic strip with first famous cartoon character. He adds that during 1790’s many popular comic strips and popular comic character were from Europe, especially from Britain and Switzerland. He adds that the characters and publisher were not uniquely American but were immigrants as well. The publisher of Hogan’s Alley, Joseph Pulitzer was himself an immigrant from Hungary.

Secondly, the author states that the first popular action book comic was American which involved Superman – The first Superhero. He argues that the first popular action comic was American. The lecturer rebuts this argument. He suggests that 16 years before action comic was prevalent, Adventure of Tintin comic from Belgium was popular and it predates superman. He elaborates on this by mentioning that the artist of Superman was not from America but from Canada.

Finally, the author mentions that Americans devised and transferred the art form all around the world. He is of the opinion that Japanese comic strips were influenced by comic from America and that Americans created Disney character that was popular in Europe. The lecturer, on the other hand, feels that Japan and Europe were influenced by various other art forms. He says that Japan was highly influenced by the traditional Asian art and that the Disney characters popular in Europe were drawn in European style and art. He puts forth the idea that the comic strip is from all around the world and not only America.

Normally I don’t approve comments like this, since there isn’t time to review every sample essay that students try to post here. However, in this case, I’ve decided to approve this essay and give some feedback. Sanjay, I think this essay of yours can help other students who read the comments, for two reasons: First, it’s fairly well-written overall. Second, the mistakes you make are common ones. So let’s look at your strengths and weaknesses of this essay.

This essay is incredibly well organized! Sanjay, you did a great job of moving through both the lecture and the essay point-by-point. Also, the grammar and spelling is quite good— you do have a few mistakes in these errors, but the mistakes are so minimal, they’d have little or no impact on your TOEFL score.

WEAKNESSES Your biggest weakness is paraphrasing. Sometimes your wording was way too close to the original source material, so much so that your writing might be judged as plagiarism. This is especially noticeable in the second paragraph. (For more info, see my post on avoiding plagiarism on the TOEFL .) At other times, you misinterpreted information from the sources. For example, Superman was not the first successful action comic; “Action Comics” is the name of a publication, not a description of a kind of comic book.

Your transitions are a bit weak as well. Ideally, TOEFL scorers want to see transitions that are more descriptive— not just numerical words like “first” and “second.” For examples of more varied transitions, see the Magoosh TOEFL Writing Templates ebook, and check out Kate’s tutorial on TOEFL Writing transitions , and mine .

All in all, I’d put this essay in the 3.5-4 point range, per the official TOEFL Writing rubrics . Address those weak points, and you could get your score all the way up to a 5.

how many words should this part have?

The TOEFL doesn’t set any strict, official rules for word count in the TOEFL Integrated Writing Essay. However, ETS reports that most top-scoring Integrated Writing responses are between 150 and 225 words long.

Hey there David or Rachel….I don’t know with who am I talking with …:-) 🙂 But I wanted to ask you about the listening and reading sections. Do paragraphs appear while attending the question ?

Yes, you should be able to see the text (or a relevant portion of the text) when answering questions. 🙂

The passage claims the idea that the comic medium is popularly American, However professor refutes each of the claims by saying that comic medium is not popularly American it is influenced by the whole world.

The passage claims that Hogan Alley the most popular comic of 1890’s was the first successful comic and was developed by Americans, However professor refutes this claim by saying that Hogan Alley was not the first successful comic , In 1970 many comic strips were originated in Europe which were popular and successful.

The passage states that Action comic series which introduced superman as a character was the first popular comic series developed by Americans in 1938, However professor refutes the claim by saying that in 1922 Tin-Tin published in Belgium was the most popular comic ever.

The passage posits that The Japanese comics which are popular throughout Europe are influenced by American art and literature, however professor refutes the claim of the passage by stating that Asterics the most popular Japanese comic was influenced by Canada not from US.

Thus the professor refutes the reading by illustrating some facts and states that the Comic medium is influenced by al over the world it is not popularly American.

Can you please rate this answer

Hi Aakash! Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t offer a TOEFL essay review service. However, to help you evaluate your response, I recommend the following. First, check out David’s sample essay here . You can compare your structure and the points you make with what David wrote in his essay 🙂 Also, I highly recommend that you check out this page , where we provide some guidelines on how to evaluate your own essays. I hope this helps, at least a little!

One question regarding scoring: although the TOEFL OG recommends essays of 150-225 words for the Integrated Essay, do you think that length correlates with score?

My point is all things being equal (coherency, grammar, vocabulary), would a longer essay tend to score higher than an average one?

In other words, do you think it is worth it to push it to the 250+ words in order to try to get a higher score?

Thank you so much!

Hi Sebastian,

Once again, my statements regarding your identical question for the independent essay apply. In addition, on the integrated essay, including too much (say writing 350 words and covering 6 main points) can demonstrate a lack of concision and an inability to distill the most important points from many. As this test is aimed at demonstrating your ability to handle academic-style writing, you want to showcase this in addition to grammar, argumentation and organization.

I hope that helps! 🙂

Great! I will follow your piece of advice! Apologies for repeating the question. I jut thought that since they were two different tasks, they could yield two different tactics and maybe scoring system. I just wanted to post each question in the appropriate post.

Have a great week and thank you as usual!

No worries, Sebastian! I’m sure these comments will be useful for future students 🙂

Best of luck as you continue studying!

