TOEFL iBT Writing Section

Overview and Key Strategies

Lesson Goals
• Overview of the Writing Section
• General Tips
• Question Types
• Key Strategies
• Performance Descriptors
 Task Description

Overview of The
TOEFL iBT Writing
Section
• Assessing academic writing skills
• Presenting ideas in a clear, well-organized way
• 2 tasks/questions
 Task 1: Integrated Writing Task (20 min’s)
o Read, Listen and Write
 Task 2: Independent Writing Task (30 min’s)
o Writing from Knowledge and Experience

• 50 minutes
• Responses are typed on a computer keyboard
Useful Tips
• Practice paraphrasing words, phrases,
sentences, and entire paragraphs
• Understand the scoring guides for the
TOEFL
• Practice outlining before writing, and
writing following an outline
• Practice writing with complex structures
and academic vocabulary
• Understand the question completely
before starting
Question Types
TOEFL iBT Writing Section
Task 1: The Integrated
Writing Task
• read a passage about an academic topic for
three minutes
• hear a short lecture related to the topic
• summarize and explain the points in the
lecture in relation to the reading
• 20 minutes
• Common phrasing:
 Summarize the points made in the lecture,
being sure to explain how they cast doubt on
specific points made in the reading passage.
 Summarize the points made in the lecture,
being sure to specifically explain how they
support the explanations in the reading
passage.
Task 2:
The Independent
Writing task
• write an essay in response to a question
asking to give your opinion on an issue
• common phrasing:
Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement?
[A sentence or sentences presenting an issue
will appear here.]
Use specific reasons and examples to support
your answer. Be sure to use your own words.
Do not use memorized examples.
• a good response: about 300 words long
• no maximum word limit
Key Strategies
Tackling the Writing Section of the TOEFL iBT
Strategy #1: Improve
your typing skills
• Type with both hands
• Become familiar with a QWERTY
keyboard
• Practice typing on several desktop
computers
Strategy #2: Example Topics
Anticipate familiar
topics for the Description and Explanation
Independent Task Describe an ideal friend.
Describe a good roommate.
• Familiar topics for the iBT Describe a good neighbor.
independent essay include four Describe a perfect husband or wife.
categories: Describe your ideal job.
 Description and Explanation
Describe a good parent.
 Agreement- Disagreement

Describe a beautiful city.
Preference
 Condition
Describe a perfect vacation.
Describe an excellent teacher.
Describe your favorite book.
Describe your favorite holiday.
Describe the most important invention.
Describe your favorite gift.
Describe an important symbol of your country.
Describe the most important quality for success.
Strategy #2:
Agreement/Disagreement
Anticipate familiar Life is easier now than in the past.
topics for the Computers are a positive influence.
Independent Task Class attendance should be required.
• Familiar topics for the iBT Difficult experiences can provide important lessons.
independent essay include four Foreign languages should be taught to young children.
categories:
 Description and Explanation Boys and girls should attend separate schools.
 Agreement- Disagreement It is always important to be on time.
 Preference Example Topics
 Condition A first impression is usually correct.
School uniforms should be required in secondary school.
Playing sports teaches us about life.
Pets should be treated like family members.
Celebrities deserve the high salaries that they receive.
Experience is the best teacher.
It is a good idea to participate in activities at school.
Music is important in the lives of most people.
Strategy #2: Preference
Anticipate familiar Some students prefer a traditional classroom. Others
like to take classes online. Which type of class do you
topics for the prefer?

Independent Task
• Familiar topics for the iBT
independent essay include four
categories:
 Description and Explanation
 Agreement- Disagreement
 Preference
 Condition
Some people spend most of their money when they
receive it. Other people save as much as possible.
What do you think is better?
Some teachers lecture for most of the class. Other
teachers spend part of the class in small group
discussions. Which method do you think is better?
Some people use physical activity to alleviate stress.
Other people prefer to escape in a good book or watch a
movie. Which plan do you use in stressful situations?

Some people like to work outdoors. Other people like to

work indoors. Which kind of work do you prefer?

Example Topics
Strategy #2: Example Topics
Anticipate familiar
topics for the Condition
Independent Task If you could visit any country in the world, where
would you go?
• Familiar topics for the iBT
independent essay include four If you could change one thing about yourself,
categories: what would it be?
 Description and Explanation
 Agreement- Disagreement

If you could change one thing about your home
Preference
 Condition
town, what would you do?

