Toefl Writing Explained Clearly

Most people spend months studying grammar and vocabulary for TOEFL, and then they sit down for the writing section and realize it's actually a time management test. And TOEFL changed this section at the beginning of 2026. The whole thing is now just 23 minutes. Three tasks. If you don't know the format before you walk in, you will run out of time. Not because your English isn't good enough, but because you spent the first few minutes figuring out what are you even supposed to do. Hi everyone, my name is Marina. I moved to the US from Russia 11 years ago and I've taken TOEFL three times. I also have a great teacher for you. Her name is Anastasia and today she's leading this class. She's our lead teacher at

LanguageTrip. She scored 119 out of 120 on TOEFL and she has helped thousands of students get the scores they needed. Over to you, Anastasia. Currently, the TOEFL writing section is considered one of the most difficult parts of the new 2026 TOEFL exam. In fact, the TOEFL writing section has always been difficult for students, especially these days when many people rely on spell checkers and AI tools to help them write. Many claim to write less and less. So, since the news about the new test came out, I've been bombarded with questions about the TOEFL writing section. Today, I'll address many of these questions and

do a full TOEFL writing simulation with you so you know what to expect on test day. I'll also share the experiences of my students who are currently preparing for the test and those who have already passed it. You're struggling with this part of the TOEFL exam, keep watching. Without further ado, let's begin. The TOEFL writing section consists of three tasks: build a sentence, write an email, write for an academic discussion. You will only have 23 minutes for the entire section, which is quite intense. You'll have approximately six minutes for the build a sentence task, 7 minutes for the email task, and 10 minutes for the write for an academic

discussion task. As you can see, one of the main challenges of the new TOEFL writing test is managing your time. Let's start with the first task, build a sentence. For this one, you'll have to create 10 grammatically correct sentences. To ace it, you need to understand sentence structure. For example, you'll need to know how to form direct and embedded questions and how to use relative clauses. In a way, it's a subtle test of how well you know grammar rules. Since you only have 6 minutes to complete the task and must form 10 sentences, you'll need to write each sentence in about 36 seconds. Let's give it a try. You now have 6 minutes to complete the task. If you finish sooner, feel free to jump to the part with the correct answers.

Let me quickly jump in here before we check your responses. I want to tell you about something special we're doing for this video. You just experienced what 6 minutes of timed build a sentence practice actually feels like. And that's the type of practice you need a lot more of before the test day. So, for this video, we're giving you free access to our Lingua TOEFL practice platform. When you click the link in the description, you'll get to practice 20 tasks from the new 2026 TOEFL format completely free on the platform. You'll get scored feedback from our AI on grammar, vocabulary, structure, and content within seconds, and you'll see exactly what you can improve before your test day. This is a

great way to see how the platform works and to put in some real-time practice. If you want something more structured with detailed lessons that walk you through every task type in depth, we also have our full TOEFL course. Use the code Lingua Marina at checkout to get $20 off. Both the platform link and the course link are in the description. And Anastasia, thank you and back to you. Now, let's check the correct answers. Before we do that, please comment with a plus if you found this task easy or a minus if you struggled. The correct answers are The architect who delivered the lecture was remarkable.

Does the paper say that the project examines complex cognition? Could you tell me whether seats are still available? Does the paper mention who directed the film? Do you know which artist created the pieces? Would you mind telling me which department administers the program? When exactly does the conference begin? What advanced editing techniques will you learn? She explained that the installation was intended to challenge conventional perceptions.

I relied on the materials that the professor had distributed. As you can see, all the grammar rules I just mentioned are tested in this assignment. For example, look at the first sentence. The architect who delivered the lecture was remarkable. [snorts] This is an example of a relative clause. What kind of architect? The one who delivered the lecture. Relative clauses usually begin with relative pronouns such as who, that, and which. We use them to give extra information about a noun in a sentence. For example, the professor who teaches biology is very popular.

What kind of professor? The one who teaches biology. The book that you recommended was very helpful. What kind of book? The one that you recommended. Now, we also have some direct wh questions. For example, when exactly does the conference begin? In direct wh questions, you should pay close attention to the position of wh words and auxiliary verbs. For example, the structure for wh questions is usually question word, auxiliary verb, subject, plus main verb. So, we get when exactly does the conference begin? Be careful to place the auxiliary verb, such as do, does, will, have, or has, before the subject. And, of course, most of the examples we looked at were embedded questions. Do you know which artist created the pieces?

Could you tell me whether seats are still available? The important thing to remember is that knowing exactly how to form embedded questions can save you a lot of time. For example, for number six, I can use this logic. I can see the question mark at the end, so I immediately know that the first part of the sentence will be a question. The question words I see here are would and which. Let's leave them aside for a second. Since I have the phrase telling me in the middle, I will place the verb mind before it. Because the verb mind is often followed by the ing form of a verb. I also need the subject, who, you.

