INDEPENDENT ESSAY

Writing an Introduction
The first part of your TOEFL independent essay must always be the introductory
paragraph. Follow this template:

Sentence One: The “Hook”

This is an interesting sentence that introduces the general theme or topic of the essay.
I recommend stating something that we should do in our life: “It is critically important
that we VERB…“
Sentence Two: The Main Point
This is your main argument and direct answer to the question. Start with “Personally, I
believe… “
Sentence Three: The Transition
Just use: “I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following
essay.”
If you follow this template, your introduction will look something like this:

It is critically important that students learn as much as possible and thrive in all of their
classes. Personally, I believe that young people do not have as much respect for their
teachers as in the past. I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the
following essay.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you write your introduction:

Don’t waste time on the opening hook. It isn’t that important.

Don’t copy and paste from the prompt.
Write about 50 words.
Writing Body Paragraphs
Next you must write two body paragraphs that support your thesis. Use this template for
your first body paragraph:
Sentence One: A Topic Sentence
This summarizes your first supporting reason. Begin with “To begin with…“.
Sentences Two and Three: The Explanation
Explain what you mean, without talking directly about a personal experience.
Sentence Four: The Transition
Just use: “My personal experience is a compelling illustration of this.“
Sentence Six to End: The Personal Example
An example from your life that illustrates this argument. It should make up about 60% of
the body paragraph.
This leads to a paragraph like this:
To begin with, there are many more ways for students to learn nowadays, which means
they are less reliant on teachers than in the past. A few years ago, children could only
acquire new skills by going to school and attending classes, so they respected their
teachers a lot. In contrast, now they can easily use technology to learn independently.
My personal experience is a compelling illustration of this. For the past five years, I
have studied English almost every single day. Although my native language is Korean, I
am able to easily communicate in English without feeling any anxiety. I expand my
vocabulary by using a smartphone application that teaches me new phrases twice per
day, and I practice pronunciation by watching videos on the Internet. Consequently, I
feel like old-fashioned classes with a teacher are not as important as they used to be. If
I had tried to become proficient in English twenty years ago, I would have depended on
a teacher and respected her a lot.

Use a similar template for your second body paragraph:

Sentence One: A Topic Sentence

This summarizes your second supporting reason. Begin with “Furthermore…“.
Sentences Two and Three: The Explanation
Explain what you mean, without talking directly about personal experience. Shorten if
necessary.
Sentence Four: The Transition
Just use: “For instance,“
Sentences Five to End: The Personal Example
An example from your life that illustrates this argument. Again, it should make up about
60% of the paragraph.
That would result in a paragraph looking something like this:

Furthermore, teachers are no longer strict, which means children don’t fear them at all.
If teachers fail to discipline students when they misbehave, they do not feel obligated to
respect them. This problem is very common nowadays. For instance, a few months ago
my little brother used profanity when addressing his math teacher. Surprisingly, he
wasn’t punished for this terrible behavior. His teacher was afraid of how our parents
would react to my brother being punished, so he just ignored it. Since then, my brother
hasn’t respected that teacher at all, and is often quite rude. In addition, a lot of his
classmates have picked up on the fact that they can get away with impolite behavior
and have started acting up as well. Based on this experience, I strongly feel that young
people do not respect educators like they did in the past.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you write the body of your TOEFL
independent essay:

Use a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences.

Emphasize the examples. They are easy to write, so they should make up about 60%
(or more) of each body paragraph.
Avoid very short sentences (less than seven words) and very long sentences (more
than 60 words)
Don’t start sentences with coordinating conjunctions
Use a variety of discourse phrases (like: therefore, moreover, as a result, in addition)
Write about 150 words in each body paragraph.
Writing a Conclusion
Conclusions are easy. You just need to repeat your thesis and your two supporting
arguments. Try this short template:
Sentence One: Restate the Thesis
Paraphrase your thesis. Begin with “In conclusion, I strongly feel that…“.
Sentence Two: Restate the Two Reasons
Just use: “This is because ______, and _______.“
That will produce something that looks like this:

In conclusion, I strongly feel that children do not respect their teachers as much as they
used to. This is because teachers are not as essential as they were a few decades ago,
and they are too nervous to enforce rules.

Here’s what you should keep in mind:

Paraphrase yourself. Don’t copy and paste from either the thesis or the topic sentences
when you restate your ideas
Don’t introduce new arguments in the conclusion
Write about 40 words in the conclusion

INTEGRATED ESSAY TEMPLATE (WRITING QUESTION ONE)

The Introduction
No matter what question style is used, write your introduction using the following
template:

The reading and the lecture are both about _____.

The author of the article feels that ______. or: The author of the reading presents
three theories about _____.
The lecturer disputes the claims made in the article.
His position is that _____.
The Body Paragraphs
Use the following templates for the body paragraphs:

According to the reading _____.

The article mentions that ____.
The lecturer challenges this specific argument.
He claims that ____.
Additionally, he points out that ______.
–

Secondly, the author suggests ______.

In the article, it is said that _____.
The lecturer, however, asserts that ______.
He goes on to say that ______.
–

Finally, the author posits that _____.

The author contends that ____.
In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is _____.
He notes that _____.
You don’t need a conclusion.

SPEAKING PART

Answer Template
The good news is that no matter what style you get, you can use the same template to
organize your answer. Feel free to use just one reason if you speak slowly. In that
case, eliminate the transition.

Main Point (pick one)

“I agree with the idea that…”

“I think it is better to…”
“I think it is a great/terrible idea to…”
Transition (optional)

Transcition.

“I feel this way for several reasons.

First Reason
“First…” + A reason + A personal example

Second Reason
“Secondly…: + A reason

Tips and Tricks

Avoid Repeating Words. Vary your vocabulary as much as possible.
Use discourse phrases like “as a result,” “consequently,” “moreover,” and “therefore” to
link ideas.
Use a mix of simple and compound sentences.
Don’t directly copy the prompt.
Avoid using idioms. They just lead to trouble.
 SECOND QUESTION

Answer Template
The good news is that you can always use the same template to organize your answer
to TOEFL speaking question 2.  Try this one:
Reading Main Point

 “According to the announcement/article/letter…”

Reasons from Reading

 “This is because ___ and ___.”

Transition

 “The man/woman opposes this.”

 “The man/woman supports this.”

 “The man/woman has a mixed opinion of this.”

First Reason

 “To begin with, he/she points out that…”

Second Reason

 “Moreover, he/she argues that…”

Tips and Tricks

 Link ideas by using discourse phrases like “as a result,” “consequently,”

“moreover,” and “therefore.”

 Spend about 10-13 seconds talking about the reading… at most. Spend the rest
talking about the conversation. Remember that most of your score is based on
the listening part.

 If you are a slow speaker, don’t mention the reasons for the change.

 Use a mix of simple and compound sentences.

Sample Answer

 According to the announcement the campus fitness center will be closed.

 This is because the school can’t afford to maintain it properly, and students can

go to private gyms in the city for free.

 The woman opposes this.

 To begin with, she points out that they will still have to maintain the building
even if the fitness center closes because it could become a dangerous fire
hazard. On top of that, it will be expensive to tear down the building and replace
it with something else.

 Moreover, she argues that all of the gyms in the city are quite far from the
university, so it could be hard for students to reach them if they don’t have their
own car. Additionally, it can be hard to find a taxi from campus into the city late at
night.