toefl essay questions 2022

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2 perfect-scoring toefl writing samples, analyzed.

The Writing section can be the most daunting section of the TOEFL. You’ll have 50 minutes to write two complete essays that must meet multiple requirements and show a strong grasp of English. Knowing what graders are looking for and reviewing TOEFL Writing samples can go a long way towards helping you get a high score on this section.

This guide will go over both of the TOEFL Writing tasks, explain how they’re graded, go over a high-scoring TOEFL Writing sample for each essay type, and end with TOEFL Writing examples for you to analyze.

The TOEFL Writing Section

The TOEFL Writing section is 50 minutes long (broken into two parts) and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. It’s the fourth and final section of the exam. You’ll type both essays on the computer. The next two sections will explain the format and requirements of each of the writing tasks as well as how they will be scored.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

The Integrated Writing task requires you to use listening, reading, and writing skills.  For this task, you’ll have three minutes to read a short passage, then you’ll listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers.

You’ll have 20 minutes to plan and write a response that references both of these sources in order to answer the question . 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.

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For this essay, 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.  Each essay receives a score from 0-5. For both essay types, you can check out the complete rubric used for official grading. Below are key points from the Integrated Writing rubric. ( You can view complete rubric for both essays here .)

TOEFL Independent Writing Task

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll have 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.

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.

Top-Scoring TOEFL Integrated Writing Sample

Below is an official TOEFL Integrated Writing sample question and as well as an essay response that received a score of 5.  It includes a written passage, the transcript of a conversation (which would be an audio recording on the actual TOEFL, and the essay prompt.  After the prompt is an example of a top-scoring essay. You can read the essay in full, then read our comments on what exactly about this essay gives it a top score.

Integrated Writing Example Prompt

You have three minutes to read the following passage and take notes. In many organizations, perhaps the best way to approach certain new projects is to assemble a group of people into a team. Having a team of people attack a project offers several advantages. First of all, a group of people has a wider range of knowledge, expertise, and skills than any single individual is likely to possess. Also, because of the numbers of people involved and the greater resources they possess, a group can work more quickly in response to the task assigned to it and can come up with highly creative solutions to problems and issues. Sometimes these creative solutions come about because a group is more likely to make risky decisions that an individual might not undertake. This is because the group spreads responsibility for a decision to all the members and thus no single individual can be held accountable if the decision turns out to be wrong.

Taking part in a group process can be very rewarding for members of the team. Team members who have a voice in making a decision will no doubt feel better about carrying out the work that is entailed by that decision than they might doing work that is imposed on them by others. Also, the individual team member has a much better chance to “shine,” to get his or her contributions and ideas not only recognized but recognized as highly significant, because a team’s overall results can be more far-reaching and have greater impact than what might have otherwise been possible for the person to accomplish or contribute working alone.

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

(Professor) Now I want to tell you about what one company found when it decided that it would turn over some of its new projects to teams of people, and make the team responsible for planning the projects and getting the work done. After about six months, the company took a look at how well the teams performed. On virtually every team, some members got almost a “free ride” … they didn’t contribute much at all, but if their team did a good job, they nevertheless benefited from the recognition the team got. And what about group members who worked especially well and who provided a lot of insight on problems and issues? Well…the recognition for a job well done went to the group as a whole, no names were named. So it won’t surprise you to learn that when the real contributors were asked how they felt about the group process, their attitude was just the opposite of what the reading predicts. Another finding was that some projects just didn’t move very quickly. Why? Because it took so long to reach consensus…it took many, many meetings to build the agreement among group members about how they would move the project along. On the other hand, there were other instances where one or two people managed to become very influential over what their group did. Sometimes when those influencers said “That will never work” about an idea the group was developing, the idea was quickly dropped instead of being further discussed. And then there was another occasion when a couple influencers convinced the group that a plan of theirs was “highly creative.” And even though some members tried to warn the rest of the group that the project was moving in directions that might not work, they were basically ignored by other group members. Can you guess the ending to *this* story? When the project failed, the blame was placed on all the members of the group.

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 on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.

Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Sample Essay

The lecturer talks about research conducted by a firm that used the group system to handle their work. He says that the theory stated in the passage was very different and somewhat inaccurate when compared to what happened for real.

First, some members got free rides. That is, some didn’t work hard but gotrecognition for the success nontheless. This also indicates that people who worked hard was not given recognition they should have got. In other words, they weren’t given the oppotunity to “shine”. This derectly contradicts what the passage indicates.

Second, groups were slow in progress. The passage says that groups are nore responsive than individuals because of the number of people involved and their aggregated resources. However, the speaker talks about how the firm found out that groups were slower than individuals in dicision making. Groups needed more time for meetings, which are neccesary procceedures in decision making. This was another part where experience contradicted theory.

Third, influetial people might emerge, and lead the group towards glory or failure. If the influent people are going in the right direction there would be no problem. But in cases where they go in the wrong direction, there is nobody that has enough influence to counter the decision made. In other words, the group might turn into a dictatorship, with the influential party as the leader, and might be less flexible in thinking. They might become one-sided, and thus fail to succeed.

TOEFL Writing Sample Analysis

There are three key things this TOEFL example essay does that results in its high score:

• Clearly presents main points
• Contrasts lecture and reading points
• Few grammatical/spelling errors

This essay clearly organizes the three main points made in the lecture,  which is what the first part of the prompt asked for. (“Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard.”) There is one paragraph for each point, and the point is clearly stated within the first sentence of the paragraph followed by specific details from the lecture. This organization makes it easy to follow the writer’s thinking and see that they understood the lecture.

Additionally, the essay clearly contrasts points made in the lecture with points made in the reading. Each main paragraph includes an example of how the two are different, and the writer makes these differences clear by using words and phrases such as “however” and “this directly contradicts.” Stating these differences answers the second part of the prompt (“explain how they cast doubt on points made in the reading”) and shows that the writer understood both the lecture and reading well enough to differentiate between the two.

Finally, there are only a few minor spelling and grammar error s, the most noticeable of which is the incorrect use of the word “influent” in the final paragraph (it should be “influential”), and they do not detract from the meaning of the essay. This writer shows a strong grasp of the English language, a key TOEFL skill.

This essay shows that the writer understood the main points of both the lecture and the reading well enough to both describe them and contrast them. That, along with the relatively few mechanical errors, gives the essay a top score.

Top-Scoring Independent TOEFL Writing Sample

Below is an official Independent Writing prompt and top-scoring sample essay. Beneath the essay we analyze what about the essay resulted in it receiving a top score.

Independent Writing Example Prompt

Directions Read the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective essay will contain a minimum of 300 words.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Independent TOEFL Writing Sample Essay

the traditional virtue of telling the truth in all situations is increasingly doubted by many in today’s world. many believe that telling the truth is not always the best policy when dealing with people. moreover, the line of a “truth” is becoming more and more vague. this essay will explore the importance of telling the truth in relationships between people.

we all understand that often the truth is offending and may not be a very nice thing to both hear or say. lies or white lies often have their advantages. the manipulation of white lies is the most obvious the business world. how many times have we heard that some product is “the finest” or “the cheapest”? how many times have we heard that products have such and such “magical functions”? advertising is about persuasion, and many would agree that if a company is to tell the absolute truth about it’s products, no one would be interested in even having a look at the products.

the same logic applies to human relationships. if your friend had worn a newly purchased dress on her birthday and energetically asked you if it was a worthy buy, would you freely express your opinion that you had never seen a dress as the one she’s currently wearing? and spoil her birthday? unarguably, hiding(entirely or particially) the truth in some situations can be quite handy indeed. confrontations and disputes can seemingly be avoided.

however, there is always the risk factor of the truth emerging sooner or later when telling an untruth. the basic trust in any relationships(businessman/customer, friends, parents/children) will be blotched, and would have an impact on the future relationship between both parties. the story of the “the boy who cried wolf” fully illustrates the consequenes of telling untruths. no one will believe you when you’re telling the truth. your word will have no weighting.

in addition, another “bad factor” of telling untruths is that you have absolutely no control over when the truth(of previous untruths) will emerge. untruths breed pain in both parties: tears when the truth is uncovered after a period of time; fear and the burden of sharing a “secret”. in the long run, it seems that hiding the truth is not beneficial to either party. everyone hates betrayal. even if it is the trend to occasionally hide the truth in relationships, it is strongly recommended that not to follow that trend as the risk and the consequences of the truth unfolded overwhelms the minimal advantages one can derive from not telling the truth. afterall, it is understood that relationships are founded on “trust” which goes hand in hand with “truth”. indeed telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship between people. always.

There are three key things this essay does that results in its high score, and each is explained in more detail below.

• Is well organized
• Uses specific examples

The essay, like the first one, is well organized. The writer’s position is clear within the first few sentences, and the rest of the essay elaborates on that position. Each paragraph begins with a new major point that is then explained. This logical flow of ideas is easy for readers to follow and shows that the writer knows how to set up a clear argument.

