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

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

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

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

TOEFL writing practice questions - integrated writing Task

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TOEFL writing practice questions - academic discussion Task

writing Mock Test 37 - 48

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Table Of Contents

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

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

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

Writing Task	Details
Integrated Writing Task	You are given 3 minutes to read an academic passage. After reading the passage, you then listen to a lecture on the same topic. You then write an essay summarizing the lecture and the reading passage and showing the relationship between them. You should not express your own opinion of the issues and you should not bring in any information form outside the passage and the lecture.
Academic Discussion Writing Task	You read a prompt (a topic) and express your opinions in your response. Your response is based entirely on your own knowledge and experience.

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

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

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

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

In this task, taking good notes is critical.

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

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

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

Here is the breakdown of your essay structure:

• Introduction

The introductory paragraph should contain the following:

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

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

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

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Scenario 1 - Contradiction

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

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

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Template: Scenario 1 - Contradiction

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Scenario 2 - Supporting with Examples

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

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

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Agree or Disagree

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Support or Oppose

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Preference

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: If / Imaginary

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Description or Explanation

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task Type: Compare and Contrast

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

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

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

Here are examples of the first variation:

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

Here are examples of the second variation:

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

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

Introductory paragraph	Gives an overview of comparison and your personal opinion if the question asks you.	Gives an overview of advantage and disadvantage and your personal opinion if the question asks you.
Body paragraph A	Compare and contrast both two subject in one aspect.	Discuss the advantage of the subject.
Body paragraph B	Compare and contrast both two subject in another aspect.	Discuss the disadvantage of the subject.
Conclusion paragraph	Give a summary of comparisons between two opinions and restate your personal opinion if the question asks you.	Summarize the advantage and disadvantage, and include a reinstatement of your personal opinion if the question asks you.

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

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

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

TOEFL Academic Discussion Essay Structure

Introduction	The introductory paragraph contains and . includes your main opinion on the essay topic and a preview of your key points which you will be developing in the body paragraphs. We’ll cover how to write an introductory paragraph in another lesson.
Body A Body B Body C	Each body paragraph is used to explain one key point you introduced in the introduction paragraph. Generally speaking, a high scoring essay has 3 body paragraphs, but if you find yourself running out of time, you can just write 2. After you complete your body paragraphs, it’ll be time to write your conclusion. We’ll cover how to write a body paragraph in another lesson.
Introduction	The conclusion paragraph summarize each of your key points. It contains a restatement of the thesis statement you wrote in your introduction and a brief summary of your main ideas. We’ll cover how to write a conclusion paragraph in another lesson.

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

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

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

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

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

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

How is the TOEFL Writing Section Scored?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Prepare for the TOEFL Writing Test

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

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

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

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Sample Essays for the Writing Section of the TOEFL® Test

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

Did you hear about the updated TOEFL iBT Writing section?

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

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

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

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

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

Integrated Writing: Task Breakdown
	The writing section instructions will be read aloud. You can skip this introduction.
	You will be given an academic passage to read. This passage will contain between 250-300 words. When the clock starts, you will have three minutes to read the passage. After that, the passage disappears and an audio lecture starts. However, the reading passage will return when it's time to write.
	A lecture that addresses the content of the reading will start to play. The lecture will last for two to three minutes.
	After the passage finishes, you will be asked a question. The question is almost always something like:
	The clock starts. You will have approximately 20 minutes to write an essay of at least 250 words. You must answer the question and report on the most important points from both the reading and listening.

Simple, right?

No? Still confused.

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

Let’s do one together.

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

Give yourself three minutes to read it:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stop reading.

Start writing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Looking for more example essays?

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

Too complicated? Don’t worry.

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

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

Writing for an Academic Discussion Question

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

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

Here’s the breakdown:

Writing for an Academic Discussion Time Management
	Scan the discussion and plan
	Write your response
	Edit your response

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

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

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

Aim to write at least 120 words.

Get peace of mind with these TOEFL Writing Templates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

.

