TOEFL Writing Practice Questions and Answers (2026 New Format)

The TOEFL iBT® Writing section has three task types: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion. You answer 12 questions in total: 10 Build a Sentence questions, one email, and one academic discussion. This post gives you real practice questions for all three task types, with model answers and clear explanations.

The Writing section is part of the TOEFL redesign that started in January 2026. Unlike Reading and Listening, it is linear, so everyone taking a test form gets the same tasks. Below you will find example questions for each task type, a look at how Writing is scored, and answers to common questions.

Build a Sentence practice questions

In this task, you read a short line from a conversation, then put a set of words and phrases in the correct order to write the reply. One or more words are extra and should not be used. Try each one, then reveal the answer. For more, see our full Build a Sentence practice questions post.

Question 1

Context: "The dining hall is already closed for the evening."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: from somewhere else / just have / getting / We will / dinner / to get

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 2

Context: "I cannot figure out how to upload my assignment to the student portal."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: the / asking / should ask / help / for / teaching assistant / You

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 3

Context: "Are you making any progress on your history research paper?"

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: argument. / I found / supporting / that will / my main / some rare letters / perfectly support

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 4

Context: "I am having a lot of trouble understanding this biology assignment."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: tried / Have / asking / ask / for help / the professor / you

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 5

Context: "I am having trouble understanding the assignment for our chemistry lab."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: Would / like / me / explaining / to explain / it / you / to you

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 6

Context: "I want to use the large-format color printer in the media center for my upcoming presentation."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: paying / how much / the media center / for / charges / printing materials / costs / Do you know

(2 extra words should not be used)

Question 7

Context: "The campus bus is running late again."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: the / late / We / of / class / miss / might / start

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 8

Context: "I'm looking for a way to practice my photography skills outside of class."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: club / the / joining / join / don't / you / photography / Why

(1 extra word should not be used)

Question 9

Context: "The main library will be closed for renovations starting next Monday."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: Where / are we / do we / studying / supposed to / for / our midterm exams / study

(2 extra words should not be used)

Question 10

Context: "The university dining hall is overhauling its meal plan system for the upcoming academic year."

Rearrange the words or phrases to complete the second sentence so that it is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Note that there may be an extra word or phrase that you will NOT use.

Arrange these words into a sentence: announced / be / the / being / will / When / options / new

(1 extra word should not be used)

Write an Email practice questions

In this task, you read a situation and write an email for a specific reader and purpose. Each example below shows the situation, the recipient and subject, what to include, and a model answer you can study. For more, see our full Write an Email practice questions post.

Question 1

You are a student in Professor Miller's history class. You have been working on your final research paper, which is due tomorrow. Unfortunately, your laptop crashed this morning and the hard drive had to be repaired. While you have a backup of most of your work, you lost the last two days of writing. You just visited the campus IT helpdesk, and they gave you a printed report confirming the sudden hardware failure.

To: Professor Miller
Subject: Research paper extension request - Hardware failure

In your email, you should:

• Explain what happened to your computer and how it affected your progress on the research paper.
• Ask for a brief extension to rewrite the sections that were lost.
• Offer to provide the IT helpdesk report as proof of the computer issue.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Miller,

I am requesting a brief extension for the final history research paper due tomorrow. My laptop’s hard drive failed suddenly this morning and required repair at the campus IT helpdesk. The source notes remain available, but I need time to reconstruct those sections carefully rather than submit an incomplete draft. Could I submit the finished paper by Friday at 5:00 p.m., a two-day extension? The IT helpdesk gave me a printed report identifying the hardware failure and repair time, and I can scan or deliver it today as verification. The additional time would be used only to rewrite the lost analysis, check citations, and proofread the restored paper. Please let me know whether Friday is acceptable.

Sincerely,
Jordan Lee

Question 2

You recently discovered a newly renovated study lounge on the top floor of the Science Building that is very quiet and has comfortable seating. Your friend Alex has been complaining that the main campus library is too crowded and noisy for studying effectively.

To: Alex
Subject: Great new study spot found

In your email, you should:

• Describe the new study lounge and its specific features.
• Explain why this location is better than the main library for studying.
• Propose a specific time to meet Alex there to study together.