If you could meet anyone who is alive today,

which person would you want to meet?

If you could go back in time to any place and year,

which period would you choose?

If you could show tourists any place in your

country, where would you take them?
Strategy #3: Choose the
opinion that is easiest to
support for the
Independent Task
• do not waste time - choose an opinion
that you can support with three reasons
or examples that come immediately to
mind
• your opinion will not be graded, but how
you support it with reasons and examples
Strategy #4: Include
an outline sentence
with parallel structure
• In your introduction, include not only a
thesis statement but also an outline
sentence: additional sentence that briefly
outlines your essay
 Thesis statement: a sentence stating
your choice or option
 Outline sentence: a sentence that Although the life of people when my grandparents were children
outlines your essay had its own advantages, I agree that the today’s life offers more
ease and comfort. I think so because today we have the internet,
• Use parallel structure for your outline
more affordable products, and wider career options.
sentence
• See the examples on the right
… I think so because of the internet availability, products
affordability, and career options flexibility today.

… Having the internet, buying cheaper products and choosing from

more career options are what I believe the main things that make our
life easier and more comfortable now compared to when my
grandparents were children.
 Example answer: Disagree

Strategy #5: Prepare facts, Attendance should not be part of the grading system in
university courses. In my opinion, the policy is misguided
examples, and experience because it does not encourage teachers to prepare
interesting classes, it does not take into account the
to support your choice and differences in students, and it does not set a positive
reason example for students.

• explain and expand on the major points
in your essays with supporting details:
 Facts
 Examples
 Experience
Example question:
Do you agree with the following statement:
Attendance should be part of the grading system in university
courses.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Be sure
to use your own words. Do not use memorized examples.
(Example supporting details using experience)
Although many professors plan interesting classes, some
professors do not provide additional information. In my
experience, the lectures in about half of my undergraduate
classes were very repetitive. The information that the
professor provided was also available in the textbook or in
other course materials online. Since no value was added to
the course by attending classes, the policy seemed to be
more punitive than positive. It would have been possible
to earn an A without attending classes if the attendance
policy had not been instituted. Therefore, the policy
seemed to support the teachers who did not bother to
prepare their classes well. It did not seem to be in the best
interest of students.
 Example answer: Disagree
Strategy #5: Prepare facts,
examples, and experience Attendance should not be part of the grading system in
university courses. In my opinion, the policy is misguided
to support your choice and because it does not encourage teachers to prepare
interesting classes, it does not take into account the
reason differences in students, and it does not set a positive
example for students.
• explain and expand on the major points
in your essays with supporting details: …
 Facts
 Examples (Supporting Detail Evidence)
 Experience
However, research on learning styles confirms that some
students need the structure provided by a classroom
Example question:
Do you agree with the following statement: environment, but others learn better by reading and
researching on their own. For students who are
Attendance should be part of the grading system in university independent learners, the classroom time is not well
courses. spent, but they do not have the option to learn in a
different way without jeopardizing their grades. Instead of
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Be sure spending their time productively, students who learn
to use your own words. Do not use memorized examples.
better by using resources in labs and libraries have to
interrupt their study time to attend class
 Strategy #5: Prepare facts, Example answer: Disagree
examples, and experience Attendance should not be part of the grading system in
to support your choice and university courses. In my opinion, the policy is misguided
reason because it does not encourage teachers to prepare
interesting classes, it does not take into account the
differences in students, and it does not set a positive
• explain and expand on the major points example for students.
in your essays with supporting details:
 Facts …
 Examples
 Experience (Supporting Detail Example)

For example, when students who attend class are

Example question:
Do you agree with the following statement:
Attendance should be part of the grading system in university
courses.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Be sure
to use your own words. Do not use memorized examples.
rewarded for sitting in their seats and obeying the rules,
not for making an effort to learn in the best way that they
can, then the lesson is more about conformity than the
content of the class. Students get the message that sitting
obediently is more important than excelling on an exam.
 Many insects die during the winter months; however, a small
Strategy #6: Use number of them survive to repopulate the nest.
formal transition
words In some traditional cultures, rites of passage mark an individual's
transition from child to adult status; furthermore, it signals the
• Build coherence using transition words
time for separation from the mother.
• Use more formal, academic transitions words
such as:
 however
 furthermore Minoan architecture included a system of plumbing; moreover,
 moreover they engineered light wells to illuminate underground rooms.
 nevertheless
 Therefore
• Use a semicolon before each transition word Barrier islands are smoothed by waves on their seaward sides;
and a comma after it nevertheless, their landward margins are irregular because storm
• See the examples on the right waves carry sediment over the island and deposit it in lagoons.

