Essay writing is included on the TOEFL test. In addition, your college or university will usually ask you to write sample essays as part of the admissions process.
Here is what examiners look for in a well-written essay:
1) The essay should be well organized. Essays should have the following parts:
-
A clear introduction with background information
-
An introduction that contains an "overview" or thesis statement, explaining what your essay is going to discuss
-
A well-organized main body demonstrating high-level English language skills
-
A strong conclusion, which may require a suggestion or recommendation
2) The essay should demonstrate "task fulfillment." That is to say, the essay must completely answer the question that is asked. Consider this example:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of internet communication?
If you give only advantages in your essay for this question, you will score very poorly because you have only answered HALF of the question!
3) Your written English language for the TOEFL (as well as essays written as part of your university application), should demonstrate good English language "range." This means that you use a wide variety of sentence structures. Don't always use the subject-verb-object sentence structure! Use compound and complex sentences.
Good English language "range" also means that you have used higher-level vocabulary in your essay. As stated previously in this website, high-level English language vocabulary skills are essential for successful performance on the TOEFL.
4) Your essay should also display a high-level of English language accuracy. In other words, your must use correct grammar in your essay writing.
