write an essay on integrated

Test Resources

TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

How to write a fantastic toefl integrated essay (2023).

Here’s how the TOEFL Integrated Essay works:

It is the first writing task on the TOEFL test.
First, you will have three minutes to read an article (four paragraphs, 250 to 300 words) about an academic topic.
Next, you will listen to a lecture (about 2 minutes) about the same topic.
Finally, you will have 20 minutes to write an essay about the relationship between the two sources. I recommend that you write about 280 words.
You can see the article while writing your essay, but you cannot hear the lecture again.

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The Relationship

The relationship between the article and the lecture will be one of the following.

Argument Style (Frequent)

The reading presents an argument and the lecture presents a counter-argument.

Problems and Solutions Style (less common)

The reading presents a problem and the lecture presents solutions to the problem.

Solutions and Problems Style (less common)

The reading presents solutions to a problem and the lecture challenges the solutions.

The Article

The article begins with an introduction which mentions the topic and the author’s main idea. Next are three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph contains one supporting argument (opposition style), one problem (problems and solutions style), or one solution (solutions and problems style).

Here’s an example:

The idea of colonizing asteroids has long been a topic of fascination and speculation in science fiction and popular culture. In recent years, however, the idea of asteroid colonization has become more realistic and feasible, thanks to advances in technology and space exploration. There are many potential benefits to colonizing asteroids, and these benefits make the pursuit of asteroid colonization a worthwhile endeavor. One of the most obvious benefits of asteroid colonization is the scientific potential. Asteroids provide a unique environment for scientific research due to their small size, low gravity, and lack of atmosphere. Research conducted in these environments could provide valuable insights related to many different academic fields. Not only that, but asteroids could also serve as stepping stones for future missions to other destinations in the solar system, such as Mars or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Another benefit of asteroid colonization is the potential for economic growth and development. Natural resources mined on asteroids could create new industries and job opportunities, which would generate significant revenue for both governments and private companies. Asteroid mining could also reduce the need for resource extraction on Earth, which could help to preserve our planet’s natural environment. In addition to economic benefits, asteroid colonization could also have important implications for the long-term survival of humanity. Asteroids could serve as potential refuge for humans in the event of a large-scale disaster on Earth, such as an asteroid impact or a nuclear war. Even if such a disaster doesn’t occur, asteroids could provide valuable information regarding the origins and evolution of the solar system, and how life emerged here in the first place.

You have three minutes to read it and take notes. Then you hear the lecture. You will be able to see the article again when the lecture is finished.

The Lecture

The lecture is on the same topic, and it is about two minutes long. You can only hear it once, so take notes.

At the beginning of the lecture, you will hear the lecturer’s main idea. The rest of the lecture consists of three opposing arguments, three solutions, or three problems. These directly respond to the three arguments/problems/solutions mentioned in the reading. Not only that, but they are in the same order as the reading.

Here’s a transcript of that:

While some people argue that starting colonies on asteroids could have many benefits, this claim is not necessarily supported by evidence. In fact, there are several reasons why starting colonies on asteroids may not provide the advantages that are often claimed. One reason why asteroid colonization may not provide significant scientific benefits is our lack of knowledge about asteroids. Despite decades of space exploration and study, our knowledge of asteroids is still limited. We do not know how many asteroids exist, what resources they contain, or what conditions are like on their surfaces. Until we have a better understanding of asteroids, it is difficult to predict what scientific benefits colonization might provide. Next, we can’t exactly predict the economic benefits of settling on asteroids. While asteroids are known to contain valuable resources, such as metals and minerals, it’s not clear how much of these resources exist on asteroids, or how much they would be worth when transported back to Earth. We don’t know whether mining for resources in space would be more cost-effective or efficient than simply getting them through conventional methods here on earth. Finally, asteroids are just not suitable for long-term human settlement right now. Most asteroids are small and do not have enough mass to generate significant gravitational pull. This means that any human settlements on asteroids would need to be designed to cope with the challenges of low gravity, such as serious difficulty moving around and possible damage to our bones and muscles. These challenges could make living on asteroids extremely uncomfortable and dangerous.

The Question

After the lecture finishes, the question will be shown. It will look something like this:

Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they answer the specific problems presented in the reading passage.
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific solutions presented in the reading passage.

After you see the question, you will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise your essay. Have fun!

Taking Notes

If you understand how the sources are structured, note-taking should be easy. You can do something like this:

Here are my notes from the above samples (colonizing asteroids):

Note-Taking Tips

Prepare your paper before the question beings by writing “reading” and “listening” and drawing arrows.
Even though you will see the article as you write, it is a good idea to take notes. That will force you to pay attention during the three minutes you have to read it.
Use short forms like “grav” and “cond” and “effec” to save time.
Use “x” to refer to negatives (not, no, can’t, etc).
Immediately after the lecture finishes expand your notes with details still fresh in your head. I used blue ink to show what I did.
You will use a pencil on test day. Not a pen. Practice with a pencil.

Writing Your Essay with Templates

Your TOEFL integrated essay should include an introduction and three body paragraphs . You don’t need to write a conclusion.

The following templates suggest a way to structure your paragraphs. I don’t really think you should use the templates below word for word. Instead, use something similar to this and personalize it as you like.

The Introduction

No matter what question style is used, you can write an introduction that looks something like this.

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

The Body Paragraphs

You can use something like the following templates for the body paragraphs:

According to the reading _____.
The article mentions that ____.
This argument is challenged by the lecturer.
He claims that ____.
Additionally, he points out that ______.
Secondly, the author suggests ______.
In 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 to write a conclusion.

Sample Essay

Using the above notes and suggested templates I created this essay. Notice how I gently modified the template. I didn’t use it word for word. Feel free to follow it 100% or to personalize it to suit your preferences!

The reading and the lecture are about the possibility of starting colonies on asteroids. While the author feels that this is a good idea due to scientific benefits, economic benefits and the long-term survival of humans, the lecturer does not believe that the author’s claims are correct. His position is that it might not be a good idea to colonize asteroids. First of all, the author argues that asteroids are a great environment for scientific research because they are small, with low gravity and no atmosphere. Moreover, the article notes that they could be a way to start missions to more distant locations in the solar system. This argument is challenged by the lecturer. He says that we just don’t know enough about asteroids to be sure of their scientific value. We don’t know how many exist, or about conditions on their surfaces so it is difficult to really predict the scientific benefits of colonizing them. Second, according to the article, there could be great economic benefits of colonizing asteroids because they contain natural resources. Mining the resources could be very profitable, and reduce the need to mine them on Earth. In contrast, the lecturer notes that we don’t know exactly how many resources asteroids contain, nor how much they would be worth back on Earth. As a result, it isn’t clear if mining in space is more cost-effective than doing so on Earth. Finally, the author claims that colonies on asteroids could ensure the long-term survival of humanity. To be more specific, we could survive on them if a war or disaster affects the Earth. In contrast, the lecturer’s stance is that human settlements would have to be designed to deal with the unique challenges of the gravity found on asteroids. These challenges could make living on them extremely uncomfortable and dangerous in the long run.

The lecture summary is the most important part of the essay. Shorten the reading summary if you need to save time.
I recommend between 280 and 300 words.
Use transitional phrases like “in contrast” and “moreover” and “finally” just like I did.
Always be sure to indicate where the details are from (the reading or the lecture).
Avoid copying from the reading word for word. Paraphrase as much as you can.
You don’t need fancy grammatical structures. The accuracy of your details is more important in this task.
Save about one minute to proofread your work.
I maintain a collection of complete sample essays written using the above technique. Read them!

How about the Independent Essay?

If you haven’t seen it already, you might want to read my article about the independent writing task .

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TOEFL integrated writing task 2023 | Examples and sample essay.

Want to excel in the toefl writing task elevate your skills with the most up-to-date examples, carefully crafted sample essays, and insights in 2023. maximize your potential to succeed in the integrated writing task., table of contents, introduction, toefl integrated writing task structure and format , toefl writing task topics , toefl writing task sample , toefl writing task pdf and other resources , strategies for toefl integrated writing task , scoring criteria for toefl writing task , key tips for success , example 1: environmental conservation , example 2: technological advancements in medicine , introduction: , body: , key takeaways .

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a critical stepping stone for students who aspire to study in English-speaking universities. The TOEFL writing task is one part of this examination that can often become a cause for concern. It not only tests your ability to understand English but also your ability to express thoughts, ideas, and opinions in a clear and precise manner.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various aspects of the TOEFL writing task, including topics, samples, format, and specific answers to common questions. The information provided is tailored to the 2023 edition of the test, ensuring relevance and applicability to your preparation. So, if you’re planning to take on this challenge in 2023, let’s begin by understanding the structure and requirements of the TOEFL writing task.

The TOEFL integrated writing task is the first of the two writing tasks in the TOEFL exam. It’s designed to assess your ability to combine listening and reading skills to write a coherent and well-structured essay. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Reading passage : A passage around 200-250 words long is provided. You’ll have three minutes to read it.
Listening clip : A short lecture related to the reading passage is played. You’ll be given time to take notes to remember the content better.
Writing task : You will have 20 minutes to write a response of about 150-225 words, summarizing the points made in the lecture and explaining how they relate to specific points in the reading passage.

