TOEFL Guides · Writing · ~7 min read
TOEFL Writing Practice: Integrated & Academic Discussion Sample Essays
TOEFL Writing changed in 2023 — if you’ve seen prep material describing an “Independent Essay,” it’s describing the old format. Here’s the current two-task structure, what each one actually wants, and where responses lose points.
Task 1 — Integrated Writing
Read a short academic passage (230–300 words), then listen to a lecture on the same topic that typically challenges or casts doubt on the reading’s specific points. Write a 150–225 word response explaining how the lecture’s points relate to the reading’s.
Tip: the lecture almost always challenges the reading point by point, in the same order presented — structure your response as one paragraph per point, explaining specifically how the lecture casts doubt on it, without inserting your own opinion about who’s right.
Task 2 — Writing for an Academic Discussion
A professor poses a question on an online class discussion board; you see two classmates’ initial responses, each taking a different position. Write your own contribution, at least 100 words.
Tip: engage directly with what your classmates already said — agreeing, disagreeing, or adding a new angle — rather than writing a generic essay that ignores their posts entirely; that engagement is specifically what’s being scored.
How TOEFL Writing is scored
Task 1 is scored 0–5, Task 2 is scored 0–5, and both convert into the 0–30 Writing scale. Graders look for how well you convey the relationship between the reading and lecture (Task 1) or how well you develop and support your own point (Task 2) — not just grammatical accuracy.
2 mistakes that quietly cap most scripts
Frequently asked questions
What are the two TOEFL Writing tasks?
Task 1 (Integrated Writing: read, listen, then write about the relationship between them) and Task 2 (Writing for an Academic Discussion: contribute to a simulated online class discussion).
Is the TOEFL Independent Essay still part of the test?
No — since the 2023 test redesign, the old Independent Essay was replaced by the Academic Discussion task, which is shorter (10 minutes, 100-word minimum) and framed as a class discussion post.
How long is the TOEFL Writing section?
Roughly 30 minutes total: about 20 minutes for Task 1 (including reading and listening) and 10 minutes for Task 2.
How is TOEFL Writing scored?
Each task is scored 0–5, then combined and converted to the 0–30 Writing scale.
See real model responses for both tasks
TOEFL Writing Mastery covers Integrated Writing and the Academic Discussion task, with produced audio for every lecture, model responses, and a genuine weak-vs-strong comparison.
Written by Dr. Henry English, founder of Concord Black — a school director with a BA in English Language and Literature, a BA in English Language Teaching, a master’s degree in English Language Teaching, and a PhD in English Language and Philosophy.
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