Now, I can choose the word that fits the context. It will obviously be would. Would you mind telling me? The question which you mind telling me simply doesn't make sense. Would you mind telling me what? Now, I should either use if or whether for yes or no questions or a wh word for wh questions. I don't have if or whether, so I choose which. Would you mind telling me which? Which what? Then I put the subject and then the verb. Which department administers? At first, I might think the subject is the noun program, but I see that the only verb among the

options is administers. So, it makes more sense that the department administers the program rather than the program administering the department. So, the final sentence is, would you mind telling me which department administers the program? The s ending is also very helpful in some sentences. If you see the verb administers, which ends in s, you immediately know that the subject must be singular. If you have two nouns, department and programs, you would immediately know the department is the correct subject since it's a singular noun and will be followed by a verb ending in s. So, overall, if you know the rules, completing these tasks becomes almost mechanical and you won't be surprised by any difficult sentences.

Actually, many students have trouble with this task because they're really stressed on test day and their minds just freeze. As a result, they run out of time and can't finish all the sentences in 6 minutes. At least that's something many of my students have complained about. The good news is that there just two main areas you need to focus on to nail this task. Embedded questions and sentence structure. Once you review both and practice them until you can easily form positive sentences, negative sentences, and all types of questions, you'll be able to move through this task with ease, even if you feel nervous on test day. So, remember, embedded questions and sentence structure are topics you not only need to review, but also practice

regularly. For example, let's talk about embedded questions. This is quite a challenging topic, so I have a full lecture dedicated to it in our TOEFL prep course to make sure you not only understand the rules, but can also apply them effectively. First, let's see whether or not you already know how to do it. You will now see some questions, and your task is to quickly change them from direct questions into embedded using different introductions. Try doing it right now. You have five direct questions and five different ways to turn them into embedded questions. Pause the video and answer them yourself first, and then continue watching to see how I do it. In order to ace the TOEFL test, you should be able to complete this task effortlessly.

The correct answers are: I'd like to know if artificial intelligence will change the way people work in the future. He's asking whether you've ever used an AI tool to help you study or complete a task. Could you tell me why many companies invest so much money in artificial intelligence today? Many people are wondering if artificial intelligence is becoming too powerful for a society to control. I honestly don't know how artificial intelligence might improve education in the next 10 years. If you struggled with that or it took you a while, it means you need more practice. But, don't get too discouraged because you can actually master this

topic and sentence structure in just a few days. Let me give you an example from one of my students. She had no understanding of either sentence structure or embedded questions and she generally struggled with the writing section. She took six classes in one week and we focused only on speaking and writing. After that, she took the test and got a much higher score even though she didn't practice that much on her own. Her writing score improved from two to four and her speaking score increased to 5.5 even though she had previously scored only four in that section. Huge congratulations to Catherine and remember, your score is often not just about your level of English, but also about what

you know and what you don't know. The good thing is you can improve that very quickly. Please, let me know in the comments if you found this topic difficult and if you'd like me to make a separate video focusing on the grammar needed for this type of task. I'll also post more videos about each writing task exploring them in detail. Feel free to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss them. If your test is approaching and you feel you're struggling with this part of the writing test, click the link below to join the updated TOEFL prep curriculum. There we'll cover all the grammar you need to ace the task and share high-scoring templates for writing and speaking.

Now, let's move on to the second task, write an email. Here, you'll have to write an email in 7 minutes. Time is again the biggest challenge. Many of you probably don't struggle with emails because we write them daily. But having to write one in 7 minutes makes the task harder. Also, they don't provide the word count. But to earn a high score, you should write more than 120 words. A good email is usually 140 to 170 words long. To achieve that within 7 minutes, you should first know the task well enough to answer mechanically. Second, know what to include and what to exclude from the email. For example, many people forget to add details not mentioned in the task and only stick to the bullet points, which

decreases the score. Third, know the appropriate register for the email, formal, semi-formal, or informal. And fourth, use the appropriate vocabulary depending on the register. So, if you've been asking yourself, has the TOEFL writing section become easier? You can see that the answer is no. While you no longer have to write a long academic integrated essay, the email task is still challenging because you have to consider many things at the same time. Let's try this task. You have 7 minutes, so feel free to do it on your own first. Then, watch me write my email. Always start by reading the brief overview of the situation. This will give you a better understanding of what is going on. We read that.