BASIC TEMPLATE: QUESTION 2 (Writing for an Academic Discussion)
opinion on the topic		, globalization is a positive force in the world today.
		is that when nations interact together, it leads to less suffering. , people who suffer from natural catastrophes can import goods and services to help mitigate their losses and recover quickly. Citizens of nations who may be going through war or famine can flee to neighboring countries for shelter.
	I totally agree with _____ point about ____, and I would like to add _______.	Alex's cultural homogenization, . Much of the food found in grocery stores around the world is imported. Our very diet is due to the international trade partnerships and alliances forged over the last half of the 20th century.
		it is crucial to maintain our current global policies for a safer world with a higher standard of living.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other articles

Ten Awsome Tips for the Writing Section of the TOEFL Test

100 Free Questions for the Listening Section of the TOEFL Test

Check other articles on TOEFL

113 Comments

Hello, Josh. Firstly, thanks for the useful tips. I wonder if I can get a point if I don’t understand the lecture but write everything about reading. Should every idea in the passage and audio be matched?

Hi Ella, Thanks for your question. In general, the listening points should correspond with the reading. This is because the listening usually argues the opposite points.

Hi, Josh. I have a question about copying and pasting in TOEFL writing. I heard some TOEFL teachers say it should be avoided because ETS will consider it a potential form of plagiarism in future academic study.

Could you please provide some suggestions in terms of this issue? Is it ok to copy and paste, since it saves a lot of time in writing, especially on the test day. Thank you!

Great question. The copy-and-paste feature will not work at the test center, and I do not believe it works on the Home Edition either. Regardless, copying and pasting or manually copying the exact words should be avoided. You are always better off putting the answer into your own words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi there Ashina, and thank you for your question.

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

HOW TO DO A PASSAGE

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

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

2. Check your answers

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

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

TIME MANAGEMENT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Best TOEFL Writing Practice: 300+ Topics to Study With

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

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

Overview of TOEFL Writing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Best TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

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

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

Official Prep Materials

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

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

TOEFL iBT Sampler

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

TOEFL iBT Sample Questions

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

TOEFL iBT Quick Prep

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

TOEFL Practice Online (TPO) Tests

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

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

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

Official TOEFL Prep Books

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

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

Unofficial Prep Materials

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

English Club

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

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

Good Luck TOEFL

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

Beat the Test

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

Unofficial Prep Books

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

Other TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

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

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

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

Free Writing

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

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

How to Get the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

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

Practice Writing in English Regularly

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

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

Make Use of Official Materials

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

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

Time Yourself When Writing Practice Essays

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

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

Review Your Practice Essays

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

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

Conclusion: Getting the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

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

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

What's Next?

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

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

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

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

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• Free Sample TOEFL Essays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Studying toefl abroad, 4. attitude, test anxiety.

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TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

13 toefl writing topics to help you practice for the exam.

 On the TOEFL Writing section, you’ll be expected to plan and write two essays. But what are those supposed to be about? What types of TOEFL Writing topics will you see?

In order to be well prepared and confident on test day, you’ll need thorough understanding of the types of TOEFL essay topics you could see on the exam.  This guide gives in-depth explanations of every type of TOEFL Writing topic you might see, how to approach different types of prompts, and what your essays are expected to include. We end with a set of 13 unique sample essay prompts, including both TOEFL Independent Writing prompts and Integrated Writing prompts so that you can prepare with high-quality practice problems.

An Introduction to the TOEFL Writing Topics

The TOEFL Writing section is 50 minutes long and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. It’s the fourth and final section of the exam. After this you’re done! You’ll type both essays on the computer, but you can use scratch paper to jot down notes and plan out your essays.

In the next two sections, we’ll explain the format of the two Writing tasks and give an official sample question, along with an analysis of the common types of topics and strategies for doing well on each task.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

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 will listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers.  You’ll need to write an essay that references both of these sources in order to answer the question. You won’t discuss your own opinion for this essay.

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.

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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• Writing Time: 20 minutes
• Suggested Essay Length: 150-225 words

Official Integrated Writing Prompt Sample

Reading Time: 3 minutes

In an effort to encourage ecologically sustainable forestry practices, an international organization started issuing certificates 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.” 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 labelled as “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 this is not the case– American wood businesses sell most of their products in the United States, catering to a very large customer base that is satisfied with the merchandise.

Directions: Below is 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 point–of course it’s true that American consumers care a lot about price– who 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 the two products is small–say, 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, US 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 at 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.

Directions: Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response is judged on the quality of the writing and 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

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

What to Expect From TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

The written passage and audio recording can be on pretty much any subject, but the good news is that all the prompts for the Integrated Writing Task are pretty similar. They usually ask you to summarize the points made in the lecture and compare/contrast them to points made in the reading passage.