A mezzo soprano has a range lower than a typical soprano but

somewhat higher than an alto; therefore, a mezzo soprano is often
cast in the role of an older woman or a supporting character.
 EXAMPLE OF READING PASSAGE
From geological evidence, it is acknowledged that at least four massive
Strategy #7: summarize glaciers advanced and receded over the North American hemisphere during the
Pleistocene period. During the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago, at the end of the
the reading passage in Pleistocene period, a large portion of North America was covered by ice as thick as 6,500 feet.
Temperatures on land were about 25 degrees colder than they are now. About 18,000 years
the integrated task ago, Laurentide, the last large glacier, covered most of Canada and extended as far south as
Pennsylvania in the Midwestern United States, an area of more than 5,000,000 square miles.
• Three minutes to read the 250- to 300- As the Laurentide glacier moved south along what is now the Great Lakes,
word passage before listening the ice sheets sheared off mountaintops and carved deep valleys in a process
called glacial erosion. Their leading edges left high ridges behind. The advance of the glacier
• Summarize the reading passage in the enlarged the system of river valleys that already existed and scoured out enormous basins.
first few sentences of your essay: Thousands of years later, as the climate began to warm, the ice sheets
 Include only the major points and the began to retreat and melt, and the basins carved by the glacier were filled with
most important details water. In this way, the Great Lakes were formed, along with the St. Lawrence River
Valley. The original lakes were much larger than they are today, but their basic shapes were
• The major points are usually in the first already evident and the drainage patterns were established for the five individual lakes that are
sentences of each paragraph currently distinguished. They are connected to each other through channels, forming one
system of water that flows from Lake Superior through the entire system, comprising the
• Restate the major points of the reading largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth.
passage in about 100 words

EXAMPLE OF SUMMARY
During the Pleistocene period, four huge glaciers flowed and retreated in North America. Moving
south over the area now known as the Great Lakes, the Laurentide glacier changed the topography
of the region, leveling mountains and gouging out deep basins. When the climate warmed several
thousand years later, the ice started to melt, filling the basins with water. Thus, the Great Lakes and
the St. Lawrence Seaway were formed.
 Strategy #8:
Paraphrase - don’t
repeat the same words
• 0 score for copying directly from a
reading passage or use words directly
from a lecture
• Use synonyms for the vocabulary that you
read or hear
• Learn the 4 techniques of paraphrasing

Source: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/intermediate-english-for-university-study/0/steps/35241
 Doubtful Verbs
allege
Strategy #9: Learn the assume
believe
verbs to express author’s claim
or lecturer’s point of view imply Neutral Verbs
• Use indirect statements and strong verbs propose describe Negative Verbs
to report the content information suggest explain • contradict the
• Choose verbs for your report based on suppose illustrate theory/idea/concept
the point of view: doubtful, neutral, suspect indicate • challenge the
certain, or negative think mention theory/idea/concept
• Learn and practice the verbs note • deny the
Certain Verbs theory/idea/concept
Examples: observe •
argue dispute the
 The reading passage explains that… point out theory/idea/concept
 The lecturer claims that… assert report • reject the
 The lecturer rejects the theory that… conclude say theory/idea/concept
 The lecturer argues that… confirm show
contend state
demonstrate
discover
find
maintain
prove
 Different
Strategy #10: Show a Structures
Example Sentence
variety of sentence commas between parallel structures:
• For example, subjects became very irritable, those with children lost patience
structures – basic and Series with
parallel •
more often, and small problems bothered them more than usual.
Furthermore, the immune systems of a significant number of subjects were
complex structure depressed, they reported more sick days, and they had more colds.

