How to Write Independent Essay for TOEFL

Writing an Introduction

The first part of your essay must always be the introductory paragraph.  Follow this template:

#Sentence One:

The “Hook” This is an interesting sentence that introduces the general theme or topic of the essay.

#Sentence Two: The Main Point

This is your main argument and direct answer to the question. Start with “Personally, I believe…” or I am wholeheartedly in favor of…..

#Sentence Three: The Transition

Just say: “I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.”

If you follow this template, your introduction will look something like this:

There are a few things to keep in mind as you write your introduction:

1- Don’t copy from the question prompt when you write your hook.

2- Don’t waste time stating the opposite of your thesis (“Some people might think…”)

3- Don’t copy anything word for word from the prompt.

Writing Body Paragraphs

#body paragraphs

Next you must write two body paragraphs that state your supporting argument and examples. Use this template for your first body paragraph:

#Sentence One: A Topic Sentence

This summarizes your first supporting reason. Begin with “First of all…”.

#Sentences Two to Four: The Explanation

Explain what you mean, without talking directly about personal experience. Shorten if necessary.

#Sentence Five: The Transition

Just use: “My personal experience is a compelling example of this.”

#Sentence Six to End: The Personal Example

An example from your life that illustrates this argument. Make it longer that the explanation part.

This leads to a paragraph like this:

#Use a similar template for your  second body paragraph:

#Sentence One: A Topic Sentence

This summarizes your second supporting reason. Begin with “Secondly…”.

#Sentences Two to Four: The Explanation

Explain what you mean, without talking directly about personal experience. Shorten if necessary.

#Sentence Five: The Transition

Just use: “For instance,”

#Sentence Six to End: The Personal Example

An example from your life (or someone else’s life) that illustrates this argument. Make it longer that the explanation part.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you write your essay’s body:

1- Use a mix of simple and compound sentences

2- Emphasize the example. It is the easiest part to write, so make it about 60% (or more) of each body paragraph

3- Avoid very short sentences (less than seven words) and very long sentences (more than 60 sentences)

4- Don’t start sentences with coordinating conjunctions

5- Use a variety of discourse phrases

Writing a Conclusion

Conclusions are easy. You just need to repeat your thesis and your two arguments.  Try this short template:

#Sentence One: Restate the Thesis, Paraphrase your thesis. Begin with “In conclusion, I am of the opinion that…”.

#Sentence Two: Restate the Two Reasons

Just use: “This is because, and _.”

1- Paraphrase yourself. Don’t copy and paste from above when you restate your ideas in the conclusion

2- Don’t introduce new ideas in the conclusion

3- Don’t write “This is because of that…”

Final Thoughts

That’s how you write a strong TOEFL independent essay.  There are a final few points that are worth mentioning here, of course:

1- Aim for about 380 to 400 words. Write a bit more if need a really high score

2- Use two minutes to plan before you start writing and save two minutes for proofreading when you finish