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TOEFL® Integrated Writing Practice 26

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You'll have 3 minutes to read a passage. After reading, you'll listen to a lecture regarding the same topic you just read. Finally, you'll have 20 minutes to write a response to a question that asks you about the relationship between the lecture you heard and the reading passage. Try to answer the question using information from the reading passage and the lecture.

Typically, an effective response will be 200 to 250 words.

We recommend you practice taking notes with a pen and paper like you will during your TOEFL exam.

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The post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, known as the Roman Empire, was characterized by a government headed by emperors and large territorial holding around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Roman Empire was the largest empire of the Classical Antiquity period, and one of the largest in world history covering 6.8 million square kilometers. It was also among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world holding sway over 21% of the world's entire population during that time period. The longevity and vast reach of the Empire provided a lasting influence of Latin and Greek language, culture, religion, inventions, architecture, philosophy, law, and government on future descendants. There are three reasons the Roman Empire became so powerful.

The first reason was their large armies that occupied the lands of other countries. These armies were made up of captives forced to serve in the army and by the professional soldiers of the Imperial Roman army. Professional soldiers volunteered for 20 years of active service followed by five years of reserve duty. This was a definite shift from the material of the former republic in which an army of conscripts exercised their responsibilities as citizen to protect their homeland in specific campaigns against specific threats, whereas Imperial Rome's army was a full-time career.

The second reason for the Roman Empire's rise to power was the power held by the monarchs. This state of the absolute monarchy began with Diocletian and endured until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. The authority of the emperor was based on the consolidation of several of the republican offices. The emperor had powers of inviolability of the tribunes of the people, authority of the censors to manipulate the hierarchy of Roman society, central religious authority as Pontifex Maximus, the right to declare war, ratify treaties, and negotiate with foreign leaders. These functions were clearly defined during the Principate, but over time the emperor's powers became less constitutional and more monarchical creating the dominate.

Finally, the high taxes placed on their empire helped to make the empire richer. The taxes an individual paid ranged from 2 to 5 percent of the gross product. The bewildering tax code involved a complicated system of direct and indirect taxes as well as taxes paid in cash and some paid in kind. The taxes might be specific to a province, property, or in effect for a limited time. The Roman Empire justified their tax collection as a necessary cost to maintain the military; however, taxpayers sometimes received a refund if the army obtained a surplus of booty. Less monetized areas that were unable to pay their taxes in cash were allowed to pay in-kind especially if they could supply grain of goods to the army camps.

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

Word Count: 0

Read a short passage

03:00
The post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, known as the Roman Empire, was characterized by a government headed by emperors and large territorial holding around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Roman Empire was the largest empire of the Classical Antiquity per...
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Listen to part of a lecture

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Key Words Found in this practice
Related Words

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SAMPLE TOEFL Writing Report

SAMPLE Score Summary
2.5 / 5
Task Fulfillment
Overall Organization
Relevance & Quality of Supporting Ideas
Grammatical Usage
Vocabulary Usage
Connections & Coherence
SAMPLE Grammar Corrections & Feedback
Correction Legend

Corrections in red
Academic language suggestion in blue

Detailed Feedback

Essay Grammar Corrections & Improvements
Several doubt about the accuracy of the memoir writting by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading but the professor clarify the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain that the Chevalier rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its assets to selling. Accordingly, to the professor, being low on cash fund is not same as being financially poors. However, in reading someone who borrowing large of amounts of money could not be wealth, therefore the Chevalier must have lied his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging by the professor as well. She explains that, due to habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing.

Finally, the professor refute the idea briber was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping from the prison was accurately recorded.
Several doubt doubts about the accuracy of the memoir writting written by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading reading, but the professor clarify clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain explains that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its his assets to selling. Accordingly, sell. According to the professor, being low on cash fund funds is not the same as being financially poors. poor. However, in reading the reading, someone who borrowing borrows large of amounts of money could not be wealth, wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging challenged by the professor as well. She explains that, due to the habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing. passed.

Finally, the professor refute refutes the idea briber that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point points out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping escape from the prison was accurately recorded.



Task Fulfillment


Relevance & Completeness of Information


Grammatical Usage


Vocabulary Usage


Connections & Coherence


Connection between Lecture & Reading


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doubt
Solution Explanation
doubts The correct form is 'doubts' because it is a plural noun in this context.

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writting
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written The correct past participle of 'write' is 'written'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
reading, A comma is needed after 'reading' to separate the two independent clauses.

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clarify
Solution Explanation
clarifies The third person singular form of the verb 'clarify' is 'clarifies'.

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explain
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explains The third person singular form of the verb 'explain' is 'explains'.