Another reason the essay received a top score is because the writer used specific examples to make her point. By using specific examples, such as a friend buying a new outfit and asking your opinion and phrases businesses use to sell products, the writer makes her argument stronger and more concrete.

Finally, despite the lack of capitalization throughout the essay, there are few spelling and grammatical errors, and the ones that do exist don’t detract from the meaning of the essay or make it confusing to understand. This shows a strong command of English and the ability to write in-depth essays that are clear and get their point across.

Where to Find More TOEFL Writing Samples

Below are a list of other places, official and unofficial, where you can find TOEFL Writing examples. You can use these examples to get a better idea of what a high-scoring essay looks like and what graders are looking for on the Writing section.

Official Resources

Official resources are always the best to use since you can be sure the essay prompts are accurate and the sample essays were accurately scored.

TOEFL iBT Writing Sample Responses

This resource contains several sample essays (including the two sample responses used above). The essays from on this site received different scores as well as analysis of why they received the score they did. This can be helpful if you want more information on, say, what differentiates an essay that got a “5” from an essay that got a “4”.

TOEFL iBT Test Questions

This is a complete practice TOEFL, but it does include several sample essays along with score explanations so you can get a more in-depth look at how and why different essays received the scores they did.

Unofficial Resources

There are numerous unofficial TOEFL writing samples out there, of varying quality. Below are two of the best.

TOEFL Resources

This site has several dozen sample essays for both the Integrated and Independent Writing topics. There’s no scoring analysis, but you do get a good variety of essay topics and essay samples so that you can get a sense of how to approach different essay prompts.

Good Luck TOEFL

Good Luck TOEFL has seven sample Independent Writing essays (no Integrated Writing). There’s no scoring analysis, but the essays and prompts are similar to official TOEFL essay topics.

Review: Analyzing TOEFL Writing Examples

Writing can be a particularly tricky TOEFL section, and seeing TOEFL Writing samples can go a long way to helping you feel more confident. For TOEFL Writing, you’ll need to write two essays, the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task.  Looking over the rubrics for both these essays and understanding what graders will be looking for can help you understand what to include in your own essays.

Both essays are scored on a scale of 0-5. Top-scoring essays generally need to have good organization, specific examples, answer the prompt completely, and minor spelling and grammar errors. It can also be useful to review other TOEFL writing samples to get a better idea of what a great TOEFL essay looks like.

What’s Next?

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

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

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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

TOEFL Writing Topics: Examples of TOEFL Independent Writing Topics

While the TOEFL is generally a very different type of test from the GRE, the GMAT, and the SAT, there are a few similarities, and the nature of the TOEFL Writing topics (specifically TOEFL Independent Writing topics) is one of them. As with most standardized tests, the TOEFL asks you to write an essay.

Well, it asks for two essays. For a quick summary of the two Writing tasks (Independent Writing and Integrated Writing) and how they fit into the Writing section as a whole, see Kate’s breakdown of the TOEFL Writing section. And for TOEFL Integrated Writing topics, jump down to this part of the post .

Table of Contents

Toefl writing topics: task 2 subject matter.

• The Basic Structure of TOEFL Independent Writing Topics
• Practicing TOEFL Independent Writing Topics with Magoosh
• Choose a Side
• View Both Sides
• Describe or Explain
• Integrated TOEFL Writing Task
• Further Practice With TOEFL Writing Topics

Let’s look at the TOEFL Writing topics that you might see for that second TOEFL essay, the “ independent task .” (Also note that the TOEFL Independent Writing task is particularly similar to the GRE issue AWA task , something to bear in mind if you are prepping for the TOEFL and GRE at the same time .)

On the one hand, there are a LOT of different TOEFL Writing topics. You might be asked to write an essay about any of the following: technology, education, media, family, small towns vs. big cities, the benefits of constructing something such as a large factory or new movie theater, the qualities of a good neighbor, life for university students, the way people should work, social media, the impact of human activity on the environment, education (the education of young children, high school students, young adults, etc.), different kinds of people you’d want to work with, important characteristics of a co-worker, cell phones, the traits of the best teachers, the attitudes of young people, traveling to new places, use of free time, etc., etc…

You get the idea. There are many different topics for the test-taker to think about and give a personal opinion on.

The Basic Structure of an Integrated Writing Prompt

But on the other hand, there are only a few different types of Independent Writing tasks. And even with those different types, the tasks are very similar: give your main points, use reasons to support them, include specific points and specific examples in your reasoning, etc…. Since these tasks involve expressing your point of view, sharing your personal experiences is also a common practice across the different types of the Independent TOEFL Writing task. Essentially, you express your opinion in a thesis statement, add related main ideas to each paragraph, and support your thesis and main ideas in a variety of ways.

ETS does provide a list of TOEFL independent essay questions in the 4th edition of the TOEFL Official Guide , and it’s a good idea to look over those sample questions. But there’s an excess of information there—we want to know some more useful generalities! So let’s divide those subjects into types. ( Click here to jump ahead to the first of those three types! )

A Note on Practicing TOEFL Writing Topics

If you practice writing the essay before test day (a good idea!), then you can use an essay prompt from the ETS list mentioned above. This is a great option.

For more customized practice, sign up for Magoosh’s 7-day free trial , select “Practice –> Custom Practice –> Writing Section”, and then try one of our premium TOEFL Writing prompts. You can also choose to only practice the independent task if that’s what you want to focus on. The trial lasts 7 days and you don’t need a credit card to sign up.

Let’s talk about the TOEFL “independent task” Writing topic types I mentioned above!

TOEFL Writing Topic Type 1: Choose a Side

This is by far the most common Independent Writing question type. These TOEFL prompts ask you to choose A or B then explain your decision. There is no “wrong” decision here. You can side with the first or second point, as long as your argument is well-supported and you give an effective response. There are a couple of different approaches to writing this type of essay, but the simplest form is the “five-paragraph essay.” Usually, this is only four paragraphs, because you don’t have that much time—the test only gives you 30 minutes to complete your Independent essay.

So if you choose A, you might write an essay that looks like this:

• A is better
• Reason 1 and examples of why A is better
• Short contrast with B
• Reason 2 and examples of why A is better
• Why this is significant in the real world

Of course, there are other ways to write an essay, but it’s a good idea to use a relatively simple structure for clarity; this tends to be the best, easiest path to a high score. This is more true for the TOEFL than it is for essays on other tests, like the GRE , because the TOEFL is really a test of communication and how well you can write in the English language.

Here are some examples of the “choose a side” Writing topics:

“Some would say it is more important to have an enjoyable job than to have a job with a high salary. Do you feel this is true or not true? Explain your thoughts using examples.”

“Opinion: It is better to have a low-stress job than a job with lots of responsibility. Do you hold this opinion, or disagree with it? In your essay, include supporting details.”

“Apartment buildings are the preferred living space for many people. But many individuals prefer living in a house. Which do you prefer ? Explain your thoughts using examples.”

“It could be argued that technology makes our lives easier and simpler. But there are certainly people who feel life has become more complicated due to modern inventions. Which opinion do you agree with? In your essay, include supporting details.”

“This week, your government announced plans to invest significant amounts of money in the exploration of outer space. Write an essay explaining why you are either for this new plan or against it. Explain your thoughts using examples.”

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern life is easier than life in the past. Use specific details and examples to support your answer.

Would you rather live in a large city or the countryside? Explain your choice, giving specific reasons and examples.

You might also get a slightly more complicated version of the “choose a side” prompt that asks you to compare sides, like these:

“Many workers change jobs a few times in their career. However, a number of workers instead do the same type of work throughout their career. Of these two career paths, which is a better option? In your essay, include supporting details.”

Which of these two is preferable for you: a high-paying job that you didn’t enjoy, or a lower-paying job that you did enjoy? Explain your reasoning, using specific reasons and examples.

Some students prefer to study many different subjects at once, while others prefer to focus on one topic at a time. Would you rather take a semester of classes in different subjects or a semester of classes in the same subject? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.

In that case, you could still use the structure I showed above, but you would emphasize the contrasts with “B” and write a bit more about them.

Writing Topic Type 2: View Both Sides

This is very similar to the “choose a side” type of essay subject, but it’s a little bit more complicated because you have to think from two different standpoints. Thankfully, it’s also not as common.

Here are a couple of examples:

“Your family and friends are encouraging you to buy a new car. What are some benefits and downsides of purchasing a brand new vehicle? Explain your thoughts using examples.”

“What are some good things and bad things about remaining in your hometown as an adult? In your essay, include supporting details.”

There are a couple of different ways you might structure an essay like, but the simplest one may be the best.

• General statements about issue
• Advantages and examples
• Disadvantages and examples

Writing Topic Type 3: Describe or Explain

In a way, this is the most difficult type of Independent essay question because it doesn’t give you an A or B situation. Instead, you have to think of your own subject from a very big pool of possibilities.