Call me petty, but I would just appreciate Americans like you being totally accurate with facts that you feel you can confidently, expertly provide as subject matter for something that should feel as authoritative as a “lecture”. Joe Shuster was Canadian half by birth and grew up in Canada right into his teens. This time also included his first exploits as a writer for a publication. So it would be nice not to see folks like you casually whitewashing Superman as a wholly American creation. If I tried to claim conversely that Superman was actually just a Canadian creation in basically the exact same way, I’m sure there’d be no end to the uproar. We also helped to give the world the phone and basketball, just in case you planned on overAmericanizing those facts in other tasks too…

Jeffrey, I definitely hear you on that, and I tried to touch on that in the lecture. FYI, although I wrote both the passage and the lecture script, the lecture– which refutes the idea that comics are a purely American art form– reflects my own personal opinions a bit more. On an additional personal note, many of my favorite comic books– and many comics I feel have had some of the greatest influence on the medium worldwide– are made by creators from Canada and other places not in the USA. 🙂

This example has made my day, I’ve spent all evening trying to understand the difference between the lecture and the reading and it has made it more clear than all materials i consulted . Thank you so much, Very helpful.

So glad this tutorial and sample lecture helped, Denis. I had fun putting it all together too. 🙂

Thank you so much Mr. Recine! This example was spot-on! 🙂

Thanks for this sample test. Where can i get more task 1 practice test for my students?

TOEFL Writing Task 1 practice can be a little hard to come by, since it takes a lot of time to put together a proper Writing Task 1 (a passage and a recorded audio lecture). For fast, free TOEFL Writing Task 1 prompts, I recommend TOEFL Quick Prep . The first volume of TOEFL Quick Prep has a Writing Task 1s that come with transcript only, and no actual audio. Fortunately, Magoosh has made unofficial audio for all of the transcript-only lectures in both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Quick Prep. (See our unofficial audio for TOEFL Quick Prep Vol. 1 and TOEFL Quick Prep Vol. 2 .) You can also get access to some additional free Task 1s if you enroll in ETS’s free official online TOEFL course .

Beyond those resources, there are some good paid resources out there, such as ETS’s official TOEFL books: Official TOEFL iBT Tests Vol. 1 , Official TOEFL iBT Tests Vol. 2 , and The Official Guide to the TOEFL . TOEFL Preparation Online (TPO) is another potential source of high quality official ETS Writing Task 1 practice, although it’s a bit expensive.

Last but certainly not least, consider a subscription to Magoosh TOEFL , if you haven’t already. 🙂 We offer six practice TOEFL Writing Task 1s to our Premium students, as well as many other practice questions and video lessons for the test as a whole.

The lecture challenges the points made in reading passage that comics strips and comics books are original art form from America, they started in America and comics created around the world are influenced by American comics.The lecture disputes the following claims made in the passage. First claim made in the passage is that the first famous comics strip was Hogan Alley and was published in 1890, however the lecture claims that it was not the first and further gives example for a comics published in 1790 in Europe. The characters in the Hogan Alley were immigrants and cartoonist RF Outcalt himself was an immigrant which means that the origin of the comics comes from another country. Second claim in the passage is that the first adventure comics published was in 1938 and was about Superman, lecture refutes the argument by giving example of comic book “Adventures of Tin Tin” which as Belgium origin and it predates Superman. Third claim made in the reading passage is that Japanese comics manga was influence by American, but the lecture contradicts it by claiming that it was influenced traditional Asian comics The last claim made in the passage is that European comics is also influenced by American comics, the lecture clarifies that by the example that even though the disney characters are famous in Europe but these characters are written as European disney characters by the Europeans. In conclusion, the lecture says that comics art were not first originated in America but they did exist in the world much before the comics became famous in America and that the comics around the globe is not influenced by American comics.

The passage and the lecture are both about the originality of comics. The author of the text states that all comics have been influenced by early American art forms. The lecturer, however, strongly disagrees with this idea. To begin, the text points out that the Japanese version of comics, called ‘manga’ were derived from the American comics. They had been taken to Japan after World War two. The lecturer contradicts this claim. He says that the manga relates more to Asian arts than American . Secondly, the author details how Disney inspired the many famous European comic series. He gives examples of Smurfs and Asterix, and how they are very popular. To this, the lecturer differs explaining how the writings, like hash-tag are European styled. Finally, detailing the studies made by scholars on America’s role in early comic industry, the author stamps comics as America’s undeniable creations. Despite this, the professor shuts down these data as rubbish. He explores the history of comics, and how there were many European comics before the start of American ones. In addition, he says that many original American comics were created by immigrants.

Both the reading and the lecture discuss the real origin of comic books and their history. The auther of the reading suggests that comics originally are an amercican art. However the proffesor explains that comics medea is an art actually shared by the whole world. First of all, according to the reading hongn’s aley is the fist popular strip figure disigned by an american. But the lecture opposes to this statement and explains that in fact alley was not the firt influencial strip caracter know world wild but actually lots of caracters made by imigrants from switserland had been there befoor him Secondly, the reading states that popular action comics books were invented by americans. Though the lecture points out that exion comics such as tintin, written in 1922 predated befoor the outcomming of for example spiderman. Finally, the author suggests that american comic strips as for example disney inspiered the creation of mangas on the other side of the world. Oposing to this, the speaker explains that disney had american caracters but the comics are actually made by europeens and traditional asian art developd on its own

Hi, would like to have some feedback. Here’s my response: The reading and the lecture are about comics. The reading as well as the lecture have specific mentions and opposing views about the origin and spread in popularity of comics The writer of the passage puts forth the point that comics are a purely American art form. In contrast, the lecture provides proofs against this idea. Firstly, the passage mentions the first commercially successful comic strip Hogan’s Alley. According to the passage, it dealt with ordinary Americans, was set in New York and published by American publishers. However, the lecture mentions that it was not the first commercially popular comic strip and that its publisher was an immigrant from Hungary. Second, the passage refers to “Action comics”, which featured Superman, as the first popular comic book in the world. The lecture refutes this point by saying that “Action comics” was not the first popular comic book. Tintin was published in Belgium 16 years before it and it is still popular. Also, even the artist of Superman was from Canada. Lastly, the passage mentions that comics were invented in America and then exported to the rest of the world. But the lecture opposes this idea by saying that traditional Asian art has more influence on comics than any other art has. Moreover, though the Disney characters were written in America, they were written and drawn by European creators. Thus, they were not truly American. This is how the lecture refutes the key points in the passage.

