TOEFL Write an Email: A Complete Guide (2026)

The Write an Email task is one of three writing tasks on the redesigned TOEFL iBT (launched January 2026). You read a short, real-world scenario and write a brief email in response. You have 7 minutes, and your response is scored from 0 to 5. The goal is clear, complete communication in everyday English — not a formal essay.

This guide covers everything you need to know: how the task works, how it’s scored, and a step-by-step strategy to write a strong response.

What Is the Write an Email Task?

As of January 2026, the TOEFL writing section has three tasks: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion. Together, these take about 24 minutes. The Write an Email task is one item with its own 7-minute timer.

Here is what happens:

1. You read a short scenario (about 90 words) describing a real-world situation, like something from school, work, or daily life.
2. The scenario includes three bullet points telling you what to address in your email.
3. You type your email into a text box. A word counter is shown on screen.

Your goal is to write about 100 to 120 words. That is long enough to address every bullet point with some detail, but short enough to finish in time.

Pro tip: If you prepared for the old TOEFL (before January 2026), the writing section is completely different. The two long essays (Integrated Writing and Independent Writing) no longer exist. Write an Email is a practical communication task, not an academic essay.

How the Write an Email Task Is Scored

Your email receives a score from 0 to 5 (this is a task-level score, separate from the section-level 1 to 6 scale). Here is what each score means:

• 5: Clear, complete, and well written. Only very minor errors.
• 4: Strong response with a few rough spots or small issues.
• 3: Something important is left out, or grammar issues affect clarity.
• 2 to 1: Much harder to understand. The task may be misunderstood, or errors get in the way.
• 0: Nothing relevant was written, or the response is not in English.

Your target is the 4 to 5 range. That means being clear, complete, and organized.

The scoring evaluates four areas:

1. Purposeful communication: Did you address all three bullet points? Are your ideas appropriate for the scenario?
2. Social conventions and tone: Does your email sound like a real email for this situation? Is the politeness level right for the recipient?
3. Language accuracy: Are your sentences well formed? Do you use a range of grammar and vocabulary?
4. Mechanics: Is your spelling and punctuation correct?

Notice the order. Content and tone matter more than grammar, and grammar matters more than spelling. You do not need perfect grammar to score well. Small errors — a missing article, a minor spelling mistake — will not hurt you much, as long as the reader can follow your meaning.

Pro tip: Want to see what scores 1 through 5 actually look like? Check out our TOEFL Write an Email sample responses with scored examples at every level.

How to Read the Prompt

Every prompt follows the same format. First, a short paragraph describes a realistic situation. Then you see three bullet points telling you exactly what to cover in your email.

The bullet points are your built-in outline. Each one becomes a body paragraph. You do not need to plan a structure from scratch. Just respond to each point in order.

The bullet points vary from prompt to prompt. Sometimes they ask you to explain a situation, make a suggestion, and request a meeting. Other times they ask you to describe something you enjoyed, propose a change, and offer to help. The specific combination changes, but the format is always the same: three points, three paragraphs.

Before you start writing, take a few seconds to identify two things:

1. Who are you writing to? The prompt always names a specific person, such as a professor, a neighbor, a manager, or a classmate. This tells you how formal your email should be.
2. What is the purpose of your email? Are you giving feedback, asking for help, making a recommendation, or raising a concern? This shapes your tone.

Pro tip: These two questions are also the key to choosing the right language. Our TOEFL writing templates organize phrase menus by email type, so once you know who you are writing to and why, you can pick the phrases that fit.

Step-by-Step Strategy

You have 7 minutes. Here is how to use them.

Plan (about 1 minute)

Read the prompt carefully. Make sure you understand all three bullet points. Identify the recipient and the purpose. You can jot down a word or two for each bullet point, but you do not need a detailed outline. The prompt already gives you one.