“ If you could choose any place to live in the world, where would you live? Explain your thoughts using examples.”

“How was your grandparents’ life different than yours? In your essay, include supporting details.”

“ What is your favorite movie and why? In your essay, include supporting details.”

“What is your favorite place to visit near your home? Explain your thoughts using examples.”

Because these Writing topics don’t give you a yes-no or A-B choice, it’s easy to get stuck in the planning phase. (By the way, planning is incredibly important for writing any standardized test essay; don’t skip it!)

The structure doesn’t have to be very different, though. Here’s a rough idea of how you might organize a descriptive essay:

• Your choice/subject
• Reason 1 and examples
• Reason 2 and examples
• Reason 3 and examples

Notice I added one more body paragraph. Because there’s no “other side” to deal with, you have more time to explain the one topic you chose. So why not use that time for another paragraph!

This Is Only Half of TOEFL Writing (the Other Half is the Integrated Task)

Remember that the Independent essay is only half of the TOEFL Writing section. There’s also the integrated task . Although the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task is not the main focus of this post, let’s go through some basics of the first half of the TOEFL Writing section.

First off, know that TOEFL Writing Task 1 has a reading passage and a listening passage. The listening passage features part of a lecture. The speaker in the lecture will disagree with or challenge the claims in the reading. As you navigate the reading and listening for this first task, you don’t need to pay much attention to the written portion. The focus of your essay will be summarizing what the speaker said, so the reading is merely background information.

The context of the reading and speaking in TOEFL Integrated Writing tends to be based on the United States. So, for example, if you see a passage related to business or economics, any amount of money described would probably be in American dollars, and examples would involve American consumers or American companies. Still, other non-American contexts may come up. You could encounter a topic about an important influence on a European art movement, or deal with a science topic; science topics in this task are typically international or culturally neutral.

Want more help with TOEFL Integrated Writing? Magoosh has you covered! See our complete guide to the TOEFL Integrated Writing task , which includes a free TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task from Magoosh. And you can find a second free Magoosh TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task in our complete guide to TOEFL Writing samples .

Ready For Some Practice?

Sample essays are another great resource for practice. You can review sample TOEFL essays for both Independent Writing and Integrated Writing in the aforementioned Magoosh’s complete guide to TOEFL Writing samples and in our TOEFL Writing Templates . And partial or complete sample essays can also be found in the following posts:

Task 2 Sample Essays

• TOEFL Independent Writing: Unsupported Claims
• TOEFL Independent Writing: Correcting Disorganized Answers
• Examples of Counter-Arguments
• TOEFL Writing Task 2 Model Answer
• Prewriting for TOEFL Writing Task 2
• How to Use Transitions in Your Writing

Task 1 Sample Essays

• How to Revise TOEFL Writing
• Paraphrasing in TOEFL Integrated Writing
• The Complete Guide to TOEFL Integrated Writing

Last but certainly not least, I’ve written a quick summary of the best ways to practice TOEFL Writing . You can use that as a guide to tie all of your TOEFL Writing topic practice together!

Lucas is the teacher behind Magoosh TOEFL. He’s been teaching TOEFL preparation and more general English since 2009, and the SAT since 2008. Between his time at Bard College and teaching abroad, he has studied Japanese, Czech, and Korean. None of them come in handy, nowadays.

View all posts

More from Magoosh

64 responses to “TOEFL Writing Topics: Examples of TOEFL Independent Writing Topics”

Do you have a template for writing task 2 in TOEFL?

We don’t yet have any blog post fully explaining the structure of the independent writing task, but Kate has written some related articles:

https://magoosh.com/toefl/2013/writing-essay-introductions/ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2013/writing-a-five-paragraph-essay/ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2013/the-toefl-essay-structure/

Our more complete explanations of the independent writing task are only in our premium TOEFL product lesson videos at the moment. Check that out if you’re interested!

can u just tell me can i complete my prepration for toefel exam in one month by daily practicing 5 to 6 essays as per your suggestion?

Hi there. I wouldn’t recommend writing 5 or 6 essays daily, no—I’m not sure where that idea came from, but that’s too many essays and not enough review! You need to spend time looking at good essays, good structures, and useful phrases, and revise your own essays to be better. Writing many essays helps, but you have to analyze them. And preparing for the TOEFL is more than just writing essays. There’s also reading, listening, and speaking. 🙂

Does the essay in toefl exam come from the list given by ETS (containing 185 topics). Is it a good idea to prepare for the topics given beforehand????

Hi Deepali,

While it’s possible that the essay topic will come from that list, you may also get a topic from outside the list. It’s a good idea to read through it, but you definitely should not prepare for every topic on that list . That would take too long even if it was a complete list of possible topics—it would be over 90 hours of essay writing, just for one of the two essays! It’s more important to learn the general themes and write your practice essays using that list.

Thanks for this useful info. This will surely help me to organize my essay properly.

You’re welcome!

I have question regarding TOEFL ESSAY writing . I have given TOEFL test several tome to meet criteria for Pharmacy. Only problem is with my writing , i need 24 score, while i always get 22. I tried so hard and still trying. Please suggest me how i can improve my sscore.

That’s tough, Vandy! You’re so close! Well, there’s no single way to improve your writing score: there are a few different things that might help you, personally. Without knowing you much better than I can through blog comments, it would be hard for me to say. But you can definitely identify your own weak areas and what you need to work on! Here are a couple of posts that explain generally how you can practice for the test.

I really recommend reading a lot , too. The more you read, the better you can imitate native speakers in your writing. And pay careful attention to grammar when you read! The writing part of the TOEFL is time to let your grammar skills show. 🙂

Can u plz help me, how i can score in my reading section??? actually its too difficult for me and i dont know how to improve this. if you have any tips regarding READING SECTION plz help me out.

Absolutely! We have plenty of blog posts about the reading section which will help guide you through. 🙂

I think these posts will be especially helpful: https://magoosh.com/toefl/2013/lucas-takes-the-toefl/ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/synonyms-in-the-toefl-reading-section/ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/common-toefl-reading-difficulties/ https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/identifying-the-main-ideas-in-toefl-reading-passages/

I really appreciate your help… Thanks Lucas..:)

The aftermath of the information that you provided was that it got me thinkng as to how would one clear the test if not into reading that much? I do not specifically mean only books and novels; though daily newspaper reading’s done. Would common way of speaking the language work in writing as well or does it have to be formal as always?

But for what its worth, that was some very useful content up there. Thank you for the information.

Hi Shreya! Daily reading is important, but make sure it’s formal or academic English. News articles are great as long as they’re from a reputable news source. Examples include BBC, NY Times, The Economist, and similar publications. Spoken language can definitely help, especially on the Listening and Speaking sections, but when it comes to Reading, academic English is important.

My toefl exam is after 2 weeks and i have not yet started to prepare for it.Would you please help me?How can i get a better score in such a less time?I need a great score. 🙁 And,now i am really in dilemma.Please,help me out!

Hi Rakshya,

Don’t panic! But it’s time to get to work. 🙂 First, buy a copy of the official guide. You will want that practice material. 🙂 Take a full test so you can find out your weaknesses. Then, spend the next two weeks trying to improve those weak areas (for example, speaking more fluently) by reading the relevant blog posts here at Magoosh. Keep practicing and keep reading more about how to best answer questions, and you’ll do your best on test day.

I never took the TOEFL experience before.. Well, I eager to learn english many more, so give me advice to take study hard day by day, actually my english is not bad, but sometimes i always feeling not confident to say with someone, can you show me some friends to share with me, and tell me how to speak better than now?

The most important thing to improve your English is simply experience. Your goal should be to speak, write, listen, and read in English as often as possible! The best way to improve confidence is to use English regularly. Check out this blog post for some helpful resources:

– https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/best-free-toefl-resources/

And these posts gives some advice on improving your speaking for the TOEFL:

– https://magoosh.com/toefl/2013/toefl-speaking-practice/ – https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/how-to-practice-toefl-speaking/

If you’re going to take the TOEFL, then Magoosh can help you learn the test. 🙂 Start reading our TOEFL blog regularly for more advice on improving your English and your TOEFL score.

Hi there. So I have a question regarding the whole choosing sides thing. Do I have to choose between options A or B or could I agree with both sides? My exam is tomorrow so it would be awesome if I could get a quick reply. Thanks!

I’m sorry we weren’t able to get back to you sooner! I hope your test went well. 🙂 In case you’re still wondering, though, it’s best to choose a side: the prompt asks you do make a decision, and your essay will be much clearer if you choose a single side. Trying to argue both sides often makes an essay hard to follow, and that hurts your score. It’s possible to write a good essay that considers both sides, but we don’t recommend it for the TOEFL.

Hello Lucas, Can you provide some sample essays that would get a 5 on writing? Thanks !

We don’t have many public samples of our own at the moment, but ETS provides free sample essays for all scores: https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/writing_practice_sets.pdf

I think those will help a bit!

Thanks Lucas!