Hi Rk! Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t offer a TOEFL essay review service. However, to help you evaluate your response, I recommend the following. First, check out David’s sample essay here . You can compare your structure and the points you make with what David wrote in his essay 🙂 Also, I highly recommend that you check out this page , where we provide some guidelines on how to evaluate your own essays. I hope this helps, at least a little!

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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: 

• 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. 

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 writing task 2 – the essay.

The second question in the TOEFL writing section is an essay. You have 30 minutes to write a persuasive essay with a minimum of 300 words .

You are given a statement and must agree or disagree. Here is an example question:

• “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above?  Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

The essay should have a clear format:

Introduction

• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3

The Writing Process

The 3 steps in the writing process are Planning , Writing , and Editing . You need to dedicate time to each. For the TOEFL essay, you have 30 minutes. Break your time down as follows:

Don’t skip any steps because you are worried about the time limit. A good plan makes it easier to write, and good editing makes your essay stronger.

Dedicate time to plan your essay. The process is 3 steps:

First, decide on your opinion about the question. Next, form this opinion into a sentence called the thesis . Do not wait to decide. It should take you less than 20 seconds to choose an opinion. Pick the side you can support most easily. Write this into a thesis statement using words from the question.

Here is an example:

• Question: Should countries provide aid to other nations, or focus only on helping their own people?
• Thesis: Countries should not send aid to foreign countries.

Thesis Strategies

• Make your thesis directly related to the question.

Use the words from the question in your thesis statement. For example:

• Question: Does technology make life easier or more challenging?
• Thesis: Technology makes life easier.
• Make your thesis arguable and specific.

You must be able to argue either side of the thesis statement. People need to be able to agree or disagree with your thesis. The thesis cannot be a fact, quotation, or question.

A good thesis sentence should be specific, not vague or broad. Be careful using vague adjectives like “good”, as in this example:

• Studying in the morning is good.

How is it good? Using vague adjectives leaves you with a weak thesis. A good thesis is specific and direct. For example:

• Studying in the morning is more effective than studying at night.

Next, brainstorm as many possible supporting ideas as possible. The purpose of brainstorming is to think of as many ideas as possible. Don’t worry about if an idea is good or bad. Just right it down. Later, you will decide which ideas are good and which ideas are bad. You should be able to think of 5-10 ideas.

When brainstorming, ask yourself two questions:

• Who is involved?
• What is involved?

After creating a thesis and brainstorming, organize your ideas into 3 main arguments that support your thesis. This is your outline .

When grouping ideas, take your brainstorm and make 3 groups.  These are your 3 body paragraphs. Each paragraph should have 2 points. Here is a chart to help you organize your ideas:

Sample Outline

Here is a sample outline for the previous thesis:

• Students should live in apartments on their own rather than in dormitories.

With this outline, you are ready to write the essay. Next, take your ideas and insert them into the essay format listed in the next section.

Once you are finished your outline, you are ready to create your 5-paragraph essay. The 5 paragraphs are as follows:

The introduction establishes the purpose of the essay. It shows the reader what will follow. Here are the steps of the introductory paragraph:

• Introduce the topic without giving an opinion.

Use the ideas in the question to help you introduce the topic. Do not include your opinion in the first sentence.

• List both sides of the argument.

Restate the two sides of the argument. You can find these in the question.

• Write your thesis with the 3 points.

Use the question to form the thesis.  Include your three points using parallel grammatical structure.

Here is an example of an introduction.

Is it better to learn with a teacher or learn alone?

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs explain your 3 arguments. In each paragraph you should have two or three main points. Within these points, make sure you use examples to support your arguments. Body paragraphs are structured as follows:

• Topic Sentence
• Supporting Point A
• Supporting Point B
• Concluding Sentence

Topic Sentences

The topic sentence is the first sentence in the paragraph. It shows what the paragraph is about. Your topic sentences should follow these guidelines:

• It must be a complete sentence.
• It is not in the first person (I think, In my opinion, etc.).
• It is an opinion not a fact.
• It is not a question.

For each supporting point , use the following format:

• Introduce the idea.

Use a simple sentence to introduce the main point or idea.

• Rent is cheaper in an apartment than in a dormitory.
• Explain the idea.

Describe how your idea is true.

• Often rent in an apartment is $200 cheaper than in a This is because a dormitory is close to

school, so it costs more.

• Provide an example.

Use an example to illustrate your point and make it more convincing. Use these phrases to introduce examples:

• For example,
• For instance,
• As an example,
• For example, at the University of Toronto, the dormitory rooms costs about $800 per month, which is much more expensive than a room in an apartment.
• Explain the significance.

This is where you show how your point proves your topic sentence and thesis. This step is the most commonly missed step in writing. Don’t forget it!

• The difference in rent prices shows how an apartment is better than a dormitory.
• Use a transitional phrase to move to point B.
• Another reason
• Another benefit
• Another cause

The sample point below is from a paragraph arguing why the Internet is the best invention.