Write (about 4 to 5 minutes)

Follow this structure every time:

1. Greeting: Match the tone. “Dear Dr. Schulz,” for a professor. “Hi, Sam!” for a friend. The prompt names the recipient, so you will always know.
2. Opening sentence: A brief line that connects to the situation. “Thank you for reaching out” or “I hope you’re doing well.”
3. Body paragraph 1: Respond to bullet point 1. At least two sentences.
4. Body paragraph 2: Respond to bullet point 2. At least two sentences.
5. Body paragraph 3: Respond to bullet point 3. At least two sentences.
6. Closing line: One sentence that wraps things up. “I hope we can work this out” or “Looking forward to hearing from you.”
7. Sign-off and name: “Sincerely,” or “Best,” followed by your name.

Spend about 90 seconds on each body paragraph. That is where your score is made. The greeting and closing are quick and are not scored heavily. Do not spend more than 30 seconds on them combined.

Proofread (about 1 to 2 minutes)

Go back through your email in this order:

1. Content: Did you address all three bullet points? This is the most important check. A missing bullet point is the single biggest reason for a low score.
2. Tone: Does it match the situation? Would this sound natural if you actually sent it?
3. Flow: Do your paragraphs connect logically? Use transition words like “However,” “That said,” or “In addition” to link ideas.
4. Mechanics: Fix obvious grammar or spelling errors. Do not panic over small mistakes. Content and clarity matter more.

Want to see this timing strategy in action? This video walks through all three phases with a full example:

Getting the Tone Right

Tone is one of the most challenging parts of this task, and one of the four scoring criteria. Here is how to get it right.

Tone and register are different things. Tone is your attitude toward the reader (polite, appreciative, concerned). Register is the level of formality in your language.

TOEFL email tasks almost always expect a neutral, professional register. That means everyday email English, the kind you would use in a school or workplace. Not a text message to a close friend, and not a formal letter with “Dear Sir or Madam.”

Too casual (will hurt your score):

• Slang or abbreviations (“gonna,” “tbh,” “lol”)
• Exaggerated reactions (“OMG that’s amazing!!!”)
• Casual fillers (“So yeah, I was thinking…”)

Too formal (will also hurt your score):

• Stiff, outdated language (“I am writing to hereby inform you…”)
• Overly indirect phrasing (“It would be my utmost pleasure to…”)
• Letter-style openings and closings (“To Whom It May Concern”)

Just right:

• Clear, polite, everyday professional language
• “I wanted to let you know…” or “Would it be possible to…”
• Contractions are fine (“I’m,” “I’d,” “can’t”). They are natural in emails.

The recipients on this task are always people you know but are not close with personally: school, work, or community contexts. The formality level shifts depending on the relationship. An email to a friend about weekend plans sounds different from an email to a building manager about a maintenance issue, even though both should be polite and clear. Adjust your greeting, sign-off, and overall warmth to match.

Pro tip: Tone is hard to self-assess. Magoosh TOEFL prep includes an AI Writing Grader that gives specific feedback on whether your register is too casual or too formal, so you can calibrate before test day.

Inventing Details

Here is something that surprises many students: the TOEFL does not care whether your details are true.

The test uses realistic scenarios, but only as a way to measure your English ability. As long as your details make sense and support your message, you can — and should — invent them.

Why this matters for your score:

Real emails always include specifics: names, dates, places, numbers, feelings. An email without specific details sounds vague, short, and repetitive. An email with invented details sounds natural and gives you more to say.

Compare these two responses to the same bullet point — “Describe what you would like to grow” in an email about joining a community garden:

Vague (scores lower):
“I would like to grow some vegetables. I think it would be fun and I could learn a lot.”

Specific (scores higher):
“I would love to grow tomatoes and peppers, since those are what my family cooks with most. I also tried growing herbs on my windowsill last summer, so I have a little experience with basil and mint.”

The second version is more realistic, more detailed, and shows stronger control of English. None of those details need to be true. They just need to fit the situation.