Hello, my questions are about the independent task. It is possible to only have 4 paragraph essay with more then 350 words and still score very high? thanks in advance!!! very helpful site!!

It’s absolutely possible to score very high with only four full paragraphs in the essay! Your grade isn’t based on the number of paragraphs, but on how completely you answer the question and how well you communicate your line of reasoning. I actually advise most students to write 4-paragraph essays so that they can fully explain two reasons in the body of the essay, rather than rushing to explain three reasons and switching topics too quickly/unnaturally.

Hello, Lucas.

Do you think it is possible reaching the maximum score with an independent essay of four paragraphs?

I am really having difficulties with time management and I would like to know if I have to focus on practicing to write less words AND correctly rather than just writing a longer essay.

Hello Giovanna,

Very good question! According to the writing guide on the official TOEFL website ( https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/writing_practice_sets.pdf ), an independent essay usually needs at least 300 words to be “effective.” This means that essays of less than 300 words are less likely the maximum score. (But it’s not impossible!)

Word count is not the same as amount of paragraphs, of course. It’s possible for someone to write a five paragraph essay that only has about 250 words, a three paragraph essay that has 400 words, and so on.

In some cases, an essay with as little as three or even two paragraphs can receive good marks. Remember though, paragraphs help you organize your ideas and connect them to each other. More connections (rather than fewer connections) can help you create a better organized essay. TOEFL scorers like to see that.

To make sure you earn full points (or something close to it), carefully read the official TOEFL Independent Writing Task Rubric ( https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/Independent_Writing_Rubrics_2008.pdf ). You’ll notice that the rubric itself doesn’t grade test takers on word count or number of paragraphs. But as you practice writing based on the rubric, you’ll find that a certain word count or certain number of paragraphs allows you to reach level 5 on the rubric. Some of this depends on your own writing style.

My practice essays are about 315-330 words. What can I so increase the length without diluting the content of my essay?

Length isn’t really a goal—it’s more important that you clearly explain all of the main ideas, using specific details and clear connections between thoughts. If you do that well, it’s possible that 315 words is enough. 🙂 Don’t focus on length; focus on explaining fully and clearly!

Hi Lucas, The link you provided on this blog for “a list of TOEFL independent essay questions” on ETS website is not working. Can you please provide the link here? I have Toefl in 2 weeks and need it asap. Thanks!

Actually, it appears that ETS has removed that link since Lucas originally wrote this post. Luckily, someone has archived the list publicly on Google Docs. 🙂 Link here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-EPRItMr6VtOGU4NzBiMjMtMmYzNi00YjBmLTkyZTUtY2FhMTljY2RhMTYx/edit

Thanks, David 🙂 Really helpful 🙂

I am mostly confused ,because some of the books are saying that it is okay to have 4 bp and some recommend have 5 bd. Which one is more acceptable on the test ?

I think by “BP” you mean body paragraphs—is that right? If it is, then nobody is correct or incorrect, really. The most important aspects of your essay are the number or shape of your paragraphs. We recommend 4 paragraphs for both essays: 1 intro and 3 body paragraphs for the integrated essay, and 1 intro, 2 body paragraphs, and one conclusion for the independent essay. But the independent essay could very easily be 5 paragraphs total, with 3 body paragraphs.

But again, the numbers aren’t the important thing. What’s more important is that within those paragraphs , you clearly explain the main idea of that paragraph and then support the main idea with details or examples. Making a clear statement and explaining is the key for TOEFL writing. That also means using clear, conventional language. That means correct vocabulary, clear grammar, and logical transitions.

It is possible to write too many or too few paragraphs, but only because of the EFFECT that those have—in a short paragraph, you don’t have enough room to fully explain your reasons. In a too-long paragraph, you run the risk of repeating yourself. Because TOEFL essays are short, it makes sense to use only a few paragraphs total, and focus instead on the content of those paragraphs. 🙂

Lucas, I think you’re awesome!

I teach Advanced English for a non-profit organization in Arkansas. One of the classes I teach is a TOEFL preparation class.

I just thought you should know you’re awesome and appreciated.

You sound pretty awesome yourself. 🙂 Thank you for the kind words, and I’m really glad to hear we’ve been helping!

i need some sample integrated writing questions, where can i find it?

Sample Integrated Writing tasks are definitely harder to find compared to Integrated writing ones. There are some out there though.

You’ll find two practice Integrated Writing questions in the TOEFL’s official Quick Prep practice sets, available online for free here . Unfortunately, the Integrated Writing task in Quick Prep Volume 1 has no audio— just a reading passage and a transcript of the related lecture.

A few other sources of Integrated Writing practice are available through ETS for a fee. Volumes one and two of Official TOEFL iBT Practice Tests contain a total of 10 Integrated Writing practice questions, as part of the 10 complete practice tests found in these two volumes. And there are 4 practice tests/4 Integrated Writing questions with audio in the Official Guide for the TOEFL. The OG also has one additional practice Integrated Writing question that is transcript only, no audio, like the one in Quick Prep Volume 1. You can purchase these and a few other TOEFL resources with Integrated Writing practice though the official materials catalog for the exam.

It’s also worth mentioning that we have one Integrated Writing practice task (with audio) here on the Magoosh TOEFL Blog. We even have a model answer for it. And of course, you can get many additional full Integrated Writing task questions with a Magoosh TOEFL subscription.

Hello Lucas, I’m currently preparing for TOEFL and I’m right now only focussing on the speaking section since I have to get good score on that. I’m very excited about the test though I feel it’s relatively harder than IELTS. I have taken IELTS and I have 7 band score in that. Now comes the question that I have from you, so basically I haven’t taken a date yet and I’ll most probably give my TOEFL in December because I want to be fully prepared and I want to do it in one go. I’m making smart strategies that works for me but still I feel I lack that confidence of talking to a machine (considering I like talking to a person more) I need you to provide me with some very common topics if you have any so I can constantly practice my speaking.

I’d suggest you read over our resources TOEFL Speaking Topics and TOEFL Speaking TIPS and PDF , which includes where to find practice questions and resources.

Happy studying! 😀

How can write complete essay in 30 min! It is very difficult

It definitely is difficult, Raed. Writing is one of the biggest challenges for many test-takers, but the writing section can be beat. One key skill is prewriting. You’ll want to get very comfortable with organizing your ideas and making outlines, so that you can do it quickly. And you’ll want to do some revision to organizaiton even while you write. (I’ve posted some additional thoughts on that here .

It also helps to strategize ways to minimize word count.Remember, ETS’s recommended length for Writing Task 1 (Integrated) is only 150 to 225 words. And their suggested length for Task 2 is 300 words. That’s really not that much. But the trick is learning to express your ideas within that word count, without having to revise and edit out extra stuff that you wrote.

In a nutshell, you’ll master the tricky skill of writing an essay in just 30 minutes if you can do the following:

1) Do all major prewriting in just the first few minutes. 2) Fall within the recommended word count on the first try, with no revisions. 3) Be able to edit for content as you write and shortly after you write.

I’ve been praticing TOEFL writing for a few weeks and had a native speaker review my essays for me. My reviewer’s pointed out a problem among my Independent essays which is that I don’t really choose a side sometimes on certain topics. For example, when I was asked to agree or disagree with the statement that “It is better to have broad knowledge of many academic subjects than to specialize in one specific subject”, I argued that diversification in knowledge and specialization in knowledge are simply different, sometimes overlapping, approaches to acquiring knowledge instead of being a rival to each other. My reviewer said he agrees with my essay, but he could only give me a C in regard to the criteria of the test since I didn’t really write in favor of a given side.

So my question is that: would it really harm my TOEFL writing score if I don’t choose a side, even when the essays are well reasoned and well organized?

Many thanks,

That is an excellent question, Lexi. It is definitely possible to get a good score by writing an essay in this way. Not choosing a side won’t automatically hurt your TOEFL score.

However, not choosing sides can still harm your TOEFL Writing score in another way. A more complicated opinion makes for a more complicated essay. And it’s harder to finish a more complicated essay– and do it truly well– in the time limit on the exam. Even if you can do a pretty good essay where you don’t take sides, a simpler essay where you do take sides can be written even more clearly and completely within the allotted time. Doing a simpler essay that focuses just on agreeing or disagreeing will leave you more time and energy to make good word choices, organize your ideas well, and check for mistakes at the end.

Of course, this may mean that you’ll need to write an opinion that isn’t truly yours. But as long as you’re comfortable doing that, taking a side is the best path to the highest score possible in TOEFL Independent Writing.

Aslam o alikum i just wanted to know how we can say specific sentences? what is specific sentences mean? and what is the different between specific and general sentences?

