The TOEFL iBT Writing section evaluates your ability to construct grammatically correct sentences, communicate effectively through emails, and express well-supported opinions in academic discussions.

Under the updated TOEFL iBT format introduced on January 21, 2026, the Writing section includes three task types: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion. It contains approximately 12 items and takes approximately 23 minutes.

Part A: Build a Sentence

1. English Sentence Structure

• Subject–Verb–Object (SVO)

• Subject–Verb–Complement (SVC)

• Subject–Verb–Adverbial (SVA)

• Basic English word order

• Simple sentences

• Compound sentences

• Complex sentences

• Compound-complex sentences

2. Sentence Construction

• Arranging words into meaningful sentences

• Arranging phrases in grammatical order

• Building affirmative sentences

• Building negative sentences

• Constructing interrogative sentences

• Forming statements and questions

• Completing grammatically correct sentences

• Identifying correct sentence patterns

3. Parts of Speech

• Nouns

• Pronouns

• Verbs

• Adjectives

• Adverbs

• Prepositions

• Conjunctions

• Determiners

• Articles

• Interjections

4. Verb Forms and Tenses

• Present simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous

• Past simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous

• Future forms and constructions

• Subject–verb agreement

• Auxiliary verbs

• Modal verbs

• Active and passive voice

• Infinitives and gerunds

5. Phrases and Clauses

• Noun phrases

• Verb phrases

• Adjective phrases

• Adverb phrases

• Prepositional phrases

• Independent clauses

• Dependent clauses

• Relative clauses

• Noun clauses

• Adverbial clauses

6. Advanced Sentence Patterns

• Conditional sentences

• Comparative and superlative constructions

• Parallel structures

• Inversion

• Causative constructions

• Reported speech

• Embedded questions

• Emphasis structures

• Reduced relative clauses

• Participial phrases

7. Grammatical Accuracy

• Correct article usage

• Singular and plural agreement

• Pronoun agreement

• Correct prepositions

• Countable and uncountable nouns

• Modifier placement

• Avoiding dangling modifiers

• Avoiding sentence fragments

• Avoiding run-on sentences

• Correct punctuation

Part B: Write an Email

8. Academic Email Writing

• Writing to professors

• Writing to academic advisers

• Writing to university administrators

• Requesting academic information

• Asking for clarification about assignments

• Requesting an appointment

• Explaining academic difficulties

• Asking for deadline extensions

• Requesting academic support

• Seeking course recommendations

9. University and Campus Communication

• Library-related requests

• Campus housing problems

• Dormitory maintenance requests

• Class schedule changes

• Course registration questions

• Student club activities

• Campus facility concerns

• Scholarship information requests

• University event participation

• Student service inquiries

10. Social and Interpersonal Emails

• Inviting someone to an event

• Accepting invitations

• Declining invitations politely

• Expressing gratitude

• Apologizing for mistakes

• Explaining an absence

• Offering assistance

• Giving recommendations

• Making arrangements

• Resolving misunderstandings

11. Problem-Solving Emails

• Describing a problem

• Explaining its consequences

• Suggesting possible solutions

• Requesting assistance

• Reporting an inconvenience

• Making a complaint politely

• Following up on an unresolved problem

• Negotiating an alternative arrangement

• Proposing improvements

• Explaining a preferred solution

12. Email Organization

• Appropriate greetings

• Opening sentences

• Stating the purpose

• Providing relevant background

• Organizing supporting details

• Making clear requests

• Offering suggestions

• Writing appropriate closing sentences

• Using suitable sign-offs

• Maintaining paragraph coherence

13. Email Tone and Style

• Formal writing

• Semi-formal writing

• Informal writing

• Polite requests

• Professional vocabulary

• Appropriate modal verbs

• Direct and indirect language

• Concise explanations

• Audience awareness

• Register consistency

14. Email Writing Practice Scenarios

• Requesting a meeting with a professor

• Asking about a missed lecture

• Reporting a damaged library book

• Suggesting a campus recycling program

• Requesting a change of dormitory room

• Informing a classmate about an assignment

• Complaining about a noisy study area

• Recommending a student activity

• Asking for volunteering opportunities

• Suggesting improvements to campus transportation

Part C: Write for an Academic Discussion

15. Academic Discussion Fundamentals

• Understanding the discussion question

• Identifying the professor's prompt

• Reading other students' responses

• Developing a relevant contribution

• Expressing a clear opinion

• Supporting a position with reasons

• Providing meaningful examples

• Addressing alternative viewpoints

• Maintaining academic language

• Writing a coherent response

16. Expressing Opinions and Arguments

• Agreeing with a viewpoint

• Disagreeing respectfully

• Partially agreeing

• Presenting a balanced perspective

• Explaining personal preferences

• Comparing alternative positions

• Establishing a main argument

• Developing supporting reasons

• Using examples and explanations

• Reaching a reasoned conclusion

17. Responding to Other Students

• Acknowledging another opinion

• Extending a classmate's idea

• Challenging an argument respectfully

• Adding new evidence

• Introducing a contrasting perspective

• Identifying similarities between opinions

• Clarifying misunderstandings

• Developing an alternative solution

• Connecting multiple viewpoints

• Avoiding irrelevant repetition

18. Education and Learning Topics

• Online education versus classroom education

• University tuition fees

• Homework and academic performance

• Standardized examinations

• Artificial intelligence in education

• Group projects versus individual assignments

• Practical skills versus theoretical knowledge

• University attendance policies

• International student experiences

• Research-based learning

• Technology in classrooms

• Public versus private education

19. Science and Technology Topics