Here is the full outline of a paragraph. On the left, you can see the features of the paragraph. The sample sentences are on the right.  The thesis of this essay is as follows:

• “High school students should have part-time jobs.”

The conclusion summarizes your argument. You should never introduce new ideas in the conclusion. The conclusion format is the reverse of the introduction. Here is the structure:

• Restate the thesis.

Use similar words, but do not make it exactly the same.

• Restate the arguments.

Use one sentence for each body paragraph.

• Conclude the topic by looking to the future.

This is the final sentence. Do not add anything new.

Here is a sample conclusion from the thesis that university students should live in apartments instead of dormitories.

Sample Essay

Cars are now a very popular method of transportation around the world.  They have benefitted society and allowed the world to grow. They have also created pollution and societal problems. Alternative forms of transportation should be developed and laws created to control car use.

Cars should be limited because they are bad for the environment. Cars release carbon dioxide into the air and contribute to global warming and air pollution. For example, large cities like Mexico City or Los Angeles have issues with air quality due to the large volumes of traffic. Another negative impact cars have on the environment is the land used to support the traffic.  Natural or green areas are destroyed to create infrastructure like parking lots and highways. Polluting the air and taking up precious natural areas are environmental reasons why car use should be limited.

Cars should be limited because they are dangerous for individuals and society. First, cars are dangerous for drivers and passengers.  A car accident is much deadlier and more common than a public transportation accident. Another dangerous aspect of cars is the impact on society.  People who do not use cars are also in danger. For example, cars can crash with pedestrians or cyclists. Cars are dangerous for society, so they should be limited.

Cars should be reduced because they negatively impact owners. Cars are expensive. People who own cars need to pay gas, insurance, and maintenance fees. In addition, they pay parking and tolls. This makes cars very expensive for the owners. Moreover, cars contribute to unhealthy lifestyles. People seldom walk when they own a car. These financial and health issues for car owners are good reasons to limit car use.

In conclusion, car use should be limited because of the negative impact on the environment, safety, and the lives of car owners. Hopefully governments around the world will begin to recognize the problems cars create. This would lead to less car use and more public transportation use, in turn creating a better world.

More TOEFL Writing Lessons and Strategies

Are you ready for more tips to help you increase your TOEFL writing score? Try these lessons:

TOEFL Writing Overview

Toefl writing task 1, toefl writing task 2 (the essay), toefl writing strategies.

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TOEFL IBT > Practice Tests > TOEFL Writing Samples: Practice Essay Topic And Questions

TOEFL Writing Samples: Practice Essay Topic And Questions

Are you looking for an efficient TOEFL test preparation guide ? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will be addressing the following key points:

• Know what abilities are going to be assessed during the TOEFL Writing test;
• An overview on the topic and texts you can have to work on;
• Discover what GlobalExam has to offer if you want to train to ace your TOEFL test.

Ready to maximize your chances to successfully pass the TOEFL IBT exam ? Then keep reading!

What Are the Assessed Abilities in the TOEFL Writing Section

The writing part of the official TOEFL test will allow you to assess the level of your written English in an academic context as well as your ability to structure writing in a fluid and synthetic way. You will have to answer questions related to essays talking about various topics for the Integrated Writing Question part of the test. The second part of the test, the Independent Writing Questions, will ask you to give your opinion on a particular subject.

We will be addressing the writing section in this article, however if you wish to get access to more resources, be sure to take a look at our article on TOEFL practice tests and questions for all the sections .

TOEFL Writing Samples: Examples of Topics and Texts

We will be going over some exercises for both types of essays for the TOEFL Writing section. If you wish to train for the other sections, please refer to these articles :

• TOEFL Listening practice questions
• TOEFL Speaking practice questions
• TOEFL Reading practice tests

TOEFL Essay Sample 1 – Integrated Writing Question

You will find various sample essays for the TOEFL integrated writing task. If you wish to train more in-depth, make sure you take TOEFL mock tests regularly to practice for the exam in real conditions.

Sample Text 1: Stonehenge – Glacial Erratics

Several of the rocks which make up Stonehenge, one of England’s most famous historical sites, have been found to come from a nearby quarry in Salisbury, around 25 miles away from the site. These could have been transported by men using sleds or other rudimentary tools. Others, however, have been traced to another location in Wales, almost 200 miles away.

So, how did those rocks, called bluestones, make the long and arduous journey? It is unlikely that the prevailing theory is true; namely, that these bluestones were transported from one location to the other. The technology of the time would have made this back-breaking work, and it is unlikely that they would have gone to so much trouble, when they could simply have used rocks of a different type found closer to the site.

A new and exciting theory is called glacial erratics. This theory states that the rocks were, in fact, transported to the area far earlier by glacial movements during an icier interval in the Earth’s climate, and not instead by a phantom brigade of men.

Such erratics are widely known; we tend to think of the Earth’s climate as calm and tranquil, but on a historical basis, there have been several hundred thousand years where half of the planet was covered in glaciers. These tend to be slow but violent in nature; calmly and methodically carving their way through rock and earth.

Over many thousand years, it’s entirely possible that these glacial erratics transported the requisite materials to the site, thus solving the conundrum of how they came to be used in a field near Salisbury. It might also explain the unfinished-looking nature of Stonehenge itself; the interior part of it looks as though it’s missing a few pieces. Perhaps there were no more bluestones to use.

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

Sample Text 2:

Supply side economics is an economic theory which states that the best way to run an economy is by lowering taxes and cutting regulations, thereby removing barriers to business and stimulating growth by putting more money into the hands of both businesses and consumers.