You won’t be discussing your own opinion during this essay, instead you’ll be taking information from both the lecture and reading and analyzing it.

How to Approach the Integrated Writing Task

Before you even begin the essay, you should take good notes on the key points of the reading passage and the audio clip. Your notes should be especially good for the audio clip since you won’t be able to hear it again. Using your notes as reference, your essay should recap each of the main points made in the audio clip. For each point you should clearly describe how it contrasts with or challenges points from the reading passage.

Also, remember to use specific examples to strengthen your essay. Refer back to your notes and the reading passage if need be.  However, don’t just copy portions of the audio clip or passage into your essay; that doesn’t show your English skills. Always rewrite the main ideas in your own words. Again, remember that you shouldn’t be including your own opinion in this essay. Stick only to what the reading passage and audio clip cover.

TOEFL Independent Writing Topics

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll receive a question on a particular topic or issue. You’ll need to write a response to that topic that explains your opinion, and you’ll also need to give reasons and examples that support your opinion.

• Writing Time: 30 minutes
• Suggested Essay Length: At least 300 words

Official Independent Writing Prompt Sample

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

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

Television advertising directed toward young children (aged two to five) should not be allowed.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

What to Expect From TOEFL Independent Writing Topics

TOEFL Independent Writing topics generally fit into one of three categories. There are example problems for each of these categories in the next section.

Type 1: Agree or Disagree

This is the most common prompt type for the Independent Writing Task, and the sample question above is an example of it. For this type of prompt, you’ll be presented with two sides of an argument. You’ll need to pick one side and give specific reasons and examples that support your opinion.

Type 2: Explain Both Sides

This is similar to the first type of prompt, except you’ll be discussing both sides, rather than choosing one you think is best.  Many times these types of prompts will ask you to compare the advantages and disadvantages of an issue and give examples to support your statements.

If the sample question above followed this type of format, the prompt would be something like this: “Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of allowing television advertising to be directed toward young children (aged two to five). Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

Type 3: Pick a Stance From Many Options

This category is rarer, but you still may see it on TOEFL Writing. The TOEFL Independent Writing topics give   you a broad topic with many possible opinions and ask for your stance on it.

If the sample question followed this type of format, the prompt would be similar to: “Which age group do you believe the majority of television advertising should be directed towards? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

How to Approach the Independent Writing Task

Depending on the type of prompt you receive, you’ll either choose an opinion (from two options or many options) or explain both sides of an issue. For this essay, each paragraph should be devoted to making one main point, and each point should be supported with specific reasons and examples to back it up. If you’re being asked to describe your opinion, make it clear within the first paragraph of your essay. There should be no doubt as to how you feel about the topic.

Also, even though ETS states that a 300-word essay is the “recommended minimum” length for this task, don’t feel like you need to write hundreds of words after you reach the 300 mark in order to get a high score. Longer isn’t always better. It’s very possible (and common) for Independent Writing essays that are only 300 words or slightly longer to receive high scores.

Sample TOEFL Writing Topics

Completing practice essays and becoming more familiar with the types of questions you could be asked is a key part of preparing for TOEFL Writing. There numerous practice TOEFL questions available , but you’ll likely want more to practice with.

To help you out, we’ve come up with 13  practice TOEFL Writing topics for both the Integrated and Independent Writing Tasks.  Remember that on the real exam the conversations for the Integrated Writing Tasks would be audio recordings that you’d be listening to as opposed to reading.

TOEFL Independent Writing Topics

#1: agree or disagree prompt.

• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When people solve problems as a group, they come up with better solutions that if they were to try to solve the problem individually. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All children should be required to take a foreign language class from the time they start school until they begin university. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Technology has made it easier for people to connect on a deeper level. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Some people believe school cafeterias should stop selling soft drinks and other high-sugar drinks, while others think students should have a choice in what they drink. Which option do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

#2: Explain Both Sides Prompt

• Some high school students are delaying college for a year in order to take a gap year where pursue other opportunities such as work or travel. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of gap years. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Compare the advantages and disadvantages of requiring college freshman to complete at least a year of college classes before selecting a major versus having them choose right away. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large city versus living in a small town. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Compare the advantages and disadvantages of studying on your own versus studying with a group of people. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

#3: Pick a Stance From Many Options

• Imagine that there is a large piece of vacant land in your town. What is the best way to make use of it? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• What do you believe is the most important problem facing the world today? Why is it the most important? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
• If you could learn one new skill you’ve never had the opportunity to try before, what skill would it be? Explain your choice by using specific reasons and examples.
• What are the main qualities of a good boss? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Topic

Directions: Read the following passage and the lecture that follows. On the real TOEFL, you’ll have three minutes to read the passage. Then, answer the question below.

