TOEFL iBT® Writing sample answers for the 2026 test

• Questions and time: 12 questions in about 23 minutes, according to ETS.
• Three tasks:
  • Build a Sentence: 10 short items;
  • Write an Email: 1 task, 7 minutes;
  • Write for an Academic Discussion: 1 task, 10 minutes.

  That leaves about 6 minutes for the ten Build a Sentence items.

• Not adaptive: everyone who takes the same version of the test gets the same Writing tasks.
• You type your answers. ETS’s topics do not require special background knowledge.

If you studied with older materials, note one change: the integrated essay, where you read a passage and heard a lecture before writing, is not one of the 2026 tasks. See the full test format for all four sections.

What it tests: your command of English sentence structure.

What you see: a short exchange between two people. The first line is complete. The reply has blanks and a set of word groups in the wrong order, and you place the groups to make a correct reply. Some items include one group you do not need.

With about 6 minutes for ten items, give each one about 30 seconds and move on when you are stuck.

Eight patterns, each with a worked item, are in the full Build a Sentence guide.

What it tests: whether you can write a clear, polite message for a real academic or social situation, for example to make a recommendation, extend an invitation or propose a solution.

What you see: a short situation and a list of things your email must do. The To and Subject lines are already filled in. You have 7 minutes.

What makes it work:

• Every point is covered, one short paragraph each, in the order the task gives them.
• The tone fits the reader: a polite greeting, the purpose in the first sentence, thanks and a closing.
• Concrete details make it real: a personal reason, exact times, a planned absence and a specific question about training.
• The sentences are simple and accurate, which leaves a minute to check grammar and spelling.

For what the scoring guide rewards, a 7-minute plan and a second situation to practice, read the full Write an Email guide.

What it tests: whether you can state and support an opinion in an online class discussion, respond to other people’s ideas and write in an academic tone.

What you see: a post from a professor that introduces a topic and asks a question, and short posts from two students with different views. You write your own post in 10 minutes. ETS’s directions say that an effective response contains at least 100 words. Prepiva’s guide suggests 120 to 150 words, enough to develop one idea and still check your work.

What makes it work:

• The first sentence gives a clear position and connects it to a classmate.
• It adds a new reason, the loss of fare money, that neither student raised.
• One specific example supports the reason, instead of several vague ones.
• It ends with a practical idea that answers Leila’s concern, so it contributes to the discussion rather than repeating it.

For five ways to add a new idea and another annotated sample post, read the full Academic Discussion guide.

• Build a Sentence: each item is right or wrong, worth one point.
• The email and the discussion post: each is scored from 0 to 5 with ETS’s scoring guides.
  • For the email, the guide looks at how well your details support the purpose of the message, the variety and precision of your sentences and words, social conventions such as politeness and register, and the number of errors.
  • For the discussion post, it looks at relevant, well-developed explanations, examples or details, a variety of sentence structures, precise word choice and the number of errors.
• Who scores: ETS scores the email and the discussion post with its AI scoring engine, which is trained on human ratings. Human raters help check its accuracy.
• Your result: a Writing band from 1 to 6, in half steps. Your overall band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. See how the 1–6 band scale works, with the CEFR level for each band.

On Prepiva, your Writing rating is an AI-generated practice estimate and is labeled provisional. How we estimate bands explains the method and its limits.

These traps come from Prepiva’s guides for the three Writing tasks:

• Write an Email: a long introduction that leaves no time for the third point; text-message style with a formal reader such as a professor or a manager.
• Write for an Academic Discussion: summarizing the other posts instead of giving your own view; repeating a classmate’s reason in different words.
• Build a Sentence: putting a time phrase in the middle of the verb; forgetting “do”, “does” or “did” in a direct question.

Prepiva’s free full practice test, Practice Exam 01, has all four sections in the 2026 format. After a free sign-up, its score report includes an AI rating of your Writing and Speaking in that test. For the email and the discussion post, it also shows what would raise each score, step by step. Take the full practice test when you want to see how the three tasks feel under time.

For more Writing practice with feedback, Prepiva Pro includes Writing practice sets with AI evaluation, for $19.99 a month or $39.99 for 3 months. Next, see the Speaking questions and topics for the last section of the test.