Model answer:

Hi Alex,

I found an excellent alternative to the crowded main library: the renovated study lounge on the Science Building's top floor. It has supportive chairs, spacious tables, charging outlets at every seat, and large windows, yet it stays remarkably quiet. We could spread out our notes and work without competing for a table or being distracted by conversations.

Would Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 work for a study session? I can meet you at the building entrance and show you the lounge.

Best,
Maya

Question 3

You and your classmate Jordan are working on a group presentation for your sociology class. You need to meet this weekend to finalize the slides. Yesterday, you discovered a newly opened study café on the second floor of the campus library. You want to suggest this café as the location for your upcoming meeting.

To: Jordan
Subject: Meeting spot for our sociology presentation

In your email, you should:

• Suggest the new library café as the location for your upcoming project meeting.
• Describe at least two features of the café that make it an ideal place to work together.
• Propose a specific day and time to meet.

Model answer:

Hi Jordan,

I suggest that we finalize our sociology presentation at the new study café on the library's second floor. It has spacious tables where we can open both laptops and compare our notes, reliable power outlets for a long work session, and a quiet collaboration area where we can rehearse without interrupting individual study. The café also sells drinks, so we will not need to leave during the meeting.

Would Saturday from 1:00 to 3:30 work? That should give us enough time to revise the slides, verify citations, and practice transitions.

Best,
Keira

Question 4

You attended an introductory meeting for the new Campus Outdoors Club last week. They discussed upcoming beginner-friendly hiking and kayaking trips that are affordable for students. Your classmate Alex recently mentioned wanting to spend more time in nature and meet new people outside of class.

To: Alex
Subject: Recommendation for the Outdoors Club

In your email, you should:

• Describe the club and the types of activities they are planning.
• Explain why you think Alex would benefit from joining this club.
• Suggest attending the next meeting together and propose a time to discuss it.

Model answer:

Hi Alex,

I attended the introductory meeting for the new Campus Outdoors Club last week. The student leaders described affordable, beginner-friendly hiking and kayaking trips planned throughout the semester. I immediately thought of you because you have wanted to spend more time in nature and meet people beyond your classes. Would you like to attend the club’s next meeting with me on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in Student Union Room 204? We could meet at the campus café on Monday at 4:00 to review the trip schedule and decide which activity interests us most. I can also send you the membership form before we meet.

Best,
Jordan

Question 5

You are a student in Professor Miller’s Modern History course. Yesterday, you uploaded your final presentation slides to the course portal before the deadline. Today, you logged in and noticed a 'File Error' tag next to your submission, indicating that the file is corrupted or widely incompatible with the grading software. You have immediately saved a new copy of the presentation as a standard PDF file, which opens correctly.

To: Professor Miller
Subject: Error with presentation file submission

In your email, you should:

• Explain that you submitted the original assignment on time but subsequently discovered the technical error.
• State that you have converted the file into a readable PDF format.
• Ask if you should email the new file as an attachment or if the submission portal can be reopened for you.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Miller,

I uploaded my final Modern History presentation before yesterday's deadline and received the portal's submission confirmation. When I checked today, however, a “File Error” label indicated that the original format was corrupted or incompatible with the grading software. I immediately converted the slides to a standard PDF and tested the new file on two devices; it opens correctly on both.

Would you prefer that I email the replacement PDF as an attachment, or could you reopen the submission portal briefly so I can upload it there? I can also forward the original timestamped confirmation.

Sincerely,
Hannah Lee

Question 6

You are a student in Professor Martinez's history seminar. Two weeks ago, you selected your final research paper topic: 'The Economic Impact of the 1893 World's Fair.' However, after visiting the university library and searching the online databases, you found that there are not enough primary sources available to meet the assignment's strict requirements. You want to ask if you can change your topic to a related subject that has more accessible materials.

To: Professor Martinez
Subject: Request to change research paper topic

In your email, you should:

• Explain why you are unable to continue with your currently approved research topic.
• Propose a new, related topic that you would like to research instead.
• Ask if it is possible to schedule a brief meeting during office hours to discuss this change.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Martinez,

My approved topic is the economic impact of the 1893 World's Fair. After searching the university catalog, newspaper archives, and history databases, I found mainly secondary studies and only a few accessible business records. Because the assignment requires several primary sources, I cannot support the current topic responsibly.

