TOEFL Writing Essay Templates 2025

The TOEFL Integrated Essay challenges you to analyze connections between a short reading and a lecture. You will have 3 minutes to read a passage, followed by a lecture that may either support or contradict the information you read. In the next 20 minutes, write a 280-300 word essay summarizing the lecture and explaining its relationship to the passage.

For a top score on the TOEFL Integrated Essay, aim for a four-paragraph structure: an introduction and three main points (body). Conclusions are optional. If you prefer writing one, keep it brief (2-3 sentences).

The introduction of a strong TOEFL Integrated Essay sets the stage for your analysis. Here's a recommended structure:

• Context (Sentence 1): Begin by bridging the gap between the reading and lecture. Use phrases like "In both the passage and lecture, we encounter..." or "The topic of..." to connect the two sources.

• Topic Sentence (Sentence 2): This sentence should clearly state the main point you'll discuss in the essay. Start with a phrase like "According to the lecture..." or "The lecture argues..." to introduce the lecturer's perspective.

• Agreement or Disagreement (Sentence 3): Depending on the scenario, you'll indicate whether the lecture supports or contradicts the information in the passage. Use phrases like "The lecture expands on this idea..." for agreement or "However, the lecture presents a contrasting viewpoint..." for disagreement.

Following the introduction, the body paragraphs of your TOEFL Integrated Essay should delve deeper into the connection between the reading and the lecture. Here's a breakdown of each body paragraph:

• The Point (Sentence 1): Start each body paragraph by clearly outlining the specific point you'll discuss. Use phrases like "According to the passage..." in Body paragraph 1, "Furthermore..." in Body paragraph 2 for subsequent points, or "Last of all..." for the final paragraph.

• Agreement or Disagreement (Sentences 2-4): Here's where you analyze the details. Explain the point from the passage using phrases like "In this article, it is said that..." or "Similarly, the author thinks that...". Then, show how the lecture relates to this point. Use phrases like "The lecturer supports this by stating..." for agreement or "The lecturer refutes it by saying..." for disagreement.

• Meaning (Sentence 5): Wrap up each body paragraph by explaining the significance of the agreement or disagreement you discussed. Use phrases like "This similarity suggests..." or "This difference highlights..." to connect the relationship between the sources back to the main topic.

Note: Remember, a conclusion is optional. However, if you choose to include one, keep it concise (2-3 sentences).

Suggested: How To Prepare For TOEFL

The TOEFL Independent Essay challenges you to express your own opinion on a given topic. You'll have 30 minutes to write a persuasive essay of at least 300 words, ideally aiming for 350-400 words for a strong score. 

Different types of questions 

Here are the different types of questions that you might encounter:

• Agreement/Disagreement: These questions ask you to state your stance on an issue and provide reasons to back it up.

• Preference: You'll choose between two options and explain why you favor one over the other.

• Support/Opposition: Similar to agreement/disagreement, but the question might ask you to support or oppose a specific idea.

• Description: You'll be asked to describe a situation, object, or concept in detail.

• Imaginative: These questions present a hypothetical scenario and ask you to explain your response.

• Comparison/Contrast: You'll analyze the similarities and differences between two things.

While there's no one-size-fits-all template for the TOEFL Independent Essay due there being 6 different types of prompts, aiming for a five-paragraph structure generally makes a strong impression. This includes:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce the essay topic and state your clear opinion on it.

• Body Paragraphs (3): Dedicate each body paragraph to a single reason supporting your opinion. Each reason should be explained in detail, potentially including relevant examples.

• Conclusion: Briefly summarize your main points and reiterate your overall opinion in a strong closing statement.

Remember: This is a general structure, and you may need to adapt it slightly depending on the specific prompt you receive.

Crafting a compelling TOEFL Independent Essay involves strategic use of phrases to guide your reader. Here's a breakdown by paragraph:

Introduction:

• Hook (Sentence 1): Grab the reader's attention with an interesting fact or statistic related to the topic.

• Opinion (Sentence 2): Clearly state your position on the issue using phrases like "In my opinion" or "I firmly believe".

• Transition (Sentence 3): Smoothly guide the reader to the supporting arguments with phrases like "Let's explore the reasons behind this" or "Several factors contribute to this belief".

Body Paragraphs:

• Topic Sentence (Sentence 1): Briefly introduce each supporting reason using phrases like "Firstly" or "Another important reason is".

• Explanation (Sentences 2 & 3): Provide a clear and objective explanation of your reason without relying on personal experiences. Use transition phrases like "Furthermore" or "Additionally" to connect ideas.

• Transition (Sentence 4): Signal your transition to a personal example with phrases like "To illustrate this point" or "Let's consider a real-world example".

• Personal Example (Sentence 5): Share a specific and relevant personal experience that strengthens your argument.

Conclusion:

• Restatement of Thesis (Sentence 1): Paraphrase your main opinion using phrases like "In conclusion" or "To reiterate my point".

• Summarize Ideas (Sentence 2): Briefly recap your supporting reasons with phrases like "For these reasons" or "In essence".

Remember, this is a guide, and you may need to adjust the phrases depending on the specific prompt.

Suggested: TOEFL Accepting Universities in USA

Your TOEFL writing score is a combination of human and computer evaluation.

• Human graders: Trained professionals assess your essays using ETS scoring guides. They consider your overall writing quality (content, organization, and language use) and award a holistic score between 0 and 5 for each essay. It's estimated that human graders contribute more weight to the score, especially in the Integrated Task (around 66%).

• ETS e-rater software: This program analyzes your writing for mechanics like grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and structure. It contributes less weight to the overall score than human graders (around 33% for the Integrated Task and 50% for the Independent Task).

The final score:

• Scores from both human graders and the e-rater are combined for each essay.

• All four scores are then converted into a single scaled score between 0 and 30, which appears on your official report.

• Each essay contributes equally to your final writing score.

Suggested: IELTS vs TOEFL: Learn the Complete Differences

In TOEFL, the two tasks involve analyzing a reading and lecture (Integrated Essay) and expressing your own opinion (Independent Essay). Use a four-paragraph structure for the Integrated Essay and a five-paragraph structure for the Independent Essay. Focus on content, organization, and language use to maximize your score.

Scoring well on the TOEFL writing test requires strategic planning. Feeling overwhelmed about acing TOEFL? Don't sweat it! Yocket Premium offers expert guidance on everything from picking top universities to securing funding and visas. Join Yocket Premium today and make studying abroad a breeze!