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was
Solution Explanation
was The verb 'was' is needed to indicate the past tense.

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the
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The article 'the' is not needed before 'Chevalier'.

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its
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his The correct possessive pronoun is 'his' as it refers to 'Chevalier'.

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selling. Accordingly,
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sell. According The correct verb form is 'sell'. Also, 'According' should start a new sentence.

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fund
Solution Explanation
funds The correct noun is 'funds'.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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poors.
Solution Explanation
poor. The correct adjective is 'poor'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
the reading, The article 'the' is needed before 'reading' and a comma is needed after it.

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borrowing
Solution Explanation
borrows The correct verb form is 'borrows'.

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of
Solution Explanation
The preposition 'of' is not needed in this context.

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wealth,
Solution Explanation
wealthy, The correct adjective is 'wealthy'.

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about
Solution Explanation
about The preposition 'about' is needed before 'his wealthy life'.

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regards
Solution Explanation
regarding The correct preposition is 'regarding'.

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challenging
Solution Explanation
challenged The correct past participle of 'challenge' is 'challenged'.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'professor'.

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passing.
Solution Explanation
passed. The correct past participle of 'pass' is 'passed'.

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refute
Solution Explanation
refutes The third person singular form of the verb 'refute' is 'refutes'.

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briber
Solution Explanation
that bribery The correct noun is 'bribery'.

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point
Solution Explanation
points The third person singular form of the verb 'point' is 'points'.

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prison
Solution Explanation
prison, A comma is needed after 'prison' to separate the two independent clauses.

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existences
Solution Explanation
existence The correct noun is 'existence'.

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escaping
Solution Explanation
escape The correct noun is 'escape'.

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accuracy
Solution Explanation
veracity The professor challenges the veracity of the memoir written by the Chevalier de Seingalt.

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written
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penned The professor clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir that he penned.

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clarifies
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elucidates The professor elucidates the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

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seeming
Solution Explanation
apparent The professor elucidates the apparent contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

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explains
Solution Explanation
clarifies The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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rich
Solution Explanation
wealthy The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was wealthy in assets, but poor in cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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poor in cash,
Solution Explanation
cash-poor, The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was wealthy in assets, but cash-poor, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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lived
Solution Explanation
resided The professor clarifies that the Chevalier resided in Switzerland while he had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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sell.
Solution Explanation
liquidate. The professor clarifies that the Chevalier had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to liquidate.

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funds
Solution Explanation
The professor clarifies that the Chevalier had to occasionally borrow while waiting for his assets to liquidate.

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the same as
Solution Explanation
synonymous with The professor explains that being low on cash funds is not synonymous with being financially poor.

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amounts
Solution Explanation
sums In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

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wealthy,
Solution Explanation
affluent, In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be affluent, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his affluent life in Switzerland.

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lied about
Solution Explanation
misrepresented In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be affluent, therefore the Chevalier must have misrepresented his affluent life in Switzerland.

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challenged
Solution Explanation
contested The professor contests the skepticism regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire.

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habit
Solution Explanation
practice The professor explains that it was the Chevalier's practice to record each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward.

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recording
Solution Explanation
documenting The professor explains that it was the Chevalier's practice to document each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward.

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passed.
Solution Explanation
elapsed. The professor explains that even after several years had elapsed, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail.

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refutes
Solution Explanation
disputes The professor disputes the idea that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison.

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idea
Solution Explanation
notion The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison.

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got out of
Solution Explanation
secured his release from The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier secured his release from prison.

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points out
Solution Explanation
highlights The professor highlights that even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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because
Solution Explanation
since The professor highlights that since even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how the Chevalier escaped.

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who had better
Solution Explanation
with superior The professor highlights that even the other prisoners with superior resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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very
Solution Explanation
highly The professor highlights that even the other prisoners with superior resources were highly unlikely to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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how he escaped. Also,
Solution Explanation
his method of escape. Additionally, The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier secured his release from prison. Additionally, she notes the existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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notes
Solution Explanation
cites The professor cites the existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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papers recording
Solution Explanation
documents noting The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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strong
Solution Explanation
compelling The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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recorded.
Solution Explanation
documented. The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately documented.
SAMPLE Criteria Score Reports

Task Fulfillment   5/5

fully addresses the task/question and is fully developed

Task Fulfillment is about how well you respond to the question you are given. TOEFL raters are looking for...

How to Improve

To achieve a high score on the Task Fulfillment criterion, you need to write...

  • ...
  • ...
  • ...
  • ...
  • ...

Overall Organization   4/5

is fairly well-organized, though there may be minor lack of unity in paragraphs includes an introduction and conclusion

Overall organization is about how you organize the ideas in your essay. This includes showing that you understand how to...

