toefl essay questions pdf

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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.

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

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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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Registration is now open for our best TOEFL course . We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your TOEFL score by 15 points or more.

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

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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 PDF

The Writing section is the last section you’ll face on the TOEFL. By the time you get to the essay portion, you’ll already have spent a couple of hours at the test center, and you’ll have completed the Reading, Listening, and Speaking sections. Understandably, you might be tired and losing your focus. So, how can you make sure you do as well as possible on your TOEFL essays? By being prepared, of course! That’s where this free resource comes in.

In this PDF , you’ll find in-depth information about the Writing section, including:

• the topics you’ll write about
• the differences between the 2 essays
• how to structure your essays (outline included!)
• how to brainstorm effective examples to support your opinions
• pacing strategies so you finish in time
• English grammar tips to help you write at an advanced level
• the most common writing difficulties

View or download the PDF here!

How to use this pdf.

This PDF can be used just like you would any book (or eBook, to be more accurate). 🙂 You can download it and print it out, or save it to your computer / phone / tablet, or read it online. For the most comprehensive help, try to read the book in order. But, if you’re short on time, you can use the links in the table of contents to skip to individual sections.

Once you’ve read through the entire document, we’d suggest checking out our TOEFL practice PDF to put your new skills to the test. And if you want the most complete guidance, including 500+ practice questions (each with an explanation video) and 150 video lessons, Magoosh TOEFL can help !

Happy studying, everyone!

Rachel helps eager students find out about Magoosh. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a super helpful double major in History and French. In her free time she can be found eating peanut butter, drinking five cups of tea per day, and playing with cats.

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Complete Practice Test for the TOEFL® Test

Complete Practice Test for the TOEFL Test (PDF Included)

Free practice test for the toefl (pdf).

Ready to download the PDF version of your complete TOEFL sample test?

Well here it is: Complete Practice Test #10 so you can know what to expect on test day.

Or are you looking for Practice Questions for the TOEFL Reading ? Well, we have 100 of those for free right here. 100 Practice Questions for the TOEFL Reading Section

G etting a complete TOEFL practice test is only half the battle. You also need to learn the structure of the test and how to study effectively. 

By the end of this short article, you will be able to distinguish the difference between the Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing sections of the TOEFL . You will also discover  five TOEFL study tips to help organize your study schedule and improve your TOEFL score.

Here is the TOEFL Exam structure and some helpful tips:

• The TOEFL Structure

The TOEFL Reading Section

The toefl listening section, the toefl speaking section, the toefl writing section.

• Five tips to improve your TOEFL Score
• Tip #1:  Get used to the clock
• Tip #2:  Type without spellcheck
• Tip #3:  Take notes like a TOEFL pro
• Tip #4:  Study like an American!
• Tip #5:  Prepare for a noisy TOEFL iBT Test

The TOEFL Exam Structure

The first part of the exam is the TOEFL Reading section. As of the latest TOEFL update on July 26, 2023, there are two academic passages of approximately 700 words each. The subjects will consist of texts found in a typical university textbook. Following each passage are ten questions about the reading passage. You will have 36 minutes to read the two passages and answer the 20 questions in total.

There are ten types of questions in the Reading section of the TOEFL. The frequency of each question type varies. Here is a helpful chart of the question types with examples of the question phrasing.

For more information about the TOEFL Reading section, check out this post   by Professional ESL Test Prep 

After the Reading section, you will have to complete the Listening section, which will take about 36 minutes . The Listening section is divided into two identical parts. In each part, you will have three listening passages: one conversation between a student and campus employee and two academic lectures. The conversations last 2-4 minutes, and the academic lectures are approximately five minutes each.

You will be asked five questions after the conversation, ten in total, and six questions after each of the four academic lectures, 24 in total. The question types, like in the Reading section, vary. This chart explains the question types, with examples of phrasing, and the frequency of the question type:

Curious what these conversations and lectures sound like? Exam English provides some audio samples here .

There used to be a 10-minute break during the TOEFL test but not anymore. As of July 26, 2023, the TOEFL test was shortened to take just two hours to complete, and the break time was retired.

