TOEFL® Writing Practice 101

There's no maximum length for your essay, but a good response is usually at least 300 words.

You need to use transition words and phrases to connect your ideas in your essay. You should have 2 transition words/phrases every 4-5 sentences.

To achieve a higher score or a perfect 5 out of 5 on the TOEFL English language criteria, you must show that you can accurately and flexibly use a variety of structures.

You should avoid any grammar and spelling mistakes, otherwise your score will be deducted.

If you are a premium member, you will have up to 50 free essay grammar corrections.

You should avoid using the same vocabulary throughout your essay. Instead, you can use synonyms or phrases that have the same meaning of words.

Here are some ways you can improve on this area:

1. Read our sample essays and pay attention to words you are not familiar with.
2. Utilize our TOEFL Vocabulary system
3. Utilize our TOEFL synonyms exercises
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 1
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 2
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 3
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 4
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 5
   • TOEFL synonyms exercise 6

For this task, you will read a short prompt and then write a response. As we mentioned ealier, there are 6 different types of prompts. Besides the "Compare and contrast" type, we recommend you use the basic five-paragraph structure, with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion to write your response. Because every essay prompt is different, it is not possible to have a writing template that can be appled to all essay topics. However, we'll explan how and what you should write each paragraph in general. In addition, We will provide you with 5 different techniques for writing the introductory paragraph along with useful phrases.

Before we delve into how to write each paragraph in general, here is a quick summary of the basic five-paragraph structure:

The following sections will explain each paragraph in detail and provide you with a sample TOEFL writing essay.

Introduction

A high-scoring TOEFL introductory paragraph can be split into two parts. The first part is General background information about the essay topic. There are many different ways of writing the general background information about the topic. For example, you could write about a brief history of the topic or an explanation why this topic is controversial or important. Alternatively, you can begin with other people's opinions on this topic. There are actually 5 different techniques for writing an introductory paragraph:

1. Begin with two sides of opinions on the essay topic
2. Begin with the general public's opinions
3. Introduce a fact that raises a question about the essay topic
4. Introduce a debate on the essay topic
5. Mention the advantage or disadvantage of a subject as a way to contrast your main opinion on the subject.

The video below shows you a TOEFL writing template with different high-scoring introductory paragraphs using these 5 techniques. Pay attention to the underlined phrases where the techniques are used. You can use those underlined phrases in your essay.

The second part is what we call a thesis statement, which is the single most important sentence in your essay and you must include it in the introductory paragraph. A thesis statement is your main opinion on the essay topic, and it also includes a preview of your key points in which you will develop in your body paragraphs.

Here is a sample introductory paragraph:

Body Paragraph

A good body paragraph in our TOEFL writing template usually includes

1. A transition statement
2. Topic sentence
3. Supporting sentences

In the body paragraph, you will explain the reasons and ideas to support your essay's thesis statement. A TOEFL essay normally has three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph gives the reader a detailed explanation about one main idea. This idea helps to show or convince the reader that your idea is true or correct. In addition, each paragraph must flow from one to the next. This is called coherence and is done using transitions. Transitioning between paragraphs can be done at the start of the new paragraph.

Using more complex transitions will help you get a perfect writing score, but it is not necessary to do well. For example, your body paragraphs can use simple transitions like
Body paragraph 1 - first of all, firstly, or to begin with
Body paragraph 2 - In addition to.., secondly, or furthermore
Body paragraph 3 - finally, thirdly, or lastly

After the transition comes the topic sentence. The topic sentence will summarize the body paragraph's purpose. It's meant to tell the reader what the main idea of the paragraph is about.

Finally, you need to write the supporting sentences. The supporting sentences are used to explain in detail the main idea. The supporting sentences need to fully explain the topic sentence using anything to help the reader understand. You can use things like reasons, examples, and even personal experiences. Since there should be more than one supporting sentence in each body paragraph, remember to use transitions to connect your ideas between supporting sentences.

Here is a sample body paragraph:

Conclusion

The last paragraph of your TOEFL essay is the conclusion. A conclusion in our TOEFL writing template does not have to be long. It can be just three or more sentences that gives the reader the sense that you are finished explaining your ideas. Without a conclusion, readers will feel like you just decided to stop writing, or that you ran out of time. A good conclusion should include the followings:

1. A transition phrase (To sum up, in summary, in conclusion, to conclude, etc..)
2. a restatement of the thesis statement you wrote in your introduction
3. a brief summary of your main ideas

Here is a sample conclusion paragraph: