Practice the Write an Email task with 3 original prompts covering the full tonal range (professor, teammate, admin). Live word counter, reveal band-5 sample responses, and get free Eppy AI grading on your first Set 1 easy Writing task.
Write an Email is one of three tasks in the redesigned TOEFL 2026 Writing section, and it is the shortest. You have 7 minutes to read a scenario, plan your response, write 80 to 120 words addressing 3 required bullet points, and proofread. The scoring is unforgiving. Miss a bullet point and you lose a full band. Mismatch your tone and you cap at band 3. Below is a full explanation of the task, the 4-dimension rubric, the timing plan that works, 3 original practice prompts with band-5 sample responses, and a direct link to Eppy AI grading on your first Set 1 easy Writing task, free with a PrepDrills account.
Quick facts about Write an Email: 7 minutes per task. 80-120 words target. Scenario runs ~90 words with 3 bullet points to address. Scored 0 to 5 across 4 dimensions: task response, tone/register, organization, language use. Pacing: 1 min plan, 5 min write, 1 min proofread. For broader coverage of all three 2026 Writing tasks including Build a Sentence and Academic Discussion, see our complete Writing section guide.
The pre-2026 TOEFL Writing section had two tasks totaling about 50 minutes: an integrated essay tying a reading passage to a lecture, and an independent essay defending an opinion in 300+ words. Both are gone. Starting January 21, 2026, the Writing section runs approximately 23 minutes across three tasks: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion. Total writing volume has dropped substantially, and the tasks that remain reward precision over length.
Write an Email is the second task in the Writing section, after Build a Sentence. You see a screen with a short academic or campus scenario on the left (roughly 90 words describing the situation), and an email interface on the right. Below the scenario are three bullet points telling you exactly what to address. A 7-minute timer starts as soon as you begin the task and does not pause. You type your complete email into the text box, including a subject line, greeting, body paragraphs, and closing.
The task tests something the old TOEFL never measured directly: your ability to write a clear, polite, complete message quickly, in the right tone for the person reading it. Test-takers with strong academic English often underperform here because they write long, formal, essay-style paragraphs when the task rewards a tight 110-word email that simply does three jobs: addresses each bullet, matches the tone, and stays within time.
Write an Email is arguably the most beatable task on the entire 2026 TOEFL. The format is predictable, the rubric is transparent, and the template that scores band 5 or 6 is memorable. Students who write 15 to 20 practice emails under timed conditions almost always see a significant score jump, especially if they get feedback on tone and bullet coverage after each one.
ETS scores your email on a 0 to 5 scale across four dimensions. Understanding what each dimension actually measures is what separates students who plateau at band 3 from those who consistently reach band 4 and 5.
Did you address all three bullet points from the prompt? Each bullet needs a genuine, specific response, not a passing mention. This is the single most important scoring criterion. Skipping a bullet or addressing one only partially drops your score by a full band.
Did you match your language to the recipient? Formal for professors and administrators, semi-formal for teammates or classmates. Mismatched tone is the second most common way responses cap out. A slangy opener followed by overly formal language, or vice versa, signals to the rater that you cannot control register.
Does your email have a specific subject line, a proper greeting, a clear opening sentence stating purpose, one short paragraph per bullet, and a polite closing? Well-organized emails are easier to read and easier to score. Wall-of-text responses (no paragraph breaks, no clear structure) lose points here even if the content is otherwise strong.
Grammar accuracy, vocabulary precision, and sentence variety. In a 110-word response, errors stand out more than they do in a 300-word essay. Focus on getting basic grammar right (subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, article usage) rather than trying to show off complex structures.
Every band-5 email follows the same basic architecture. Memorize this structure and you will never freeze at the "how do I start" moment on test day.
This structure lands you naturally in the 100 to 130 word range without padding, and it makes the rater's job easier because they can quickly verify that you addressed each bullet.
Seven minutes is short. The plan that works, tested across thousands of practice emails, is:
Students who fail Write an Email spend too long planning. Students who fail hard fail to plan at all. The 1-5-1 split works because 1 minute of directed planning saves you 2 minutes of writing confusion.
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. Then submit your response to Eppy for free AI grading on Set 1 easy Writing.
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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. Before you write, number the bullets and check each off as you cover it. If you are short on time, cut your body sentences rather than dropping a bullet entirely.
Slangy opener followed by "I would be most grateful for your kind consideration" tells the rater you cannot control register. Pick the formality level in your first minute of planning and hold it consistently through the entire email.
"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. Every word should be earning points.
"I need you to give me an extension." vs. "I would appreciate an extension if possible." The second is polite and scores. The first sounds demanding and reads as impolite even if the content is otherwise strong. 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 or higher.
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 tone 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, which self-study might take weeks to figure out.
Students preparing for elite programs. Selective universities (Ivy League, Oxbridge, top European institutions like INSEAD or LBS) 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 English patterns from their first language interfering. 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. A teacher who knows your language background can prioritize the fixes that matter most.
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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Sign up free at toefl.prepdrills.com to access Set 1 easy Write an Email with real Eppy AI grading calibrated to the ETS 2026 rubric. Band-level score plus specific feedback on task response, tone, organization, and language use. Upgrade for unlimited practice.
Start free at toefl.prepdrills.com →Want a one-to-one TOEFL teacher? Epic Exam Prep has trained TOEFL students for top universities since 2010.
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: task response, tone and register, organization, and language use.
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 and band 6 responses often reach 110 to 140 words. Responses under 80 words rarely score above band 3 because they cannot develop all three required bullet points. Responses much over 140 words waste time you need for proofreading.
The four dimensions are: task response (addressing all three bullet points), tone and register (matching your language to the recipient), organization (logical flow with clear opening and closing), and language use (grammar, vocabulary, and sentence variety).
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 tone is one of the most common reasons responses cap at band 3.
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 tone 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. 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 on the organization dimension.
The Writing section uses AI scoring calibrated to the ETS 2026 rubric. Your email receives a raw score of 0 to 5. 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 task response, tone, organization, and language use.
Three high-return strategies: write one timed email daily under 7 minutes, drill the same bullet-point structure across different recipients to master tone 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.