After the listening comes the TOEFL Speaking section. The structure of this section is different from the reading and listening. In the speaking section, you will encounter four questions. The first is an independent question, and the next three are integrated questions. Let’s take a closer look at each since they all follow a different structure.

The first question is usually a paired-choice question, which means you must decide between two choices. For example:

“Do you agree or disagree: all high school students should wear school uniforms.”

The questions range in subject matter, so there is no way to prepare a specific answer before the exam. You might be asked a question about business, travel, education, family, friendship, and so on. After the question is asked, you will be given 15 seconds to prepare a response and 45 seconds to speak.

Question two is the first of three integrated speaking questions. This is probably the easiest of all the integrated speaking questions.

First, you will read a short announcement about a new rule or policy on campus. Like question two, question three will begin with a short reading passage.

In task four, you are expected to listen to an academic topic for two to three minutes and then report on the information you heard. You will be given 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. In your response, you must be able to identify the topic of the lecture and the most important details.

Here you can find some TOEFL Speaking topics for the independent speaking task with sample answers .

Finally, you have arrived at the last section, the TOEFL Writing section. The Writing section lasts about 30 minutes. Here, you will be expected to write an essay in response to two separate writing tasks.

The first is an integrated writing task, and the second is called Writing for an Academic Discussion. The integrated writing is almost identical to question #4 in the TOEFL Speaking section. You will read a passage, listen to a lecture, and then write about the two.

The last question on the exam was introduced on July 26, 2023, Writing for an Academic Discussion. You will be asked to contribute to an online discussion where a professor will pose a question, and two students offer their opinions. You will be expected to write at least 100 words that contribute to the discussion. Check out an example below:

Here is a breakdown of the tasks and the time allocations for the TOEFL Writing section:

Looking for more information on the Writing section? Check out this link from the ETS website .

Hi Josh, I took my TOEFL 10 days ago, and my score was 86: reading 24, listening 20, speaking 22, and writing 20. I want to take the next TOEFL in 1.5 months, and I want above 100.

So, how should I plan for preparation?

Hi Kinjal, Thanks for your question. There is no perfect way to study for the test. The best advice I can offer is to take practice tests, try to pinpoint the areas where you are weakest, and then focus your efforts on those specific questions. If you have any questions about specific parts of the test, please let me know

Hi Josh, I am taking my TOEFL exam in 3 days time and I have done all the free practice papers from #8 to #13. Do you have any more free model paper, especially for 2024 toefl ibt standards Thank you

Hi there, John, and thank you for your comment. If you do not wish to pay, I suggest trying one of the free practice tests again to remind yourself of what you learned, especially if you only have a few days until your test. If you would like more practice, you would have to enroll in one of our paid services, like the Score Builder Program or the TOEFL Practice Test package.

Happy to hear you found our resources helpful and good luck with your exam.

I am about to write my essay for a CSC scholarship, I don’t have the TOEFL, what is your advice?

The best thing would be to take the test or a practice test to get an idea of your level and where you need to improve. If you have a more specific question, I am happy to answer it.

Hi to everyone! Taking TOEFL tomorrow, from September 2022, I started preparing for TOEFL about 2-3 hours per week, and the last two weeks were saturated. However, I do not feel super ready and know why, but I am feeling anxious. How can I relax a little and calm down?

The best thing to do the night before the test is to not study, instead get a good night’s sleep and eat a big breakfast in the morning. Remember it is ok to feel anxious, but know that you can still feel that way and get a good score.

Hi Josh. I took a TOEFL exam last week, and I got a 72 score. However, my listening and reading were the worst, like 14 reading and 18 listening section. I need some advice for improving because after two weeks, again I will take an exam and I need at least 85. Additionally, I wanna add that I am a foreign student, and I only worked a month for getting this score.

I would be happy to offer some suggestions. First, when it comes to listening unless you have a very high degree of fluency, it might be worth trying a couple of practice tests without taking any notes. This is because when you write notes, you are using half your attention to write and the other half to listen. Sometimes this means you only write down half of what you need and other times you miss important information because you are busy writing. It may be you do better by only listening. This is not a perfect solution as you will likely get some detail questions wrong. However, many of my students who were scoring below a 20, found that no notes were a little easier.