May I instead research architectural innovations at the fair? The library has digitized building plans, photographs, guidebooks, and contemporary reports. These sources would let me compare construction methods with public reactions while remaining focused on the same event.

Could I visit your office hours Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. to confirm the new scope? If unavailable, I can meet Wednesday morning and bring a revised question and preliminary bibliography.

Sincerely,
Lena Ortiz

Question 7

You are a student in Professor Harris’s biology seminar. You are assigned to a group of three students for a major presentation due next week. However, you just discovered that one of your group members officially dropped the course yesterday without informing the rest of the group. This student was responsible for a significant portion of the research, and you and your remaining partner are now worried about completing the presentation on time.

To: Professor Harris
Subject: Urgent: Missing group member for upcoming presentation

In your email, you should:

• Explain the situation regarding the group member who suddenly dropped the course.
• Propose a potential solution, such as asking for a short extension or a modification to the assignment requirements.
• Request a brief meeting during office hours to discuss how to move forward.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Harris,

Yesterday, we learned that one member of our three-person biology presentation group had officially dropped the course without notifying us. That student was responsible for researching the experiment results, so my remaining partner and I must now complete an important section in addition to our original work before next week's deadline.

Could our group receive a three-day extension, or could the required presentation length be adjusted for two members? I would appreciate a brief meeting during your Thursday office hours to review the remaining work and agree on the fairest approach.

Sincerely,
Nadia Patel

Question 8

You are a student in Professor Davis's history seminar, working on your final research paper. You need to consult a specific book for your project, but the university library catalog indicates that the only available copy is currently checked out to Professor Davis. You need the information in this book soon to finish your paper on time.

To: Professor Davis
Subject: Inquiry regarding a library book for my research paper

In your email, you should:

• Explain why you need the specific book for your research paper.
• Ask if you could borrow the book from the professor for a short period.
• Request suggestions for other sources in case the book cannot be shared.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Davis,

The library catalog indicates that you have the only available copy of Workers and Reform. Its letters from union organizers and minutes from factory meetings are central to my final paper on the 1912 textile strike because they show how participants described their demands at the time.

Could I borrow the book for two days, from Wednesday afternoon until Friday morning? I would use it only in the library, keep it protected, and return it to your office before your Friday seminar.

If neither option is possible, could you recommend a digital archive, article, or comparable primary-source collection covering the strike? I have found secondary histories, but they do not include the original letters.

Sincerely,
Amir Khan

Question 9

You are a student in Professor Vance's Environmental Science class. You are starting to plan your final project, but you noticed a discrepancy between the printed syllabus and what was discussed in yesterday's lecture. The syllabus states that the final project is a 10-page research paper, but during the lecture, the professor mentioned a 15-minute video presentation. You need to know which assignment is correct so you can begin working.

To: Professor Vance
Subject: Clarification needed on final project requirements

In your email, you should:

• Explain the conflicting information you found regarding the final project.
• Ask specific questions to clarify exactly what format is required for the assignment.
• Suggest that this clarification be shared with the rest of the class.

Model answer:

Dear Professor Vance,

I noticed conflicting instructions for the Environmental Science final project. The printed syllabus requires a ten-page research paper, whereas yesterday's lecture described a fifteen-minute video presentation. Before I begin researching and organizing materials, could you confirm whether we should submit a paper, a video, or choose between the two formats? I would also appreciate confirmation of the deadline and grading criteria for the correct option.

Because this discrepancy may affect everyone's planning, could you post the clarified requirements on the course website or send an announcement to the class?

Sincerely,
Leo Grant

Question 10

You are a student in Professor O'Connor's modern history seminar. You are trying to complete the week's assignment, which requires watching a specific documentary film hosted on the university library's video portal. However, when you click the link provided in the syllabus, a prompt appears asking for a special faculty access password. The assignment is due in two days, and you cannot complete your reflection paper without watching the film.

To: Professor O'Connor
Subject: Issue accessing the assigned documentary

In your email, you should:

• Explain the specific technical problem preventing you from accessing the documentary.
• Ask how you and the rest of the class can watch the film before the deadline.
• Inquire if the deadline for the reflection paper will be extended due to this delay.

Model answer:

Dear Professor O'Connor,

I am writing about this week's documentary assignment. The syllabus link opens the university library portal correctly, but the next screen requests a special faculty access password. My regular student login does not work on that screen, so I cannot view the film or begin the reflection paper due in two days. A classmate encountered the same prompt.

Could you send the class a student-accessible link, arrange permission through the library, or let us know whether another copy is available? If access cannot be restored today, would you please extend the reflection deadline so we still have two full days after the film becomes available? I can send a screenshot of the password prompt if helpful.

Sincerely,
Taylor Kim

Write for an Academic Discussion practice questions

In this task, you read a professor's post and two student replies in an online class discussion, then write your own contribution. Each example shows the discussion and a model answer you can study. For more, see our full Write for an Academic Discussion practice questions post.

Question 1

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Professor Miller: Welcome to class, everyone. Today, we are focusing on a hotly debated economic proposal: Universal Basic Income, or UBI. Under a UBI system, the government would provide every citizen with a regular, guaranteed cash payment, regardless of their employment status or income level. Proponents argue this creates a necessary financial safety net and boosts consumer spending. Critics, however, warn that it could be prohibitively expensive and disincentivize work. I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you think implementing a Universal Basic Income is a sound economic policy, or are there better ways for a government to allocate its financial resources?

Alex: I think UBI is an excellent idea. The traditional welfare system is full of complicated rules and bureaucratic costs. UBI is simple: everyone gets a baseline level of support. This would not only eliminate extreme poverty but also give people the financial security they need to go back to school or start their own businesses. Knowing their basic needs are met, people could take risks that ultimately drive economic innovation.

Maria: I have to disagree. Providing a meaningful amount of money to every single citizen would require massive tax increases, which could hurt the broader economy. Furthermore, giving money to wealthy individuals who don't need it is a complete waste of resources. I believe the government should take those funds and invest them in targeted job training programs, education, and public infrastructure to create sustainable employment.

Model answer:

I believe governments should provide automatic cash support targeted by income rather than pay the same universal benefit to everyone. Consider a worker whose hours change each month. Under a traditional welfare program, one busy month may end her eligibility, even though the next month leaves her unable to cover rent. A refundable payment that adjusts gradually with recent earnings would preserve Alex's goal of simple, reliable support without creating the sudden benefit cliff that discourages extra work. At the same time, the payment would shrink as her income becomes stable, so funds would not continue flowing to wealthy households that do not need assistance. This case shows that security and efficient targeting are compatible. Universality is administratively simple, but a responsive income-linked system can protect unstable earners while directing limited public money where it changes choices most.

Question 2

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Professor Davis: Welcome to this week's discussion! Today, we are exploring the ethics and effectiveness of data-driven marketing, specifically targeted advertising. Many companies track consumers' online behavior, such as their search history and social media activity, to serve them highly personalized advertisements. Some marketing experts argue that this creates a better, more efficient shopping experience, while others argue it is an invasion of privacy. I'd like to know what you think. Do the benefits of targeted advertising outweigh the drawbacks?

Alex: I believe targeted advertising is a win-win for both companies and consumers. From a consumer perspective, it saves a lot of time. Instead of being bombarded with irrelevant commercials for products I would never buy, I see ads for things that genuinely align with my hobbies and needs. It also levels the playing field for small businesses, allowing them to spend their limited marketing budgets efficiently by reaching the exact audience most likely to buy their products.

Sarah: I definitely see Alex's point about convenience, but I lean toward thinking targeted ads are harmful. It feels like a serious invasion of privacy when a product you just talked about with a friend suddenly appears on your social media feed. Furthermore, these algorithms are designed to be highly persuasive. By targeting consumers based on their past browsing habits, companies can easily manipulate people into impulse buying and overspending on things they don't actually need.

Model answer:

Targeted advertising has more drawbacks than benefits unless users knowingly choose a limited form of it. Imagine someone who searches for information about managing debt after losing a job. A platform could treat that single search as a sign of financial vulnerability and begin showing high-interest loan advertisements across unrelated sites. The ads may appear relevant, as Alex suggests, yet their timing and repetition could pressure the person precisely when careful judgment is most difficult. Sarah's privacy concern is therefore not just about discomfort; hidden tracking can change which commercial messages reach a person during a vulnerable moment. A safer system would show ordinary contextual ads unless the user explicitly permits a temporary interest profile, and the profile would disappear after a short period. Convenience is valuable only when the consumer controls the information that produces it.

