TOEFL WRITING TEMPLATES

TASK 1
The Introduction
No matter what question style is used, write your introduction using the following template:

The reading and the lecture are both about ___.

While the author of the article argues that __, the lecturer disputes the claims mentioned 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 ___.
This argument is challenged by the lecturer.
He claims that ___.
Additionally, he points out that __.
–

Secondly, the author suggests __.

The article notes that ___.
The lecturer, however, asserts that __.
He goes on to say that __.
–

Finally, the author puts forth the idea that ___.

The author contends that ___.
In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is ___.
He says that ___.
TASK 2
Answer Template 1
This is a challenging topic, but I think that [respond directly to the question].
I strongly agree with [student]’s idea that [mention one point made by the student].
I’d add that [expand on the point with your own idea].
While [other student] raised the relevant point that [mention one point made by the other
student], he/she didn’t mention that [challenge that point].
For example [elaborate on your challenge with your own ideas].

Answer Template 2
While I appreciate the points mentioned by both [name] and [name], I think that…
[elaborate on your idea for a few sentences]
Remember that [elaborate on your point], so [elaborate on your point].
Some people may feel that [mention a potential challenge], but [respond to this challenge].