• add points to your score by using that, which

different types of sentences:
For examples:
 Series with parallel structure
 Relative clauses
 Compound sentences
 Complex sentences with adverbial
clauses
 Conjoined sentences with transition
words
with adverbial
• The lecturer reported a research study, which was designed by
Relative graduate students at State University to find out what happened to
clauses sleep-deprived students.
FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So)
• Most people are working longer hours, and some people have two
Compound jobs.
sentences • On math tests, subjects received lower scores, and they needed
more time to complete them.
• Although the amount of sleep required varies from person to
Complex person, one in five people fails to get enough sleep.
sentences • Therefore, getting enough sleep is important because it helps
maintain good mental and physical health.
clauses

• They made more mistakes; moreover, they performed tasks more

slowly.
Conjoined • However, relatively few studies have examined this important
sentences problem.
Strategy #11: Check
your grammar
• Avoid common grammar errors in the
low-intermediate levels – the basic rules
• Spare at least 5 minutes at the end for
editing and proofreading
• Avoid unfamiliar grammar forms – only
use when you are quite sure and when it
doesn’t affect clarity
Grammar Lesson
The Basics
Basic Grammar Rule #1: Subject – Verb
Agreement
Make sure your subject and verb agree with one another:
• 3rd person singular subject (he/she/it) goes with singular verbs in the present
simple tense.
• Use plural verbs with plural pronouns (you, we, they, etc.)
 Example:
1) Although stack ranking has its benefits as described in the text, the professor argues that it
is more harmful than helpful.
2) The employees in a company are less likely to be motivated when a company only relies on
stack ranking as their appraisal system.
3) Microsoft, a big tech company, has long abandoned this system.
Basic Grammar Rule #1: Subject – Verb
Agreement Practice
Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentences.
1. Students who failed to submit their report by the end of the semester to the professor … due for a remedial.
A. is
B. are

C. was
D. to be
2. She proposes three alternative reasons why specimens … together.
A. is found
B. have found
C. was found

D. were found
3. The population of the endangered California condor … increased to almost 200 birds
A. have

B. has
C. are
D. can
Basic Grammar Rule #2: Verbal vs Nominal
Sentence
A sentence or independent clause must have a verb

Verbal: with an action verb Nominal: with a verb be (am, is, are, was, were, etc.)

Zoos often find or accept injured or abused animals. The majority of the animals are abandoned or
orphaned.

Animals in captivity do not enjoy as long a life as Holding animals in captivity is not the best plan for
those in their natural habitat the animals themselves

Why does the professor mention a seemingly What is the purpose of the lecture?
irrelevant anecdote?
Basic Grammar Rule #2: Verbal vs Nominal
Sentence – Common Errors
Common errors:
• Missing verb:
 Incorrect: The passage explains that penguins in the region during their
whole mating season.
Correct: The passage explains that penguins are in the region during their
whole mating season.
• Double verbs (Verb be + base verb or past tense):
Incorrect: The lecturer was disagreed with the text in that the phenomenon is
illusory.
Correct: The lecturer disagreed with the text in that the phenomenon is
illusory.
 Basic Grammar Rule #2: Verbal vs Nominal
Sentence Practice
Identify if the sentences are correct or incorrect. Try to correct them if they are.
1. historic
The The historic event
event is sosoimportant
important that
thatthe
thecountry
countrycelebrates thethe
celebrates dayday
as aas
national
a national holiday
holiday.
A. Correct

B. Incorrect
2. The scientists argue that the results of the study remain indecisive to make such
conclusion.

A. Correct
B. Incorrect
Harvard, one of the Ivy League universities in the USA, attracts a lot of bright students
3. Harvard,
from all aroundonethe
of world
the Ivy for
League universities in
the prestigious the USA, isthey
education attracts a lot of bright students
offer.
from all around the world for the prestigious education they offer.

A. Correct
B. Incorrect
Basic Grammar Rule #3: Use correct tenses
consistently
 Be consistent in using verb tenses in your writing
 Use present tenses to discuss scientific facts
 Use past tenses to summarize a reading passage or lecture that you have read or heard in the past.
 Use the same tenses throughout
 Study the following present and past tenses chart:

Present Tenses Past Tenses

-s appears to change -ed changed

present BE+ -ing is changing past BE+ -ing was changing

modal+ verb may change HAVE+ participle had changed

present BE+ -ed (passive) is changed past BE+ -ed (passive) was changed
Basic Grammar Rule #3: Use correct tenses
Complete the sentences with the correct tense of the verb in bracket.
• In the 1992 experiment, the volunteers … (be) randomly selected to
participate as either a prisoner or a guard.
were

• It is now a common believe in the academia that bilingual education

… (promote) literacy.
promotes
• As of now, according to the lecture, numerous studies … (conduct
[passive]) in search of the cure for the illness.
are being conducted
 EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATED ESSAY
Strategy #12: Summarize:
The reading passage maintains that zoos are beneficial because they provide
Summarize-Transition- endangered animals a safe environment to reproduce and increase their numbers,