Question 3

Express and support your opinion Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words

Professor Carter: In our upcoming classes, we will discuss sustainable food systems and how technology intersects with agriculture. One emerging innovation is cultured meat, often called lab-grown meat. This product is created by cultivating animal cells directly in a controlled environment rather than raising and slaughtering livestock. Proponents argue that this technology could drastically reduce the land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional agriculture. However, critics point out the massive electrical energy required to run these facilities and question whether consumers will actually accept and eat laboratory-created meat. I would like to hear your thoughts. Do you think lab-grown meat is a viable and necessary solution to our environmental challenges?

Alex: I think lab-grown meat is absolutely necessary for our future. As the global population continues to grow, traditional farming simply requires too much land and water to sustain everyone. If we can mass-produce meat in a lab, we can return vast areas of agricultural land to nature, which would significantly help fight climate change. The energy costs might be high right now, but as production technology improves, I am confident those costs will go down.

Elena: I understand Alex's point about land use, but I do not think lab-grown meat is the best solution. The bioreactors used to grow the meat require huge amounts of electricity, which might just shift the environmental burden from land depletion to our power grids. Additionally, many people are naturally hesitant to eat highly processed foods created in a laboratory. I believe we should focus on encouraging plant-based diets instead, which are already proven to be healthy and environmentally friendly.

Model answer:

I believe cultured meat is a necessary part of a sustainable food system, although it cannot replace plant-based foods. Alex is right that conventional livestock occupies enormous areas of land and water; replacing even part of beef consumption could restore habitats and reduce methane emissions. Elena is also right that a factory powered by coal may simply exchange one environmental cost for another. For that reason, public investment should favor facilities using low-carbon electricity and require full comparisons of energy, water, emissions, nutrition, and price. Consumer acceptance matters as well: producers should begin with familiar products, such as ground meat, where texture is easier to match and repeated purchases can demonstrate real substitution. Cultured meat is viable when clean production replaces livestock demand, and developing it now gives consumers another practical route to reduce agriculture's environmental burden.

Question 4

Your professor is teaching a class on this topic. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, you should do the following: - Express and support your opinion. - Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Dr. Aris: Next week, we will be discussing research methodology, specifically, how we gather data to understand social problems. Imagine a university wants to understand why some first-year students struggle to adjust to campus life. Researchers could either conduct a large-scale survey of 5,000 students to get broad statistical data, or they could conduct in-depth, one-on-one interviews with just 50 students to get detailed personal narratives. In your opinion, which approach yields more valuable insights for solving social issues: broad statistical trends or deep personal stories?

Kenji: I think the large-scale survey is the only way to go. If you only talk to 50 people, you run the risk of focusing on outliers, people whose experiences are not typical of the general student body. To make effective policy changes or allocate funding, administrators need objective numbers that prove a problem is widespread. Personal stories are interesting, but they are anecdotal. You cannot base major decisions on the feelings of a tiny percentage of the population; you need hard data to see the big picture.

Lila: I disagree with Kenji. Surveys are limited because they force students to choose from pre-set answers. Real life is rarely that simple. I believe in-depth interviews are more valuable because they allow researchers to discover problems they didn't even know existed. For example, a survey might show that students are 'stressed,' but an interview can reveal that the specific cause is a lack of quiet study spaces or confusing cafeteria hours. You get the 'why' and the 'how' from interviews, which you just can't get from checking boxes on a form.

Model answer:

The methods answer different questions, so the most valuable design would use interviews to discover causes and a survey to measure their reach. Lila is right that fixed choices may miss an issue such as confusing dining hours, while Kenji is right that one vivid account cannot justify a campus-wide investment. Researchers could interview a deliberately varied group of students, code recurring explanations, and convert those themes into survey questions sent to the larger population. They could then compare results across residence type, financial background, and enrollment status before choosing an intervention. This sequence also reveals when an apparently common problem affects only one group and requires a targeted response. Personal stories would shape the possible explanations, while broad data would show which explanations deserve policy attention and funding.

Question 5

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Professor Davis: Welcome to our module on Healthcare Ethics. Today, we are going to discuss the marketing of medical treatments. In a few countries, pharmaceutical companies are legally allowed to advertise prescription medications directly to consumers through television commercials and online media. Proponents argue that these advertisements educate the public and encourage people to talk to their doctors about untreated health issues. However, critics argue that such advertising can be misleading and pressures doctors into prescribing unnecessary medications. I would like to know what you think. Do the ethical concerns of advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers outweigh the potential educational benefits?