The topics for the TOEFL integrated writing task are generally academic and range from subjects like history, science, art, and social sciences. Here’s an example of how the topics will be given:

Reading passage : An excerpt will be provided about Renaissance art and its influence.
Listening clip : A lecture discussing a specific Renaissance painting.
Writing task : Compare and contrast the information in the reading passage and the lecture.

Practicing in advance by working on such topics will help you write and format your writing tasks better. Here’s a sample for you to practice:

Reading passage: Brief description of climate change and its effects.
Listening clip : A lecture discussing various solutions to combat climate change.
Writing task : Summarize the solutions from the lecture and relate them to the problems mentioned in the reading passage.

To support your preparation, TOEFL writing task PDF materials, containing practice questions and samples are available online. These resources often include:

Guides on TOEFL writing format
Collection of TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF
TOEFL writing task 1 sample answers and TOEFL writing task 2 sample answers
Practice tests for TOEFL writing task 2

These materials are instrumental in understanding the pattern and honing your skills to succeed in the TOEFL writing task.

Understanding the structure : Familiarize yourself with the TOEFL writing format, including reading, listening, and writing phases.
Time management: Allocate time for reading, note-taking, and writing, keeping in mind the 20-minute time limit for the writing task.
Note-taking skills : Practice jotting down crucial points from both the reading passage and the listening clip. Focus on the main ideas, supporting details, and the relationship between the reading and listening parts.
Creating an outline : Before diving into writing, create a rough outline to organize your thoughts. This helps in maintaining coherence and connection between various sections of the essay.
Practicing with samples : Utilize the TOEFL writing task sample, TOEFL writing task 1 sample answers, and TOEFL writing task 2 sample answers for regular practice.

Understanding the scoring can guide you in preparing effectively. The TOEFL integrated writing task is scored on a scale of 0-5 based on the following criteria:

Content : Accuracy, completeness, and connection between reading and listening.
Organization : Logical progression, clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
Language use : Grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and overall fluency.
Use transitional phrases : Transitional words like “however,” “in addition,” and “therefore” can help in maintaining the flow.
Avoid repetition : While using keywords is vital, avoid unnecessary repetition. Make sure your content is varied and engaging.
Proofread : Reserve some time at the end for revising and correcting errors.
Access Quality Resources : Consider TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF, TOEFL writing task PDF guides, and practice tests for well-rounded preparation.
Tables, quizzes, and other interactive elements: Incorporating tables and quizzes can be an excellent way to enhance the learning experience. For instance, a table comparing different TOEFL writing task topics or a quiz testing understanding of TOEFL writing format can be included in online learning platforms or books.

Examples of TOEFL integrated writing task

The TOEFL integrated writing task presents a unique challenge to assess your ability to analyze information from both a reading passage and a lecture. In this task, you must demonstrate your comprehension of the material and your capacity to connect ideas between the text and the spoken content. To give you a clearer picture, let’s dive into a few illustrative examples of TOEFL-integrated writing tasks:

Reading passage : Description of deforestation and its impact on biodiversity.

Listening Clip : A lecture discussing various conservation methods employed globally.

Writing task:

Reading: The passage highlights the critical loss of forests, leading to a decline in biodiversity and environmental balance.
Listening: The speaker introduces multiple conservation techniques such as reforestation, wildlife corridors, and legal enforcement.
Essay: The essay must summarise the conservation methods mentioned in the lecture and relate them to the problems of deforestation and biodiversity loss detailed in the reading passage.

Reading passage: An overview of the traditional medical practices and their limitations.

Listening clip: A lecture elaborating on recent technological advancements in medical diagnostics and treatments.

Writing task :

Reading: The passage outlines traditional medical practices, emphasizing their limitations in accuracy and efficiency.
Listening : The lecturer elaborates on cutting-edge technologies like AI-powered diagnostics, robotic surgeries, and personalized medicine.
Essay : The essay should connect the advancements discussed in the lecture with the limitations outlined in the reading passage, showcasing how technology is revolutionizing medical practice.

In-depth Analysis of a Sample Essay | Environmental conservation

The essay must have a good flow and cohesiveness. This makes it easier to understand and leave a good impression. Here is the in-depth analysis of an essay on environmental conservation.

“The loss of forests and biodiversity has long been a global concern. However, modern conservation methods, as described in the lecture, offer promising solutions to the challenges outlined in the reading passage.”

Paragraph 1: Discuss reforestation, its importance, and how it directly addresses deforestation.
Paragraph 2: Explore wildlife corridors and their role in preserving biodiversity.
Paragraph 3 : Explain legal enforcement, international agreements, and their impact on conservation efforts.
The TOEFL-integrated writing task involves reading, listening, and writing. Understand the flow and practice each part.
Make use of TOEFL writing samples with answers PDF, TOEFL writing task PDF guides, and various other materials for practice.
Your essay should logically connect the reading and listening parts, maintaining a clear and concise structure.

The innovative conservation techniques described in the lecture provide a comprehensive approach to combating the grave issues of deforestation and biodiversity loss mentioned in the reading passage. These methods signify hope and progress in environmental preservation.

We hope you found this article insightful. If you have any more queries please reach out to us and get them solved quickly!

Liked this blog? Read: TOEFL requirements 2023 | Documents and minimum requirements guide.

1. How much time do I have for the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task?

Ans. You have 3 minutes to read the passage, a listening time for the clip, and 20 minutes to write the essay.

2. Can I take notes during the listening part of the TOEFL Writing Task?

Ans. Yes, taking notes is allowed and advisable during the listening portion.

3. What types of topics are covered in the TOEFL Writing Task Topics?

Ans. Topics are typically academic, ranging from history, science, art to social sciences.

4. Where can I find TOEFL Writing Task 1 sample answers and TOEFL Writing Task 2 sample answers?

Ans. Various online platforms, prep books, and official TOEFL guides provide these samples.

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Guide to Getting a Better TOEFL Integrated Writing Score

In order to improve your TOEFL Integrated Writing score , it is vital that you understand what the Integrated Writing task entails. This task in the Writing Section is unlike any other task on the TOEFL , and many students get low marks on this task simply because they don’t understand how to tackle it. So first…

What is the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task? The TOEFL Integrated Writing Task is one of two essays that you will have to write (approximately 200 – 250 words) on the TOEFL Writing Section . The essay is based on two passages, a reading passage and a listening passage. You are NOT supposed to give your opinion in this writing task .

The first passage you get on the Integrated Writing Task is the reading passage which is around 250 – 300 words. You get 3 minutes to read the passage. The author of the reading passage will discuss a particular topic, and then provide 3 main points, each lined out in a paragraph, that gives more details or supporting information on the topic.

For example, the author could be discussing this topic: origins of an ancient tribe. Then in the following 3 paragraphs, the author is going to make 3 main points about this topic. Maybe these points explain why a common theory about the tribe’s origins is right or wrong. Or maybe the main points are pieces of evidence that support the author’s theory about their origin. It is critical that you are able to identify and paraphrase the topic and author’s 3 main points in your essay.

Next comes the more difficult part, the listening passage. After having 3 minutes to read the passage (and take notes!) then you have to listen to a lecture for 2 to 3 minutes. The lecturer is always going to talk about the same topic as the author. The lecturer will also provide 3 main points about the topic.

The lecturer is almost always at odds or in disagreement with the author. Therefore, the main points in the listening will follow the order of the 3 main points from the reading . Usually the lecturer will explain why the author is wrong about his or her theory, or how there is other evidence that does not support the author’s ideas about the given topic. It is also critical that you are able to identify and paraphrase the lecturer’s 3 main points AND how they contradict or disprove the author’s main points in your essay.

Finally, the reading passage will reappear, and you are given the remaining 20 minutes to outline, write and edit your Integrated Writing essay answer.

How to structure your TOEFL Integrated Writing Task Essay? The best advice is to go into the TOEFL exam knowing how you will structure your Integrated Writing essay . This will save you valuable time, because some of your answer can actually be prepared beforehand. This is known as a template. Below is an example of a template you should emulate on the TOEFL exam:

The reading passage is about ( insert topic ). The author believes ( insert author’s opinion on the topic ), but the lecturer in the listening passage disagrees. He/She feels ( insert lecturer’s opinion on the topic ). The author provides three main points to support their opinion, and the lecturer provides three contradictory points. First, the author says that ( author’s first main point ). However, the lecturer explains ( lecturer’s first main counterpoint ). The lecturer goes on to state that ( supporting details that link back to the reading ).

Next, in the reading passage, the author claims that ( author’s second main point ). To the contrary, the lecturer provides ( lecturer’s second main counterpoint ). Furthermore, the lecturer also mentions ( supporting details that link back to the reading ).

Finally, the author in the reading states ( author’s third main point ). In contrast, the lecturer in the listening passage is of the opinion that ( lecturer’s third main counterpoint ). Additionally, he/she points out that ( supporting details that link back to the reading ).