Reading Passage

Driverless cars are increasingly being seen as the way of the future. They will eliminate many of the hassles and dangers associated with traditional driving and pave the way for this new technology to become commonplace.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of driverless cars is that they will drastically cut down on human error that results in millions of people being injured or killed every year in car accidents. Driverless cars won’t forget to notice a stop sign, get distracted while texting, not notice the car up ahead has slowed down, or any other of a myriad of driver errors that occur every day. Once driverless cars become commonplace on our roads, thousands of lives will be saved a year.

Another benefit is that driverless cars will cut down on driving time and make commutes shorter. Cars with automated driving will travel at a more consistent and efficient rate than cars with human drivers, who tend to use the brake and gas pedals more often than necessary. Driverless cars know the exact speed to go in order to get to the destination as quickly as possible, based on speed limits, traffic, and other conditions, and the more driverless cars there are on the road, the more travel time will be reduced.

Finally, driverless cars allow people who would normally be driving to focus their attention on a task that’s more interesting and important to them. They may choose to check their emails, get absorbed in an audiobook or podcast, or enjoy a snack, among other possibilities. Having a driverless car will help former drivers make better use of their time.

Lecture Transcript

Professor: Despite the recent attention this subject has gotten in the news and on social media, driverless cars are not the world-changing technology they are being advertised as. They have significant drawbacks, and even if those are ironed out, they will still not offer all the benefits that they are advertising. First and foremost, even if every car on the street became driverless, that does not mean automobile accidents would suddenly end. Automated driving technology, like all technology can and will fail at times. In fact, even though there are few driverless cars currently on the road, they have already been associated with multiple accidents, injuries, and deaths. Automated driving will always be an imperfect technology, and it will also lack the human mind’s ability to analyze a situation and make split-second decisions which are often necessary to avoid accidents.

Another falsehood is the belief that driverless cars will make commutes significantly shorter. Driverless cars may be able to reduce a lot of the speed up/hit the brakes patterns human drivers engage in, however, driverless cars cannot do anything to change speed limits, road conditions, traffic, or other factors that contribute to commute times. As such, any reductions in driving times will be small, at best.

And third, many people believe that, with driverless cars, drivers won’t need to pay attention to the road at all. They’ll be free to watch a movie or read a book while driving! However, this is completely false. The person sitting in the driver’s seat of an automated driving vehicle will still need to pay attention to the road at all times in order to be alert for any situations where they need to override the automated driving technology. This means that, not only will driverless cars mean drivers can do something else while in the car, they’ll have to suffer through the boredom of passively watching their car make all the decisions without taking their eyes off the road.

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Review: What Will You See on TOEFL Writing Topics?

Knowing what to expect from the TOEFL essay topics will go a long way towards helping you write high-scoring essays. There are two essays on this section, the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task. Integrated Writing topics provide you with an article to read and a lecture or conversation to listen to and then ask you to combine information from the two. TOEFL Independent Writing topics simply give you an idea or theory and ask for your perspective on it.

Completing practice essays will help you become better at understanding and answering TOEFL Writing topics. You should practice writing appropriately long responses that clearly outline your thoughts and support them with specific details.

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!

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.

Ready to improve your TOEFL score by 15 points?

Author: Christine Sarikas

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

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

TOEFL Writing Samples: Practice Essay Topic And Questions

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

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

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

What Are the Assessed Abilities in the TOEFL Writing Section

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

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

TOEFL Writing Samples: Examples of Topics and Texts

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

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

TOEFL Essay Sample 1 – Integrated Writing Question

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

Sample Text 1: Stonehenge – Glacial Erratics

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sample Text 2:

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

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

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

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

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

Sample Text 3:

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

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

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

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

TOEFL Essay Sample 2 – Independent Writing Question

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

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

Train to Ace Your TOEFL Test With the Help of GlobalExam

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

• Vocabulary review sheets ;
• Training exercises ;
• Mock exams ;
• Personal statistics to measure your progress.

