Understanding the Independent Writing Task in TOEFL

The writing section of the TOEFL exam aims at testing your ability to write efficiently. You will be supposed to write well-structured essays with the appropriate syntax, grammar, spelling and vocabulary. In all College settings, students should have the ability to write in a clear and orderly manner. The writing section has only two parts in it, making it all the more important in terms of scoring. There is also less room for error.

There are two essays for the writing section of the TOEFL:

- Integrated essay

- Independent essay

It is essential to understand both the essays and the questions each essay has in order to obtain a high score on the TOEFL. In this article we will have a look at the independent writing task, which is the second task in the writing section. Independent writing task is the best thing to focus upon, if you want to score high in TOEFL.

What is an independent writing task?

The Independent writing task tests your ability to compose an essay expressing your opinions with reasoning based on your knowledge and experience.

Here are some of the details on independent writing test that would be helpful for your TOEFL preparation:

- There is one Independent Writing question in the TOEFL

- The essay should be written on the computer, not by hand.

- You will have 30 minutes to plan, compose and revise your essay.

- Your essay must be at least 300 words.

Why do many individuals find this task difficult?

Many people find this task difficult because they are not sure of what things to discuss in the essay and the best ways to establish a strong composition that the evaluators would like. As soon as you understand the best ways to structure your answer and the way to express the details properly, it ends up being a really simple task.

Independent writing question structure/question types

There are five possible types of questions that the writing task might use, however you will only get one among these in the real test.

The five possible question types are:

- Agree or disagree

- Preference

- If / Imaginary

- Description / Explanation

- Contrast & Comparison

How to score high in independent writing task

By understanding exactly what is necessary to obtain a high score in the writing section, you are giving yourself the biggest opportunity for success. In order to obtain the highest possible score in the independent writing section, it is important that you completely understand everything about the structure of the questions, the kind of questions that are generally asked and the ways to structure your answers correctly. When you understand these concepts thoroughly, you will have an idea of the questions that are expected to come in test, which in turn minimizes your anxiety and helps you to concentrate on addressing the questions in the best way possible.

TOEFL iBT is the latest version of the TOEFL test. This is a web Based Test where each section of the test needs to be done online. If you are willing to pursue your education overseas, the TOEFL can help you get there. However, this is only possible if you achieve a high score on the test.

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