While the theory has its detractors, they cannot deny the benefits of this approach. During the 1980s, both Great Britain and the United States pursued this approach with great success. The economies of both countries grew exponentially during this period, and unemployment fell to near record levels.

In the United States, taxes were cut from a high of 50% in the early eighties to nearly 30% in the late eighties, something which caused the GDP of the country to shoot up, and also created the conditions for the economic boom in the nineties. In the UK, too, the cut in taxes stimulated the British economy a great deal. Indeed, in the seventies, the British economy was known as the ‘sick man of Europe’, due to anaemic growth rates and high unemployment.

Many at the time theorised that the United Kingdom was in permanent and possibly terminal decline. With the reduction in taxes, the removal of burdensome regulations on businesses and the corresponding growth caused by these actions, it is fair to say that the country recovered its erstwhile reputation as a good place to do business.

Question: Summarise the main points in the lecture. Be sure to talk about how they cast doubt on the points raised in the text.

Sample Text 3:

In response to rising concerns over the global obesity epidemic, an international health body is lobbying for additional taxation on unhealthy food. Under such a policy, the producers of these junk foods, which typically are nutritionally-low with high fat and sugar content, would have to pay extra in order to sell them in supermarkets or serve them in restaurants. However, opponents believe it will not succeed in making the population healthier for a number of reasons.

Firstly, people should be allowed to eat whatever they like without being punished for their decisions. When people choose to eat unhealthy things, they are aware that these foods are unhealthy but feel that the enjoyment they get from eating it outweighs the long-term health costs. Additional taxation would therefore only prevent people from eating what they enjoy.

Secondly, taxation would increase the price of certain types of food, but this increase would not be enough to affect purchasing behaviour. If a meal or an item at the supermarket were only one or two percent higher in price, it would be unlikely that consumers would even notice the tax. Ultimately it would simply mean these consumers would have less disposable income to spend on a more varied diet.

Lastly, it is not entirely evident that taxing junk food would result in people eating more healthy food. In this view, the problem is not the low price of less healthy food but the high price of healthier options. These would remain the same as before and these are what generally prevent consumers from purchasing them regularly. As a result, this policy does nothing to promote healthier food or cultivate more wholesome eating habits among the population.

TOEFL Essay Sample 2 – Independent Writing Question

Here are some more essay sample questions for the second part of the TOEFL iBT test. However, be sure to practice with TOEFL sample tests on top of these examples to be fully prepared for the test day.

Question 1: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A mother is more essential to a child’s upbringing than a father. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The internet has been a good thing for society. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 3: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who work in public services, such as doctors, nurses and teachers, should earn more money than people who are paid to entertain, like actors and sports stars. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 4: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Countries are becoming increasingly similar because people are able to buy the same products anywhere in the world. Use reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 5: Some people prefer going to live music events like festivals to listen to music. Other people prefer to listen to music at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. Question 6: Some people prefer to learn a second language using blending learning which combines online lessons with exercises on a digital platform. Do you think this is a good idea? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 7: A large advertising company is looking for a new location for one of their billboards. They have identified an ideal position, which is clearly visible from a highly frequented central area of town. It happens to be on the side of one of the city’s high-school buildings. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. Question 8: Some people prefer reading news and magazine content online. Other people prefer to read the news in print. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. Question 9: Some people prefer living in the countryside while others disagree and prefer to live in modern areas of the city. Which option do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Question 10: Some people prefer living in the countryside while others disagree and prefer to live in modern areas of the city. Which option do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Train to Ace Your TOEFL Test With the Help of GlobalExam

The TOEFL certifies your academic level and your ability to follow the lessons given in an English-speaking university course. GlobalExam allows you to support you in your language learning via our online learning platform. An ergonomic and intuitive solution thanks to which you can train by accessing our extensive online resources:

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Easy online preparation, useful tools to gain confidence and optimize your TOEIC score in general and TOEFL Writing in particular! We will be sure to polish your writing skills to ensure that you get a high score at the TOEFL writing tasks.

To go further, you can read our summary of recommendations for the TOEFL test. You can also read our tip sheets on the other sections of the exam.

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Latest TOEFL Independent Writing Topics: Syllabus, Question Types & More

The TOEFL Independent Writing section challenges test-takers to express their thoughts clearly and effectively on a variety of topics. In this section, you will encounter prompts that require you to present and support your opinion, making it crucial to practice and familiarize yourself with common TOEFL Independent Writing topics . This guide provides a comprehensive list of these topics, along with tips and strategies to help you craft strong, coherent essays that meet the expectations of the examiners. Whether you’re aiming for a high score or simply looking to improve your writing skills, mastering these topics is essential for success on the TOEFL.

TOEFL Independent Writing Task

Table of Content

• TOEFL Independent Writing Task Syllabus 
• TOEFL Writing Independent Question Types 

TOEFL Independent Writing Topics 

• TOEFL Independent Writing Tips 

TOEFL Independent Writing Task Format

How to structure your response, practice exercise with sample response, common mistakes to avoid, toefl independent writing task- faqs, toefl independent writing task syllabus  .

Candidates are required to complete an essay expressing their viewpoint within a 30-minute timeframe for the TOEFL independent writing task. Unlike the integrated writing task, this segment does not involve any reading passages or recordings.

In the TOEFL independent writing task, candidates are prompted to either agree or disagree with a given statement, or to support or oppose an idea. They must furnish relevant evidence or opinions to address the TOEFL independent writing topics effectively. Scores for this task range from 0 to 5, with the raw score being converted to a scaled TOEFL score ranging from 0 to 30. The TOEFL writing score encompasses both the independent and integrated tasks.