Relate for Integrated Task they serve as temporary medical facilities for injured or abused animals, and they
support research studies to improve animal health.
• organize the integrated essay:
1. summarize the reading
2. use a transition sentence to signal the
lecture’s support or contradiction Transition:
In contrast, the lecturer argues that the benefits are exaggerated and could be
3. relate the reading and the lecture point
achieved by alternatives to the zoo model.
by point
• See the example

Relate:
Even though it is necessary to protect endangered animals so that they can
repopulate, it is better to do so in the wild, as for example, in national parks or
conservation reserves, which have been very successful. He also mentions that
wild animals that have been injured or abandoned may never readjust to the wild
after they have been temporarily cared for in a zoo and then released into
their previous environment, or they may not adjust quickly enough to be able to
survive once they are released. In addition, some of the research conducted in
zoos may benefit animal health, but investigations of the life spans of animals in
zoos as compared with those in the wild indicate that animals in captivity do not
live as long as those in their natural habitat.
 Question topic:
Government should fund space exploration vs projects on earth

Strategy #13: The EXAMPLE INDEPENDENT ESSAY

five-paragraph essay Optional introduction:

I recognize that some people would prefer to use the investment in space exploration for

for independent task

immediate improvements to life on Earth, but I believe that it is important to continue studying
the universe because exploration may provide the best long-term solutions to some of the most
serious problems that we face on our planet.
• develop your essay in the order that
raters expect: Outline sentence:
While I could discuss a number of these problems, the pollution of the environment, the depletion
1. Paragraph 1: Optional introduction with of natural resources, and overpopulation come to mind.
thesis statement + outline sentence with
three ideas Idea 1:
2. Paragraph 2: Idea 1 First, it is important to acknowledge that while scientists are exploring space, serious
3. Paragraph 3: Idea 2 environmental studies of Earth are also being conducted. For example, when scientists travel into
space, they also collect samples of air to determine current air quality in the atmosphere and to
4. Paragraph 4: Idea 3 Idea 2:
track changes in our most necessary requirement for life on Earth-the air we breathe.
In addition, exploring
Furthermore, informationotherabout
worlds couldchange
climate result incan
thebest
discovery of valuable
be examined fromnatural resources.
space. The movement
5. Paragraph 5: Conclusion
These
of bodies of water, the thickness of ice, and the flow of jet streams and weather patternsEarth
resources may include many energy sources that are currently being depleted on or
are all
• Study the example even
studiedpresently unknown resources that could lead to a total revolution in the way that we design
Idea 3:during
our living
space exploration.
spaces, vehicles, and technologies. Few would disagree that we are consuming the
Finally,
resources it isthat
obvious
we havethatavailable
the population on IfEarth
on Earth. we dois continuing
not exploretoextraterrestrial
increase. Almost 7 billion
alternatives,
people nowwe
eventually, share
will the
runplanet, and some argue that the current figures already represent a strain
out of options.
on the number that our planet can support. If we could locate a planet or moon that would
Conclusion:
support life as we know it, colonization would be an obvious solution to overpopulation. We
Therefore,
should not although
wait for an funding for the
emergency toinfrastructure and social
explore new places programs on Earth may seem more
to settle.
attractive and would certainly show a more immediate return on investment, space exploration
offers not only the chance to study outer space but also the opportunity to find better solutions to
problems on Earth.
Strategy #14: Manage
your time
• plan your essay before you begin
• follow the plan
• save time to reread and edit your essay
• recommended timing:
• Task 1 - Integrated Essay:
(After Reading Passage)
20 minutes:
• Planning: 4 minutes
• Writing: 12 minutes
• Editing: 4 minutes
• Task 2 – Independent Essay:
30 minutes:
• Planning: 5 minutes
• Writing: 20 minutes
• Editing: 5 minutes
 Example
Strategy #15: Pay
attention to capitalization
and punctuation
• some raters are influenced by basic
mistakes: capitalization and punctuation
mistakes
• correct them before submitting
• study the basic lessons in the example
Indentation
Indent every paragraph.
Although the English language does not have a direct correspondence between
the sounds and the spelling of words, some basic spelling rules are taught in schools.
Period
Use a period at the end of every sentence. A period is called a full stop in British
English.
Children often learn phonics, which is a system of sounding out words[.]
Comma
Use a comma to separate the items in a series.
