Practice across 5 communicative actions. Each task has a timed prompt, band-5 sample response, and rubric breakdown across the 4 scoring dimensions. Rubric wording sourced from the ETS Write an Email Scoring Guide.
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Try it free →Write an Email is one of three Writing tasks on the TOEFL 2026. You read a 90-word scenario, then write an 80-to-120-word email addressing 3 bullet points in 7 minutes. Below are 15 original practice tasks organized by communicative action, each with a band-5 sample response and a rubric breakdown across the 4 scoring dimensions: purposeful communication, social conventions and tone, language use, and organization.
Format: 90-word scenario, 3 bullet points, 7-minute time limit, 80 to 120 word target. Scoring dimensions: purposeful communication, social conventions and tone, language use, organization. This page: 15 practice tasks across requests, refusals, recommendations, apologies, and complaints. Write your response first, then reveal the band-5 sample.
Write an Email appears as the first task in the Writing section. You see a scenario describing an academic or campus situation (about 90 words), followed by 3 bullet points you must address in your response. The timer starts at 7 minutes. Your response should be 80 to 120 words, formatted as a complete email with a subject line, greeting, body paragraphs, closing, and sign-off.
The scenario always names a specific recipient (professor, classmate, administrator, teammate) and establishes the communicative purpose. Your job is to match the register to the recipient while addressing every bullet point with genuine substance.
The 5 communicative actions that appear most frequently are requests (asking for something), refusals (declining politely), recommendations (suggesting or advising), apologies (taking responsibility), and complaints (raising a problem constructively). This page gives you 3 practice tasks in each category.
Your response is scored on a 0 to 5 scale across four dimensions. The ETS criteria for a score of 5, drawn from the ETS TOEFL iBT Write an Email Writing Scoring Guide (2025) and mapped to the four dimensions used in our TOEFL 2026 Writing Guide, are: effective elaboration that supports the communicative purpose; effective syntactic variety and precise, idiomatic word choice; consistent use of appropriate social conventions (politeness, register, organization of information, formulation of actions such as requests, refusals, criticisms); and almost no lexical or grammatical errors other than those expected under timed conditions.
Did you address all 3 bullet points with appropriate detail? Skipping a bullet or giving a one-word answer drops the score by at least a full band. Band 5 responses elaborate on each bullet with specific, relevant substance that advances the email's purpose.
Is the register appropriate for the recipient and situation? Are actions (requests, refusals, complaints) formulated politely and appropriately for the social context? Consistent register from greeting through sign-off is essential.
Grammar accuracy, vocabulary precision, and sentence variety. At band 5, the response uses varied syntax and precise, idiomatic word choice with almost no errors. Band 3 responses typically have repeated pattern errors that distract the reader.
Does the email flow logically from greeting to closing? A specific subject line, clear opening sentence stating purpose, logical paragraph flow, and a closing with a concrete action step. The reader should know the purpose within the first line.
The most reliable structure for Write an Email has 5 parts. Memorize this template and adapt it to every prompt.
Seven minutes is tight. Here is the split that works.
Students who skip the planning minute often miss a bullet point entirely. Students who skip the proofread minute leave fixable grammar errors that drop them from band 4 to band 3. Both minutes are non-negotiable.
Write your response in the box. Live word counter shows if you are in the 80 to 120 target range. Reveal the band-5 sample response after you write yours.
These are the mistakes that consistently cap responses at band 3 or below, ranked by how much they cost.
Each bullet is a content requirement. Addressing two out of three drops you at least a full band on purposeful communication. Before you write, number the bullets and check each off as you cover it.
Slangy opener followed by "I would be most grateful for your kind consideration" tells the rater you cannot control social conventions. Pick the formality level in your first minute of planning and hold it consistently.
"Hope you are doing well. The weather has been great lately." That kind of opening wastes 15 to 20 words that should be doing scoring work. Start with your purpose in the first sentence.
"I need you to give me an extension." vs. "I would appreciate an extension if possible." The second is polite and scores on social conventions. Modal verbs (could, would, might) are your friends.
The last minute is worth as much as the first. Basic grammar errors (verb tense mistakes, missing articles, subject-verb agreement) stand out in a 110-word response. One minute of proofreading can move a response from band 3 to band 4.
Write an Email is the most self-study-friendly task on the 2026 Writing section. The template is stable, the format is predictable, and pattern recognition improves with repetition. Most students who write 15 to 20 practice emails with feedback see meaningful improvement. That said, three specific situations benefit disproportionately from one-to-one coaching.