Pro tip: Think of inventing details as filling in the blanks. The prompt gives you the skeleton. Your job is to make it feel like a real email by adding the kind of specifics a real person would include.

A Worked Example

Here is a full example, from prompt to finished email.

The Prompt

You recently attended a workshop on public speaking organized by your university’s career center. The workshop was helpful, but you noticed that some topics were not covered. You would like to share your experience with the workshop coordinator, Ms. Nakamura.

Write an email to Ms. Nakamura. In your email, do the following:

• Describe what you found most useful about the workshop
• Explain what topics you think were missing
• Suggest an idea for a future workshop

Write as much as you can and in complete sentences.

Reading the Prompt

Before writing, notice:

• Who: Ms. Nakamura, a workshop coordinator, so the tone should be polite and professional
• What is the purpose: Giving feedback and making a suggestion, so the tone should be appreciative but constructive
• Three bullet points = three body paragraphs

The Response (121 words)

Dear Ms. Nakamura,

Thank you for organizing last Friday’s public speaking workshop. The section on managing nervousness was especially helpful for me. I have always struggled with anxiety before presentations, and the breathing exercises you demonstrated gave me something practical to try.

One area I wish the workshop had covered is how to handle questions from the audience. In my experience, the question period is often the most stressful part, and I think many students would benefit from strategies for responding when they do not know the answer.

Would it be possible to offer a follow-up session focused on that topic? I think a shorter, one-hour workshop in April or May would be great timing, since many students have final presentations around then.

Thank you again for a wonderful event.

Best regards,
David

Why This Works

• All three bullet points are addressed. Each body paragraph covers one point directly: what was useful, what was missing, and a suggestion.
• The tone matches the situation. Polite, appreciative, and professional, which is appropriate for a coordinator you do not know well.
• Invented details make it feel real. The breathing exercises, the anxiety before presentations, and the April timing for finals are all made up, but they fit naturally.
• Transition words connect paragraphs. “One area I wish” and “Would it be possible” guide the reader through the shift from praise to suggestion.
• Word count is right. About 120 words, complete without being too long.

For more examples at every score level (5 through 0), see our TOEFL Write an Email sample responses.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Missing a bullet point. This is the most common mistake and the biggest hit to your score. Before you submit, check: did you address all three points?

2. Wrong tone. Too casual (sounds like a text message) or too formal (sounds like a legal document). Aim for the middle: polite, clear, everyday email language.

3. Too short or too vague. Responses under 80 words are almost always too thin. Add specific details to each body paragraph to reach the 100 to 120 word range.

4. Spending too long on the greeting and closing. These are important for tone, but they are not where your score is made. Keep them quick and focus your time on body paragraphs.

5. Copying the prompt instead of responding to it. Restating the scenario word for word does not earn points. Respond to it with your own ideas.

6. Leaving it blank. If the Email or Academic Discussion response is blank or nonsensical, ETS may flag the entire Writing section as non-scorable. Even a short, imperfect email is much better than nothing.

How to Practice

The best way to prepare is to write timed emails regularly. Here is a simple practice routine:

1. Set a 7-minute timer. Use a real prompt or make one up from an everyday situation (a scheduling conflict, a question for a professor, feedback on an event).
2. Write the full email. Follow the structure: greeting, one paragraph per bullet point, closing.
3. Self-check when the timer stops. Ask three questions: Did I hit all the bullet points? Is my tone right for the situation? Is it 100 to 120 words?
4. Review your tone after a break. Come back to your email after a day or two and read it again, ignoring grammar entirely. Does it sound too casual? Too formal? Just right?

For ready-made practice prompts, try our free TOEFL writing practice with sample prompts for every task type. And if you want to experience the full test, take a free TOEFL practice test to see how Write an Email fits alongside the other writing tasks.

With consistent practice and the right approach, this task is very manageable. Focus on clear ideas, the right tone, and hitting all three bullet points, and you will be well on your way to a strong score.