Writing Study Guide for the TOEFL Test

General Information

There are three tasks on the TOEFL Writing test, and you will have a total of 23 minutes to complete all of them. Each task is also timed separately, and those time limits are noted below, along with more information about each task. The tasks will be completed in the following order using a computer keyboard:

• Build a Sentence—You will have 10 minutes to complete 10 questions during this task. Each question will require you to arrange words in a sentence so that the sentence makes sense and is grammatically correct.

• Write an Email—You will be given a situation and three points to include in your email. Then, you’ll have seven minutes to write the email.

• Write for an Academic Discussion—You will read comments from a professor that end with a question. Then, you will have 10 minutes to write an approximately 100-word response to the question that includes support for your answer and also introduces some new ideas into the discussion.

Scoring

Since writing is an open-ended task, only the “Build a Sentence” questions can be deemed either right or wrong. The other two tasks will be scored from zero to five, based on a list of standards or rubric. Requirements for each scoring level can be found in the TOEFL iB Writing Scoring Guide. The responses are scored primarily by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is supervised and verified by human scorers.

The Three Writing Tasks

Each of the three TOEFL writing tasks is a bit different. Here are some tips for addressing each of them. The first two of these are brand new to the TOEFL in 2026 and were added to provide more assessment of how people need to use writing in daily life.

Build a Sentence

The order in which words are combined in a sentence makes a huge difference. If you assemble them correctly, the sentence makes sense and is an effective way to communicate. If you mix up the word order, the opposite will occur: it will make no sense, and communication will be lost.

During this task, you will have 10 questions, each containing three parts:

• a complete sentence or question

• an incomplete sentence marked by blanks in which to insert words

  • There may be a few words already inserted, or this line may only contain blanks.

  • This line relates to the first line in some way. It may be the answer to a question in the first line or a question about the first line.

  • The blanks are all the same length, so you won’t be able to fit the word choices to the blanks by length.

  • None of the word choices will be capitalized, so you won’t be able to find the first word that way if it’s missing.

  • There will be a mark at the end of this line, so you’ll know if it’s supposed to be a statement or a question.

• a line of about five to six words or word groups, separated by a slash (/), to insert in the second line in an order that makes sense

The sentences concern aspects of everyday life using common conversational topics. The words to fill in the blanks are all listed for you. You just need to determine what order to put them in.

Let’s look at a couple of examples of this type of question.

The correct order is: don’t, think, so, because, he, doesn’t

This order creates the sentence: “I don’t think so because he doesn’t smell.”

Note: One possible mistake that could be made here would be to use the words don’t and doesn’t in the wrong places.

Note that the words to do are grouped together, so they will fill one blank and will not be separated. This is the word order for the answer:

what, are, you, going, to do, this, summer

This creates the question, “What are you going to do this summer?”

Write an Email

For this task, you will be given seven minutes to read a prompt and compose an email. The prompt will include the following:

• a description of a situation in which you need to write the email
• three things to include in your email

You will be given the email address and the subject line.

Writing Style

First, given the situation description, you’ll need to decide what style of writing is appropriate. The situation could necessitate a formal or semi-formal writing style. For example:

• When writing to a superior or company, you would need to use a formal writing style. This would include:

  • a formal salutation, such as “Dear Ms. Forman”
  • clearly written, short paragraphs explaining what you need
  • a professional closing, such as “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,”
  • a complete signature that includes your full name and all of your contact information

• When writing to a peer or member of your team, you could use a semi-formal writing style. This is still deemed “professional,” but doesn’t have to be as formal and is more conversational in style. Here are some comparisons between the semi-formal style and the formal style:

  • The greeting can be more relaxed, such as “Hi ___.”

  • You can insert a friendly greeting at the beginning, such as, “It’s been a while. I hope your day is going well.”

  • Still use concise paragraphs to explain what you need.

  • Still be polite, but you can say, “I’d like to know…” instead of “I am writing to…”

  • You can feel free to use contractions.

  • The closing should still be professional but can be one like “Best” or “Kind regards.”

  • Still use your full name and contact information, including email and phone number, etc.

• The only time you would use an informal writing style would be when writing to a casual friend, and this situation will not be presented on the TOEFL. So, always avoid casual language, slang, or abbreviations you may use when texting.

Addressing the Prompt

One of the most important parts of this task is addressing every single part of the prompt, so read it carefully.

• The beginning of the prompt will give you important details about the purpose for writing the email. Be sure to consider all of them as you write.

• Next, you need to include all three of the points listed in your email. These can be addressed in individual, short paragraphs.

Tips for Success

Here are several suggestions that will bolster your success in this task:

• Be sure to write in complete sentences and review your email for spelling and grammar errors.

• Review the email section of this Writing Scoring Guide to see a detailed list of what scorers are looking for.

• It will help you to be able to type quickly so that it doesn’t slow you down, so practice typing speed as you prepare.

• Length is not important, as long as you address all parts of the prompt. Just be sure to write enough to accomplish that.

One Example of an Email Task Prompt

The prompts for this task are many and varied, but here is one example:

Again, be sure to address every part of the prompt.

Write for an Academic Discussion

This is the only previously used task in the TOEFL Writing section that remains in the 2026 test revision. You will have 10 minutes to complete this task, and your response should be at least 100 words long. There is very important information in the prompt:

• First, there will be a little information about the professor and the class involved. You’ll be asked to respond to the professor’s question.

• Then, there will be a short list of what to include in your response.

• Following this, you will see a medium-length paragraph written by the professor. It will give information about the subject of the discussion and end with one or more questions for you to answer in your response.

• Then, there will be two contributions to the discussion written by other students.

You will need to read all of this prompt very carefully so that you fully understand what is being asked of you.

Tips for Success

This writing task is more complicated than the preceding ones, but here are a few suggestions to help you on your way:

• Pretend you are contributing to a live discussion. What would you say if you were actually in this professor’s class?

• Be sure to read all the information the professor gives you.

• Be sure you understand the question(s) at the end so that your writing answers them.

• If it is a “yes or no” type of question, it doesn’t matter which side you take; it only matters how well you support your opinion.

• Read the other students’ contributions, but only as examples. You’ll need to create your own original response. Try to reach for different points than they did, regardless of the position you take.

• Your remarks must contribute to the discussion started by the professor and other students. Your score will not be as high if you simply insert random, unconnected comments.

• Your response must be developed naturally, accurately, and logically.

• After you answer the question(s), don’t forget to insert your own points concerning the discussion. In other words, add your own content, giving reasons for your opinion and other related information.

One Example of an Academic Discussion Prompt

How could you respond to this prompt?

You’ll need to respond with information that is not the same as that of the two other students. You can still take a “yes” or “no” stance, and then introduce new points in your support sentences. Consider these possibilities:

• Answer “no,” explain why you think this, and introduce things like students having family commitments or health problems that keep them from attending regularly.

• Answer “yes,” explain why you think seat time is important, and introduce the possibility of providing opportunities to make up seat time, after school, or on Saturdays.