TOEFL New Writing Section 2026: Email + Academic Discussion Strategy

The TOEFL new format writing section is unrecognisable from the old TOEFL. The 300-word independent essay? Gone. The integrated read-listen-write task? Eliminated. In their place are three practical writing tasks that test real-world English skills: Build a Sentence, Write an Email (7 minutes), and Write for Academic Discussion (10 minutes). Total writing time: just 23 minutes. For Indian students who dreaded the old essay section, this is transformative. Here is EEC's complete strategy guide for mastering the new TOEFL Writing section in 2026.

New TOEFL Writing Section Overview

Understanding the 1-6 band scoring system helps you set realistic Writing targets. If you are choosing between tests, compare our TOEFL vs IELTS guide and TOEFL vs DET analysis. Students preparing for multiple exams will find that strong grammar skills benefit IELTS and PTE Academic equally.

Build a Sentence: Strategy & Tips

Build a Sentence presents you with jumbled words and phrases that you must arrange into a grammatically correct, coherent sentence. For example, you might see: "the / students / submitted / their / assignments / before / deadline / the" and need to arrange it as "The students submitted their assignments before the deadline."

Strategy: (1) Identify the subject first (who/what is doing the action), (2) Find the main verb, (3) Look for objects and complements, (4) Place modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases) correctly, (5) Check that articles (a, an, the) are in the right position.

Common Build a Sentence patterns: (1) Simple SVO: "The researcher published her findings last month." (2) Compound: "The students completed the project, and the professor praised their work." (3) Complex with subordinate clause: "Although the experiment failed, the team learned valuable lessons from the process." (4) Relative clause: "The university, which was founded in 1890, offers over 200 undergraduate programmes." (5) Conditional: "If the student submits the application by Friday, the admissions office will review it next week." Indian students often struggle with article placement ("a", "an", "the") and preposition choices ("interested in" not "interested on"), so pay special attention to these elements when arranging words.

Scoring criteria for Build a Sentence: Each sentence is scored for grammatical accuracy (correct word order, verb agreement, tense consistency), completeness (all given words used), and natural phrasing (the sentence reads like something a native speaker would write, not a mechanical arrangement). Partial credit is given — if you get the main clause right but misplace a modifier, you still earn points. Time management is key: aim to complete all Build a Sentence items within 5-6 minutes, leaving yourself the full 7 and 10 minutes for the Email and Discussion tasks respectively.

Write an Email: 7-Minute Strategy

You receive a scenario requiring you to write a practical email. Scenarios might include: writing to a professor to request an extension, emailing a landlord about a maintenance issue, contacting a classmate about a group project, or responding to a university administrative office. You have 7 minutes.

Email Structure (use every time):

Opening (10 sec): "Dear Professor Smith," or "Hi [Name]," — use the appropriate level of formality based on the scenario. Purpose (30 sec): State why you are writing in 1-2 sentences. "I am writing to request an extension for the assignment due on Friday." Details (3 min): Provide relevant details, context, and any specific requests. 3-4 sentences. Polite Close (30 sec): "Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response." Sign-off: "Best regards, [Your Name]"

Write for Academic Discussion: 10-Minute Strategy

You read a discussion board prompt (a question from a professor) and 2-3 short posts from other "students" sharing their opinions. You then contribute your own post (approximately 100-150 words). This tests your ability to engage with others' ideas and add new perspectives.

Structure (4-step approach):

Step 1 — Acknowledge (1-2 sentences): Reference something a previous poster said. "I agree with Maria's point about technology in education, but I would like to add another perspective."

Step 2 — State your position (1 sentence): Clearly express your view. "I believe that hands-on experience is equally important as technological tools."

Step 3 — Support with reasons/examples (3-4 sentences): Provide specific reasons and at least one concrete example. "In my engineering programme, for instance, we learned more from laboratory experiments than from online simulations..."

Step 4 — Conclude (1 sentence): Brief wrap-up. "Overall, while technology is valuable, it should complement rather than replace practical learning."

Grammar Essentials for the New Writing Section

Common Writing Mistakes Indian Students Make

1. Missing articles: Indian languages don't have articles (a/an/the), so many students omit them. "I went to library" instead of "I went to the library." 2. Wrong prepositions: "I am good in English" instead of "I am good at English." 3. Overly formal language in casual contexts: Writing "I humbly request your kind perusal" in an email to a classmate. 4. Running out of time: Spending too long on Build a Sentence and rushing the email/discussion. Allocate time wisely: ~6 min Build a Sentence, 7 min Email, 10 min Discussion.

5. Ignoring the tone requirement: Every email scenario specifies a context — writing to a professor demands formal English ("I am writing to request..."), while emailing a classmate should be semi-formal ("Hey, I wanted to check..."). Using the wrong register costs marks even if your grammar is perfect. 6. Not engaging with other posts in Academic Discussion: Many students write a standalone opinion paragraph without referencing the other posts. The task specifically evaluates whether you "engage with the existing discussion" — you must agree, disagree, or add nuance to what others have said. 7. Under-developing your discussion contribution: A 50-word post will not score well even if grammatically perfect. Aim for 100-150 words with a clear argument, supporting evidence, and a link to the broader discussion. 8. Repeating vocabulary: Using "important" five times in one email signals limited vocabulary. Use synonyms: significant, crucial, essential, vital, critical. Varied vocabulary is a specific scoring criterion for Band 4.0 and above.

Weekly Writing Practice Plan

Strengthen your overall TOEFL performance by reviewing our speaking tips, reading tips, and listening tips. For registration details, see the TOEFL fee guide and test centres in India.

EEC's TOEFL Writing Coaching

EEC's Writing module includes: grammar diagnostic test, Build a Sentence daily drills, timed email and discussion writing with trainer feedback, grammar correction sessions, and full mock Writing sections. All at ₹7,500 as part of the complete TOEFL programme. Whether you are applying to study in the USA, Canada, or Germany, strong Writing scores demonstrate your academic communication skills. See our complete preparation guide. If you are targeting specific countries, check TOEFL score for USA, TOEFL score for Canada, or TOEFL score for Germany. Prefer taking the test at home? Read our TOEFL Home Edition guide. To prepare for test day, review our exam day tips and join TOEFL coaching at EEC.

“The new TOEFL Writing section tests practical communication — writing emails, contributing to discussions, constructing sentences. These are skills Indian students use every day. With targeted practice, Band 4.5+ is very achievable.”

— Vikram Patel, Test Prep & Visa Strategy Head, EEC

EEC offers three modes of TOEFL preparation — Classroom (at 26 centres across Gujarat), Online Live (interactive Zoom sessions with expert trainers), and Pre-recorded (self-paced video course with 1-year access) — all at ₹7,500 all-inclusive. Start preparing for the new Writing section today.

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