How to Improve

We suggest you study the organization of good paragraphs and essays, and spend time planning and thinking about how to...

Relevance & Quality of Supporting Ideas   3/5

may include a few ideas that are of minor relevance to the task/question has some good supporting ideas but may require more to fully support the writer's position

Relevance and quality of support is about your essay content or ideas. Your content should be related directly to...

How to Improve

An often, overlooked, yet important skill in TOEFL writing is how fast you can...

Step 1

Let your mind...

If you struggle..., you can...

Step 2

Whilst...

  • Does my...
  • Can I...
  • ...

Grammatical Usage   2/5

contains several noticeable problems with form and usage that interfere with meaning includes some variety of grammatical forms but still contains unnecessary repetition relies primarily on simple sentence forms (simple and

Grammatical usage is about how you...

How to Improve

The best way to improve your grammar in writing is to have a...

Another way to improve your grammar is to...

  • ...
  • ...
  • ...

Vocabulary Usage   1/5

includes mistakes with basic word form includes limited vocabulary, with repetition and reliance on vocabulary from the question prompt often uses inappropriate or incorrect words or wording

Vocabulary usage is about how you use English words. Raters are looking for writing that...

How to Improve

To improve your vocabulary in the Academic Discussion Writing task, we recommend you study...

Connections & Coherence   0/5

does not address the question at all or simply repeats words from the question prompt.

Coherence and connections are about how you...

How to Improve

Complete the following lessons:

SAMPLE Essay Grammar Corrections & Improvements
Several doubt about the accuracy of the memoir writting by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading but the professor clarify the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain that the Chevalier rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its assets to selling. Accordingly, to the professor, being low on cash fund is not same as being financially poors. However, in reading someone who borrowing large of amounts of money could not be wealth, therefore the Chevalier must have lied his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging by the professor as well. She explains that, due to habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing.

Finally, the professor refute the idea briber was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping from the prison was accurately recorded.
Several doubt doubts about the accuracy of the memoir writting written by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading reading, but the professor clarify clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain explains that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its his assets to selling. Accordingly, sell. According to the professor, being low on cash fund funds is not the same as being financially poors. poor. However, in reading the reading, someone who borrowing borrows large of amounts of money could not be wealth, wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging challenged by the professor as well. She explains that, due to the habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing. passed.

Finally, the professor refute refutes the idea briber that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point points out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping escape from the prison was accurately recorded.



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doubt
Solution Explanation
doubts The plural form 'doubts' is needed here because there are multiple uncertainties being discussed.

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writting
Solution Explanation
written The correct past participle of 'write' is 'written'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
reading, A comma is needed after 'reading' to separate the two independent clauses.

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clarify
Solution Explanation
clarifies The third person singular form 'clarifies' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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explain
Solution Explanation
explains The third person singular form 'explains' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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was
Solution Explanation
was The verb 'was' is needed to form the past continuous tense.

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the
Solution Explanation
The article 'the' is not needed before 'assets'.

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its
Solution Explanation
his The possessive pronoun 'his' is needed to refer back to 'the Chevalier'.

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selling. Accordingly,
Solution Explanation
sell. According The verb 'sell' is needed here, and 'According' should start a new sentence.

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fund
Solution Explanation
funds The plural form 'funds' is needed here because it refers to money in general.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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poors.
Solution Explanation
poor. The correct adjective form is 'poor'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
the reading, The article 'the' is needed before 'reading', and a comma is needed to separate the two independent clauses.

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borrowing
Solution Explanation
borrows The present simple tense 'borrows' is needed to describe a general situation.

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of
Solution Explanation
The preposition 'of' is not needed here.

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wealth,
Solution Explanation
wealthy, The adjective 'wealthy' is needed to describe 'the Chevalier'.

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about
Solution Explanation
about The preposition 'about' is needed to introduce the topic of the sentence.

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regards
Solution Explanation
regarding The preposition 'regarding' is needed to introduce the topic of the sentence.

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challenging
Solution Explanation
challenged The past participle 'challenged' is needed to form the passive voice.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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passing.
Solution Explanation
passed. The past participle 'passed' is needed to form the past perfect tense.

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refute
Solution Explanation
refutes The third person singular form 'refutes' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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briber
Solution Explanation
that bribery The noun 'bribery' is needed to refer to the act of giving bribes.

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point
Solution Explanation
points The third person singular form 'points' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'she'.

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prison
Solution Explanation
prison, A comma is needed after 'prison' to separate the two independent clauses.

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existences
Solution Explanation
existence The singular form 'existence' is needed because it refers to one specific thing.

