WRITING 115
TYPES OF WRITING PROMPTS
The computer test and the TWE exam use the same type of writ- ing prompt—a general topic and a question about that topic. Most
prompts present a statement, situation, or scenario and ask you to take a position and explain it. They can be broken down into
three parts:
1. a statement or situation to consider 2. a question
3. directions
Note the three parts in this example: Essay topic randomly
All test-takers respond to selected by computer.
same essay topic. Other test-takers may
have different topics. Essay topics posted on
No published list of TWE www.toefl.org.
exam essay topics. You may handwrite your
You must handwrite your essay or type it on the
essay. computer.
Your writing score is com- Your TWE exam essay score
bined with your score on is reported separately from
the structure section. It your TOEFL exam score.
counts as 50 percent of your total structurewriting score.
116 TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS
1 Many people feel that American society is too competitive. 2 Do you agree or disagree? 3 Use specific reasons and examples to
support your position.
Some prompts skip the first part statementsituation. Oth- ers incorporate the first part within the question. Here is an
example of the latter:
1 and 2 combined Do you agree that “honesty is the best pol- icy”? 3 Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Although all of the writing prompts fit the basic formula described above, they can be divided more specifically into five
types:
1. Agree or disagree. The most common prompt on the
TOEFL exam, this type asks you to agree or disagree with a statement. Here is an example:
Test Time Saver
Decide beforehand if you are going to handwrite or type your essay.
If you are typing it, familiarize yourself with the word- processing software used on the TOEFL exam you can do
this at www.toefl.org. Handwritten essays must fit on two sides of a single page. Represent yourself in the best light
by writing legibly and neatly.
