In this article, we’ll look at how to write a TOEFL essay covering both the integrated essay and the independent essay tasks.
Are you gearing up to tackle the TOEFL exam? Whether you’re aiming to study abroad or enhance your career prospects, achieving a high score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) essay section is crucial.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essentials of crafting both the integrated and independent essays, providing you with the strategies and tips you need to excel.
What is TOEFL?
TOEFL is an acronym for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is a testing service that allows non-native English speakers to certify their English language skills on an international scale.
The test is offered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), which is one of the largest private educational organizations in the world.
Like its counterpart (IELTS), the TOEFL test consists of four main sections: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
In this post, we will be focusing on TOEFL’s writing section, which is comprised of two separate writing tasks, to help you learn how to write great TOEFL essays.
If you use the right essay writing techniques it can help you uplift the overall scores for the test, and in turn, land your dream job or degree placement abroad!
Understanding the TOEFL Essay Section
Before delving into the specifics of each essay task, it’s essential to understand the structure and objectives of the TOEFL essay section. The TOEFL consists of two writing tasks: the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task.
Integrated Writing Task: In this task, you’ll read a passage and listen to a lecture. Your goal is to write an essay that synthesizes information from both sources. You’ll need to demonstrate your ability to comprehend the main points of the passage and lecture, as well as to convey how they relate to each other.
Independent Writing Task: For this task, you’ll be presented with a prompt and asked to provide a well-organized essay expressing your opinion on the topic. You’ll need to support your viewpoint with reasons and examples drawn from your own experience, observations, or readings.
Tips on Writing Winning Essays on the TOEFL Test
Below, we have written down the tips and techniques to help you write the best essays for your TOEFL. We have divided this section into two parts to correspond to the two types of essays that come in the paper.
Writing An Integrated Essay (Task 1)
The integrated task consists of a passage of about 250 to 300 words and an audio of a professor’s lecture on a similar topic. The following tips will help you excel in this essay.
- Understand The Instructions Carefully
The integrated essay task requires you to write a summary of the given passage and audio. The text generally contains an opinion about something, which is often opposed by the professor in the audio file.
The general instruction is to spend 3 minutes reading the passage and 2 to 2.5 minutes are reserved for the audio clip. The total time allotted for this task is 20 minutes, so managing time is critical.
Take the time to carefully read the prompt and understand what is being asked of you. Identify the main topic and the specific points that need to be addressed in your essay.
- Read The Given Passage Attentively
Read the passage attentively, noting the main arguments and supporting evidence. Similarly, listen to the audio lecture with a critical ear, identifying the speaker’s perspective and how it contrasts with or complements the passage.
When reading the passage try to pay attention to each word and sentence. We know 3 minutes is quite a short time for an academic-style passage. However, it’s doable using techniques like skimming and scanning. This can enable you to extract the maximum amount of information from the passage in the least time.
You should always practice TOEFL tests regularly before taking the real exam to keep honing your skimming skills. Plus, time yourself properly so that you get accustomed to the challenge of the big day. You can use one of these online timers or just set the time on your phone.
- Highlight The Key Points
When reading the passage, highlight key points using a pen, pencil, or a highlighter. Don’t highlight too much, otherwise, you will forget what was important and what was not.
You can also jot down key points and relevant examples. Organize your notes in a way that allows you to easily reference them when writing your essay.
Brainstorm and list all the points in chronological order. Try to keep the points short. Use short phrases, words, or sentences to avoid wasting too much time and energy on note-taking. However, good note taking IS a determining factor for the quality of your work and is a must-have skill.
- Connect The Dots To Summarize
After you’re done listening to the correspondent audio clip, refer back to your notes. See how each main point of the given passage relates to the ones presented in the audio. Are the points supporting each other? Is there an opposition? If so, where?
When you’re done determining the nature of the provided materials, refer back to your notes. You are now ready to write your essay.
- Create a Structure
Plan your essay before you start writing. Decide on the main points you want to cover and the order in which you’ll present them. This is where your note-taking should be really helpful. If you’ve taken notes well, you should already have a structure in mind. A clear and logical structure will make your essay more cohesive and easier to follow.
- Synthesize Information
In your essay, aim to integrate information from both the passage and the lecture. Compare and contrast their perspectives, highlighting similarities and differences. Avoid simply summarizing each source; instead, focus on how they interact with each other.
- Provide Examples
Support your analysis with specific examples from the passage and lecture. These examples should illustrate the points you’re making and strengthen your argument.
- Use Transitional Phrases
To ensure smooth transitions between ideas, use transitional phrases such as “in addition,” “furthermore,” “on the other hand,” etc. These help guide the reader through your essay and signal shifts in your argument.
- Edit and Revise
Leave time at the end to review and revise your essay. Check for grammatical errors, clarity of expression, and coherence of ideas. Make any necessary adjustments to strengthen your essay before submitting it.
Writing An Independent Essay (Task 2)
In this writing task, the job is to respond to a question prompt. Unlike task 1, the writing style must be personal. You should include your opinions and feelings towards the topic and gravitate to the narrative, accordingly.