You recently moved into a rented apartment. At first, everything seemed fine, but after a few days, you began to notice several problems in the apartment. Write an email to your landlord. You should write an email to your landlord. The tone should be semi-formal. This means that the phrases and words you choose should reflect that. Many students underestimate the importance of register and write the same kind of email in every situation. As a result, they lose marks. If you think this is unfair, ask yourself, would you use the same writing style when writing to an unfamiliar person as you would when writing to a friend? Of course not. The same applies to the TOEFL test. Once you have identified the

register, think about which formulas you should use to start and finish your email. Also, consider any special phrases you can include based on the email's purpose. To do this, look at the bullet points to see exactly what you need to do. For example, if you need to make a request in your email, you can use phrases such as, "Could you please?" "Could you let me know?" "I'd appreciate it if you could." As I said, you should stick to the bullet points, but it's also important to add new information that was not mentioned in the prompt. The more details you provide, the better.

This will make your email more realistic and will also help improve your vocabulary score. Speaking of vocabulary, it should reflect the register you're using. You're more than welcome to use phrasal verbs such as come over, go for, run out of, come across, and others in informal emails. However, if you're writing a formal or semi-formal email, your style should be more reserved. You can use formal expressions such as regarding, in terms of, due to, and similar phrases. You can also use more advanced grammar structures such as gerunds and cleft sentences. Inversion and inverted conditionals are also possible, but they are usually more appropriate for formal emails because they sound quite formal. For

example, in a formal email, you might write Should you need any help, please do not hesitate to contact me. This is an example of an inverted conditional. Let's see what we can come up with. First, let's start with a greeting. Hello, Mr. Anderson. Now, let's write the purpose of our email. I'm writing regarding apartment 5B at 742 Evergreen Terrace, which I'm currently renting from you. I have recently encountered several issues that require your attention. Now, let's delve into the bullet points. Remember, we should address each one and provide additional details. Bullet point one. First, the light fixture in the

living room is not working. So, the only light in the room comes from a floor lamp in the corner. As a result, the room is quite dim, which makes it difficult for me to read or study in the evening. In addition, one of the electrical outlets near the dining table is hanging from the wall and does not appear to be secure. Bullet point number two. These issues are particularly challenging for me at the moment, as I mentioned earlier, I'm currently preparing for the TOEFL exam, which is very important for my university admissions. The poor lighting makes it difficult to study effectively. And since I often attend online TOEFL classes on Zoom from the dining table, the damaged outlet prevents me from charging my laptop while studying. Bullet point number

three. I would greatly appreciate it if you could arrange for a reliable technician to repair these problems by Thursday afternoon, if possible. My exam is scheduled for Thursday at 8:00 p.m. So, it would be extremely helpful if everything could be fixed before then. Finally, we end with a closing sentence, sign off, and signature. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your reply.

Best regards, Lilly. Now, we have an email that addresses all three bullet points, has a strong structure, uses the appropriate tone and register, and demonstrates advanced vocabulary. Light fixture, electrical outlets, reliable, dim, and so on. This email is 230 words long, but if you're not a fast typist, you can write a bit less. Still, try to keep your email within the range of about 140 to 170 words. And of course, work on your typing and idea generation skills. If you cannot generate ideas quickly, you may struggle with this task. I usually ask my students to look at an email prompt and orally generate details and ideas within 1 minute for all the three bullet points.

Developing your imagination in this way really helps you prepare for this type of task. And of course, focus on topic-specific vocabulary. Like knowing words such as light fixture, electrical outlets, reliable, dim, and others will help you write faster and achieve a higher score. In our TOEFL course, we provide a list of such words organized by topics so that you can focus on the most important vocabulary you will need in your emails. We also provide key phrases for emails and templates that help you organize your responses and maintain the appropriate register. The last task is write for an academic discussion. In this task, you have to answer a professor's question in 10 minutes.

Make sure to read the professor's comment carefully so that you understand all the details and nuances of the question. Then, try to simplify the question in your mind. Many students struggle with this task simply because they misunderstand the question and go off topic. Next, quickly skim the students' opinions and decide whether you want to agree with one of them or present a different perspective. I usually recommend choosing a completely different perspective from both students. This way, you can be sure that you're contributing something new to the discussion. However, even if you decide to agree with one of the students, make sure to provide your own reasoning and

examples. Remember, your goal is to add new ideas to the discussion, not simply repeat what has already been stated. Just like with the email task, remember that the more relevant details you include, the better. Now, you will have 10 minutes to complete this task. This time, I won't provide a sample response to avoid making this video too long. However, I encourage you to share your essays in the comments below. I will select three essays and provide feedback on your strengths and areas for improvement to help you achieve a higher score. I will also release a detailed analysis of the writing for an academic discussion task soon, so stay tuned. That brings us to the end of this video. Feel free to

share in the comments which task of the writing section you find most challenging, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss new TOEFL 2026 practice videos. As always, I wish you all a stellar TOEFL score. See you in the next video. Bye.