Complete TOEFL Essay Templates (2024 Update)

TOEFL essay templates can help you answer both of the TOEFL writing questions. To write a strong TOEFL essay just fill in the blanks with the required information from your notes (in the integrated essay) or from your ideas (the writing for an academic discussion task). Note that I also have a set of TOEFL speaking templates. If you want more personalized help with your essays you can sign up for our TOEFL essay evaluation service.

Integrated Essay Template (Writing Question One)

The Introduction

No matter what question style is used, write your introduction using the following template:

The reading and the lecture are both about _____.
While the author of the article argues that ____, the lecturer disputes the claims mentioned in the article.
His position is that _____.

The Body Paragraphs

Use the following templates for the body paragraphs:

According to the reading _____.
The article mentions that _____.
This lecturer challenges this argument.
He claims that _____.
Additionally, he points out that ______.

Secondly, the author suggests ______.
The article notes that _____.
The lecturer, however, asserts that ______.
He goes on to say that ______.

Finally, the author puts forth the idea that _____.
The author contends that _____.
In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is _____.
He says that _____.

You don’t need a conclusion.

Your TOEFL integrated essay should be about 280 to 300 words. To see this template in use, check out my collection of sample essays.

Writing for Academic Discussion (Writing Question Two)

Here’s a really straightforward template that is easy to use.

While some people might think [opposite of my opinion], I really believe that [my opinion]
First of all, [elaborate on the opinion].
Actually, I have some experience with this.
[a quick personal example]

Here’s a template that focuses on giving an entirely new answer and ignoring the other student responses. This is my favorite template.

While I appreciate the points mentioned by both STUDENT 1 and STUDENT 2, I think that…
[elaborate on your idea for a few sentences]
Remember that [elaborate on your point], so [elaborate on your point].
Some people may feel that [mention a potential challenge], but [respond to this challenge].

Here’s a template that focuses on expanding on and challenging the points mentioned by the other students. I don’t like this template as much, but some people prefer it.

This is a challenging topic, but I think that [respond directly to the question].
I strongly agree with [student]’s idea that [mention one point made by the student].
I’d add that [expand on the point with your own idea].
While [other student] raised the relevant point that [mention one point made by the other student], he/she didn’t mention that [challenge that point].
For example [elaborate on your challenge with your own ideas].

Your response should be about 120 words.