2. Mistake #2 – Failing to Clarify the Relationship Between the Two Passages Another common mistake TOEFL test takers make on the exam is that they don’t write about how the listening passage connects to the reading. As mentioned, the lecturer is typically critical or in downright disagreement with the author. It is important to not only state what the main points of each passage are, but also explain how the listening passage attacks the claims in the reading. Imagine answering these questions: What specific details does the lecturer give to debunk the author’s position? How does the evidence in the listening disprove the theory in the reading? Therefore, to avoid this common error, include some supporting details or reasons for each counterpoint from the listening passage that relates to the author’s main point.

3. Mistake #3 – Grammatical Errors Another wrong turn test takers make on the Integrated Writing is that they have silly grammatical or spelling mistakes. The best solution for this problem is better time management and use Writing Correction Service in order to improve their mistakes well in advance. There is a lot of information and not a lot of time on this writing task. Therefore, don’t spend a lot of time writing an introduction or a conclusion. Quickly introduce the topic of both the passages and get straight into the main points of the author and lecturer as soon as possible. You also don’t technically need a conclusion, but if you do choose the right one, make it only one or two short sentences. Finally, be sure to save at least 2 minutes at the end to go back and edit your essay. Students unnecessarily lose points for spelling and grammar mistakes because they don’t give themselves time to proofread their essays.

How to Write a TOEFL Integrated Essay

The writing section is the final section of the TOEFL test. It has 2 different question types, and you get one question from each question type in your test. You only get 20 minutes for question 1 and 30 minutes for question 2 , so it can be difficult at first to come up with a high-scoring essay within such a short time. To help you with that, here are the structure templates that can help you write a high-scoring TOEFL Integrated essay.

This blog post is a part of a series where I post templates for all TOEFL Speaking and Writing questions. As a part of this series, I will introduce you to structure templates for 4 speaking and 2 writing tasks, along with model answers written based on those templates.

This is the second post: How to write a TOEFL integrated essay.

I will include the reading passage and the lecture script just so you have an idea of what the topic is about when I am explaining the structure using the model essay.

Table of Contents

TOEFL Writing Integrated Reading Passage

Despite the worldly fame of William Shakespeare’s literary works, little is known about his life. Most of the facts we know are simply theories and rumors. The lack of specific records created many doubts about Shakespeare’s existence. Some have been arguing that there were other people who actually wrote the works under Shakespeare’s name. The first candidate is Francis Bacon, who was a famous scientist, theorist, and philosopher in the 16th century. This theory gained support because of the legal references indicated in Shakespeare’s plays and poems. For example, some of Shakespeare’s poems such as “Venus and Adonis” and “The Rape of Lucrece” imply legal ideas that Francis Bacon was known to support. The second candidate is Christopher Marlowe, who was a playwright and poet that lived in the same period as Shakespeare. Marlowe’s death is thought to be linked to the birth of the Shakespeare name. Some people believe that his death was faked to allow him to escape religious trials. He is then thought to have used the name of William Shakespeare to continue writing. The third candidate is Edward de Vere, an English nobleman who worked as a courtier in the 16th century. Back then, the writings of the authors that were from the noble class were restricted to a private audience. Edward de Vere was also one of those authors. Since he wasn’t able to take credit for his writing publically, many claim that Edward de Vere used a false name, William Shakespeare, to reach a broader audience. This enabled him to receive the spotlight and create famous masterpieces.

Although there is no clear historical evidence that proves William Shakespeare’s existence, the theories in the reading about the identity behind the Shakespeare name are full of errors. First of all, even though Francis Bacon and Shakespeare shared similar legal ideas, Francis Bacon’s academic background contradicts some of the scientific ideas in Shakespeare’s works. For instance, certain parts in Shakespeare’s canon and plays show a misunderstanding of the mainstream scientific beliefs of the time that Francis Bacon would not have had. Especially about astronomy beliefs, we can know that the ideas of these two figures don’t match. Next, Christopher Marlowe’s death has nothing to do with Shakespeare. All the plays Marlowe wrote were published under his own name after his death in 1593, which was very unlikely to happen for a person who was regarded as a religious criminal. Meanwhile, 37 other plays and 154 sonnets were published under the name of William Shakespeare. This theory doesn’t make sense because there was no reason for Marlowe to use a different name. And lastly, Edward de Vere couldn’t have used the name of Shakespeare because he died before the time some of Shakespeare’s works were newly published. Evidence clearly shows that many of Shakespeare’s plays and poems such as Macbeth, King Lear, and Tempest were written and revised in 1621, which is long after Edward de Vere died in 1604. Even if someone else had given the works to the publishers instead, revising them would have been quite impossible because no one would know what kind of stories Shakespeare wanted to publish.

Model Answer:

Both the reading passage and the lecture discuss three theories regarding the real identity of William Shakespeare. The reading passage mentions three people who could have used the name William Shakespeare as an alias, while the lecture contradicts the reading passage on all three points. First, the reading passage talks about the possibility of Francis Bacon being the person behind the name of Shakespeare. This theory is based on the idea that the legal references that appear in Shakespeare’s works are also known to be supported by Bacon. However, the lecture refutes this claim by stating that although the two people shared the same legal ideas, Shakespeare’s works also included scientific ideas that would not be supported by Bacon. Bacon’s academic background would contradict such ideas. Since Shakespeare’s works did not follow the mainstream scientific beliefs, his ideas on astronomy significantly differed from Bacon’s. Second, the reading passage suggests Christopher Marlowe as the second candidate. According to the passage, Marlowe faked his death to escape from religious trials and used the name of Shakespeare to publish his work. The lecture refutes this by asserting that Marlowe’s death had nothing to do with Shakespeare. Since some of Marlowe’s works were published under his own name after his death, it does not make sense for Marlow to also use a different name. The final theory in the reading is about Edward de Vere, an English nobleman who might have used the name of Shakespeare to receive credit publically. The lecture opposes this theory as well by stating that de Vere could not have used the name of Shakespeare since he died before some of Shakespeare’s works were revised and published. Even if someone else had given the works to a publisher, there is no way that the publisher would have known how to revise the work. In conclusion, while the reading passage introduces three different candidates who might have used the name of William Shakespeare, the lecture refutes all of the theories.

Before moving on to individual paragraphs, you should be aware of the general structure of TOEFL integrated essays. Your essay should include an introduction, 3 body paragraphs(one for each point), and a conclusion(optional). Since you need to show that you understood the connection between the reading passage and the lecture, each body paragraph should include one point from the reading and the related point from the lecture.

Now let’s take a look at how each paragraph is structured, starting with the introduction paragraph.

Main Topic: In this part, you explain the topic that is being discussed in both the reading passage and the lecture. This shows that you understood what the reading passage and the lecture were talking about.

Link between the reading passage and the lecture : This is where you explain the connection between the two sources. Most of the time, the lecture goes against whatever the reading says, so keep that in mind.

Moving on to the body paragraphs:

Transition Word: Make sure you start your body paragraphs with appropriate transition words. This makes your essay look coherent and easy to read. You can also include transitions between your explanation of the reading passage and the lecture.

Reading Passage: This part is where you paraphrase the information you got from the reading passage. Make sure you do not copy the sentences word by word from the reading passage. You should always rephrase the sentences in your own words because copying them will lead to point deductions. Also, notice how in all 3 body paragraphs, the explanation of the reading passage is 2 sentences or less? Some students tend to include a lot of details from the reading passage because they can always read the passage while writing the essay. However, your explanation of the lecture should be longer and more detailed than your explanation of the reading passage. This means you should not waste your time trying to explain ALL the details mentioned in the reading passage. Use the passage as a guide to help you organize the key points in case you miss anything while trying to take notes for the lecture part.

Lecture: This is the most important part of your body paragraph. In order to get this part right, you need to have solid note-taking skills. So assuming you have taken good notes, the lecture part should be fairly easy to write. Just connect the information that you noted down to the information you got from the reading passage. Make sure you include appropriate details to support the key points mentioned in the lecture. And always keep in mind that you should try to include more information about the lecture than the passage.

Here is an example of a note-taking table that you can use to match key points from the two sources.

Last is the conclusion paragraph:

In conclusion, while the reading passage introduces three different candidates who might have used the name of William Shakespeare, the lecture refutes all of the theories.

In TOEFL integrated essays, the conclusion paragraph is totally optional. If you have enough time left, go ahead, but if you do not have enough time, focus on the body paragraphs and skip the conclusion. If you do write one, your conclusion should restate the information in the introduction paragraph. Here, the author rephrases the “Link between the reading passage and the lecture” part.

The final structure of your integrated essay should look like this:

This concludes today’s post. Please look forward to upcoming posts on the speaking section!

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TOEFL iBT ® Test

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TOEFL iBT Test Writing Section

The TOEFL iBT test Writing section measures your ability to write in English in an academic setting, and to present your ideas in a clear, well-organized way.

There are two writing tasks.

Integrated writing task (20 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you read and listened to.
Writing for an Academic Discussion task (10 minutes) — state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion.

You'll type your responses on a computer keyboard.

Test time: It should take about 29 minutes to complete the Writing section.