TOEFL Writing Independent Question Types  

The TOEFL independent writing task encompasses four primary question types, each requiring a distinct approach:

• Agree or Disagree (65% weightage): In this type, candidates articulate their stance on a given subject, providing logical reasoning and relevant examples to support their viewpoint. Accessing TOEFL independent writing sample essays online can aid in comprehending this question type.
• Multiple Choice Type questions (15% weightage): Candidates are presented with a scenario and several options, from which they select one and construct an independent essay elucidating their support for that particular idea. Familiarizing oneself with TOEFL independent writing essay samples can facilitate understanding of this question format.
• Preference Type of questions (15% weightage): Here, candidates are offered two or more situations and are tasked with explaining their preference. Their rationale and examples should effectively bolster their chosen stance. TOEFL independent writing sample essays are valuable resources for honing skills in this area.
• Good Idea (Rarely comes): This type of question prompts candidates to assess whether they perceive a given idea as good or bad. Subsequently, they must craft an essay outlining their reasons for supporting their chosen answer.

Each question type demands a nuanced approach, and practicing with TOEFL independent writing topics and sample essays can enhance candidates’ proficiency in addressing them effectively.

TOEFL Independent Writing Tips  

Here are some TOEFL preparation pointers tailored for the independent writing section:

• Regularly practice timed TOEFL practice tests to maintain a suitable pace. This ensures candidates are adept at planning, writing, and revising within the 30-minute timeframe.
• Focus on crafting a concise, factual, and coherent paragraph. Quality over quantity is key; a well-structured paragraph can earn a score of 4 or 5, while a lengthy but irrelevant essay may not fare as well.
• Utilize vocabulary that you’re comfortable with to construct your own sentences. Examiners appreciate a varied range of vocabulary and sentence structures.
• Formulate opinions on various topics, even if you have to “fake it.” Staying informed about current events helps cover the latest issues likely to appear in the exam.
• Practice with time constraints to simulate exam conditions effectively.
• Pay attention to the spelling of words you intend to use in your TOEFL independent writing.
• Ensure that your essay demonstrates grammatical accuracy in words, idioms, phrases, and sentence structures.
• Avoid introducing irrelevant arguments or logic that may confuse the examiner, a principle also applicable in TOEFL integrated writing practice questions.
• Keep your response concise; avoid unnecessary lengthiness that could dilute the clarity and coherence of your essay.

The TOEFL Independent Writing Task presents test takers with a specific prompt or question and requires them to formulate and support their argument or opinion on the given topic. Understanding the format and requirements of this task is essential for effectively tackling it on test day:

The Independent Writing Task prompt typically presents a controversial issue, a general statement, or a question related to a specific topic. Test takers are required to respond to this prompt by expressing their viewpoint or perspective.

Response Format

Test takers are expected to write an essay in response to the prompt. The essay should be well-structured, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the argument or opinion being presented.

The time allotted for completing the Independent Writing Task is usually 30 minutes. Within this timeframe, test takers need to plan, write, and revise their essays efficiently.

While there is no strict word limit for the Independent Writing Task, test takers are advised to aim for an essay length of approximately 300-400 words. Writing too little may result in an incomplete response, while writing too much may lead to lack of time for revision.

Scoring Criteria

Essays are evaluated based on several criteria, including the clarity and coherence of the argument, the relevance and quality of supporting examples and details, the organization and structure of the essay, and the command of English language conventions.

Use of Examples

Providing relevant examples and details to support the main argument is crucial in the Independent Writing Task. Test takers are encouraged to draw from personal experiences, observations, or general knowledge to strengthen their arguments.

Language Proficiency

Showing a strong command of English language conventions, including grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure, is essential for achieving a high score on the Independent Writing Task.

Structuring your response effectively is crucial for achieving a high score on the TOEFL Independent Writing Task. Here’s a breakdown of how to structure your response into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion:

1. Introduction

• Hook: Begin with an engaging opening sentence to grab the reader’s attention and introduce the topic. This could be a thought-provoking question, a startling statistic, or a relevant quotation.
• Thesis Statement : Clearly state your main argument or position on the topic. This should be a concise sentence that outlines the stance you will be defending throughout your essay.
• Overview: Provide a brief overview of the main points you will be discussing in the body paragraphs. This gives the reader a roadmap of your essay and sets the stage for what’s to come.

2. Body Paragraphs

• Topic Sentence : Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main point or argument of that paragraph.
• Supporting Evidence : Provide specific examples, reasons, or details to support your argument. These could include personal experiences, real-life examples, or hypothetical scenarios.
• Explanation: After presenting your evidence, explain how it relates to your main argument and why it supports your position. This helps to clarify your reasoning and strengthen your argument.
• Transition: Use transitional phrases or sentences to smoothly transition between paragraphs and ensure a logical flow of ideas throughout your essay.

3. Conclusion

• Restate Thesis: Begin your conclusion by restating your thesis statement, but do so in a slightly different way to avoid redundancy.
• Summarize Main Points : Summarize the main points you made in the body paragraphs, highlighting the key arguments and evidence that support your position.
• Closing Statement : End with a concluding statement that reinforces the significance of your argument or offers a final thought on the topic. This could be a call to action, a prediction, or a suggestion for further exploration.
• Closure: Provide a sense of closure by tying your conclusion back to your introduction or by offering a final thought that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Here is a practice exercise for the TOEFL Independent Writing Task along with sample response:

Practice Exercise

Prompt: Some people believe that it’s better to live in a small town, while others argue that life in a big city offers more opportunities. Which do you prefer and why?