“Specific reasons and examples” (as they are described in TOEFL Writing topics) are pieces of evidence that reference unique ideas and evidence. Suppose, for example, that you answered this quesiton (seen in the post above): “It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer”

If you support the plan, you don’t want your evidence for why you support a shopping center to be too general. A very general support might be “I think this would be good for the neighborhood’s economy.” This is too general, because the statement doesn’t include the reasons why the shopping center would boost the economy. So if you make a general statement like this in your written response, you need to follow it up with more specific statements such as “The shopping center will require a lot of workers, and people in my neighborhood can get jobs and spend more money in the neighborhood.” This is a specific reason. You could follow that sentence up with “For example, the shopping center’s food court will probably have a lot of jobs that younger people can qualify for.” This is a specific example.

Thank you very much for all those useful informations! I have one question according to choise of words. Is it better to choose simple words or very professional words? Such as organization VS company, harm VS Damage etc…

On the TOEFL Writing section, more “formal” academic words can help boost your score. But what’s most important is vocabulary variety— little repetition of words, and word choices that are creative and appropriate to meaning and tone.

is it important to go through each and every part of grammar so as to excel in toefl writing.

Yes and no. You should certainly have good general grammar skill, and a fluency with all the most important parts of English grammar. But the TOEFL only takes away points for grammar mistakes if the mistakes are frequent and interfere with the reader’s ability to understand your writing.

hello there.in case i was faced with a topic im not familiar with or got nothing to say about,,how am i supposed to react???

This is a common problem on TOEFL Independent tasks. Our blog has already touched on this problem a little with TOEFL Independent Speaking rather than TOEFL Independent Writing. In general, the trick to doing well when you get an unfamiliar TOEFL Independent topic is learning how to think fast and have enough to say.

To build this skill, you need to practice going with the first idea that pops into your head when you’re presented with an unfamiliar subject. If you have no opinions or experiences of your own, you also need to get good at making stuff up— yes, it’s OK to lie on the TOEFL !

Above all, you should practice with as many TOEFL Independent Writing topics as you can. You don’t necessarily need to write out a full essay for every Independent Writing questions you look at. But you should be able to brainstorm ideas and come up with an outline for any topic, even an unfamiliar one. A good resource for drilling yourself in this skill is this list of 155 TOEFL Independent Writing topics . Go through that list, and selectively look for topics where you feel like you have nothing to say. Then, through practice, learn to think quickly and say something.

Hi! Would it be advisable to put titles in the essays? Since it s answering to a given question, I would feel it s needed, is.it? Tks a lot.

No, you definitely don’t need to add a title to your TOEFL essay. It’s not a requirement in the official TOEFL Writing rubrics . In addition, if your title is misspelled or confusing, that might actually hurt your score.

So I would avoid adding a title, to make a long story short. 🙂

My problem with independent writing that a lot of times my essays are very short because I am not too familiar with certain topics. For example – DO you think video games are beneficial or harmful to children. Explain your opinion/reasons. I personally have very minimal experience with video games, not too familiar with them. I never thought too much about this issue and as a result I do not have too much too say. How you would recommend to deal with a topic that is not very familiar to you, or if you do not have any particular opinion about? Thank you

When you say short, how long do you mean? The independent task really only needs to be ~300 words to be scored well. In any case, you can flesh out your points by adding examples or hypothetical situations to follow up your points. You can also imagine a counterpoint and refute it, giving your argument more length. 🙂

there are many templates explaining how to write independent writing in IBT but I find less examples or templates for first writing which related to passage and lecture , can you please provide some more information at this point as well?

Examples for TOEFL Writing Task 1 (Integrated) are less common because they’re a lot harder to make. And I should know, because I made a Writing Task one sample prompt and answer for this blog. 🙂

Here is the sample TOEFL Integrated Writing Task , along with its corresponding TOEFL Writing Task 1 sample response .

In addition to this, you can find more free, full TOEFL Integrated Writing sample tasks by using ETS TOEFL Quick Prep , as well as Magoosh’s additional unofficial audio for TOEFL Quick Prep Volume 1 and TOEFL Quick Prep Volume 2 .

Hi, is it possible that i can come up with a 3-5 polished paragraphs with in 20 minutes? Including the preparation and organization of thoughts? Because i am doubting myself, do you have any suggestions that i could do? Thanks!

Hi Wesselmie,

I know it sounds difficult, but it is absolutely possible to improve your writing and craft a strong essay in 20 minutes! The best thing you can do to improve is to write as much as possible. You should be writing in English every single day–this will allow you to build your writing skills and confidence so that the essay becomes easier 😀

If you want to practice writing in English, it helps to have material to respond to. So why not get reading or listening practice at the same time?

This blog pos t has some great resources to use for listening or reading practice that’s similar to TOEFL material.

After listening to a presentation in English or reading an article from an English news site, summarize it in writing. Summarizing is an incredibly important skill for the TOEFL. Try to write as much as possible, and be very careful to use your own words. DO NOT COPY ANYTHING from the original text or presentation—instead, use synonyms and different sentence structures to convey the same information. Ideally, after reading or listening, you won’t go back to the material at all. Instead, you will only write what you remember (taking notes is a good idea!).

And you can go beyond just summarizing! Write reaction paragraphs, too. Act like you are writing back to the author or speaker with your opinion on the topic, although you are not really talking to them.

When you finish writing a response, save it for later. You should always come back to your writing a week later (or more), and edit it. Be very careful with the grammar when you edit, and add extra sentences that you need to make it clearer. Then, if you have the time, it can be a great help to write the same response (or essay) again a second time, with all of your edits in mind. 🙂

And check our the entire writing section of our blog for more tips and ideas for how to improve!

Hello, Can you please help me with some useful tips on all the four sections of toefl.. Now it is just a weeks’ time for my examination and i am not understanding what to excatly focus on and put my efforts into.

I am using magoosh for my prepartion, of vocabulary, speaking, listening to audios & watching videos..

Thank you..

I recommend that you check out our 2 week TOEFL Study Schedule. You may not have time to complete all of it, but it will give you a good idea of what you should focus on in your last week. I recommend that you take a practice test, analyze your answers and performance, and then do some targeted review to ensure that you have a basic understanding of the methods and strategy for each section of the test. Good luck!

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TOEFL iBT ®  Test

The premier test of academic English communication

Learn more by selecting any step in your TOEFL iBT ®  journey.

TOEFL iBT Test Writing Section

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

There are two writing tasks.

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

You'll type your responses on a computer keyboard.

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

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

Practice Your Writing Skills

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

Writing videos

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

Question 1: Integrated Writing

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

View Transcript

Question 2: Writing for an Academic Discussion

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

Do you need to be an expert on the topics?

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

Free High-Quality TOEFL Lessons

80 TOEFL Writing Topics

The 80 TOEFL writing topics on this web page focus on the most common question types found on the writing section of the TOEFL exam: agree/disagree, multiple choice, preference, and good idea.

“Ready to excel in TOEFL Writing? Dive into our free Online Discussion practice tests. Elevate your skills and conquer the exam. Follow the link for the latest updated July 2023 version of the TOEFL iBT!”

Agree/Disagree TOEFL Writing Topics (Most Common)

• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be given a modest weekly allowance for doing household chores .  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Video games are great ways to help children learn creativity . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Completing writing projects are more beneficial for students than taking multiple-choice exams . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Consumers should be forced to buy electric-powered vehicles . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students should be given more options to learn in groups . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should consult with their parents when they are choosing a major in college . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Remote learning using techologies such as Zoom is just as effectice as in-person classroom learning . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who toss trash out their car windows should be fined at least $500 . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be encouraged to play sports such as soccer and basketball. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children between the ages of 5 and 18 should not be allowed to listen to sexually explicit songs. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Following China’s policy that originated in the 1970’s, families worldwide should only have one child per couple to prevent overpopulation. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Football involves too much physical contact and should be banned .  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? English grammar is one of the easiest language systems to learn . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When looking for a spouse, a person should date several people at the same time. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Middle class and rich citizens should pay at least 30% of their income to federal and state taxes so that governments can use this money to help the poor. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  Consulting tutors when students are having dfficulty with course content will help them to succeed academically. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All households should be required to conserve by using 30% less water each month. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  All children should be required to get vacccinations from illnesses such as measles, small pox, coronavirus, and polio. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A diet with little or no meat is the most healthy . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should have part time jobs while attending high school . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is always good for people to have a hobby outside of work interests . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Not everyone will succeed in life on their first try. However, they should not give up. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Good listeners are much better friends that good conversationalists. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Eating 3-5 smaller meals daily is much better for the digestive system rather than eating 1-2 large meals. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All children and able-bodied adults should exercise 45 minutes daily at least five times per week. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The current accepted work week is 40 hours a week, but it should be reduced to only 30 hours. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Companies that sell junk food and sugary drinks should be prohibited from advertising their products on television. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who are arrested for selling drugs should not be imprisoned. Instead, they should be rehabilitated. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Employees should change jobs frequently in order to gain more experience . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? At Christmas and at birthdays, it is always better to give than it is to receive . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

Mutiple-Choice Style TOEFL Writing Topics (Less common)

31. Which of the following employee attributes are most important?

• Workers should be able to get along well with others.
• Workers who are honest will make the most contributions.
• Workers need to always show up on time and should never leave early.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

32. Which of the following are most important  when choosing a house?

• Close to where you work
• Near where your children attend school
• In a safe neighborhood away from the city

33. Which of the following is most important when deciding on a university?

• An international reputation for research and teaching
• A reasonably priced institution that will not indebt its study body
• One which is located near a pristine beach

34. Which of the following is most important for someone suffering from depression?

• Having an affectionate pet such as a dog or cat
• Being able to interact with friends and family members regularly
• Having accurately prescribed medication to treat the mental illness

35. Which of the following is the most important part in maintaining an orderly society?

• A robust police department which builds relationships of trust with the public
• Having well-funded educational systems with trained and knowledgeable teachers
• Creating an environment in which churches have well-attended services

36.  Which of the following is most important in having an environmentally-friendly city?

• A city with a public transportation system so extensive that private cars are not needed
• A city which requires all residences to use solar power for at least 80% of their energy needs
• City whose residences are required to recycle at least 50% of all water used.