Scoring: Writing tasks are scored based on the Writing Scoring Guides (Rubrics) (PDF) by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters. Raw scores are converted to a scaled section score of 0–30.

Practice Your Writing Skills

Explore a variety of official prep offerings to practice your English-writing skills with TOEFL ® TestReady ™ . Get insights and feedback on your grammar, usage, mechanics and more.

Writing videos

Watch these videos to learn about the questions in the Writing section, plus helpful tips.

Question 1: Integrated Writing

Read a passage and listen to a lecture. Then write a response comparing them.

View Transcript

Question 2: Writing for an Academic Discussion

Share your opinion in an online discussion with a professor and other students.

Do you need to be an expert on the topics?

The writing tasks measure your English proficiency, so you don't need deep knowledge on a specific topic to get a high score. Score raters recognize that each essay is a first draft, and you can receive a high score with an essay that contains some errors.

How to Score a 5/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task

For many students taking the TOEFL, scoring a 5 out of 5 on each of the two TOEFL essays—which would lead to a perfect score of 30 in the writing section—is the ultimate goal. Getting there takes a lot of practice , but it pays off nicely! Scoring so high in one section can counterbalance slightly lower scores in other sections, helping you to get to your total target score with more ease (be sure to check your institution’s requirements, however; some universities will require a minimum score per section).

Because the two essays require slightly different skills, the ETS (the organization that administers the TOEFL) provides two separate rubrics for how to obtain a top score on the TOEFL essays. For those of you who are curious about the criteria for other scores, you can find that information here: at the test maker’s website . For those of you aiming to get a five, let’s keep going! Let’s start where the TOEFL writing section itself begins: with the integrated task.

The integrated essay will provide you with a lecture and a written passage on different aspects of the same topic. According to the ETS, the criteria for a top score on this essay include:

Practice for your TOEFL exam with Magoosh.

Correctly selecting all important information
Accurately and clearly representing the information.
Showing good organization
Having minimal errors in language use. If there are errors, they must not cause the information itself to become inaccurate or unclear.

Breaking that down, the first important task in getting that top score is going to be selecting the relevant information from the lecture, and then the reading. Good note-taking is vital here, and good note-taking takes practice! Listen to the emphasis that the speaker places on keywords, and look out for the thesis statement and supporting examples in the reading. Circle them in your notes.

The second important task is relating the lecture to the reading. Look at what you’ve circled. Does one contradict the other? Build on the other? Elaborate on a different aspect of the other? Figure out how they relate before you go on to the next important step: writing a well-organized response. To do this, you’ll want to create an outline.

Make sure that your outline has your thesis statement clearly defined. This thesis statement should explain how the lecture and the reading relate to one another. You’ll also want to have a brief summary of the lecture and the reading (one to two sentences is sufficient for this!) Then, build your body paragraphs around your main examples, which you’ll already have circled in your notes.

As you write, don’t worry about everything being perfect. That said, leave 2-3 minutes at the end of the exam to proofread what you’ve written. Because these essays are graded holistically, you won’t lose points for minor errors as long as they don’t change the meaning of your ideas. However, a lot of errors can add up to a confusing essay, which will definitely lead to a lower score.

The integrated task is only one of the two essays you’ll write on test day. Next time, we’ll take a look at the independent task, and how that differs from the integrated task you’ve mastered!

Rachel is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book . Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS , is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press , while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND , co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook !

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TOEFL Writing Task 1: The TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Task

How to Write the TOEFL Integrated Essay, Compiled by Max Sean, Instructor, TEFL/TESOL

The first essay on the TOEFL is the integrated task. In this section you will first read a short article about an academic topic and after that you will listen to a lecture on the same topic. The lecture will oppose the reading. Your job is to describe how the lecture opposes the article. You may only listen to the lecture once, but you will have access to the article while you are writing your essay. Note that ETS no longer uses questions where the lecture supports the reading. As an example, this article will use an integrated writing question from the Official Guide to the TOEFL. If you prefer, you can watch a video lecture of this guide!

Related Papers

Catherine Scallen

Study of the development of the connoisseurship of Rembrandt paintings from 1870 to 1935, when the first modern catalogues raisonnés were produced. Focuses on the professionalization of expertise and the personal and institutional affiliations of the four primary Rembrandt connoisseurs of the era, Wilhelm von Bode, Abraham Bredius, Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, and W.R. Valentiner.

Samantha L Smith

MA thesis completed in 2014. Inspired by Rembrandt's frequent use of the blind in his work, this thesis analyses the implications the use of blindness has when represented in the visual arts, particularly painting. Using three paintings by the Dutch master to anchor the discussion, I ask how we experience pictures and the process of making a representation, two activities we consider dominated by the visual. The discussion also investigates the traditions of how we percieve the senses as a way to obtaining knowledge. In doing so, I argue that although these activites are often linked to sight, the sense of touch has a much larger role to play than we might think.

Representations

Benjamin Binstock

Emma POPESCU

Acta Historiae Artium Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae

András Rényi

This study aims at a new interpretation of the late Rembrandt’s mysterious Self-Portrait with Two Circles at Kenwood House (1665). Former readings of the picture neglected the fact that in this case the work of painting itself became the explicit subject. Both the psychological evocativeness of the personality represented and the “circles” as enigmatic symbols elicited especial interest as they are very much in evidence – and although commentators realized the presence of the brush, palette and mahlstick, practically noone took notice of the work in progress itself, vanishing behind the figure in the grey area of the unusually light background. Following Gary Schwartz I argue that with the two circles Rembrandt refers to the legendary contest of Apelles and Protogenes told by Pliny and Vasari’s famous story about Giotto’s “O” – both stories are about the competence of the painters to understand abstract tracks as signs of artistic skills. By minimizing the iconic difference between the real and the painted canvas, Rembrandt indicates his ambition to be part of the contest of the great painters of the past – by showing himself present as an imaginary person before the imaginary canvas, and, at the same time, by calling attention to the presence of the material tracks of his “rembrandtian” manner, put between the fine tracks of his ancient predecessors, on the real canvas. Rembrandt, self-portrait, figure/ground, iconic difference, painting as a performative

Arion, Boston University, winter 2014

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

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Integrated Writing Essay: Better Choices for the Future

Use this integrated writing essay sample to practice your English reading, listening, note-taking, and writing skills

Essay Sample Background

Man typing & thinking: The reading passage pointed out that any solutions must work for the present as well as the future. On the other hand, starting...

While studying the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task, I wondered if I could make a similar task using related reading and audio passages.

I didn’t have much success. It's difficult to find related selections, especially some that are short enough for the TOEFL time limits.

It helped me appreciate the effort it takes to develop the materials for a truly integrated writing essay task!

The best task I made is below. It’s good academic skill and timed essay practice. But it isn’t direct practice for the TOEFL Integrated Writing task.

I didn’t feel qualified to write related reading and writing selections at the exact TOEFL level myself. The selections I found are good, but the audio does not discuss the reading passage. They are worth thinking and writing as general essay practice.

Reading and Audio Passages

If you want to write a timed essay, please read this whole section (without reading or listening to the linked passages) before you start the timer .

Treat the transcript of this TED talk by Bina Venkataraman as a reading passage, since the related passage is audio only. Read from 05:43- 07:15 . That’s 267 words, well within the 250-300 word range suggested by the TOEFL task guidelines.

Then listen to just minutes 4:27-7:00 (2.5 min.) of Shamini Bini’s discussion (how cognitive bias affects our planning for the future). It’s right after paragraph 4 in this article on gaming human nature.

Write your Integrated Writing Essay

Locate the articles, a timer or stopwatch(online or off) and a way to write and take notes. Then read the writing prompt (instructions) below and start your timer . You have 20 minutes to read, listen, and write.

Instructions: Summarize the points made in the talk, noting their relation to the points made in the reading passage.

(This is different from most TOEFL Integrated Writing prompts. Here's a sample TOEFL task 1 prompt. “Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.”

The speaker in the task on this page does not oppose or even contrast her points with the points made in the reading. They are not connected at all.)

Once you have finished your essay, you can check my sample essay below.

Sample Integrated Writing Essay

Abbreviations I used in my notes (in case they’re not obvious):

• ‘prob’= problem here (Sometimes I use it for ‘probably’)

• ‘enuf’= enough

• ‘ea’= each

• ‘yr’ = year (I also use it for ‘your’)

• ‘Univ of Chi’= University of Chicago

• ‘prof’= professor (also could be professional)

• ‘fut’= ‘future’

• ‘co.’= company

• ‘>’= ‘less than/under’

When you take notes, use any abbreviations you know you will recognize. ( That’s one good reason to practice note-taking in English . You will develop your own system.)

My actual notes:

prob: 40% workers in US—not saving enuf for retirement

“save more tom.”—ea yr

Richard Saylor, Univ of Chi. prof. Overcome cog bias by using them: fut, risk-averse, & inertia

Use those biases—start in fut, link to raises to limit loss aversion, & must opt out

took time, but when a co. willing to try, tripled savings rates in > 3 yr.

To help, must recognize our bias 1st.