Students plateauing at band 3 to 3.5. The gap between band 3 and band 4 is usually one of two things: chronic register mismatch, or consistent grammar patterns holding scores down. Both are hard to self-diagnose. A specialist teacher can hear the pattern in your writing within 15 minutes and give you the specific fix.
Students preparing for elite programs. Selective universities often want overall Writing bands of 5.0 or higher, which requires near-perfect Write an Email execution. At that level, marginal improvements come from expert feedback on subtle vocabulary and structural choices, not from more solo practice.
Non-native speakers with L1 interference. Common issues include over-formality (common with speakers of Slavic and East Asian languages), under-formality (common with speakers of Latin languages), and specific grammar patterns (article usage, verb tense sequences) that are hard to notice in your own writing.
Our team at Epic Exam Prep has prepared TOEFL students for top international universities since 2010. If you want a coach specifically for Write an Email precision or broader TOEFL Writing strategy, we can help.
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Write an Email is one of three tasks in the TOEFL 2026 Writing section. You read a short scenario (about 90 words) describing an academic or campus situation, then write a complete email response addressing 3 required bullet points within 7 minutes. Target word count is 80 to 120 words. It is scored on a 0 to 5 rubric across four dimensions: purposeful communication, social conventions and tone, language use, and organization.
You have 7 minutes total. The recommended pacing is 1 minute to read the prompt and plan, 5 minutes to draft the email, and 1 minute to proofread and check your tone.
The official ETS target is 80 to 120 words. Band 5 responses often reach 100 to 120 words. Responses under 80 words rarely score above band 3 because they cannot develop all three required bullet points. Responses much over 120 words waste time you need for proofreading.
The four dimensions are: purposeful communication (did you address all three bullet points with appropriate detail?), social conventions and tone (is the register appropriate for the recipient and situation?), language use (grammar accuracy, vocabulary, and sentence variety), and organization (does the email flow logically from greeting to closing?).
Match your tone to the recipient. Emails to a professor, dean, or administrator use formal polite language. Emails to a classmate or teammate can use contractions and lighter phrasing but should still be grammatically clean. Mismatched register is one of the most common reasons responses cap at band 3 on social conventions and tone.
The reliable structure has 5 parts: a specific subject line, a greeting matching the tone, an opening sentence stating your purpose in one clear line, one short paragraph per bullet point (2 to 3 sentences each), and a polite closing with a specific action step or thank you. Sign off with your name.
Contractions are acceptable in emails to peers, teammates, or in semi-formal contexts. For emails to a professor, dean, or administrator, avoid contractions in the opening and body, though a natural one in a closing sentence is fine.
The five most common mistakes are: skipping a bullet point, mismatched register with the recipient, opening with filler instead of stating purpose, being too demanding rather than polite, and failing to proofread grammar. Skipping a bullet is by far the costliest.
Yes. A specific subject line is expected and rewarded under the organization dimension. It shows the reader what the email is about at a glance. Aim for 4 to 8 words identifying the topic. Vague subject lines like "Question" or "Email" lose points.
The Writing section uses AI scoring calibrated to the ETS 2026 rubric. Your email receives a raw score of 0 to 5 based on four dimensions. That combines with your Build a Sentence and Academic Discussion scores to produce your Writing section band from 1.0 to 6.0. You can practice with the same rubric on PrepDrills TOEFL, where Eppy provides instant feedback.
Competitive universities typically want an overall Writing band of 4.5 or higher, which requires consistent band 4 or 5 scoring across all three Writing tasks. On Write an Email specifically, aim for band 4 minimum, and band 5 for elite programs.
Each bullet needs a genuine response but not always equal length. The first two bullets typically get 2 to 3 sentences each, and the third may take slightly more if it involves proposing a solution. What matters is that every bullet is clearly addressed.
Yes. PrepDrills TOEFL provides a free account that includes access to Set 1 easy Write an Email practice with Eppy AI grading calibrated to the ETS 2026 rubric. That gives you a real Eppy score plus specific feedback on purposeful communication, social conventions, language use, and organization.
Three high-return strategies: write one timed email daily under 7 minutes, drill the same bullet-point structure across different recipients to master register shifts, and get AI feedback on at least 3 responses per week to identify your consistent weak patterns.
No. The prompts and sample responses on this page are original PrepDrills content designed to match the ETS 2026 Write an Email format specifications. For official ETS practice materials, visit ets.org/toefl.