TOEFL iBT® Write an Email: how it works, with a sample

• What you see: a short situation from academic or social life, the person to write to, and a list of things your email must do. The To and Subject lines are already filled in.
• Why you write: to reach a goal, such as making a request, giving information, recommending something, extending an invitation or proposing a solution to a problem.
• Time: 7 minutes. You type your email in an editor on the screen.
• Scoring: from 0 to 5, with ETS’s scoring guide.

ETS’s scoring guide describes a top email (a 5) as fully successful. In plain words, it has:

• Details that serve the purpose: each point is explained with something specific, such as a reason, a time or an example.
• Varied, precise language: different kinds of sentences and the right word for the situation.
• Fitting social conventions: a polite tone at the right level of formality, information in a clear order, and requests or refusals phrased the way people really phrase them.
• Almost no errors, other than the slips anyone makes under time, such as a typo.

A middle score (a 3) means the email does the task in part: some points are thin, the range of language is narrower, and errors are noticeable. ETS scores the email with its AI scoring engine, which is trained on human ratings; human raters help check its accuracy.

1. Minute 1: read and plan. Find the reader and the three points. Write one concrete detail next to each point.
2. Minutes 2 to 6: write. A greeting, one sentence that says why you are writing, one short paragraph per point in the order the task gives them, and a closing.
3. Minute 7: check. Fix verb forms, articles and spelling. Make sure all three points are there.

What makes it work:

• The opening fits a friend: two short, warm sentences, then straight to the advice.
• Point 1 is a real recommendation: a named place, two reasons (the desk and Wi-Fi, the short walk) and a practical tip.
• Point 2 explains with facts: the bus, a pass at half price with a student card, a bike in good weather.
• Point 3 gives a reason: the coat, because it is colder than Daniel expects and expensive to buy locally.
• Each point has its own paragraph, in the task’s order, so the reader finds each answer at once.

Plan this email in one minute, then write it in six:

Before you write, decide on the tone for a coordinator you do not know well, one concrete detail per point (how many members come, what you build, another day or room that would work), and one polite sentence for your proposal, such as “Would it be possible to…?”.

ETS sets no word count for the email; its directions tell you to write as much as you can, in complete sentences. What the scoring guide rewards is detail that supports the purpose, so cover every point with something concrete. The sample above has about 140 words, a realistic length for 7 minutes.

• A long introduction that leaves no time for the third point.
• Text-message style (“thx”, “u”) with a formal reader.
• A point answered in one vague sentence, such as “I can help with that.”
• Sentences copied from the task: the scoring guide looks for your own language.
• No time left to check spelling and verb forms.

Practice Exam 01, Prepiva’s free full practice test, includes an email task, and its score report includes a Writing rating after a free sign-up. Prepiva Pro adds Writing practice sets with AI evaluation, for $19.99 a month or $39.99 for 3 months. Next, learn the other Writing tasks: Build a Sentence and Write for an Academic Discussion, or take the full practice test.