2. My Essay, allowing 14 minutes and 30 seconds:

My Outline:

How to get ppl 2 invest in long term values

Ans fr rdg: make it pay enough in pre

Ans spkr- use cog bias to help.

Integrated Writing Essay:

How can we solve long-term problems when people most easily pay attention to our immediate future?

One answer, according to BinaVenkataraman, is to look for solutions that not only resolve the most important long-term problems but also help us in the present. She gives the example of saving soil by producing longer rooted plants. However, farmers must also know they can sell these crops now.

George Washington Carver set the example. He encouraged poor farmers to grow peanuts, and he made them profitable by making products that used them. His purpose was not to just make a new crop, but give farmers one that would have the soil benefits of peanuts.

Another answer is suggested by the lecture. When University of Chicago professor Richard saylor wanted to help people save more for retirement, he realized he must make our cognitive biases work for us, not against us. So he designed a program that would start saving in the future, when people feel they will be more able. To avoid the risk aversion bias, he increased savings only when their salary went up, so it would not reduce the current amount of income to work with. Finally, to avoid the inertia bias, he made the program automatic, so people would be in it unless they opted out, rather than only starting IF they opted in.

When he was finally able to get a company to try it, they found the people in the program tripled their savings in under three years.

Conclusions: find win-win solutions that aren’t too difficult in the present but still offer great future gains, and work with our cognitive biases, not against them.

Comments on that essay:

At 277 words, the essay I wrote is longer than necessary or recommended, but I was racing to write the key points.

When you compare your own essay, remember that I had three big advantages. I'm a native English speaker. I was already familiar with the ideas in the selections, and I have a spell-checker on my computer.

I also may have some disadvantages compared to you. I no longer can type well, and I hit a lot of wrong keys due to twisted fingers. The spell-checker is like a ‘handicap- accommodation' for that.

I was able to save almost a minute for last-minute correction of typos. (I saw two others—an uncapitalized name and two names run-together-- after the alarm went off! I left them, above, since this is an example of my actual test essay. Remember, the essay doesn't have to be perfect.)

It's most important that the essay answers what the instructions ask for. I did not address the prompt as well as I would like, but I did the best I could in the time allowed.

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Working with sources
How to Integrate Sources | Explanation & Examples

How to Integrate Sources | Explanation & Examples

Published on July 12, 2022 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on June 1, 2023.

Integrating sources means incorporating another scholar’s ideas or words into your work. It can be done by:

Paraphrasing

Summarizing

By integrating sources properly, you can ensure a consistent voice in your writing and ensure your text remains readable and coherent. You can use signal phrases to give credit to outside sources and smoothly introduce material into your academic writing .

Below is an example that uses all three methods of integrating sources, but you can integrate sources using only one method or a combination of them.

For Jung, the collective unconscious is expressed through innate, universal images. These are associated with the stages of self-actualization that result in the integration of the conscious and the unconscious. As Jung stated, the “goal of the individuation process is the synthesis of the self” (1969, p. 164).

Signal phrases, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about integrating sources.

When you quote , you include the exact words of another author in your research paper , in quotation marks, without changing them.

Quoting can be useful for providing precise definitions . You can also quote material when you want to analyze the author’s language or style, or when it’s difficult to convey the author’s meaning in different words.

Quoted text must be enclosed in quotation marks . You can integrate quotes effectively by introducing them in your own words, providing relevant background information, or explaining why the quote is relevant.

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Paraphrasing means putting another author’s ideas into your own words while retaining the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is useful when you want to show your understanding of the original source. It also helps you to integrate sources smoothly, maintaining a consistent voice throughout your paper and maintaining focus on the material that’s relevant to your argument.

When paraphrasing, be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism . Make sure that your paraphrase is sufficiently different to the original text and is properly cited. You must put the material into your own words, substantially changing the structure or wording of the original text. This is true for all source types . You can also paraphrase the text by by using a paraphrasing tool.

When you summarize a source, you give an overview of its central arguments or conclusions .

Summaries should be much shorter than the original text. They should be written in your own words and should not quote from the original source.

When summarizing, you don’t analyze the original text—you only describe it.

Signal phrases are used to attribute a quote or idea to another author. You can use them when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize primary, secondary and tertiary sources .

Signal phrases:

Introduce material from an outside source
Provide relevant background information
Help to characterize the author’s ideas and your own perspective on them

A signal phrase usually includes the name of the author and an attribute tag such as “has criticized,” followed by the relevant quote or idea.

Signal phrases can be used alongside in-text citations to distinguish your work from the sources you cite. Each citation style has its own format that you must follow. The most common styles are APA in-text citations and MLA in-text citations .

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

ChatGPT vs human editor
ChatGPT citations
Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
Using ChatGPT for your studies
What is ChatGPT?
Chicago style

Plagiarism

Types of plagiarism
Self-plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism
Academic integrity
Consequences of plagiarism
Common knowledge

There are three ways you can integrate sources into your writing:

Quoting : This means including the exact words of another author in your paper without changing them.
Summarizing : This means giving an overview of a source’s key points.
Paraphrasing : This means putting another author’s ideas into your own words.

Whenever you reference a source, you must provide a citation in order to avoid plagiarism .

In academic writing , there are three main situations where quoting is the best choice:

To analyze the author’s language (e.g., in a literary analysis essay )
To give evidence from primary sources
To accurately present a precise definition or argument

Don’t overuse quotes; your own voice should be dominant. If you just want to provide information from a source, it’s usually better to paraphrase or summarize .

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
Combining information from multiple sentences into one
Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

A summary is a short overview of the main points of an article or other source, written entirely in your own words. Want to make your life super easy? Try our free text summarizer today!

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules:

Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, June 01). How to Integrate Sources | Explanation & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/integrating-sources/

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Eoghan Ryan

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Teaching and Learning

Alternative Writing Assignments: The Integrated Paper

June 29, 2011
Genevieve Pinto Zipp

As faculty working with students to explore topics of interests we frequently request that they review the literature to gain an understanding of what is known and unknown about a topic and then present their findings in an integrated manner. While many students are familiar with developing papers termed “literature reviews” or “reviews of the literature,” these types of papers frequently do not afford the students the opportunity to integrate what has been found. Thus faculty have begun to require that students present their findings and thoughts via what is known as an “integrated paper format.”

For graduate students the term, “integrated paper” sometimes stirs up a state of confusion. Is an integrated paper a literature review, a research proposal, or an essay? Well the answer is simple, no. An integrated paper is a type of review of the literature that includes the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information on a well-defined content area and includes the writer’s original thoughts and ideas on the topic which are based upon the available evidence .

The integrated paper begins with a brief introduction to the area of interest and focuses the reader’s attention on the issue and background of the problem. This brief introduction leads the writer into a review of each of the pertinent areas that must be explored to gain an understanding of the many facets associated with the subject of interest. It is the writer’s responsibility to provide logical transitions from one pertinent area to another. It is through these transitions that the reader begins to understand the larger picture. While discussing the findings within a pertinent content area the writer should:

distinguish between assertion and evidence in the studies
identify methodological strengths and weakness of the studies
identify relationships among the studies
identify major trends or patterns in the results
note how the reviewed articles relate to your topic
identify gaps in the literature
finally, consider designing a table(s) that compares important characteristics of studies reviewed.

After discussing each of these pertinent areas, it is the writer’s responsibility to write a conclusion that provides closure for the reader . The conclusion should be coherent and well pointed and lead the reader’s attention to the direction which the writer perceives is the logical next step. If the review is multifaceted and challenging for the reader to make all the necessary connections the writer should provide a summary section prior to the conclusion. The summary section should present the key points that resonated from your review of each pertinent area presented. Once the reader has processed through this integrated summary the writer can provide the paper’s conclusion and direct the reader to the next logical point of inquiry.

As a faculty member, I have found that reviewing my expectations with regard to the integrated paper at the beginning of the semester provides the students with a clear road map for success. Constructing a grading rubric that coincides with these expectations also adds clarity to the process for the student. But clearly, writing an integrated paper requires reflection and critical thinking , plus ample time to organize your thoughts in both a non written and written format and a willingness to write multiple drafts. Students don’t always immediately recognize the depth that instructors are looking for in these papers so any direction we can offer them at the start will help them better meet our expectations.

Genevieve Pinto Zipp, PT, EdD, is an associate professor in the Department of Graduate Programs in Health Sciences at Seton Hall University’s School of Health and Medical Sciences.

This Post Has 5 Comments

Fascinating. The advice offered in the final paragraph is applicable to any major assignment.

Pingback: Teo-Education.Com » Blog Archive » Alternative Writing Assignments: The Integrated Paper

this description of an integrated paper really helped me a lot for my graduate studies assignment… i'll also share this with my peers. Thanks a lot!

Thanks, Dr. Zipp. I am going to distribute this to my students so that they have a clearer understanding as to what an integrated paper really is all about. As always, you are a great educator, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to take classes with you.

Comments are closed.