Sample Response Living in a small town versus a big city is a topic that often sparks debate. Personally, I prefer the charm and peace of small towns over the hustle and bustle of big cities. While cities may offer more opportunities in terms of career advancement and cultural activities, small towns provide a sense of community and a slower pace of life that I find appealing. In small towns, people tend to know each other, promoting a strong sense of belonging and support. This close-knit community allows for meaningful connections and a sense of security that can be lacking in large urban centers. Additionally, small towns often have beautiful surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere, making them ideal for those seeking a peaceful environment away from the chaos of city life. Although big cities offer a lot of job prospects and entertainment options, they also come with challenges such as traffic congestion, high living costs, and increased competition. Moreover, the fast-paced lifestyle of cities can lead to feelings of isolation and stress, making it difficult to find balance and happiness. In conclusion, while big cities may offer more opportunities on paper, the quality of life and sense of community found in small towns outweigh the benefits of urban living for me. Ultimately, the choice between living in a small town or a big city depends on individual preferences and priorities, but for me, the charm and serenity of small-town living hold greater appeal.

Avoiding common mistakes is crucial for performing well on the TOEFL Independent Writing Task. Here are some common errors to watch out for:

Lack of Clear Thesis Statement

Failing to clearly state your main argument or position in the introduction can weaken the coherence and persuasiveness of your essay. Make sure your thesis statement is concise and clearly articulates your stance on the topic.

Insufficient Development of Ideas

Providing shallow or underdeveloped arguments without sufficient supporting evidence can undermine the strength of your essay. Take the time to elaborate on your ideas, provide relevant examples, and explain how they support your main argument.

Inadequate Organization

Poor organization can make your essay difficult to follow and diminish its overall impact. Ensure that your essay has a logical structure with well-defined paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of your argument. Use transitional phrases or sentences to guide the reader through your essay smoothly.

Limited Vocabulary and Sentence Variety

Using repetitive language and simplistic sentence structures can detract from the sophistication of your writing. Make an effort to incorporate a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to demonstrate your language proficiency and enhance the clarity and richness of your writing.

Grammatical Errors

Grammatical mistakes can detract from the clarity and credibility of your essay. Review your writing carefully for errors in subject-verb agreement , verb tense consistency, word order, and punctuation. Pay particular attention to common grammatical pitfalls for non-native English speakers.

In conclusion, knowing the TOEFL Independent Writing Task is essential to doing well on the test and in the future. You may write an engaging and convincing essay by properly organizing your response, making solid points that are supported by relevant examples, and showing your command of language standards. Also, the abilities acquired by the completion of the Independent Writing Task—such as logical reasoning, critical thinking, and effective communication—are extremely relevant in both academic and professional settings.

Also Check: TOEFL Exam 2024: Fees, Syllabus, Dates, Registration & More TOEFL Exam Pattern 2024: Check Question Types & Scores TOEFL Exam Registration 2024: Check Dates, Fees, Processes, Centres & More

What is the TOEFL Independent Writing Task?

The Independent Writing Task is a section of the TOEFL exam where test takers are required to write an essay expressing their own opinion on a given topic.

How much time do I have for the Independent Writing Task?

You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay for the Independent Writing Task.

Is there a word limit for the Independent Writing Task?

There is no strict word limit, but aiming for around 300-400 words is recommended to ensure thorough development of ideas within the time limit.

Can I use personal examples in my essay for the Independent Writing Task?

Yes, incorporating personal experiences or examples can strengthen your argument and make your essay more persuasive.

How is the Independent Writing Task scored?

Essays are evaluated based on factors such as clarity of ideas, coherence and organization, use of examples, and language proficiency, with scores ranging from 0 to 5.

