TOEFL Writing Task 2 Tips: Crafting a High-Scoring Essay Step-by-Step

Pre-Writing Strategies

Brainstorming
Spend 1–2 minutes jotting down ideas related to the topic. Provide personal experiences, news stories, or general knowledge that you will use to support your argument.

Sample: “Do you agree or disagree that technology has made communication easier?”

Advantages: Speed in communication, connectedness worldwide, easy accessibility.
Disadvantages: Loss of individuality, and dependence on machines.

Writing a Thesis Statement

Your thesis is the core of your essay. It should clearly state your position or argument in one or two sentences.
“I am very convinced that technology has made communication easier because it connects people easily and bridges distances.”

Outlining
A good outline is useful in keeping a well-balanced essay. Divide your essay into:

Introduction: Hook, background, and thesis statement.
Body Paragraphs: Each with a topic sentence, evidence, and linking phrases.
Conclusion: Restate the thesis, summarize the main points, and give final thoughts.

Writing the Introduction

Hooking the Reader
Start with an intriguing sentence or question that will pique the reader’s interest.
Example:
“In today’s interconnected world, sending a message across continents takes mere seconds, something that would have been unimaginable a century ago.”

Giving Background Information
Provide a brief history of the topic to enable the giving of some background without becoming too wordy.

Clearly Stating the Thesis
Summarize your introduction with a simple thesis statement that directly spells out your position on the issue.

Writing Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence
A topic sentence should lead off each paragraph to introduce the main idea.

Example:
“One major advantage of technology in communication is its ability to connect people instantly.”

Supporting Evidence
Elaborate your topic sentence with relevant examples, facts, or hypothetical scenarios. For example:
“Applications like Zoom and WhatsApp allow individuals to communicate in real-time, regardless of their location.”

Connecting Words and Phrases
Connect the sentences as well as paragraphs with helping linking words and phrases to include:

“Furthermore, “Besides the above, “In addition.
“On the other hand,” “However” to contrast ideas.
“For instance,” “To illustrate” to give examples.

Writing Conclusion

Restatement of the Thesis
State your thesis restated in your own words.

Conclusion Summary of Important Ideas
Briefly recapitulate the important points addressed in the body paragraphs.

Conclusion
End with an inspiring sentence or a suggestion. Such as:
“The use of technology can provide so much good; the problem, though, is finding an ideal balance with old methods of communication.”

Scoring Criteria and Strategies 

Coherence and Coherence 

Transitional Words and Phrases

 Proper usage of phrases like “in conclusion” or “as a result” leads to a better understanding and coherence.

Logical Coherence
All paragraphs should logically lead to one another. There should be no jerky transitions or without a reason presented.

Grammatical and Lexical Skills
Grammatical Mistakes that are to be Averted:
Wrong verb usage-tense.
Failed subject-verb agreement.
Misplaced modifiers.

Vocab Efficiency
Vocabulary should be unambiguous, varied and “to the point”. Avoid repetitive words and use synonyms or idiomatic expressions where appropriate.

Task Fulfillment
Covering All Parts of the Question
Your essay should comprehensively cover all parts of the question asked. Missing even one constituent can pull down your score.

Provide Relevant and Supporting Examples 

Enhance your essay using concrete examples or hypothetical scenarios to support arguments instead of purely personal opinions.