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Essay Writing as a Tool for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth

T raditionally, essay writing was seen as an academic exercise, but not anymore. An essay is a piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to inform the reader about a particular topic. As students write essays, they introspect and learn at the same time. They understand that the essay writing process is not just about forming arguments or persuading readers; it is also a powerful mechanism for self-discovery. By articulating thoughts and emotions on paper, you better understand your perspectives and experiences.

Writing essays encourages writers to confront their inner thoughts, beliefs, and values. This confrontation is not always comfortable. Many of you already know this fact. However, the process is invariably enlightening. Through the structured thinking that essay writing demands, individuals can explore and organize their thoughts in ways other forms of reflection might not allow.

This process often leads to a deeper understanding of oneself. And not just that; it’s crucial for personal development. A 2019 study found that expressive writing has been shown to improve emotional and physiological health. Besides, the iterative nature of writing, that is, drafting, revising, and refining, mirrors the iterative process of personal growth. What does this premise mean? Well, self-awareness leads to new insights, which then lead to further questions and exploration.

But not everyone can write a compelling essay. Even the most talented writers can struggle with some topics. However, did you know that professional essay writers can help you with your paper? These experts specialize in specific disciplines and can provide subject-specific, content-savvy papers that surpass your expectations. And if you are not very conversant with writing an essay, rest assured that they will convince you or be adequately informed.

All in all, an essay must include several important components to make it flow logically. Its main parts (or sections) are the introduction, body, and conclusion. In a standard short essay, five paragraphs can provide the reader with enough information in a short space. However, more than five paragraphs must be present for a research paper or dissertation to not overwhelm the reader with too much information in one section.

Moreover, essay writing is a tool for emotional intelligence. Yes, you read that right. It offers a safe space for writers to express and manage their feelings. You often find clarity and a sense of relief as you translate complex emotions into words. The reflective practice of writing helps individuals cope with past experiences and prepares them for future challenges by building resilience and adaptability. Thus, the benefits of essay writing are vast. The following is a list of how essay writing is a tool for self-reflection and personal growth.

How Essay Writing is a Tool for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth

Essay writing can be the bridge between internal exploration and external expression. But how so? This practice allows individuals to explore their thoughts and feelings, translating introspection into tangible form. As you articulate your experiences and viewpoints, you engage in a dialogue with yourself, which fosters emotional growth.

Enhances self-awareness : As previously mentioned, writing essays requires self-examination, which can significantly increase self-awareness. When you choose topics that resonate personally, you’re prompted to reflect on your beliefs, behaviors, and motivations. This process helps you understand yourself, highlights areas for improvement, and reaffirms your core values.
Cultivates empathy : A recent study on the importance of writing practice showed statistically significant increases in various aspects of empathy, such as reasoning, including multiple perspectives, expressing emotion, and proposals for action, and statistically significant increases in empathy as a latent construct. When crafting essays, writers often explore different perspectives and consider alternative viewpoints. This exercise can cultivate empathy, as it encourages them to understand and articulate feelings and situations from other people’s points of view.
Promotes critical thinking : Like any other form of academic writing, essay writing compels students to think critically about their experiences and the world around them. But the question is: how so? It involves analyzing one’s thoughts and questioning existing beliefs. This process can lead to new insights and a more informed perspective. Besides, critical examination helps you develop a more mature understanding of complex situations.
Improves communication skills : Strong writing skills contribute to effective communication. Regular essay writing hones one’s ability to convey thoughts clearly and effectively. In fact, this point is scientifically proven. Essay writing helps individuals learn how to express their ideas in a structured, coherent, and persuasive manner.
Facilitates emotional healing : We cannot emphasize this point enough. Writing about personal experiences, especially traumatic ones, can be therapeutic. Yes, you read that right. Putting emotions into words helps people process and make sense of their experiences.
Encourages mindfulness : Writing promotes mindfulness, or present-moment awareness, and its associated qualities of calm/relaxation, nonjudgment, and intentionality. The focus required in essay writing can promote mindfulness. By concentrating on the present moment and the task of articulating thoughts, you can experience a calming effect, reducing anxiety and enhancing your overall mental health.
Strengthens problem-solving abilities : Students’ problem-solving skill is heavily influenced by the learning process in the classroom. Essays often explore solutions to problems. They can involve real-world problems that trigger learning and optimize the power of problems to incorporate key learning processes. This aspect requires writers to think strategically about possible solutions, weighing pros and cons and considering outcomes.

Improve Your Writing Skills

For students, most of your assessments are done through writing. You will be asked to write essays for assignments and exams in most study areas. Accordingly, knowing how to write well is suitable for your grades. But there are other personal benefits as well. It can be a tool for personal growth and self-reflection. Essay writing can transform your understanding of yourself and the world around you.

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Traditionally, essay writing was seen as an academic exercise, but not anymore. An essay is a piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to inform the reader about a particular topic. As students write essays, they introspect and learn at the same time. They understand that the essay writing process […]

TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

2 perfect-scoring toefl writing samples, analyzed.

The Writing section can be the most daunting section of the TOEFL. You’ll have 50 minutes to write two complete essays that must meet multiple requirements and show a strong grasp of English. Knowing what graders are looking for and reviewing TOEFL Writing samples can go a long way towards helping you get a high score on this section.

This guide will go over both of the TOEFL Writing tasks, explain how they’re graded, go over a high-scoring TOEFL Writing sample for each essay type, and end with TOEFL Writing examples for you to analyze.

The TOEFL Writing Section

The TOEFL Writing section is 50 minutes long (broken into two parts) and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. It’s the fourth and final section of the exam. You’ll type both essays on the computer. The next two sections will explain the format and requirements of each of the writing tasks as well as how they will be scored.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

The Integrated Writing task requires you to use listening, reading, and writing skills. For this task, you’ll have three minutes to read a short passage, then you’ll listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers.

You’ll have 20 minutes to plan and write a response that references both of these sources in order to answer the question . You won’t discuss your own opinion. During the writing time, you’ll be able to look at the written passage again, but you won’t be able to re-hear the audio clip. You’ll be able to take notes while you listen to it though. The suggested response length for this task is 150-225 words.

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For this essay, you’ll be graded on the quality of your writing as well as how well your response represents the main points of the audio clip and written passage and how they relate to each other. Each essay receives a score from 0-5. For both essay types, you can check out the complete rubric used for official grading. Below are key points from the Integrated Writing rubric. ( You can view complete rubric for both essays here .)

TOEFL Independent Writing Task

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll have receive a question on a particular topic or issue. You’ll have 30 minutes to plan and write a response to that topic that explains your opinion on it. You’ll need to give reasons that support your decision. It’s recommended that your response to this task be at least 300 words.

You’ll be graded on how well you develop your ideas, how well your essay is organized, and how accurately you use English to express your ideas.

Top-Scoring TOEFL Integrated Writing Sample

Below is an official TOEFL Integrated Writing sample question and as well as an essay response that received a score of 5. It includes a written passage, the transcript of a conversation (which would be an audio recording on the actual TOEFL, and the essay prompt. After the prompt is an example of a top-scoring essay. You can read the essay in full, then read our comments on what exactly about this essay gives it a top score.

Integrated Writing Example Prompt

You have three minutes to read the following passage and take notes. In many organizations, perhaps the best way to approach certain new projects is to assemble a group of people into a team. Having a team of people attack a project offers several advantages. First of all, a group of people has a wider range of knowledge, expertise, and skills than any single individual is likely to possess. Also, because of the numbers of people involved and the greater resources they possess, a group can work more quickly in response to the task assigned to it and can come up with highly creative solutions to problems and issues. Sometimes these creative solutions come about because a group is more likely to make risky decisions that an individual might not undertake. This is because the group spreads responsibility for a decision to all the members and thus no single individual can be held accountable if the decision turns out to be wrong.

Taking part in a group process can be very rewarding for members of the team. Team members who have a voice in making a decision will no doubt feel better about carrying out the work that is entailed by that decision than they might doing work that is imposed on them by others. Also, the individual team member has a much better chance to “shine,” to get his or her contributions and ideas not only recognized but recognized as highly significant, because a team’s overall results can be more far-reaching and have greater impact than what might have otherwise been possible for the person to accomplish or contribute working alone.

Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.

(Professor) Now I want to tell you about what one company found when it decided that it would turn over some of its new projects to teams of people, and make the team responsible for planning the projects and getting the work done. After about six months, the company took a look at how well the teams performed. On virtually every team, some members got almost a “free ride” … they didn’t contribute much at all, but if their team did a good job, they nevertheless benefited from the recognition the team got. And what about group members who worked especially well and who provided a lot of insight on problems and issues? Well…the recognition for a job well done went to the group as a whole, no names were named. So it won’t surprise you to learn that when the real contributors were asked how they felt about the group process, their attitude was just the opposite of what the reading predicts. Another finding was that some projects just didn’t move very quickly. Why? Because it took so long to reach consensus…it took many, many meetings to build the agreement among group members about how they would move the project along. On the other hand, there were other instances where one or two people managed to become very influential over what their group did. Sometimes when those influencers said “That will never work” about an idea the group was developing, the idea was quickly dropped instead of being further discussed. And then there was another occasion when a couple influencers convinced the group that a plan of theirs was “highly creative.” And even though some members tried to warn the rest of the group that the project was moving in directions that might not work, they were basically ignored by other group members. Can you guess the ending to *this* story? When the project failed, the blame was placed on all the members of the group.

