{"id":2371,"date":"2015-10-19T14:07:37","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T21:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=2371"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:45:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:45:02","slug":"how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Score a 5\/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many students taking the TOEFL, scoring a 5 out of 5 on each of the two TOEFL essays\u2014which would lead to a perfect score of 30 in the writing section\u2014is the ultimate goal. Getting there takes <a href=\"https:\/\/toefl.magoosh.com\/?utm_source=TOEFLBlog&amp;utm_medium=BlogPost&amp;utm_campaign=InText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a lot of practice<\/a>, but it pays off nicely! Scoring so high in one section can counterbalance slightly lower scores in other sections, helping you to get to your total target score with more ease (be sure to check your institution&#8217;s requirements, however; some universities will require a minimum score per section).<\/p>\n<p>Because the two essays require slightly different skills, the ETS (the organization that administers the TOEFL) provides two separate rubrics for how to obtain a top score on the TOEFL essays. For those of you who are curious about the criteria for other scores, you can find that information here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ets.org\/s\/toefl\/pdf\/toefl_writing_rubrics.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">at the test maker&#8217;s website<\/a>. For those of you aiming to get a five, let&#8217;s keep going! Let&#8217;s start where the TOEFL writing section itself begins: with the integrated task.<\/p>\n<p>The integrated essay will provide you with a lecture and a written passage on different aspects of the same topic. According to the ETS, the criteria for a top score on this essay include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Correctly selecting all important information<\/li>\n<li>Accurately and clearly representing the information.<\/li>\n<li>Showing good organization<\/li>\n<li>Having minimal errors in language use. If there are errors, they must not cause the information itself to become inaccurate or unclear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Breaking that down, the first important task in getting that top score is going to be selecting the relevant information from the lecture, and then the reading. Good note-taking is vital here, and good note-taking takes practice! Listen to the emphasis that the speaker places on keywords, and look out for the thesis statement and supporting examples in the reading. Circle them in your notes.<\/p>\n<p>The second important task is relating the lecture to the reading. Look at what you&#8217;ve circled. Does one contradict the other? Build on the other? Elaborate on a different aspect of the other? Figure out how they relate before you go on to the next important step: writing a well-organized response. To do this, you&#8217;ll want to create an outline.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure that your outline has your thesis statement clearly defined. This thesis statement should explain how the lecture and the reading relate to one another. You&#8217;ll also want to have a brief summary of the lecture and the reading (one to two sentences is sufficient for this!) Then, build your body paragraphs around your main examples, which you&#8217;ll already have circled in your notes.<\/p>\n<p>As you write, don\u2019t worry about everything being perfect. That said, leave 2-3 minutes at the end of the exam to proofread what you&#8217;ve written. Because these essays are graded holistically, you won&#8217;t lose points for minor errors as long as they don&#8217;t change the meaning of your ideas. However, a lot of errors can add up to a confusing essay, which will definitely lead to a lower score.<\/p>\n<p>The integrated task is only one of the two essays you&#8217;ll write on test day. Next time, we&#8217;ll take a look at the independent task, and how that differs from the integrated task you&#8217;ve mastered!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many students taking the TOEFL, scoring a 5 out of 5 on each of the two TOEFL essays\u2014which would lead to a perfect score of 30 in the writing section\u2014is the ultimate goal. Getting there takes a lot of practice, but it pays off nicely! Scoring so high in one section can counterbalance slightly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13613],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13642],"class_list":["post-2371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-task-1"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Score a 5\/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Score a 5\/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many students taking the TOEFL, scoring a 5 out of 5 on each of the two TOEFL essays\u2014which would lead to a perfect score of 30 in the writing section\u2014is the ultimate goal. 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Scoring so high in one section can counterbalance slightly [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-19T21:07:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T21:45:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/09\/Facebook-SEO-Default.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel Kapelke-Dale\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rachel Kapelke-Dale\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/\",\"name\":\"How to Score a 5\/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-19T21:07:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/e8bb674fd0d6a6accfb4fb3d336f366a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/how-to-score-a-5-on-the-toefl-essay-integrated-task\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Score a 5\/5 on the TOEFL Essay: Integrated Task\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"description\":\"Online TOEFL Preparation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/e8bb674fd0d6a6accfb4fb3d336f366a\",\"name\":\"Rachel Kapelke-Dale\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/fedecaf346e78298af44bfd2b51a668b\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41228fc7acd2d2f0b74acf2ec7c4cb5bd541898142796d216cbf467d77f3801d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41228fc7acd2d2f0b74acf2ec7c4cb5bd541898142796d216cbf467d77f3801d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rachel Kapelke-Dale\"},\"description\":\"Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book. 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Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Universit\u00e9 de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London.","honorificSuffix":"PhD","knowsAbout":["SAT","ACT","TOEFL","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","French"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/rachelkd\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13642,"user_id":228,"is_guest":0,"slug":"rachelkd","display_name":"Rachel Kapelke-Dale","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41228fc7acd2d2f0b74acf2ec7c4cb5bd541898142796d216cbf467d77f3801d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Kapelke-Dale","first_name":"Rachel","description":"Rachel is one of Magoosh\u2019s Content Creators. She writes and updates content on our <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/\">High School <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/\">GRE Blogs<\/a> to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ACT-Prep-Magoosh-Schedules-Strategies\/dp\/1610660692\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Magoosh ACT Prep Book<\/a>. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Universit\u00e9 de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel,<a href=\"https:\/\/read.macmillan.com\/lp\/the-ballerinas\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> THE BALLERINAS<\/a>, is forthcoming in December 2021 from<a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/author\/rachelkapelkedale\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> St. Martin's Press<\/a>, while her memoir,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/315080\/graduates-in-wonderland-by-jessica-pan\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND<\/a>, co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her <a href=\"http:\/\/rachelkapelkedale.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">work<\/a> has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn't strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RKapelkeDale\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Twitter<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rachelkapelkedale\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Instagram<\/a>, or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rkapelkedale\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Facebook<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/228"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}