Task 2 is allotted 30 minutes. The question can be about anything, but it mostly covers education, society, or work in general. The topic will be open-ended so you would get complete liberty to choose your stance for it.
Remember, there isn’t any word limit defined by ETS for the task. However, we would personally recommend writing somewhere around the 300-word mark. Here’s how to go about it:
- Understand the Prompt
Carefully read the prompt and make sure you understand what is being asked of you. Identify the main topic and the specific aspects you need to address in your essay.
- Brainstorm Ideas
Take a few minutes to brainstorm potential arguments and examples to support your viewpoint. Consider different perspectives on the topic and how you can effectively argue your position.
- Make A Clear Structure For The Essay
Plan your essay for a smoother workflow. Create a clear structure for the document as the following.
Introduction:
Must contain your main stance on the topic. In other words, you need to create a Thesis Statement. Formulate a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines your main argument. This statement should appear in the introduction of your essay and provide a roadmap for the reader.
Body paragraphs:
These contain all the main points that you have for the topic. Usually, 2 to 3 points are enough to support a stance and each point must be represented in a new paragraph.
In the body paragraphs of your essay, you should elaborate on your thesis statement by presenting supporting reasons and examples. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea and provide evidence to strengthen your argument.
Support your arguments with specific examples drawn from your own experiences, observations, or readings. These examples should be relevant to the topic and help illustrate your points effectively.
You can also use these paragraphs to anticipate possible counterarguments to your viewpoint and address them in your essay. Acknowledging opposing perspectives demonstrates critical thinking and strengthens your argument.
To maintain the reader’s interest and demonstrate your language proficiency, try to vary your sentence structure. Incorporate complex sentences, transitions, and cohesive devices to enhance the flow of your essay.
- Follow A TEAR Structure For The Body Paragraphs
The acronym TEAR stands for:
- Topic sentence
- Evidence
- Analysis
- Relate to the main topic
A topic sentence is a declaration of what the paragraph is about and must be written at the start. This should be followed by evidence (can be an anecdote) used to support your argument, followed by an analysis of the evidence that kicks back to the main topic.
Conclusion:
In your conclusion, summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement or reiterate your stance backed up by the points you used in your body paragraphs. Keep the points summarized to aid the reader’s understanding of the whole essay. End with a strong closing statement that reinforces the significance of your argument and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
Also, quickly check for a logical flow of ideas in the essay. Ensure solid readability by keeping the tone consistent throughout the essay.
General Techniques For Both Tasks
- Manage Your Time
Allocate your time wisely during the exam to ensure you have sufficient time to complete both tasks. Consider setting aside a few minutes at the end to review and revise your essays.
- Write With Clarity And Conciseness
This is a general tip for both tasks, don’t write moot points, write clearly and concisely to stick to the point. If you try to inflate your word count with redundant arguments, the examiner will know.
Overly wordy answers can result in a bad impression of your work, possibly reducing your chances of doing well on the test.
- Use Transitional Words And Phrases
Transitional words like ‘Furthermore’, ‘Consequently’, ‘Nevertheless’, etc., can be used to shift the momentum of your thoughts smoothly. This helps the reader understand the tone and flow of your essay.
If you need help practicing this and don’t have access to a tutor, an AI essay typer might be a good option to review these transitional writing techniques and assess your overall writing skills. Such tools leverage their ML and NLP algorithms to assess tone and generate relevant responses. So, you can see what works and what doesn’t and get some writing inspiration.
- Keep Things Nice And Simple
Many students make the mistake of writing very complicated, high-level English. Don’t do this unless you know exactly how to use it!
Stick to what you know and write as simply as you can. Try to include some high-level words and sentence structures sparingly if you’re confident with them, but don’t overdo it.
- Stay Calm and Confident
Approach the TOEFL essay section with a positive attitude and confidence in your abilities. Remember to breathe and stay calm, even if you encounter challenging prompts.
- Proofread To Correct Mistakes
Finally, proofread your work for any mistakes. Check your essay for any grammatical errors to avoid any deductions in your scores.
Proofread your work as the examiner. This role-play will result in an unbiased editing of the material from your side to produce a solid essay.
How Else Can You Prepare?
Aside from knowing what to do in the exam, there are some other things that you can do to help prepare you for the TOEFL writing tasks:
- Practice Regularly
Familiarize yourself with the format and requirements of the TOEFL essay section by practicing regularly. Utilize sample prompts and timed writing exercises to improve your writing skills and build confidence.
- Expand Your Vocabulary
Enhance your vocabulary by regularly reading English texts and noting down unfamiliar words. Incorporate these words into your writing to demonstrate a rich and varied vocabulary.
- Seek Feedback
Share your practice essays with teachers, tutors, or peers for feedback. Pay attention to their comments and suggestions for improvement, and incorporate them into your future writing.
Final Thoughts
By following these strategies and tips, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle the TOEFL essay section with confidence and achieve your desired score. Remember to practice regularly, stay focused, and strive for clarity and coherence in your writing. Good luck!
James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.
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