Short vowels [,] long vowels [,] and the schwa vowel must be taught so that children
can connect the sounds with the letters on a page or a screen.
Colon
Use a colon before a series. A colon is often but not always introduced by the phrase
the following.
When a whole language approach was introduced in the 1980s, phonics was replaced
by the following strategies [:] opportunities to read interesting literature, motivation
to become good readers, and focus on meaning instead of sounds.
Capital Letters
Use a capital letter at the beginning of the first word in a sentence.
[N]ow phonics is being reintroduced in many schools to supplement whole language
programs.
Strategy #16: Think
like a rater (Part 1) -
The three trees errors
• when practicing and preparing for a
response, think about what the rater will
expect
• avoid major errors that will confuse or
distract the rater
• Don’t worry too much about minor errors
– ones that don’t cause confusion
• Example of a major and minor error from
a similar spoken sentence:
 Minor error:
(Written) “According to the lecturer, this
plant is categorized to three type.”
 Major error:
(Written) “According to the lecturer, this
plant is categorized to tree types.”
Strategy #16: Think
like a rater (Part 2) –
Evaluator’s Checklist
• Use the Evaluator's Checklist
to get the best score
Strategy #17: Practice,
Practice and Practice
• Do practice tests of the TOEFL iBT Writing
Section
• Apply the strategies
• Keep a note of your challenges, and as
you come closer to the test day, focus on
tackling them
Performance Descriptor for The
Writing Section
What does your score say about your proficiency level?
The
Advanced
Level Test takers who receive a Writing section score at the Advanced level are typically able to
• Score range 24–30 write in English on a wide range of academic and nonacademic topics with confidence
and clarity.
• CEFR Level C1
Test takers who score at the Advanced level typically can
• Note: Test takers with
scores of 29 or 30 are  Produce clear, well-developed, and well-organized text; ungrammatical, unclear, or
likely to be able to unidiomatic use of English is rare.
perform at CEFR Level  Express an opinion on a controversial issue, and support that opinion with
C2. appropriate details and explanations in writing, demonstrating variety and range of
vocabulary and grammatical structures.
 Select important information from multiple sources, integrate it, and present it
coherently and clearly in writing, with only occasional minor imprecision in the
summary of the source information.
The High-
Intermediate Test takers who receive a Writing section score at the High-Intermediate level are
Level typically able to write in English well on general or familiar topics. When writing about
complex ideas or ideas on academic topics, they can convey most of the main ideas.
• Score range 17–23 Test takers who score at the High-Intermediate level typically can
• CEFR Level B2  Produce summaries of multiple sources that include most of the main ideas; some
important ideas from the sources may be missing, unclear, or inaccurate.
 Express an opinion on an issue clearly; some ideas and explanations may not be fully
developed and lapses in cohesion may at times affect a clear progression of ideas.
 Write with some degree of facility; grammatical mistakes or vague/incorrect uses of
words may make the writing difficult to follow in some places.
The Low-
Intermediate
Level Test takers who receive a Writing section score at the Low-Intermediate level are typically
able to produce simple written texts in English on general or familiar topics.
• Score range 13–16
Test takers who score at the Low-Intermediate level typically can
• CEFR Level B1
 Produce a simple text that expresses some ideas on an issue, but the development of
ideas is limited because of insufficient or inappropriate details and explanations.
 Summarize some relevant information from multiple sources, but important ideas from
the sources are omitted or significantly misrepresented, especially ideas that require
unfamiliar vocabulary or are complex.
 Write with limited facility, with language errors obscuring connections or meaning at
key junctures between ideas in the text.
The Basic
Level
Test takers who receive a Writing section score at the Basic level are typically able to
• Score range 7–12 communicate very basic information in written English.
• CEFR Level A2 Test takers who score at the Basic level typically can
 Produce some text that is related to the topic, but with little detail and/or lack of
organization.
 Convey some information from the sources or some ideas on an issue, but grammatical
errors, unclear expressions, and/or poor sentence structure make their writing difficult
to comprehend.
The Below
Basic Level
• Score range 0 - 6

Test takers with a Writing section score below 7 have not yet demonstrated proficiency at
the Basic level.
End of Lesson
References:
• The Official Guide to the TOEFl iBT® 6th
Edition (2020)
• Baron’s TOEFL Strategies and TIPS:
Outsmart the TOEFL iBT®
• Performance Descriptor for the TOEFL iBT
Test (2021)