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

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

Related articles

TOEFL Speaking Practice: Questions And Free Sample Tests

TOEFL Reading Practice Test: Sample Exercises With Questions

TOEFL Listening Practice: Sample Questions and Exercises

TOEFL Writing Task 1: The TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

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

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

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

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

Table of Contents

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

What should you expect from TOEFL Integrated Writing topics?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How should you structure your TOEFL Integrated Writing task?

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

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

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

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

B. Short description of the structure of the lecture

A. Paragraph on first point

1. Paraphrase the professor’s point

2. Contrast/compare with the reading

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

B. Paragraph on second point

C. Paragraph on third point

III. Conclusion

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

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

Dealing with an Extra Hard TOEFL Writing Task

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

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

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

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

Early detection of hard TOEFL Integrated Writing Topics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How this strategy can affect your score

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

A Free TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task Practice

Directions: Give yourself 3 minutes to read the passage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listen to the lecture here:

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

Ready for a Full Writing Test?

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

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

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

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task: Model Answer

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

Model level 5 TOEFL Integrated Writing answer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow-up TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello Rabia,

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

Have a great day, David

Still waiting for the example answer.

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

thanks for share.it helps me.

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

You’re welcome! 😀

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

how many words should this part have?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can you please rate this answer

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

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

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

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

Thank you so much!

Hi Sebastian,

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

I hope that helps! 🙂

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

Have a great week and thank you as usual!

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

Best of luck as you continue studying!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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TOEFL iBT ®

The premier test of academic English communication

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

TOEFL ® TestReady™

No other English language test provider has a prep offering like this — designed for you, with you. TOEFL ® TestReady ™ combines the best TOEFL iBT prep offerings with exclusive features and deeper insights to enhance your English communication skills. All feedback, recommendations, personalized insights and tips are developed by the same teams that write and produce the TOEFL iBT test.

Whether you’re just embarking on your TOEFL iBT journey or aiming to boost your scores, TOEFL TestReady can help you get further, faster, with tailored study solutions for your skill level and goals.

How to Prep for Success with TOEFL TestReady

Learn how to prep smarter and score higher with this comprehensive video overview.

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Your Free TOEFL TestReady Account

Create or log in to your free account now to get instant access to your personalized, one-stop prep portal and explore all of the benefits TOEFL TestReady has to offer.

What’s included?

Research shows that performance in TOEFL TestReady can help you accurately predict your score on test day. The better your performance in the portal, the more likely it is for you to achieve a higher TOEFL iBT score 1 .

Free Practice Test

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Republic of Korea: Visit  www.toefltpo.com  to purchase TPO products through our in-country provider. Only TPO Volume 31 can be purchased through TOEFL TestReady.

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• Writing: get specific feedback on grammar, usage, mechanics and more. Includes exemplars for comparison.

Sample the Section Practice content, for FREE, with practice items from each of the 4 skill sections.

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Guides & Books — New Editions Available!

The official guide to the toefl ibt ®  test.

This guide is a comprehensive, all-in-one reference to help you do your best on test day. It is available in eBook and paperback formats and includes:

• Four full-length practice tests

• Interactive digital versions of all four tests, accessible using a unique access code (PC and Mac® compatible)

• Hundreds of real past TOEFL iBT questions and essay topics

• Valuable tips and practice exercises for all four language skills tested — Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing

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Official TOEFL iBT ®  Tests, Volumes 1 & 2

Each volume gives you five full-length TOEFL iBT practice tests to help you prepare for test day. Available in paperback or eBook formats, these books are a perfect companion to the The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT® Test and includes:

• Five, full-length past TOEFL iBT tests

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• Online access to all Listening passages, with complete audio track transcripts

• Speaking and Writing rubrics (scoring guides) used by ETS raters.

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Learn about TOEFL iBT courses to help you prepare for your test.

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Feel confident on test day! The overwhelming majority of learners we surveyed reported that the new test prep offerings and features within TOEFL TestReady boosted their confidence, improved their skills and increased their readiness for the TOEFL iBT test 2 .

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1 Source: Statistics gathered from 765 users who also took the TOEFL iBT test (China, India, and the U.S.)

2 Source: Survey of 765 users across China, India and the U.S.

Test Resources

TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question Guide

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

Answer Template 1

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

Answer Template 2

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

Video Guide

(get a free evaluation in the video comments)