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TOEFL integrated writing task: 40 practice questions

B2Speaking & Writing40 questionsUpdated

The TOEFL integrated writing task gives you a short reading with three claims, a lecture that answers each of them, and about twenty minutes to explain how the two relate. Your own opinion is not asked for and does not score. These 40 items build the habit that carries the task: one paragraph per pair, every idea attributed, nothing copied.

What this task tests

  • Whether you can hold three reading points and three lecture points in parallel.
  • Accurate paraphrase of both sources, in writing, at speed.
  • Attribution: the reading claims, the professor counters, she objects that.
  • Organisation into pairs rather than two separate summaries.
  • Contrast language: whereas, however, by contrast, on the other hand.
  • Enough control of grammar to be clear across 150 to 225 words.
  • Notes good enough to rebuild a lecture you heard only once.
  • Time discipline: reading, notes, three paragraphs, two minutes of checking.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read for three claims

    The passage is built as three numbered arguments even when it is not numbered. Note each in five words before the lecture starts.

  2. Step 2:

    Note the lecture against your reading notes

    Write the professor’s answer next to the claim it attacks. The pairing is the essay, so build it while you listen.

  3. Step 3:

    Skip the long introduction

    Two sentences: what the reading claims overall, and that the lecture disputes it. Then go straight to the first pair.

  4. Step 4:

    One paragraph per pair

    Reading claim, then the professor’s objection, then the detail that supports it. Repeat three times.

  5. Step 5:

    Attribute every sentence

    The reader must always know whose idea it is. ‘The reading argues …’, ‘the professor responds that …’ are worth their words.

  6. Step 6:

    Paraphrase, never copy

    Change the nouns and the sentence shape. A copied sentence adds nothing to your score and can be discounted altogether.

  7. Step 7:

    Skip the conclusion if time is short

    A conclusion is optional and repeating your introduction wins nothing. A complete third paragraph is worth far more.

  8. Step 8:

    Save two minutes to check

    Verb endings, plurals, articles. Most errors in this task are small and fixable in a single read-through.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisWriting three paragraphs about the reading and one line about the lecture.

    ThisGiving each lecture point a paragraph of its own.

    The score depends on how fully the lecture is reported and related to the reading.

  • Not thisCopying a sentence from the passage.

    ThisRewriting it in different words and a different shape.

    Copied language demonstrates no comprehension and may not be counted at all.

  • Not thisAdding “in my view the professor is right”.

    ThisLeaving opinion out.

    This task is a report of two sources; an opinion is unmarked content in a timed essay.

  • Not thisInventing a lecture point you missed.

    ThisDeveloping the points you caught.

    A fabricated point is a content error, and the marker has the same lecture you heard.

  • Not thisWriting two separate summaries.

    ThisPairing each objection with its claim.

    The relationship between the sources is the thing being tested; two summaries leave the reader to build it.

  • Not thisSpending eight minutes on an elegant introduction.

    ThisSpending one.

    Introductions are the cheapest part of the essay and the most expensive in minutes.

Language this task keeps reusing

cast doubt on
to give reasons to question a claim
counter (v.)
to answer an argument with another
refute
to argue that a claim is wrong
attribution
showing whose idea each sentence reports
whereas
a connector marking a direct contrast
by contrast
a phrase introducing an opposing point
watershed
the land area draining into one river system
sediment
fine material carried and deposited by water
habitat
the natural home of a species
cold-water fish
species such as trout that need cool water
pulse (n.)
a sudden release of something in quantity
undermine
to weaken an argument

Practice: integrated writing

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

The integrated writing task asks you to

2Complete with a number.

You have about minutes to write this response.
True or false about the two sources?
  • The lecture usually challenges the reading.
  • Your own opinion belongs in this essay.
  • Each lecture point normally answers one point in the reading.
3 to go
The reading argues that reintroducing beavers benefits a watershed. Which is the best opening sentence?

5Complete with one noun beginning with p.

Organise the body by : one paragraph for each pair of arguments.

6The reading says beaver dams store water for dry seasons; the professor says the same dams flood roads and farmland. Write the first sentence of that body paragraph.

7Complete with one connector beginning with h.

Use contrast connectors: whereas, , by contrast.
Reading: ponds create fish habitat. Lecture: ponds warm the water and harm trout. Your paragraph should

9Complete with one noun beginning with l.

A response that ignores the cannot score well, however good the English.
True or false about the conditions?
  • The reading passage is available on screen while you write.
  • You hear the lecture more than once.
2 to go

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the response be?

Roughly 150 to 225 words is the usual guidance, and that is enough for three paired paragraphs. Going much longer usually means the reading is being retold rather than reported.

Do I need an introduction and a conclusion?

A two-sentence introduction helps the reader. A conclusion is optional, and a complete third body paragraph is always worth more than a tidy ending.

What if the lecture supports the reading instead of opposing it?

It happens occasionally. The structure does not change: pair each lecture point with the reading point it develops and say how it strengthens the claim.

Is my opinion ever relevant here?

No. Save it for the academic discussion task, where a position is exactly what is wanted. Here an opinion costs words and earns nothing.

How do I paraphrase quickly enough?

Change the subject of the sentence and the key nouns, and split long sentences in two. Speed comes from rewriting the structure, not from hunting for rare synonyms.