As for reading, without meeting you, I really can’t tell you what the exact issue is. However, I can suggest that you not to try read everything. Learn how to scan for keywords and avoid reading large blocks of text as this will drain your time. I would really recommend taking one of our reading classes so we can show you strategies specific to each question type. For now, here are some tips you can use right away. 🙂

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

Hello Josh My question is, what tips and tricks will you give me about the listening and writing sections? Thank you in advance

I would be happy to help. For the listening, I would try doing practice tests both with and without notes to see which style is better. Notes can be helpful, but if you are more of an audio learner you might want to put your energy into just listening to make sure you get the most crucial information. With regard to writing, it is hard to give specific advice without knowing what your current level of writing is. A couple of things to keep in mind: the writing section will change in July and become, I think, a little easier. The independent question is being replaced with another task, so if you can wait until July, it might be worth it. We will be publishing more about the changing of the writing section as we get closer to July.

As far as the integrated essay, here are some helpful tips. You can also find a guide for TOEFL Writing® 24+ in the Free TOEFL PDF resources section in your profile.

https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/taking-notes-for-the-listening-section-of-the-toefl-test/

Hello Josh, I am an international pharmacist, and I need to take the license here in the state; I did the Toefl exam once last month, and my scores are 10,11,14,23 for reading, listening, writing and speaking. Obviously, my score is very low, and I am very stressed about it. I don’t have much time, but I need to pass the TOEFL with 21, 22, 24, 26. What do you advise me to do?

Thank you for your question. Obviously, we want you to get your target as soon as possible. It’s hard for us to know why your scores are lower than what you need since we haven’t met you. The scores you need reflect a student who is basically fluent in English. The scores you have earned so far suggest that perhaps your level is more intermediate and you may prefer to study core English skills such as general reading and listening comprehension before trying to take the TOEFL. Again, there could be many other reasons for these scores so you might want to get consider a 30-minute trial lesson with one of our teachers.

Hi Josh, one of my biggest struggles with TOEFL is how I go over the time frame for nearly every speaking question I have done. For the first question, I keep going around and around on one idea (I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself!), and the timer beeps as I began talking about the next idea. And for the next three, I spend too much time in the introduction (the problem and the definitions) and end up running out of time for the explanations. I know in theory what to do, but I think it’s just a built-in habit for me. Would you give me some suggestions, please? Thank you.

Hi there Nara and thank you for taking the time to leave this comment. Clearly, you know a lot about this test and have an advanced level of English, you just need to learn how to fit it into a TOEFL Speaking question response. Well, it seems like you need someone to help guide you and give specific feedback while you are speaking. In other words, you need someone to be there to help you break the habit. So, at this point, since you know about the test, how to practice how to strategize, and how to answer, I believe you now need to talk to someone who can provide you with feedback, practice, and a schedule designed around your specific needs. If you are nervous about the idea, you can try a trial lesson at this link – https://tstprep.com/toefl-store/toefl-trial-lesson/ – Hope that helps.

Hi, I want to take some help. I am planning to taking the Tofel score about 5 month and I want more than 80 score. As well as I am not good at reading very well, sometime I taking 20 out of 30 and sometimes 25 out of 30 and sometime 15 or 13 out 30. I do not know why this is happening to me, even though I practicing more and more. Do you have any advise! If you have thanks.

Hi Rezwan and thank you for the question. It sounds like you need to focus on building your vocabulary for the reading section. The more you understand, the better you will be able to answer the questions. The best way to do this is through reading a lot. In general, I actually recommend reading things you enjoy and studying flashcards with some difficult vocabulary. This will help expose you to more vocabulary. Spend about 25-50% of your time on TOEFL-related content and the rest on the material you enjoy along with some flashcards. I hope that helps!

I want to pass the TOEFL test successfully

Hi Hamid, that’s great. Do you have a specific question that I can try and answer for you?

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If you are a complete TOEFL beginner, this is your first stop! Here you will find answers to the 15 most common questions about the test. You can even have a look at a practice test. Let us help you on your way to getting your score as quickly and easily as possible!