You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.

Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.

TOEFL Integrated Writing Sample Essay

The lecturer talks about research conducted by a firm that used the group system to handle their work. He says that the theory stated in the passage was very different and somewhat inaccurate when compared to what happened for real.

First, some members got free rides. That is, some didn’t work hard but gotrecognition for the success nontheless. This also indicates that people who worked hard was not given recognition they should have got. In other words, they weren’t given the oppotunity to “shine”. This derectly contradicts what the passage indicates.

Second, groups were slow in progress. The passage says that groups are nore responsive than individuals because of the number of people involved and their aggregated resources. However, the speaker talks about how the firm found out that groups were slower than individuals in dicision making. Groups needed more time for meetings, which are neccesary procceedures in decision making. This was another part where experience contradicted theory.

Third, influetial people might emerge, and lead the group towards glory or failure. If the influent people are going in the right direction there would be no problem. But in cases where they go in the wrong direction, there is nobody that has enough influence to counter the decision made. In other words, the group might turn into a dictatorship, with the influential party as the leader, and might be less flexible in thinking. They might become one-sided, and thus fail to succeed.

TOEFL Writing Sample Analysis

There are three key things this TOEFL example essay does that results in its high score:

Clearly presents main points
Contrasts lecture and reading points
Few grammatical/spelling errors

This essay clearly organizes the three main points made in the lecture, which is what the first part of the prompt asked for. (“Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard.”) There is one paragraph for each point, and the point is clearly stated within the first sentence of the paragraph followed by specific details from the lecture. This organization makes it easy to follow the writer’s thinking and see that they understood the lecture.

Additionally, the essay clearly contrasts points made in the lecture with points made in the reading. Each main paragraph includes an example of how the two are different, and the writer makes these differences clear by using words and phrases such as “however” and “this directly contradicts.” Stating these differences answers the second part of the prompt (“explain how they cast doubt on points made in the reading”) and shows that the writer understood both the lecture and reading well enough to differentiate between the two.

Finally, there are only a few minor spelling and grammar error s, the most noticeable of which is the incorrect use of the word “influent” in the final paragraph (it should be “influential”), and they do not detract from the meaning of the essay. This writer shows a strong grasp of the English language, a key TOEFL skill.

This essay shows that the writer understood the main points of both the lecture and the reading well enough to both describe them and contrast them. That, along with the relatively few mechanical errors, gives the essay a top score.

Top-Scoring Independent TOEFL Writing Sample

Below is an official Independent Writing prompt and top-scoring sample essay. Beneath the essay we analyze what about the essay resulted in it receiving a top score.

Independent Writing Example Prompt

Directions Read the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective essay will contain a minimum of 300 words.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Independent TOEFL Writing Sample Essay

the traditional virtue of telling the truth in all situations is increasingly doubted by many in today’s world. many believe that telling the truth is not always the best policy when dealing with people. moreover, the line of a “truth” is becoming more and more vague. this essay will explore the importance of telling the truth in relationships between people.

we all understand that often the truth is offending and may not be a very nice thing to both hear or say. lies or white lies often have their advantages. the manipulation of white lies is the most obvious the business world. how many times have we heard that some product is “the finest” or “the cheapest”? how many times have we heard that products have such and such “magical functions”? advertising is about persuasion, and many would agree that if a company is to tell the absolute truth about it’s products, no one would be interested in even having a look at the products.

the same logic applies to human relationships. if your friend had worn a newly purchased dress on her birthday and energetically asked you if it was a worthy buy, would you freely express your opinion that you had never seen a dress as the one she’s currently wearing? and spoil her birthday? unarguably, hiding(entirely or particially) the truth in some situations can be quite handy indeed. confrontations and disputes can seemingly be avoided.

however, there is always the risk factor of the truth emerging sooner or later when telling an untruth. the basic trust in any relationships(businessman/customer, friends, parents/children) will be blotched, and would have an impact on the future relationship between both parties. the story of the “the boy who cried wolf” fully illustrates the consequenes of telling untruths. no one will believe you when you’re telling the truth. your word will have no weighting.

in addition, another “bad factor” of telling untruths is that you have absolutely no control over when the truth(of previous untruths) will emerge. untruths breed pain in both parties: tears when the truth is uncovered after a period of time; fear and the burden of sharing a “secret”. in the long run, it seems that hiding the truth is not beneficial to either party. everyone hates betrayal. even if it is the trend to occasionally hide the truth in relationships, it is strongly recommended that not to follow that trend as the risk and the consequences of the truth unfolded overwhelms the minimal advantages one can derive from not telling the truth. afterall, it is understood that relationships are founded on “trust” which goes hand in hand with “truth”. indeed telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship between people. always.

There are three key things this essay does that results in its high score, and each is explained in more detail below.

Is well organized
Uses specific examples

The essay, like the first one, is well organized. The writer’s position is clear within the first few sentences, and the rest of the essay elaborates on that position. Each paragraph begins with a new major point that is then explained. This logical flow of ideas is easy for readers to follow and shows that the writer knows how to set up a clear argument.

Another reason the essay received a top score is because the writer used specific examples to make her point. By using specific examples, such as a friend buying a new outfit and asking your opinion and phrases businesses use to sell products, the writer makes her argument stronger and more concrete.

Finally, despite the lack of capitalization throughout the essay, there are few spelling and grammatical errors, and the ones that do exist don’t detract from the meaning of the essay or make it confusing to understand. This shows a strong command of English and the ability to write in-depth essays that are clear and get their point across.

Where to Find More TOEFL Writing Samples

Below are a list of other places, official and unofficial, where you can find TOEFL Writing examples. You can use these examples to get a better idea of what a high-scoring essay looks like and what graders are looking for on the Writing section.

Official Resources

Official resources are always the best to use since you can be sure the essay prompts are accurate and the sample essays were accurately scored.

TOEFL iBT Writing Sample Responses

This resource contains several sample essays (including the two sample responses used above). The essays from on this site received different scores as well as analysis of why they received the score they did. This can be helpful if you want more information on, say, what differentiates an essay that got a “5” from an essay that got a “4”.

TOEFL iBT Test Questions

This is a complete practice TOEFL, but it does include several sample essays along with score explanations so you can get a more in-depth look at how and why different essays received the scores they did.

Unofficial Resources

There are numerous unofficial TOEFL writing samples out there, of varying quality. Below are two of the best.

TOEFL Resources

This site has several dozen sample essays for both the Integrated and Independent Writing topics. There’s no scoring analysis, but you do get a good variety of essay topics and essay samples so that you can get a sense of how to approach different essay prompts.

Good Luck TOEFL

Good Luck TOEFL has seven sample Independent Writing essays (no Integrated Writing). There’s no scoring analysis, but the essays and prompts are similar to official TOEFL essay topics.

Review: Analyzing TOEFL Writing Examples

Writing can be a particularly tricky TOEFL section, and seeing TOEFL Writing samples can go a long way to helping you feel more confident. For TOEFL Writing, you’ll need to write two essays, the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task. Looking over the rubrics for both these essays and understanding what graders will be looking for can help you understand what to include in your own essays.

Both essays are scored on a scale of 0-5. Top-scoring essays generally need to have good organization, specific examples, answer the prompt completely, and minor spelling and grammar errors. It can also be useful to review other TOEFL writing samples to get a better idea of what a great TOEFL essay looks like.

What’s Next?

Looking for more information on the TOEFL Writing section? Learn all the tips you need to know in order to ace TOEFL Writing!

Want more tips on how to prepare for TOEFL Writing questions? Check out our guide to the best ways to practice for TOEFL Writing!

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Author: Christine Sarikas

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. View all posts by Christine Sarikas

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NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO

David Folkenflik

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR. Uri Berliner hide caption

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR.

NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned this morning, citing the response of the network's chief executive to his outside essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.

"I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years," Berliner wrote in an email to CEO Katherine Maher. "I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay."

NPR and Maher declined to comment on his resignation.

The Free Press, an online site embraced by journalists who believe that the mainstream media has become too liberal, published Berliner's piece last Tuesday. In it, he argued that NPR's coverage has increasingly reflected a rigid progressive ideology. And he argued that the network's quest for greater diversity in its workforce — a priority under prior chief executive John Lansing – has not been accompanied by a diversity of viewpoints presented in NPR shows, podcasts or online coverage.

Later that same day, NPR pushed back against Berliner's critique.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff . "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

Yet Berliner's commentary has been embraced by conservative and partisan Republican critics of the network, including former President Donald Trump and the activist Christopher Rufo.

Rufo is posting a parade of old social media posts from Maher, who took over NPR last month. In two examples, she called Trump a racist and also seemed to minimize the effects of rioting in 2020. Rufo is using those to rally public pressure for Maher's ouster, as he did for former Harvard University President Claudine Gay .