Chloe: I think direct-to-consumer advertising is actually beneficial for public health. These ads raise awareness about medical conditions that people might not even realize are treatable, like chronic migraines or certain types of depression. When people see these commercials, it prompts them to finally schedule an appointment with their doctor. As long as the advertisements list the side effects clearly, they empower patients to take charge of their own healthcare.

Sam: I strongly disagree. I think advertising prescription drugs directly to the public is unethical. Most consumers don't have the medical background to truly understand complex medications. These ads are designed by corporations to sell expensive brand-name drugs, which leads patients to demand specific pills from their doctors. This puts physicians in an awkward position and can lead to overmedication, or patients spending resources on expensive treatments when a cheaper generic alternative would work just as well.

Model answer:

Direct-to-consumer drug advertising confuses public education with demand creation. Chloe is right that recognizing symptoms may prompt a useful medical visit, but a manufacturer naturally frames its own product as the solution and cannot present every alternative with equal emphasis. A short list of side effects also does not explain how age, other medication, severity, or cost changes an appropriate choice. Public agencies and independent health organizations should provide symptom-awareness information, while manufacturers publish standardized evidence, risks, alternatives, and comparative cost for professionals and patients already considering treatment. If advertising remains legal, it should prohibit unsupported lifestyle imagery and require clear discussion of non-drug options. Medical awareness is valuable, but the first message should help people recognize a concern rather than persuade them to request a brand.

Question 6

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Dr. Torres: Welcome to this week's discussion. We have been examining how school curricula evolve over time to meet societal needs. Recently, there has been a strong push for high schools to mandate 'life skills' classes, such as personal finance, basic cooking, and time management, instead of dedicating all instructional time to traditional academic subjects like advanced mathematics, history, and literature. I would like to hear your thoughts on this trend. Should high schools require students to take practical life skills courses, or should they focus primarily on traditional academic subjects? Please explain your reasoning.

Maya: I strongly believe life skills courses should be mandatory. Many students graduate high school without knowing how to budget their money, file taxes, or cook healthy meals. These are essential skills that every single person needs to survive and thrive in the real world, whereas not everyone will need advanced calculus or physics in their daily lives. School should prepare us for all aspects of adulthood, not just for college.

Liam: I have to disagree with Maya. High school is a critical time for developing foundational academic knowledge and abstract critical thinking skills. If we take time away from academics to teach basic life skills, students might fall behind in core subjects, which could seriously hurt their college admissions and future career prospects. Besides, things like cooking and budgeting are better taught informally at home by parents, allowing schools to focus on what they do best: academic instruction.

Model answer:

High schools should require one applied life-skills course because practical preparation is necessary, costly to learn through mistakes, and unevenly taught at home. Maya is right that every graduate will face paychecks, taxes, rent, credit, food, contracts, and time choices. Students should build a budget from an example wage, compare loan terms, identify lease obligations, prepare an affordable meal plan, and respond to common financial fraud. Liam is right that schools cannot cover every household task or weaken core academics. The requirement should last one term, use simulations and local documents, and assess decisions rather than memorized definitions. Optional workshops can cover cooking, repairs, or other interests. Schools should review whether graduates can complete essential tasks and update examples as laws and financial products change. A narrow course protects academic depth while guaranteeing a common foundation for independent life.

Question 7

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Professor Gupta: In this week's module, we are exploring the intersection of computer science and medicine. Recently, there has been a significant push to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into medical diagnostics. These AI systems can analyze thousands of medical images and patient records in seconds, potentially catching diseases like cancer much earlier than a human doctor could. However, critics argue that relying on AI could lead to dangerous misdiagnoses in unusual cases, compromise patient data privacy, and remove the crucial human element from healthcare. In your opinion, will the widespread use of AI in medical diagnosis ultimately do more good or more harm?

Alex: I strongly believe AI will do more good. Human doctors are incredibly skilled, but they can get fatigued or simply miss tiny anomalies on an X-ray. An AI system never gets tired and can compare a patient's symptoms against millions of global medical records instantly. This level of speed and accuracy is going to save countless lives by catching illnesses when they are most treatable.