• Artificial intelligence

• Robotics and automation

• Scientific research funding

• Space exploration

• Renewable energy technologies

• Social media and communication

• Digital privacy

• Cybersecurity

• Biotechnology

• Scientific innovation

• Technology and employment

• Ethical use of technology

20. Environment and Sustainability Topics

• Climate change

• Environmental conservation

• Renewable energy

• Plastic pollution

• Recycling programs

• Urban green spaces

• Water conservation

• Sustainable transportation

• Wildlife protection

• Sustainable agriculture

• Environmental education

• Government environmental policies

21. Society and Culture Topics

• Cultural diversity

• Globalization

• Community service

• Volunteering

• Social responsibility

• Traditional versus modern lifestyles

• Urban versus rural life

• Public transportation

• Cultural heritage

• Museums and historical sites

• Social media influence

• Community development

22. Business, Economics, and Employment Topics

• Entrepreneurship

• Small businesses

• Remote work

• Workplace technology

• Part-time jobs for students

• Career development

• Financial education

• Economic inequality

• Workplace productivity

• Professional communication

• Work–life balance

• Employee training

23. Health and Lifestyle Topics

• Physical exercise

• Healthy eating habits

• Mental well-being

• Sleep and academic performance

• Stress management

• Public health education

• Sports participation

• Screen time

• Healthy university environments

• Preventive healthcare

• Recreation and leisure

• Community health programs

24. Arts, Media, and Entertainment Topics

• Music education

• Art in schools

• Literature and reading

• Cinema and filmmaking

• Traditional versus digital media

• Museums and cultural institutions

• Educational documentaries

• Public funding for the arts

• Video games and education

• Creative activities

• Photography

• Cultural festivals

Part D: Essential TOEFL Writing Skills

25. Academic Vocabulary

• Academic word families

• Topic-specific vocabulary

• Formal expressions

• Common collocations

• Synonyms and antonyms

• Precise word choice

• Appropriate phrasal verbs

• Verbs for arguments and explanations

• Vocabulary for comparison

• Vocabulary for cause and effect

26. Cohesion and Coherence

• Logical sequencing

• Transition words

• Linking expressions

• Reference words

• Pronoun referencing

• Maintaining topic focus

• Organizing related ideas

• Cause-and-effect relationships

• Comparison and contrast

• Avoiding unnecessary repetition

27. Developing and Supporting Ideas

• Brainstorming

• Identifying the main point

• Generating supporting reasons

• Giving concrete examples

• Providing explanations

• Describing consequences

• Making comparisons

• Using hypothetical situations

• Evaluating alternatives

• Expanding underdeveloped arguments

28. Academic Writing Style

• Clarity

• Conciseness

• Precision

• Logical organization

• Grammatical variety

• Appropriate formality

• Natural sentence flow

• Avoiding vague statements

• Avoiding unnecessary complexity

• Maintaining a consistent tone

29. Paraphrasing and Rewriting

• Replacing words with suitable synonyms

• Changing sentence structures

• Combining related ideas

• Rewriting complex sentences

• Simplifying unnecessarily long sentences

• Preserving original meaning

• Avoiding awkward word substitutions

• Eliminating redundancy

• Improving sentence clarity

• Avoiding inappropriate copying

30. Punctuation, Spelling, and Mechanics

• Capitalization

• Full stops

• Commas

• Semicolons

• Colons

• Apostrophes

• Hyphens

• Question marks

• Spelling accuracy

• Typographical errors

Part E: TOEFL iBT Writing Preparation and Assessment

31. Time Management

• Understanding time constraints for each task

• Rapid sentence arrangement

• Planning email responses

• Planning academic discussion responses

• Prioritizing relevant content

• Typing efficiently

• Avoiding excessive rewriting

• Reviewing before submission

• Managing time pressure

• Completing timed practice exercises

32. Writing Assessment Criteria

• Task relevance

• Completeness of response

• Grammatical accuracy

• Vocabulary appropriateness

• Clarity of expression

• Organization and coherence

• Development of supporting ideas

• Appropriate tone and register

• Sentence structure variety

• Overall communication effectiveness

33. Common TOEFL Writing Mistakes

• Incorrect word order

• Subject–verb agreement errors

• Verb tense inconsistencies

• Article errors

• Incorrect prepositions

• Incomplete answers

• Irrelevant explanations

• Repetitive vocabulary

• Weak supporting examples

• Inappropriate email tone

• Poor sentence connections

• Excessive grammatical complexity

34. Writing Practice Strategies

• Daily sentence-building exercises

• Grammar correction exercises

• Academic vocabulary practice

• Email writing exercises

• Academic discussion simulations

• Timed writing practice

• Model-response analysis

• Error identification

• Self-editing exercises

• Feedback-based revision

35. TOEFL Writing Mock Tests

• Build a Sentence practice sets

• Academic email writing practice

• Social email writing practice

• Opinion-based discussions

• Compare-and-contrast discussions

• Problem-solving discussions

• Education-related discussions

• Science-related discussions

• Environment-related discussions

• Full Writing section simulations

• Performance analysis

• Targeted improvement exercises

Recommended Preparation Priorities

Priority, Main focus, Relevant topic numbers

1. Sentence construction and grammar, 1–7

2. Email writing and communication, 8–14

3. Academic discussion and argumentation, 15–17

4. Academic discussion subject areas, 18–24

5. Vocabulary, coherence, and writing style, 25–30

6. Timing, assessment, and mock tests, 31–35

Important: The pre-2026 Integrated Writing task, which required reading a passage and listening to a lecture, is not part of the updated TOEFL iBT Writing format. For tests taken in 2026–2027, preparation should focus on the three current task types.

Official reference: ETS — TOEFL iBT Writing Section

Total: 35 major topic areas, covering sentence construction, email writing, academic discussions, language accuracy, and examination strategies.