37. Which of the following is the most healthy part of a person’s lifestyle?

• Continuous cardiovascular exercise for 45 minutes daily 5 days a week
• Eating an adundance of fresh vegetables and fruits
• Getting 8-9 hours of deep sleep nightly

38. Who would you most likely fire if you were the CEO of a large company?

• An employee who often arrives late
• Someone who argues a lot with other co-workers
• A worker who doesn’t commplete his job tasks competently

39. You just received an inheritance of more than 50 million dollars, and you MUST donate 1/2 of the money to one of the following:

• An elementary or high school

Which organization would you donate the money to? Why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

40. You are going into the wilderness for two weeks. Which three objects would you bring with you?

• Matches, pocket knife, and a hat
• Sunglasses, poncho (rainsuit), and 1/2 pound of dried meat
• A compass, a shovel, and 2 liters of water

41. Which of the following measures would make a city safer?

• Hiring more police officers and getting them properly trained to serve the public
• Increasing the number of rehab facilities to help people quit using illegal drugs
• Improving educational facilties to prevent children from dropping out of school

42. Which of the following forms of social media are most harmful to children?

43. Which of the following is the most beneficial form of exercise for adults?

• Long-distance running

44. Which politican would you most likely vote for?

• A candidate who will make it a priority to help the poor
• One who lowers taxes and deregulates small businesses
• A politician who promises to serve only one term in government

45. Which of the following animals would win in a fierce fight?

• A 1000 kg Salt Water Crocodile
• A 1,500 kg African hippopatamus
• A 227 kg Siberian Tiger

46. Which of the following jobs appeal to you the most?

• A doctor who cures infectitious diseases
• A lawyer who represents the rights of the underpriveleged
• An engineer who designs bridges and skyscrapers

47. Which of the following will allure more tourists to a city?

• A mega-entertainment center such as Disneyworld
• An abundance of trails and paved paths for bikers, runners, and walkers
• Huge shopping complexes offering discounts on 100’s of items

48. If the death penalty were allowed in your country, which method of execution should be implemented?

• Lethal injection
• A firing squad
• The electric chair

49. Which strategy is most effective when you have a lot of homework assignments?

• Completing the assignments with other members from the class
• Setting aside two hour blocks daily to tackle all the assignments alone
• To prioritize by completing the most difficult assignments to the least difficult ones

50. Which of the following events would cause the most harm to our planet?

• An eruption from a super volcanoe
• Impact from an asteriod which is at least 10 km in diameter
• A full-scale nuclear exchange of weapons involving the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea

Preference Style (Less common)

51. Computers are becoming more and more acceptable as tools that educators are using in classrooms. Some believe that this type of technology is useful for student learning. Others, on the other hand, believe that computers are not a required part of student learning. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

52.  Some believe that food is becoming more and more scarce. Therefore, international laws should be passed that limit couples to having only one child. Others, on the other hand, believe that there will always be plenty of food for the world’s population. As a result, no laws are needed to restrict wordwide population growth. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

53. Some believe that all types of plastic should be banned since much of this material ends up polluting our oceans. Others, on the other hand, believe plastic should not be banned since it is an essential material. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

54. Some believe consumers should have vegetarian diets. Others, on the other hand, believe that these people should also eat meat in addition to healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

55. Some believe that success mostly depends on how hard someone works to achieve his goals. Others, on the other hand, believe that luck plays an important role in whether or not someone succeeds in life. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

56. Some believe that it is proper etiquette to kiss someone on a first date. Others, on the other hand, believe that a couple should not kiss the first time that they go out together. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

57. Some believe that licensed doctors should recommed herbal treatments for their patients. Others, on the other hand, believe that doctors should only be allowed to prescribe medication that has been approved by a governmental organization such as the Federal Drug Association. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

58. Some believe children should be given household chores appropriate to their age. For example, a 10-year old child could be given a chore of emptying the garbage on a daily basis. Others, on the other hand, believe children should not be given any chores so long as they spend enough time doing their homework assignments after coming home from school. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

59. Some believe that elementary and high schools should separate the genders. For instance, only boys study at some schools, whereas girls study at other schools. Others, on the other hand, believe the boys and girls should be allowed to study in the same classrooms at the same schools. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

60. Some believe that people should not marry outside of their culture and language. They believe that marriage is already difficult enough, and mixing cultures will only complicate matters further. Others, on the other hand, believe love matters more than a culture or language when it comes marriage. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

61. Some believe electric cars are viable alternatives to fossil-fuel vehicles. Others, on the other hand, believe fossil-fuel cars will always be superior in their quality and durable compared to electric cars. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

62. Some believe that action movies are the best movies to watch after a hard day’s work. Others, on the other hand, believe that they can relax more effectively by watching comedy movies. Which type of movie do you prefer? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

63. Some believe that politicians should only serve one term in office. Limiting how long politicians serve, they believe, will minimize corruption and conflicts of interest. Others, on the other hand, believe that politicians will more effectively serve their districts if they serve more than one term. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

64. Some believe that people should not be allowed to fart in public places since the offensive odor can really annoy others. Others, on the other hand, believe that there is no harm farting in public, even if people fart loudly. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

65. Some believe that goverments should allocate more money for space exploration. According to them, space exploration can lead to new discoveries and cures for infectitious diseases. Others, on the other hand, believe that govermments should reserve more money in their budgets for basic needs on Earth such as poverty, education, and healthcare. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

66. Some believe children should not be allowed to watch television since it has no educational value. Others, on the other hand, believe that television has educational value, so children should be able to watch it. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

67. Some believe human activities have caused irreversible effects of climate change. According to them, unless humans change their behaviors, the Earth could suffer an extinction level event for most animal and plant life. Others, on the other hand, believe that natural factors have had more of an effect on our climate. According to this belief, there is nothing that humans can do to alter this naturally occurring cycle that the Earth is going through. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

68. Some believe that cats make great pets by bringing comfort, compassion, and unconditional love to their owners. Others, on the other hand, believe that dogs make better pets than cats. Which pet do you think brings more satisfaction to their owners? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

69. Some believe that it is better to rent a home rather than buy one. Others, on the other hand, believe that buying a home represents a much better investment. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

70. Some important guests are coming to visit you. To get ready, some believe that the first thing to be cleaned should be the interior and exterior windows. Others, on the other hand, believe the guest bathroom and living room should be the first areas of the home to be cleaned. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

Good Idea (Less common)

71. Some schools do not allow high school students to bring their smartphones to class. They believe that students will excel academically and socially without relying on these popular gadgets. Do you think that it is a good idea? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

72. Some assert that children should be limited to one hour of electronics daily because the types of gadgets can harm children’s development. Do you think that it is a good idea to restrict how much time children spend on their electronics? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

73. Some say that all citizens of a country should be required to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus.  They believe that making everyone get vaccinated will help society to develop herd immunity, which will effectively end the pandemic. Do you think that everyone should be required to get vacccinated? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

74. Some educators believe that children should read about 45 minutes every day?  They believe that this type of extensive reading will help children to mature academically. Do you think that extensive reading is a good idea for children? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

75. Some believe that outdoor and indoor smoking should be banned everywhere. They believe that the secondhand smoke from cigarettes creates a health hazard. Do you think that it is a good idea to prohibit smoking? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

76. Some believe that countries worldwide should be forced to reduce their fossil fuel consumption by at least 20%. They believe that reducing fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas will counteract the dangerous effects of climate change. Do you think that it is a good idea for countries to limit their fossil-fuel consumption? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

77. Some say workers should have the same political views of the instutions for which they work.  For example, if the instution such as a school district supports the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, then educators under this organization should also support the BLM. If they do not, then they should be fired or forced to resign. Do you think it is a good idea for organizatons to fire employees who have opposing political views? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

78. Some administrators and teachers say children should be punished by being paddled with a wooden board.  They believe that this type of corporal punishment will curb undesirable behaviors. Do you think that it is a good idea to paddle children when they act out? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

79. Some say drugs such as marijuana, herione, and cocaine should be legalized. They believe that legalizing these drugs will significantly reduce crime. Do you think that it is a good idea to legalize drugs? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

80. To reduce fossil fuel consumption, some say governments should prohibit families from purchasing more than one automobile. They believe that if families have only one vehicle they will drive fewer miles, thereby slowing the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Do you think that it is a good idea? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

While you practice writing responses to these 80 TOEFL writing topics, consider joining my TOEFL Speaking and Writing Feedback Service . That way you can get estimated TOEFL writing scores every time you complete a practice test.