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Speaker 1: Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. Today's lesson, we're going to look at writing skills. More specifically, we're going to look at transitions. Now, again, before I begin, let me tell you IELTS and TOEFL students out there, transitions are very, very important for you for the essay section of the test. Okay? Big points, if you use them correctly. Few points if you don't use them or use them incorrectly. Anyway, let's get into what transitions are and look at a few specific ones. What is a transition? A transition means a change from one idea to another idea. Now, there are many transitions in English. We use transitions to add information. We use transitions to show a contrast, although, however, etc. We use transitions to show conditions, if, unless. We use transitions to show... To get to a conclusion, therefore, thus. Okay? Lots of transitions. Very important because they can join ideas within a sentence, but even more so, they can join two paragraphs. So what they do, really, is they create flow. Flow is very important for writing. Okay? Flow makes it easier for the reader to follow what you're saying, and it makes it a little bit more interesting as well. Okay? So, to transition basically means to bridge. You have two ideas, you're connecting. You're creating a bridge from one idea to the next. Okay. So today, we're going to look specifically at in addition, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, and another something. Okay? These are very, very important transitions because they help you add ideas, one idea to another. Again, very, very important for TOEFL and IELTS because you're always going to be adding ideas to one topic. I'll get to that in a minute. The most important thing to remember here, and where people, I find, make the most common mistakes, and believe me, I have marked hundreds of essays for TOEFL and IELTS. Very, very common mistake, and what people forget. This basically means plus. You're adding. You're adding two things, and you're always adding, you're always adding at least one idea to another idea, so you will always have two ideas if you're using these transitions. Okay? So one of the most common mistakes I have seen on these essays is that people use these words, but they only have one idea. So I'm the reader, and I'm reading, reading, reading, and I say, furthermore, dot, dot, dot. I'm going, furthermore what? What are you adding to? What are you adding at all? And then I look around, and I only see one idea. If I'm the IELTS grader, and I'm reading your essay, you just lost at least one bend because of that. Why? Because you made me stop. You made me search for that second idea that is not there. Okay? Be very careful about that. If you're going to use these words, there must be two ideas, and they must be linked. They must have something similar between them, and they must be pretty close to each other. Okay? In addition to, furthermore, and moreover. These are all pretty much the same. This one is probably the most formal. This one is next most, and this is the most common. Now, if you're going to write a short essay, usually two of these will be enough. Why do you need to know how to use two? Because you don't want to repeat. You don't want to say, in addition, and give your idea. In addition, give another idea. In addition, give another idea. You don't want to do that. You want vocabulary variety. So use at least two. For a longer essay, you can use all three or four, as the case may be. Okay. Now, what's interesting about these, you can use all of these mid-sentence or to join paragraphs. Okay? Very important that you use them correctly, though. So let's look at some examples on how to use these. Okay, so first we're going to look at a sentence with the transition working inside it. Okay? His laziness caused the company to perform badly last quarter. Moreover, his attitude toward the board has put his job in jeopardy. Okay? So first, let's look at what's going on here. What are we talking about? We're talking about the person's laziness. What are we adding to this? Remember, here I put moreover. I could put furthermore. I can also put in addition. All three would be okay. So we're talking about his laziness. What are we adding to it? Look at the second sentence. What are the two things that we are adding together to get the two whole ideas? Okay. If you said attitude, you're correct. Laziness and attitude, these are both qualities of this person. So his laziness and his attitude caused the company to do badly and put his job in jeopardy. I could rearrange these two sentences into one, but I don't want to. I want to have this idea because this is adding to this. So I have one idea, I have another idea, but they're very much connected. Okay? So we use a word like this, moreover, furthermore, in addition. Okay? All of these, but all of these are about the same topic. Now, when we do, when we talk about an essay, when we're joining paragraph to paragraph, you have to be very careful. The last idea has to join to the first idea of the next paragraph using one of these transition words. Okay? Let's look at that now. Okay, so now let's look at an essay and you're joining two paragraphs, for example. My topic here is, the general topic is the internet, and what I want to say is that the internet is a good thing. Okay? Very, very generally. I'm going to use two reasons, I'm going to talk about two reasons, and I'm going to use basically one example. So the reason it's good is because it helps connect families and friends. This was my paragraph before, and then this is the last sentence of my paragraph, my body paragraph. So conclusion, the internet not only helps people connect to friends and family anywhere in the world, it also makes it cheap to do so. Right? So that's one good thing about the internet, communication, networking, social media, et cetera, Facebook, all that. Now, I want to go to my next paragraph, and I want to add to this idea, the idea of connection. The idea of communication, as why the internet is a good thing. So, in addition to friends and family, or moreover, furthermore, the internet provides companies with a larger network or a larger pool of prospective employees. Right? So I'm still talking about the same thing, connections, networks, but I went from personal idea to business idea. But, still within the topic of the internet, still for the reason of communication and networking, I went with one idea and the other idea working together for the overall idea. Okay? I hope this makes sense to you, because it's a little bit complicated. Any topic you take, any essay you write, where you're using one example or two reasons with one example to work together to support an opinion about a general topic, you can use these. In addition to, moreover, furthermore. But, if you're like this, let's say you're taking the IELTS, the TOEFL test, you're writing your essay, you're running out of time. You're not thinking properly, you're a little bit frazzled, you need a transition word, always use another. For example, another reason the internet is good is because it provides companies dot, dot, dot. Okay? This is your go-to transition. When you're stuck, you have nothing else, you want to switch to the next idea, always use another reason. But, remember, this is not your first choice. This is your last choice. These are your first choice when you want to add an idea. Okay? But, always good to have this in your back pocket in case you get stuck, you pull it out, ace of spades, etc. You're a winner. Okay. Lots of examples on www.engvid.com on the quiz, go check it out. Also, don't forget to subscribe to my channel on YouTube, and I will see you again soon for more lessons. Thanks.

Test Resources

TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

Toefl writing for an academic discussion questions – samples and guide and templates, sample questions and answers.

The “Writing for an Academic Discussion” task is the second TOEFL writing question. 

You will see a question written by a professor and responses written by two students.  Your job is to read everything and then answer the question.  You will have ten minutes to do everything.  You should write about 120 words.

Each link below includes a complete sample question and response.  I also have a guide to answering this question .

• Economic Growth vs the Environment
• Targeted Advertising
• Social Media
• Grading Students
• Taxing Unhealthy Products
• University Spending
• City Spending
• Corporate Impact
• Work From Home
• Online Classes
• Smartphones
• Learning Styles
• Influencers
• Starting a Business
• Space Exploration
• More sample questions from ETS

Need help preparing for the new TOEFL?  Check out my writing evaluation service .  I’ll examine your answers line by line and correct all of your mistakes.  I’ll even estimate your score and tell you how to do better on test day!  Looking for 1 on 1 lessons?  Send me a message !

Question Guide

I’ve written a detailed guide for this question .  It includes updated templates and strategies.

Answer Template 1

• This is a challenging topic, but I think that [respond directly to the question].
• I strongly agree with  [student]’ s idea that  [mention one point made by the student]. 
• I’d add that  [expand on the point with your own idea].
• While [other student] raised the relevant point that [mention one point made by the other student],  he/she didn’t mention that  [challenge that point].
• For example  [elaborate on your challenge with your own ideas].

Answer Template 2

• While I appreciate the points mentioned by both [name] and [name] , I think that …
• [elaborate on your idea for a few sentences]
• Remember that  [elaborate on your point], so [elaborate on your point].
• Some people may feel that [mention a potential challenge], but [respond to this challenge].

Video Guide

(get a free evaluation in the video comments)