Ten Awesome Tips for the Reading Section of the TOEFL® Test

The TOEFL Reading contains 10 different types of questions, each with their own point value and strategy. Some questions are straightforward, while others have answers designed to trick you. This short article will give you the skills to identify the question type and find the answer by systematically eliminating the wrong choices. It’s the perfect guide to help you study smarter and read better.

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Top 10 TOEFL 2024 Writing Tips to Ace the Exam

TOEFL Writing Tips: The TOEFL Writing Section checks the capability of a candidate in the English language in an academic setup. It is part of the TOEFL exam which is co-related with the other segments including reading and speaking. However, effective and regular practice is the main key of the writing section and you have to be more conscious during the examination. The TOEFL Writing Section consists of two tasks which you have to complete within 50 minutes. In the first task or the integrated writing task, you need to read a short passage and listen to a short lecture on which you have to write your response. In the second task or the Independent writing task, you have to write the answer essay based on personal experience.

In this article, we are going to discuss the TOEFL Writing Section Tips in detail.

Table of Content

Structure of the TOEFL Writing Section 2024

Integrated writing task, independent writing task, 10 important toefl writing tips 2024, read articles and summarise in english, listen to lectures in english and take notes, focus on the source of information, practice to deliver grammatically correct sentence, avoid quoting, incorporate enough transitional words, make an outline, establish a clear opinion and stand by it, add conclusion sentences in each body paragraph, do not forget to edit, toefl writing tips 2024- faqs, how is the toefl writing section, what is the format for toefl writing, what is the structure of the toefl writing answer, how to structure your toefl independent writing task essay, what is a good toefl writing score, how to score 30 in toefl writing.

Test of English as a Foreign Language or the TOEFL writing section consists of two different types of writing. The candidates who want to score maximum in the TOEFL writing section must prepare themselves strategically. But before preparing for the examination you need to know the structure of the segment in detail as mentioned below.

The TOEFL writing section consists of two different tasks including the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task.

In the Integrated Writing Task, you have to read a passage related to an academic article or a lecture and listen to a conversation on the same topic. After that, you need to write an essay summarizing the major points of the script and audio by highlighting their relation.

In the Independent Writing Task, you will be given a specific prompt or some questions. You need to write an essay by expressing your personal opinion on that particular topic. It is necessary to provide the reasons and different examples in support of your viewpoint.

Each task has its time limit. In general, you need to complete the Integrated Writing Task in 20 minutes and you will get 30 minutes for the Independent Writing Task. In total, you will get 50 minutes to complete the whole segment.

The examiner of the writing task will evaluate your answers by considering some major facts including:

• Clarity of the Idea.
• Appropriate vocabulary.
• Appropriate grammar.
• Structure of the essay.

TOEFL Writing Section marks or points will help your university to understand the capabilities of your English writing in an academic setting. Here are some major tips as mentioned below.

To start preparing for the TOEFL writing section, you need to build a habit of reading the different types of academic articles. It is important to study them in their native language and try to summarise them in English. Here are some tips to perform the same.

• Take notes in your language and convert them into the English language too.
• Write the summary in the form of points in the English language.
• Take help from your teachers in the review process of the writing to fix the errors.
• Track the time you have taken to write the answer. It is much more important as you will get only 50 minutes to complete your writing tasks.

For the TOEFL Integrated Writing Section, you will get only 3 minutes to read the content and 2 minutes to listen to the audio. After that, you have to write your answer in 20 minutes. Candidates need to listen to that audio node very carefully as it establishes the connection with the script. Here are some steps you may follow.

• Listen to the recorded lectures in English online.
• Pause the recording in every 20-30 seconds to write down the major points.
• Replay the recorded lectures to tally the audio data with the script. Include all the important points at this time.
• The small note must be elaborated in the long form of sentences in the final script or your final answer.

During the preparation of the TOEFL writing test, you must learn to figure out the information source during the time of reading and listening process. It also includes the writing source as well. You may follow the steps mentioned below.

• You must have the ability to identify the speaker.
• Note that if the speaker is narrating about something or someone else.
• Be careful with the information where the speaker use ‘might be’ and ‘is’.