TOEFL Speaking Boot Camp Course: CLICK HERE

May the next TOEFFL exam you take be your last!

Michael Buckhoff ,  [email protected]

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8 TOEFL essay topics to prepare for the TOEFL exam

Worried about your performance in the toefl writing section follow the instructions, tips, and methods in this blog, and practice on one of the 10 toefl essay topics to nail your exam., table of contents, what is the toefl writing section, 5 authentic tips on how to ace the toefl independent writing question.

• Sample TOEFL essay topics 

Part 2: The Integrated Writing task

How to nail the toefl integrated writing question, any last-minute tips.

A lot of students find the Reading, Listening, and Speaking sections of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam fairly easy. It’s the TOEFL Writing section that gives everybody a run for the woods. To reduce your nervousness and help you prepare for the TOEFL Writing section, I have included in-depth details about each question and shared tips on how to nail it. Along with that, you will also find 8 TOEFL essay topics to help you get started. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in!

The fourth and the last section of the TOEFL exam, the Writing Section measures your ability to write in English at a university level. Its aim is to test how you structure your thoughts and see if you can present them clearly (without any grammatical mistakes).

The Writing Section of TOEFL takes 50 minutes to complete and comprises of 2 questions-

• Independent Writing task, which takes 30 minutes
• Integrated Writing task, which takes 20 minutes

While the Independent task tests your ability to organize your thoughts and express them, the Integrated task focuses on how well you can use English in class.

Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Part 1: The Independent Writing task

For this task, you will be asked a question on a personal topic or an issue. Depending on what the question is, you will either have to share a personal experience or give your opinion on the topic. In case it’s an issue-based topic, you will also have to give reasons and examples that support your opinion.

The question you will get will fall into one of these three broad categories-

• Agree or Disagree – pick one side on the issue and provide arguments that support it
• Explain both sides – talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both the sides of an issue, express your opinion, and support it with arguments
• Pick from many opinions – choose one answer from several possible ones and share examples that support your opinion

The first two appear more commonly in exams than the third.

But no matter what the question or the question type, I have a one-stop solution for you (so excited to share this)!

1) Let’s dive straight into it – the first thing you need to do is structure your essay. And this is something you can (and should) do even before the exam begins.

2) Choose to have a limited number of paras. Start by stating the topic and your opinion, use the second and the third paragraphs to support your opinion with 2 strong points. Use examples to support these points if needed.

3) In the fourth paragraph, acknowledge that your opinion is not perfect (because it’s an opinion and not fact) and talk about the strengths of the opinion you did not pick.

4) Use the fifth paragraph to say that even though the other side has its own advantages, you prefer yours. This is a good place to add a third point in favor of your own argument.

5) Conclude with the sixth paragraph by tying up everything you have said so far and restate your opinion.

There! The perfect structure to nail your TOEFL Independent Writing task.

A few things to keep in mind-

• Do not limit your essay to 300 words, try to reach 600-700 words if possible
• Spend the first 2 minutes to come up with 3 strong points to support your argument
• In case you don’t get enough time, skip the suggestion for the third paragraph and save yourself a few minutes
• Finish writing your essay in 25 minutes and spend the last 5 minutes checking for any grammatical errors

Sample TOEFL essay topics  

Now that you know how to go about the Independent Writing task and have also looked at a sample answer, it’s time to practice with some TOEFL Writing samples!

I’m sharing a few TOEFL essay topics given by ETS (the official TOEFL test-takers) for you to choose from-

• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When people succeed, it is entirely because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with their success. Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Human activity is making the earth a worse place to live. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• When you face a difficult problem in life, what do you feel is the best way to solve it? -asking someone with more experience for advice about the problem  -finding information about the problem using the Internet  -taking a long time to think about the problem Use specific details and examples in your answer.  Do not use memorized examples. 
• Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
• It is important to improve our skills and knowledge as much as possible. Some people prefer to learn from individuals who have more experience than they do – like teachers and supervisors – instead of learning from peers, like their colleagues and classmates.  Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?
• Television advertising directed toward young children (aged two to five) should not be allowed.  
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘A teacher’s ability to relate well with students is more important than excellent knowledge of the subject being taught.’ Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 

For this task, you will have to read a short passage, listen to a 2-minute lecture about the same topic, and write a response to what you read and listened to.

The question tests your listening, reading, and writing chops and evaluates how you would do in a real classroom. So, answer it in a way that includes the content of both the passage and the audio recording.

Here, you do not need to provide an opinion. You just have to summarize what you learned from the essay and the recording. And while you will have the passage in front of you as you write the answer, you will not be able to listen to the audio recording again. But this should not affect you in any way. Let’s see why.

The ideal way to solve this problem is to take notes. Start by reading the passage, slowly. Since it’s a short passage, the amount of time allotted will be more than enough. As you read each para, write down one sentence (of 4-5 words) describing what you learned from that paragraph. Do this for the entire passage.

When you’re listening to the audio, again make notes. Write down the primary points leading the argument in the recording.

When it’s time to start writing, take a few seconds. Collate all your points and structure your answer.

Split it into 4 paragraphs. Use the first para to state the topic, and the second one to talk about what the passage states. In the third paragraph, use points from the audio recording. And conclude with a sentence or two in the fourth para.

That’s it – you’ll have close to 250 to 300 words and you’ll have presented a clear, concise answer!

• Find what works for you – writing more notes, or less
• To save time while making notes, don’t write sentences but one-worded points
• Finish writing your essay in 15 minutes and spend the last 5 minutes checking for any grammatical errors

Integrated Writing TOEFL essay topics

Here are TOEFL essay topics I borrowed from ETS, the official TOEFL test-takers-

Give yourself 3 minutes to read the passage.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

In an effort to encourage ecologically sustainable forestry practices, an international organization started issuing certifications to wood companies that meet high ecological standards by conserving resources and recycling materials. Companies that receive this certification can attract customers by advertising their products as “ecocertified.” Around the world, many wood companies have adopted new, ecologically friendly practices in order to receive ecocertification. However, it is unlikely that wood companies in the United States will do the same, for several reasons.

First, American consumers are exposed to so much advertising that they would not value or even pay attention to the ecocertification label. Because so many mediocre products are labeled “new” or “improved,” American consumers do not place much trust in advertising claims in general.

Second, ecocertified wood will be more expensive than uncertified wood because in order to earn ecocertification, a wood company must pay to have its business examined by a certification agency. This additional cost gets passed on to consumers. American consumers tend to be strongly motivated by price, and therefore they are likely to choose cheaper uncertified wood products. Accordingly, American wood companies will prefer to keep their prices low rather than obtain ecocertification.

Third, although some people claim that it always makes good business sense for American companies to keep up with the developments in the rest of the world, this argument is not convincing. Pursuing certification would make sense for American wood companies only if they marketed most of their products abroad. But that is not the caseAmerican wood businesses sell most of their products in the United States, catering to a very large customer base that is satisfied with the merchandise.

Read the transcript.

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

Professor Well, despite what many people say, there’s good reason to think that many American wood companies will eventually seek ecocertification for their wood products. First off, consumers in the United States don’t treat all advertising the same. They distinguish between advertising claims that companies make about their own products and claims made by independent certification agencies. Americans have a lot of confidence in independent consumer agencies. Thus, ecologically minded Americans are likely to react very favorably to wood products ecologically certified by an independent organization with an international reputation for trustworthiness.

Second pointof course it’s true that American consumers care a lot about pricewho doesn’t? But studies of how consumers make decisions show that price alone determines consumers’ decisions only when the price of one competing product is much higher or lower than another. When the price difference between two products is smallsay, less than five percent, as is the case with certified wood Americans often do choose on factors other than price. And Americans are becoming increasingly convinced of the value of preserving and protecting the environment.

And third, U.S. wood companies should definitely pay attention to what’s going on in the wood business internationally, not because of foreign consumers, but because of foreign competition. As I just told you, there’s a good chance that many American consumers will be interested in ecocertified products. And guess what, if American companies are slow capturing those customers, you can be sure that foreign companies will soon start crowding into the American market, offering ecocertified wood that domestic companies don’t.

Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response is judged on the quality of the writing and on how well it presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words. You may view the reading passage while you respond.

