TOEFL Essay Writing Tips

 person, “I.” Write in more general terms. 
6. Support an idea or plan. (Sample question) 
It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose 
this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. 
In this question, first tell whether you support or oppose the plan and then tell why. Since this question is somewhat 
personal, it is ok to use personal pronouns such as: “I, me, my” in your answer. 
II. The parts of an essay: 
In every essay, there should be an introduction, a body and conclusion. 
A. The introduction: 
The introduction restates the question using different vocabulary and/or sentence structure. The introduction also 
includes your thesis statement…the most important sentence in your essay. 
B. The body: 
The body of your essay is also the “heart” of your essay. It will include your main ideas and details and examples 
to support those ideas. Each new idea should be a new paragraph. Typically, a TOEFL essay will have 3 – 4 body 
paragraphs. 
TOEFL Essay Writing Tips 3  
C. The conclusion: 
The conclusion will be your final paragraph. It will summarize all the main ideas in your essay and it may also 
include your opinion. 
III. How to write a good introduction: 
Let’s look at some more essay questions to see how to restate the question and how to write your thesis statement. 
TOEFL essay question #1: 
Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which 
do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 
Restatement & Thesis: 
People have two options when deciding where to eat. They can prepare meals and eat at home or they can go out to 
stands or restaurants. I prefer to go out to eat because the food is more varied and interesting, it is less work for me and 
it saves time. 
Analysis: 
The restatement mentions the two types of options people have for eating and tells which one the author prefers. In 
addition, it gives three reasons for that preference. These three reasons will make up the three main idea paragraphs in 
the body of the essay. 
TOEFL essay question #2: 
Is it better for children to participate in team sports or individual sports? Why? Use specific reasons and examples to 
support your answer. 
Restatement & Thesis: 
It is better for children to participate in team sports rather than individual sports. In team sports, children learn how to 
cooperate. They learn good sportsmanship and how to rely on their teammates. These are important lessons that will 
benefit children throughout their lives. 
Analysis: 
The first sentence clearly states the author’s opinion. This is followed by three reasons for the opinion. Finally, the 
author mentions life lessons. In the essay, the three reasons will make up the three main idea paragraphs in the body of 
the essay. In addition, the author will mention how each main idea is useful throughout life. 
TOEFL essay question #3: 
Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? 
Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. 
Restatement & Thesis: 
There are many good reasons to live in a big city and an equal number of good reasons to live in a small town. I, 
myself, prefer to live in a small town because it is more personal and homey; it is easier to get around in and it is safer 
than a big city. 
Analysis: 
The first statement says that both a city and town have positive aspects. The next sentence tells the author’s preference 
and reasons for that preference. These reasons will make up the body of the essay. 
IV. How to write good body paragraphs: 
Each paragraph in your essay introduces a new idea. It should include a thesis statement followed by support and 
examples. Be sure to use LOTS of examples. Within and between paragraphs be sure to use transition words like: on the 
other hand, however, though, for example, in contrast, likewise, in addition, first, finally. The paragraph should end with a 
concluding sentence which briefly summarizes the ideas in the paragraph. 
V. The elements of a good concluding paragraph: 
A good concluding paragraph should include a summary of your main points. It may also include the author’s opinion. It 
should NOT introduce any new ideas. A good concluding paragraph often leaves an impression on the reader. It may 
make the reader think more deeply about the topic. 
VI. Preparing to write and writing your answer: 
a. Read and understand the essay question. (2 minutes). 
b. Organize your ideas on paper by writing a short outline of the introduction, body and conclusion. (8 minutes). 
c. Write your essay. Remember to restate the question in your introduction. Use clear details and LOTS of examples in 
the body of your essay. Finally, summarize the main ideas in the concluding paragraph of your essay. (15 minutes). 
d. Reread your essay and make any changes in spelling, verb tense, word choice or sentence structure. (5 minutes). 
TOEFL Essay Writing Tips 4  
VII. A sample TOEFL outline: 
TOEFL Question: In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this is a good idea? 
Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details. 
I. It is a good idea for teenagers to have jobs while they are students because they can learn about responsibility; 
they can learn the value of money and they can learn how to work as a member of a team. 
II. Students can learn responsibility 
a. They have to come to work on time every day 
b. They must serve customers in a friendly manner 
c. They have to maintain the store shelves with inventory 
III. Students can learn the value of money 
a. Students will learn that it takes a lot of time and effort to make money 
b. Students will make wiser choices when buying things with their own money 
IV. Students will learn how to work as a member of a team 
a. Students will learn how to compromise with other employees (helping out when someone is sick, etc.) 
b. Students will learn about the friendship that comes from teamwork (feeling like you can trust others) 
V. Conclusion 
It is a valuable experience for teenagers to have jobs while they are students because they will learn to be 
responsible adults. They will have an appreciation for money and they will learn about working with others. 
All of these traits will benefit them throughout their lives. 
VIII. A sample TOEFL essay (based on the outline above). 
It is a good idea for teenagers to have jobs while they are students because they can learn about responsibility; they can 
learn the value of money and they can learn how to work as a member of a team. 
When teenagers have jobs while they are students, they can learn how to be responsible. As an employee, you must follow 
a weekly schedule. This means, you have to come to work on time. If you are scheduled to begin work at 8 a.m. on a 
Saturday morning, you have to be there at 8 a.m. It doesn’t matter if you went to a party the night before and do not want 
to get up. You have to get up. Your boss is relying on you to do your job. As an employee, you also learn that you must 
serve the customer in a friendly manner. If you are not friendly, the store may lose business and you may lose your job. 
Finally, an employee is responsible for maintaining the store shelves with inventory. If you work in a department store, 
you have to keep the shelves filled with merchandise. The products have to be priced and placed on the shelves. If the 
shelves look empty, customers may get a bad impression of the store and may not continue to shop there. It is good for 
students to learn responsibility when they are young because it will benefit them as they get older. 
Another benefit to teenagers working is that they will learn the value of money. Often students get money from their 
parents, but they do not realize how hard their parents work for that money. When students work, they begin to appreciate 
how difficult it can be to make money. They also realize that “money doesn’t grow on trees” as some students seem to 
believe when asking their parents for money. Another reason it is good for students to work is that they will make wiser 
choices when they use their own money to buy things. For example, if students work 20 hours per week at $7.00 per hour, 
they will make $140 per week. In one month, that is about $540. Perhaps a student will think twice about spending $120 
for a pair of tennis shoes or $350 for a stereo system when s/he has had to work very hard for that money. On the other 
hand, when students do spend money for personal objects, they will appreciate them more than if they had gotten the 
money from their parents. 
Finally, working teenagers learn from being members of a team. As employees, students learn to work with others and help 
one another. For example, if someone is sick, you may be asked to help out. In addition, other employees will depend on 
you to do your share of the work. If one person does not do his/her job, other employees may have to do extra work to 
compensate. Students will learn very quickly that it is not good teamwork to expect others to do your work. Finally, 
students will develop friendships with other employees because they have learned to count on each other. Working as a 
member of a team will build strong character in students. 
To conclude, it is a valuable experience for teenagers to have jobs while they are students because they will learn to be 
responsible adults. They will have an appreciation for money and they will learn about working with others. These 
experiences will help them grow into adulthood and benefit them throughout their lives. 
BUY 155 TOEFL Essays NOW. They will help you prepare for the writing portion of the TOEFL test!