Make it a habit to Deliver Grammatically Correct sentences at the time of the TOEFL writing. You need to have a comprehensive knowledge of the grammar during the writing exam. Here are some steps to Deliver Grammatically Correct Sentences as mentioned below.

• You can list down different concepts of grammar or focus on one section each week.
• When you are attempting the grammar-based questions, you need to practice more and more.
• You need to memorize the appropriate words and the correct grammatical sentences during the creation of the summary of the recorded lectures.

In the Integrated writing task of the TOEFL, it is recommended to write the author’s or the professor’s point of view in their own words and for this, you can also follow some steps as mentioned below.

• Do not quote any author. If the e-rater section detects such type of activity, your score may be decreased.
• You need to have a good skill in paraphrasing.

Transitional words are a crucial part of the integrated writing segment of the TOEFL writing. To develop a good piece of writing, it is recommended to learn to use transitional words between the differing or contrasting ideas in your writing. For these cases, you need to have enough knowledge about the transitional words and how to use them properly. Here are some tips for you as mentioned below.

• You must know about the transitional words and when and where you can use them.
• You must have a strong base of vocabulary of the transitional words to elaborate, contrast, define the cause and effect, and write a summary.

In the second part of the writing in the TOEFL writing segment i.e. in the independent writing task, candidate have to write an essay based on their personal experiences. They have to show their positive or negative opinion on the particular topic. You need to create a well-structured and coherent piece of response by following the steps mentioned below.

• You need to read the essay questions.
• You have to identify the main point of the essay.
• Write two strong points to justify your logic.
• You need to provide a valid argument based on your personal experiences and thoughts.

The independent writing test of the test asks for a clear view of the given topic from the candidate. These answers may vary from person to person. So it is important to follow the right approach. Candidates may follow the same as mentioned below.

• You have to have a clear view about your opinion which will establish the writing.
• If you do not include the opinion in one paragraph, you need to include it in the second paragraph and justify it properly.

It is important to provide a conclusion at the end of your answer. You need to practice it because it is mandatory for the TOEFL writing. It helps the reader or examiner to connect the whole writing with the argument. To do it, you can follow the strategies mentioned below.

• You need to write the essay and check the writing with a proper conclusion.
• You need to keep tracking the whole instances and if you miss any, you can accommodate them in conclusion. But do not take the rest as it may decrease the score.

Editing is a crucial task for the TOEFL writing test. Surely if you follow the above-mentioned steps, you will be able to write a good piece of writing but you have to be extra careful while you are self-assessing your writing. Here are some steps as mentioned below.

• Do not take the help of any spellcheckers as in the actual exam you will not get that.
• Find out the spelling and grammatical errors manually.
• Also, check the spacing and punctuation in your article.

Here are some common mistakes generally found in the TOEFL Writing Section:

• Spelling errors
• Capitalization and spacing mistakes
• Problematic introduction sentence
• Personal areas of weakness
• Proper verb tense

The TOEFL Writing Section consists of two tasks which you have to complete within 50 minutes. In the first task or the integrated writing task, you need to read a short passage and listen to a short lecture on which you have to write your response. It is part of the TOEFL exam which is co-related with the other segments including reading and speaking. The TOEFL writing section consists of two different tasks including the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task. The candidates who want to score maximum in the TOEFL writing section must prepare themselves strategically. Here we have discussed the different aspects and tips related to the TOEFL Writing Section in detail which will help you a lot.

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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.

Ideally, a good scoring integrated TOEFL writing section template contains four paragraphs, one introduction paragraph and three body paragraphs. Here there is no need to incorporate a conclusion. However, if one wants to write it anyway, it should not exceed the two to three sentences limit.

The TOEFL suggests an Independent Writing that is 300-325 words, but we recommend writing 350 to 400 words.

The best structure for the Independent Writing Task is to write four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Each of the two writing tasks on the iBT is scored between 0 and 5, then the combined score is adjusted to a 0 to 30 scale overall. A TOEFL writing score of 24 or higher is considered a good score.

Think of a synonym that you can spell correctly. If you are unsure about the grammar structure in your sentence, don’t use it. Think of a simpler way to say what you want with fewer clauses. Too many students think that they should use big complex sentence patterns on the TOEFL, but it is easy to lose points this way.

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