Others have used the moment to call for the elimination of federal funding for NPR – less than one percent of its roughly $300 million annual budget – and local public radio stations, which derive more of their funding from the government.

NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era

Berliner reiterated in his resignation letter that he does not support such calls.

In a brief interview, he condemned a statement Maher issued Friday in which she suggested that he had questioned "whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity." She called that "profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning."

Berliner subsequently exchanged emails with Maher, but she did not address those comments.

"It's been building up," Berliner said of his decision to resign, "and it became clear it was on today."

For publishing his essay in The Free Press and appearing on its podcast, NPR had suspended Berliner for five days without pay. Its formal rebuke noted he had done work outside NPR without its permission, as is required, and shared proprietary information.

(Disclosure: Like Berliner, I am part of NPR's Business Desk. He has edited many of my past stories. But he did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Earlier in the day, Berliner forwarded to NPR editors and other colleagues a note saying he had "never questioned" their integrity and had been trying to raise these issues within the newsroom for more than seven years.

What followed was an email he had sent to newsroom leaders after Trump's 2016 win. He wrote then: "Primarily for the sake of our journalism, we can't align ourselves with a tribe. So we don't exist in a cocoon that blinds us to the views and experience of tens of millions of our fellow citizens."

Berliner's critique has inspired anger and dismay within the network. Some colleagues said they could no longer trust him after he chose to publicize such concerns rather than pursue them as part of ongoing newsroom debates, as is customary. Many signed a letter to Maher and Edith Chapin, NPR's chief news executive. They asked for clarity on, among other things, how Berliner's essay and the resulting public controversy would affect news coverage.

Yet some colleagues privately said Berliner's critique carried some truth. Chapin also announced monthly reviews of the network's coverage for fairness and diversity - including diversity of viewpoint.

She said in a text message earlier this week that that initiative had been discussed long before Berliner's essay, but "Now seemed [the] time to deliver if we were going to do it."

She added, "Healthy discussion is something we need more of."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

Katherine Maher
uri berliner

An NPR editor who wrote a critical essay on the company has resigned after being suspended

FILE - The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) stands on North Capitol Street on April 15, 2013, in Washington. A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal reviews resigned on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charles Dharapak]

NEW YORK (AP) — A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal views resigned on Wednesday, attacking NPR’s new CEO on the way out.

Uri Berliner, a senior editor on NPR’s business desk, posted his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended for five days for violating company rules about outside work done without permission.

“I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems” written about in his essay, Berliner said in his resignation letter.

Katherine Maher, a former tech executive appointed in January as NPR’s chief executive, has been criticized by conservative activists for social media messages that disparaged former President Donald Trump. The messages predated her hiring at NPR.

NPR’s public relations chief said the organization does not comment on individual personnel matters.

The suspension and subsequent resignation highlight the delicate balance that many U.S. news organizations and their editorial employees face. On one hand, as journalists striving to produce unbiased news, they’re not supposed to comment on contentious public issues; on the other, many journalists consider it their duty to critique their own organizations’ approaches to journalism when needed.

In his essay , written for the online Free Press site, Berliner said NPR is dominated by liberals and no longer has an open-minded spirit. He traced the change to coverage of Trump’s presidency.

“There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed,” he wrote. “It’s frictionless — one story after another about instances of supposed racism, transphobia, signs of the climate apocalypse, Israel doing something bad and the dire threat of Republican policies. It’s almost like an assembly line.”

He said he’d brought up his concerns internally and no changes had been made, making him “a visible wrong-thinker at a place I love.”

In the essay’s wake, NPR top editorial executive, Edith Chapin, said leadership strongly disagreed with Berliner’s assessment of the outlet’s journalism and the way it went about its work.

It’s not clear what Berliner was referring to when he talked about disparagement by Maher. In a lengthy memo to staff members last week, she wrote: “Asking a question about whether we’re living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions. Questioning whether our people are serving their mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful and demeaning.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo revealed some of Maher’s past tweets after the essay was published. In one tweet, dated January 2018, Maher wrote that “Donald Trump is a racist.” A post just before the 2020 election pictured her in a Biden campaign hat.

In response, an NPR spokeswoman said Maher, years before she joined the radio network, was exercising her right to express herself. She is not involved in editorial decisions at NPR, the network said.

The issue is an example of what can happen when business executives, instead of journalists, are appointed to roles overseeing news organizations: they find themselves scrutinized for signs of bias in ways they hadn’t been before. Recently, NBC Universal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde has been criticized for service on paid corporate boards.

Maher is the former head of the Wikimedia Foundation. NPR’s own story about the 40-year-old executive’s appointment in January noted that she “has never worked directly in journalism or at a news organization.”

In his resignation letter, Berliner said that he did not support any efforts to strip NPR of public funding. “I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism,” he wrote.

David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder

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You will need to read, listen (& take notes), and then organize your thoughts into an essay. These are skills you will use often at the university and in professional life, so the TOEFL Integrated Writing task tests all those skills. You will have 20 minutes for this task. First, you will have three minutes to read a short passage (about 250 ...
How to Ace the TOEFL Writing Section: 7 Expert Tips
After you complete the exam, your essays will be graded by several (typically four) graders. Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The sum of those two scores will then be scaled to a score from 0-30, which is your official Writing score. The Writing section makes of 25% of your total TOEFL score (from 0-120).
How to Write a TOEFL Integrated Essay
Learn how to write a high-scoring TOEFL integrated essay. This reflects the most recent version of the TOEFL. A detailed version of this guide can be found...
TOEFL Writing Question One
How to write an effective TOEFL Integrated essay (task 1). Updated for 2018.Further reading:More information about using compound sentences: https://goo.gl/...
How to Write the TOEFL Integrated Essay, Compiled by Max Sean
How to Write the TOEFL Integrated Essay Compiled by Max Sean, Instructor, TEFL/TESOL The first essay on the TOEFL is the integrated task. In this section you will first read a short article about an academic topic and after that you will listen to a lecture on the same topic. The lecture will oppose the reading.
Integrated Writing Essay: Making Good Choices for the Future
Write your Integrated Writing Essay. Locate the articles, a timer or stopwatch (online or off) and a way to write and take notes. Then read the writing prompt (instructions) below and start your timer. You have 20 minutes to read, listen, and write. Instructions: Summarize the points made in the talk, noting their relation to the points made in ...
How to Integrate Sources
Integrating sources means incorporating another scholar's ideas or words into your work. It can be done by: Quoting. Paraphrasing. Summarizing. By integrating sources properly, you can ensure a consistent voice in your writing and ensure your text remains readable and coherent. You can use signal phrases to give credit to outside sources and ...
Alternative Writing Assignments: The Integrated Paper
As faculty working with students to explore topics of interests we frequently request that they review the literature to gain an understanding of what is known and unknown about a topic and then present their findings in an integrated manner. While many students are familiar with developing papers termed "literature reviews" or "reviews of the literature," these types of papers ...
PDF Integrating Sources
A reader should always know when you are speaking and when your source is speaking. Once you've decided whether to paraphrase, summarize, or quote from a source, you should make sure your source material is clearly integrated into your paper. College Writing Program One Bow Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
PDF Integration Essay Guidelines
The integration essay is a requirement for earning your certificate. 4. We will be reading your essay with the following criteria in mind: • Essay is well-written. Both in terms of structure and organization, and at the sentence level, your essay must be clearly and effectively written for the appropriate audience.
Essay Writing as a Tool for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth
Essay writing helps individuals learn how to express their ideas in a structured, coherent, and persuasive manner. Facilitates emotional healing: We cannot emphasize this point enough. Writing ...
2 Perfect-Scoring TOEFL Writing Samples, Analyzed
Below is an official TOEFL Integrated Writing sample question and as well as an essay response that received a score of 5. It includes a written passage, the transcript of a conversation (which would be an audio recording on the actual TOEFL, and the essay prompt. After the prompt is an example of a top-scoring essay.
Properly Write Your Degree
The correct way to communicate your degree to employers and others is by using the following formats: Degree - This is the academic degree you are receiving. Your major is in addition to the degree; it can be added to the phrase or written separately. Include the full name of your degree, major (s), minor (s), emphases, and certificates on your ...
An NPR editor who wrote a critical essay on the company has resigned
A National Public Radio editor who wrote a critical essay saying that his company had become intolerant of all but liberal views has resigned. Uri Berliner, an editor on NPR's business desk ...
Teachers are using AI to grade essays. Students are using AI to write
Meanwhile, while fewer faculty members used AI, the percentage grew to 22% of faculty members in the fall of 2023, up from 9% in spring 2023. Teachers are turning to AI tools and platforms ...
NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO
Uri Berliner. NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned this morning, citing the response of the network's chief executive to his outside essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust. "I ...
An NPR editor who wrote a critical essay on company has resigned after
NEW YORK (AP) — A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal views resigned on Wednesday, attacking NPR's new CEO on the way out.
NPR editor resigns after suspension for essay accusing public
An NPR editor resigned shortly after being suspended for writing an op-ed accusing the network of catering to a narrow liberal perspective. 📷 Key players Meteor shower up next 📷 Leaders at ...