Chloe: I have to disagree with Alex. While speed is great, medicine isn't just about processing data; it's about understanding the patient as a whole person. AI lacks empathy and human intuition. Furthermore, if an AI system makes a mistake because of a glitch or biased programming, who is held responsible? I think over-relying on machines for our health will do more harm than good by reducing the quality of personalized care.

Model answer:

I believe medical AI will do more good than harm because it can provide a valuable second reading without replacing a physician's judgment. Alex is right that software can compare an image with thousands of prior cases and flag a faint abnormality that a tired clinician might miss. That earlier warning could lead to treatment while a disease is still manageable. Chloe's accountability concern is equally important: the doctor and hospital, not the software company, must remain responsible for the final diagnosis. If AI marks a lung shadow as dangerous, the physician should examine the patient, compare older scans, and explain the uncertainty before ordering an invasive test. Hospitals should also audit false alarms and suspend unreliable tools. This arrangement preserves empathy and responsibility while using AI's speed to reduce preventable oversights.

Question 8

Express and support your opinion. Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

Professor Carter: Welcome to class! Today, we are focusing on emerging trends in human resources and organizational structure. A growing number of companies worldwide have recently started testing a four-day workweek. In these trials, employees work only four days a week but receive the exact same salary they earned working five days. Advocates claim this change improves employee well-being without sacrificing overall productivity. However, skeptics argue that reducing working hours will inevitably lead to a drop in a company's total output and profitability. What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe adopting a four-day workweek is a beneficial strategy for businesses?

Alex: I completely support the shift to a four-day workweek. The traditional five-day schedule often leaves employees feeling exhausted and burned out by Friday. If people have a three-day weekend, they have more time to rest, pursue hobbies, and spend time with their families. When they return to the office, they are far more energized and focused. Because they are well-rested, they can actually accomplish the same amount of work in four days that they previously dragged out over five.

Claire: I understand Alex's point about preventing burnout, but I think a universal four-day workweek is highly impractical. For many industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, or customer service, reducing hours directly reduces output or service availability. If a factory stops running for an extra day, it loses money. To maintain the same level of service, these businesses would be forced to hire additional staff to cover the missing days, which would severely increase their operational costs and hurt their bottom line.

Model answer:

A four-day week should be treated as an operating model, not a universal employee benefit. Alex's argument is persuasive for teams whose lost hours come from meetings, duplicated approvals, and interruptions. Those teams may preserve output by redesigning work. Claire's examples show why the same promise is harder in healthcare or customer service, where coverage itself is part of the product. A responsible trial would therefore set different plans by function: project teams could share one closed day, while service teams could stagger days off and receive enough staffing to avoid compressed shifts. Before expanding the policy, a company should compare output per paid hour, errors, customer delays, resignations, and sick leave over several months. The strategy is beneficial only if improvements in focus and retention offset any added coverage cost without shifting pressure onto customers or the remaining workers.

Question 9

Your professor is teaching a class on marketing. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, you should do the following: - Express and support your opinion. - Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Professor Davis: This week, we are examining the role of data in modern advertising. Specifically, I want us to discuss 'targeted advertising', the practice where companies track your online activity and browsing history to show you ads tailored to your specific interests. Some consumers find this helpful because they discover products they actually need or want. Others find it intrusive and worry about their digital privacy. In your opinion, do the benefits of targeted advertising outweigh the privacy concerns? Why or why not?

Alex: I think targeted advertising is actually a good thing for consumers. In a world with millions of products, it saves me time to see ads for things I am actually interested in. For example, if I have been searching for hiking boots, seeing a discount on outdoor gear is helpful. It is much better than watching television commercials for products I will never buy, like baby diapers when I don't have children. Relevant ads make the shopping experience more efficient.

Jamie: I have to disagree with the idea that it is helpful. To me, the extent of the tracking is scary. It feels like we are being watched constantly, not just on one site but across the entire internet. Sometimes an ad pops up for something I only mentioned in a private chat, which makes me feel unsafe. I would rather see random, generic ads than feel like my personal life is being monitored just so a company can sell me something.