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escaping
Solution Explanation
escape The noun 'escape' is needed to refer to the act of escaping.
TOEFL writing LessonsCompleted: 0 / 77
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Master TOEFL Integrated Writing Task
Step 1: Read the passage

The passage is important in giving you general background information of the topic. Read the passage carefully and make sure you understand it well. Take notes of the main ideas of the passage but do not go into too many details. Even though there will be a three minute timer for you to read the passage, the passage is actually displayed while you are writing your essay. Your goal while reading the passage the first time should be to understand the main points in each paragraph.

Step 2: Take notes during the lecture

Needless to say, you need to take careful notes during the lecture. Unlike the passage, you will not have a chance to listen to the lecture again, so make sure you take careful notes of either the contrast between the passage and the audio or the similarities. The lecture will provide wither counter examples and disagreements or will provide examples to further prove the passage correct. Every main point from the passage is discussed again in the lecture, but with a different angle and attitude. For example, if the lecture is disagreeing with the reading and the reading says "teamwork allows individuals to respond quicker to their assignments", then the lecture might say "teamwork takes away the opportunities for hard working, talented individuals to be recognized".

Step 3: Organize your response

There are many ways to organize an essay, but there are still a few good rules you can follow. The essay should have three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. See the "TEACHING" tab in Independent Writing for an overview of the basic essay format.

1) Introduction
Write a short and concise introduction for your essay. This introduction should include an explanation of your topic, and how the article and the professor either agree or disagree with each other about the topic. Keep this introduction short. Do not go into details of the reasons. You will only need to introduce the topic briefly, so the reader knows what to expect in the body section.

2) Body
This section should include 2 to 3 paragraphs, each one with the main point that is mentioned in the reading. So each paragraph should start with a sentence that introduces the point to be discussed in the paragraph. Use the specific examples from the article and lectures. Use the same paragraph structure for all the paragraphs in the body section. Remember to start a new line for every paragraph. Don't clump all the paragraph together as a big block, and also do not break a paragraph into many small paragraphs. Each topic should be contained in one paragraph only. Do not copy the article or the lecture into your essay. This is your essay so all the information should be conveyed in your own words. Paraphrase as much as you can. Use a variety of words and sentence structures to avoid repetition in your essay, as well.

3) Conclusion
Write a short conclusion to sum up the whole essay. This conclusion can be considered a paraphrased version of the introduction. Restate the list of the main points and how the article and the professor either agreed or disagreed. Because this is the last section of the essay, many people tend to run out of time do not write a conclusion. First of all, running out of time can be avoided with proper organization and following our process. Secondly, forgetting to write a conclusion is a big mistake that you should avoid. Even if there is only one sentence in the conclusion, you still need to have one. It is essential for an essay to have three sections. Missing one section will make the essay incomplete, and that will cost you some points.

Step 4: Review

You should time yourself so that you have about 5 minutes left to review your essay. Fix typos, check for inconsistencies of the tenses of the verbs, the plurality of the subjects and verbs, and add transition words wherever you see fit. Having good transitions will gain you some extra points. Make sure the essay flows in a logical order.

Writing Template for 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.

Writing Template:
The reading and the lecture are both about ______. Whereas the author of the reading states that _______, the lecturer suggests that ________. The lecturer casts doubt on the main points made in the reading by providing two/three reasons.

First of all, according to the reading, _____________. However, the lecturer disputes this point. He/She says that _________. Furthermore, he/she mentions that ___________

Secondly, the reading states that _______. Nevertheless, the lecturer refutes this argument. He/She argues that __________. In addition, he/she points out ________.

Finally, the reading claims that _________. On the other hand, the lecturer believes that _____. He/She thinks that _______. Moreover, he/she feels that ________

In conclusion, although the reading and the lecture are both about _______, the two/three main points made in the reading are effectively challenged by the lecturer.
Writing Template for Scenario 2: Supporting with examples

Note: This scenario rarely appears in a TOEFL Test, but still necessary to learn.

In this scenario, the main points of the lecture are examples that support the key points in the reading passage.

Writing Template:
The reading and the lecture are both about _____________. The reading states that ____________. The lecture builds upon those same ideas to give a more comprehensive picture with two/three examples.

First of all, according to the reading, _________. Supporting this idea, the lecturer explains that _________. Furthermore, he/she mentions that __________.

Secondly, the reading states that_______. The lecturer then goes on to explain that ________. In addition, he/she points out ________.

Finally, the reading claims that _______. In support of this idea, the lecturer brings up the point that ________. (Optional) Moreover, he/she feels that _________.

In conclusion, although the reading and the lecture both discuss __________, the two/three main points made in the reading are effectively supported by the lecturer.
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