In July 2023, ETS will be offering the new TOEFL Writing Task 2 as part of the writing section. This new 10-minute writing task will replace the 30-minute independent writing task.
What will I do in this New TOEFL Writing Task 2?
Completely different than the TOEFL independent writing task, the New TOEFL Writing Task 2 requires you to write a 100-word post to an online academic discussion. In this shorter writing task, you will read a question from a professor and responses from other students. You will express and support your opinion in way that meaningfully contributes to the discussion. You will have 10 minutes to write your post. Below is an example of what this new TOEFL writing task will look like:
Instructions: Your professor is teaching a class in psychology. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response, please make sure that you do the following:
- express and support your personal opinion
- meaningfully contribute to the discussion
Professor: Like it or not, most of us have been exposed to some form of social media such as FaceBook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, YouTube, and so on. These influences, according to some researchers, may have a positive or negative effect on teenagers and young adults.
Do social media have a positive or negative effect on teenagers and young adults?
William: Young people who spend a lot of time on social media tend to judge themselves by what they see in others. So, if they see someone who seems to be incredibly successful and beautiful, these young people may develop self-esteem issues since they may not compare well with the pictures and posts they see from others online. In this sense, social media can have a negative impact on their users.
Carrie: Many young people use social media to strengthen the friendships that they have made at school. For example, all of my friends follow me at Instagram, and I also follow them. A couple of days ago, one of my friends used Instagram to invite me and some of his other friends to a get-together at his house. I saw the invite, attended the party, and strengthened my friends with those who attended the party. In fact, a lot of evidence supports the notion that social media can positively affect teenagers’ and young adults’ lives.
| Write your 100-word response:
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What are some tips when I complete the new writing task?
A number of tips are provided to help you perform your best with this New TOEFL Writing Task 2.
- Make sure you understand the purpose of an academic discussion post. Discussion posts mirror the interaction that you would have with your professor and classmates when you attend class physically. In an online classroom, you use your keyboard instead of your voice as you comment on academic topics that a professor poses. Therefore, keep your tone and language conversational.
- Carefully read the discussion posting directions. Make sure that your post directly addresses the writing prompt.
- Collect supporting facts and points of view from your experience or from the experience of people that you know.
- Make sure that you do not write a short response by simply agreeing or disagreeing. You need to include details to support your post and aim to write at least 100 words during the 10-minute time constraint.
- Use some of your personal experience in your post. Try to connect the academic concept that the professor brings up with your personal experience.
- Complete your post before the 10-minute time expires.
Michael Buckhoff, mbuckhoff@aol.com
Could you please clarify if there is any additional time allocated for reviewing the task and responses in WRITING TASK 2, or if the total time is limited to 10 minutes, including both reading and composing the response? I appreciate your response in advance.