Model answer:

The privacy costs of cross-site targeted advertising outweigh its benefits because a small increase in convenience does not justify a permanent record of personal behavior. Imagine a student who searches for inexpensive counseling after a stressful week. A tracking network connects that search to her shopping profile and begins showing mental-health advertisements on shared computers and social media. Even if one advertisement is useful, the profile may expose a private concern to roommates, influence later marketing, or remain after the crisis has passed. Jamie's discomfort therefore reflects a concrete loss of control, not merely a dislike of relevant ads. The modest efficiency of cross-site tracking is not worth the risk created when sensitive inferences follow people beyond the situation in which they were made.

Question 10

Express and support your opinion Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words

Dr. Peterson: Next week, we will be diving into the topic of student assessment. For decades, schools have relied on traditional letter grades or percentage scores to measure student learning. However, a growing number of educational reformers suggest moving away from traditional grades entirely, replacing them with narrative evaluations, detailed written feedback from teachers, or pass/fail systems. Before our next class, I'd like to hear your perspective. Do you believe schools should keep traditional grading systems, or is it time to adopt alternative methods of evaluation?

Elena: I believe traditional grades should remain the standard. They provide a clear, objective measure of how well a student understands the material. When I get an 'A', I know exactly what it means, and it motivates me to keep working hard. Plus, traditional grades are universally understood. If schools switch entirely to written evaluations, it will be incredibly difficult for university admissions officers or future employers to compare students fairly, as narrative feedback is highly subjective.

Liam: I think it's time to move away from letter grades. Traditional grading creates unnecessary anxiety and shifts the focus from actual learning to just getting a high score. Students often avoid taking challenging courses because they are afraid of ruining their grade point average. Narrative evaluations, on the other hand, provide meaningful feedback. A letter 'C' doesn't tell a student how to improve, but a detailed written review from a teacher explains exactly which skills a student needs to work on.

Model answer:

Schools should use grades and narrative evaluations for different purposes instead of treating them as substitutes. A grade efficiently summarizes performance across common standards, which addresses Elena's concern about comparison. However, Liam is right that the symbol itself cannot explain why a student struggled or what action should follow. Each course could therefore report a grade plus brief evidence under shared categories such as conceptual understanding, application, revision, and collaboration. Universities would retain a comparable signal, while students would receive specific guidance. Schools should also allow a limited number of revisions because feedback matters most when learners can act on it. To prevent narratives from becoming inconsistent, teachers need sample descriptions and moderation across classes. This combined system recognizes that assessment must both certify achievement and improve learning. Removing either element would sacrifice one of those essential functions.

How the TOEFL Writing section is scored

The Writing section has 12 questions: 10 Build a Sentence questions, one Write an Email task, and one Write for an Academic Discussion task. Each Build a Sentence question is worth 1 point and is marked right or wrong, with no partial credit. The Email and the Academic Discussion are each scored out of 5 on how well you complete the task, organize your ideas, and use language. Your raw scores are changed into a section score on the 1 to 6 scale that TOEFL uses from January 21, 2026, reported in half-point steps. Your overall TOEFL score is the average of your four section scores (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing), rounded to the nearest half point. Unlike Reading and Listening, the Writing section is linear, so everyone taking a test form gets the same tasks.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in the TOEFL Writing section?

There are 12: 10 Build a Sentence questions, one Write an Email task, and one Write for an Academic Discussion task.

How long is the TOEFL Writing section?

About 23 minutes. You get about 6 minutes for the Build a Sentence questions, 7 minutes for the email, and 10 minutes for the academic discussion.

Is the TOEFL Writing section adaptive?

No. Unlike Reading and Listening, the Writing section is linear, so everyone taking the same test form gets the same tasks.

How is Build a Sentence scored?

Each of the 10 questions is marked correct or incorrect, with no partial credit. You put the words and phrases in one correct order, and any extra words are not used.

Practice the other TOEFL sections

Work through example questions and answers for every task in the 2026 test. For all task types in one place, see our TOEFL 2026 practice questions for all question types.

Reading

• Read in Daily Life practice questions and answers
• Read an Academic Passage practice questions and answers
• Complete the Words practice questions and answers

Listening

• Listen and Choose a Response practice questions and answers
• Listen to a Conversation practice questions and answers
• Listen to an Announcement practice questions and answers
• Listen to an Academic Talk practice questions and answers

Speaking

• Take an Interview practice questions and answers
• Listen and Repeat practice questions and answers