Response time: 20 minutes

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

Yes, just two-

• Remember that there’s no spell-checking tool that will help you during the test. So, when you’re practicing and preparing for the writing section, disable Grammarly or the spell-check tool in Word (depending on where you’re practicing).
• Don’t lose your cool. If you see a question that might be difficult to answer or notice a grammatical error just as the timer is going off, don’t panic. Take a deep breath, rethink your writing plan, and get back to the test. Worrying won’t help.

A bonus tip is this – practice, practice, practice. It will help you stay prepared for whatever question may come your way.

And if you need any help, you know where to find me! Drop a comment and let me know what I can do to help with your TOEFL essay topics. I would be more than happy to help.

All the best for your exam!

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3 thoughts on “8 toefl essay topics to prepare for the toefl exam”, see what others are saying.

Nice article. Very helpful for students who are preparing for TOEFL . Good work. Keep it up.

Nice article, this will help test takers a lot, keep it up

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TOEFL Sample Essays

• Updated on  
• Jul 14, 2023

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

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

This Blog Includes:

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

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

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

Recommended Read: TOEFL Registration

TOEFL Writing Task 1- TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

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

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

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

Were Dinosaurs Endotherms?

Reading passage: .

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

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

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

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

Life on Mars 

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

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

Listening: 

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

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

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

TOEFL Writing Task 2- TOEFL Writing on Academic Discussion

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

Also Read: TOEFL Sample Test

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also Read: TOEFL Preparation Tips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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• Essay Examples

Toefl Essay Topics

All of the topics we’ll list out in this article are included in the Official Guide to the TOEFL (fourth edition). The Official Guide to the TOEFL is a book that enjoys a distinguished reputation. In our opinion, anyone who wants to take this exam should get their hands on it! That said, take a look at our list of questions for the TOEFL.

• Question no. 1 In our modern society, due to the overwhelming utilization of the internet, it is much easier for us to acquire information in comparison to the previous generations. In which way does this expand the accessibility of data? How does this impact our everyday existence?
• Question no. 2 A large number of students feel more excited about classes in which they can openly talk to the teacher, and the lectures are at a minimum. On the other hand, some students believe that a class that includes more lectures and less open discussions is a better idea. In your opinion, which of the two alternatives is the best? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 3 Take a look at the following assertion: Research is better conducted by utilizing printed sources, like publications or articles, rather than internet websites. Do you approve or disapprove of such judgment? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 4 Take a look at the following assertion: grades urge students to study. Do you approve or disapprove of this? To advocate your point of view, make use of precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 5 The individuals who live in our proximity are referred to as neighbors. From your perspective, what are the traits that define a good neighbor? When providing your response, utilize precise details and instances.
• Question no. 6 Do you believe that people who reside in North America have become too reliant on cars for locomotion?
• Question no. 7 Imagine that you have the possibility of staying abroad of your own choice for a period of 2 weeks. Which foreign state would you prefer traveling to? To justify your option, offer precise motivations and details.
• Question no. 8 While some individuals prefer traveling with other people, others enjoy traveling by themselves. Into which category do you fall? To justify your option, make use of precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 9 Think of the following situation: A firm needs to choose between spending a certain amount of money on supporting artists and allocating those funds to environmental protection. In your opinion, which of the two alternatives should the firm opt for? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 10 What is your strategy when it comes to fixing issues? In what way does this accomplish the desired results? To substantiate your answer, utilize precise details.
• Question no. 11 Make a comparison and pinpoint the similarities and differences between your lifestyle and that of your parents. In your opinion, which of the two lifestyles would be more gratifying for the generations to come?
• Question no. 12 As a rule, nowadays humans have lengthier lives. Talk about the factors that generate this phenomenon. When drafting your paper, utilize precise motivations and details.
• Question no. 13 Some people prefer spending their money on things they like right after they receive it, while others think it’s a better idea to save it for the future. In your opinion, which of the two is the best approach? To substantiate your perspective, utilize particular motivations and details.
• Question no. 14 Individuals become college or university students due to a lot of distinct motives (for instance, to experience new things, to train for a career or to gain new skills). In your opinion, what is the reason for which individuals become students?
• Question no. 15 In what way are one's actions shaped by films or TV shows? To substantiate your response, utilize motivations and precise instances.
• Question no. 16 What significant aspect regarding your hometown would you like to change, provided that you had that possibility? To substantiate your response, make use of motivations and precise instances.
• Question no. 17 Ponder on the following assertion: The popularization of television is responsible for ruining communication between people. Do you approve or disapprove of such judgment? To substantiate your perspective, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 18 While some individuals wish to reside in a tiny settlement, others enjoy big city life the most. Into which category do you fall? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and details.
• Question no. 19 Take a look at the following statement: Humans can only be successful as a result of hard work. Success cannot be achieved by luck. Do you approve or disapprove of this idea? To justify your standpoint, make use of precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 20 Take a look at the following assertion: Colleges ought to allocate the same percentage of their funds to sports activities as they grant their college libraries. Do you approve or disapprove of the statement? To substantiate your viewpoint, utilize precise motivations and examples.
• Question no. 21 A lot of individuals go to museums every time they find themselves in new locations. In your opinion, what are the reasons why people like museums? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 22 Do you approve or do you disapprove of the following statement? It is preferable to raise kids in a village, rather than in a large urban area. When drafting your paper, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 23 A large number of individuals think that our endeavors are destroying our planet. On the other hand, others believe that our endeavors are on the whole beneficial to our planet. Which of the two standpoints do you embrace? To substantiate your response, make use of particular motivations and instances.
• Question no. 24 People usually get jobs because they require money to sustain themselves. Can you identify other motives for which individuals get jobs? Talk about one or more of these motives. To substantiate your response, utilize precise instances and details.
• Question no. 25 People engage in a lot of distinct actions to preserve their health. What actions do you undertake to stay healthy? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 26 Imagine the following scenario: you have recently found out that a big mall may be constructed in your district. Do you approve of this project or do you not? Explain why, and utilize precise motivations and details to substantiate your response.
• Question no. 27 While some students find it better to study with other people, others are more productive when they study by themselves. Which of the two perspectives do you adopt? To justify your response, use precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 28 While some individuals enjoy dining out at restaurants or fast food joints, others feel better when they cook and eat their own meals at home. Which of the two categories do you fall under? To substantiate your response, utilize precise motivations and instances.
• Question no. 29 While some individuals think that class attendance ought to be mandatory for college students, others share the belief that it ought to be facultative. Which of the two viewpoints do you embrace? To justify your response, utilize precise motivations and details.
• Question no. 30 A large number of individuals believe that studying is best done alone as opposed to having a professor. On the other hand, other people think that studying with a professor is a much better idea. Which of the two points of view do you agree with? When drafting your paper, make use of precise motivations.
• Question no. 31 In your opinion, which would be some of the most significant traits that a good overseer (employer) should have? To justify the significance of these traits, utilize precise details and instances.
• Question no. 32 As a rule, humans enjoy longer lives nowadays. Talk about the reasons behind this. Utilize particular motivations and details in your paper (second version).
• Question no. 33 When we get a job, we inevitably need to collaborate with a lot of distinct types of individuals. From your point of view, what are the most significant traits a work colleague (a person you collaborate closely with) should possess? To justify the significance of these traits, use motivations and precise instances.
• Question no. 34 Take a look at the following assertion: In two decades, people will own a smaller number of vehicles than they do today. Do you approve or disapprove of this opinion?
• Question no. 35 Take a look at the following assertion: nowadays humans tend to spend more time on entertaining themselves rather than doing what needs to be done. Do you approve or disapprove of this statement?
• Question no. 36 Take a look at the following assertion: Life nowadays is considerably simpler and more pleasant in comparison to the lives our grandparents had when they were young. Do you approve or disapprove of this statement?
• Question no. 37 Take a look at the following assertion: We can draw more valuable lessons from individuals who are at a superior level compared to us (such as professors) than from our peers. Do you approve or disapprove of this statement?
• Question no. 38 Take a look at the following assertion: One should never adopt a significant measure by themselves. Do you approve or disapprove of this opinion?
• Question no. 39 Consider the following situation: you have recently found out that a new restaurant may be constructed somewhere in your area. Do you approve or disapprove of this? Explain your viewpoint and utilize precise motivations and details to substantiate your response.
• Question no. 40 Take a look at the following assertion: In some situations, it is preferable to lie. Do you approve or disapprove of this statement? To substantiate your response, use precise motivations and details.

• Narrative Essay Topics
• 117 Great Persuasive Essay Topics for High School Level Students
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Test Resources

TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

Sample ielts essays and questions (2022 edition), about these ielts   writing samples.

On the TOEFL test, you’ll get a Task Two writing question based on one of the following question styles:

• Agree/Disagree
• Advantages & Disadvantages
• Cause/Problem & Solution

This page will (slowly) collect samples of each type.

Sample IELTS Essays

Agree/disagree style .

It is beneficial for people to spend at least part of their life residing in country where they must speak a foreign language. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Friends have more impact on the academic performance of students than their teachers do. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?