Writing Practice Test Directions

This section measures your ability to write in English to communicate in an

academic environment.

There are two questions in this practice test.

For Question 1, you will read a passage and listen to a lecture about the same
topic. You may take notes while you read and listen. Then you will write a
response to a question based on what you have read and heard. You may look
back at the passage when answering the question. You may use your notes to
help you answer the question. (Your notes will not be scored on the TOEFL®
test.) You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response.

For Question 2, you will write an essay based on your own knowledge and
experience. You have 30 minutes to plan and complete your essay.

This practice test uses an automated scoring tool that allows you to submit
your Writing responses for electronic scoring by ETS. See the system
requirements below.

For each question, after you read and/or listen to all parts of the question,
start the timer by selecting BEGIN, and type your essay in the box provided.
When you have competed your essay, select SUBMIT to send it for scoring.
Please note that responses for each question can only be submitted one time.

After you have submitted both responses, they will be scored. You will receive
a scaled score range within 24 hours of submitting your last response.

Your scaled score does not count toward your course grade. You will get credit
for your responses when you answer “yes” to the question about completing
those activities in Writing Quiz 5.

Please note:
The practice questions are real TOEFL iBT® test questions, but the testing
experience has been adapted for this course. For example:

 Although you are able to control the audio passage in this practice test,
in the real test, you will only hear the audio passage once, without
pauses.
 A transcript of the lecture is available in this practice test, but not on the
actual test.
  In this practice test, you can start the timer for each essay. In the real
test, the timer will start automatically and cannot be controlled by the
test taker.

Your performance on this practice test is not a predictor of how you might
perform on the actual TOEFL iBT test.

Scaled score ranges and scoring information are for preparation use
only; they are not official scores.

System Requirements

 Speakers or headphones
 Web browser:
o Chrome (version 59 or later) is the optimum browser.
o Firefox (version 54.0.1 or later) can be used, but there may be
delays when using Firefox on your phone.
 Operating System
o Please note: iOS and OSX based Devices (all version of iPhone,
iPad, and Mac) are not supported at this time.

Writing Question 1

Directions: Give yourself 3 minutes to read the passage. Then play the audio.

In the United States, employees typically work five days a week for eight hours each day.
However, many employees want to work a four-day week and are willing to accept less pay in
order to do so. A mandatory policy requiring companies to offer their employees the option of
working a four-day workweek for four-fifths (80 percent) of their normal pay would benefit the
economy as a whole as well as the individual companies and the employees who decided to take
the option.

The shortened workweek would increase company profits because employees would feel more
rested and alert, and as a result, they would make fewer costly errors in their work. Hiring more
staff to ensure that the same amount of work would be accomplished would not result in
additional payroll costs because four-day employees would only be paid 80 percent of the normal
rate. In the end, companies would have fewer overworked and error-prone employees for the
same money, which would increase company profits.

For the country as a whole, one of the primary benefits of offering this option to employees is that
it would reduce unemployment rates. If many full-time employees started working fewer hours,
some of their workload would have to be shifted to others. Thus, for every four employees who
went on an 80 percent week, a new employee could be hired at the 80 percent rate.
Finally, the option of a four-day workweek would be better for individual employees. Employees
who could afford a lower salary in exchange for more free time could improve the quality of their
lives by spending the extra time with their families, pursuing private interests, or enjoying leisure
activities.

classroom

Download Transcript

Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on
the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the
lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150
to 225 words.

Response Time: 00:20:00

Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt
on specific points made in the reading passage.

Writing Question 2
 Directions: Read the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and
revise your essay. Typically, an effective response will contain a minimum of
300 words.

 Response Time: 00:30:00
BEGIN
Question: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

People benefit more from traveling in their own country than from
traveling to foreign countries.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Be sure to use
your own words. Do not use memorized examples.

Let's Review:
Below are topic notes that are important to include when answering Question 1,
followed by sample responses and comments from real TOEFL raters. If you need
to review Question 1, go to the bottom of the page.

Topic Notes:
You should understand the reasons presented in the lecture for why offering a
four-day workweek is not necessarily a good idea. The lecturer questions each of
the benefits of a four-day workweek presented in the reading passage: benefits to
companies, to the country as a whole, as well as to individuals.

A high-scoring response will include the following points made by the lecturer that
address the points made in the reading passage:

Point Made in the Contrasting Point from the Lecture

Reading Passage
Companies will profit Company profits could actually decrease due to extra money
from four-day workers
companies will need to spend on health benefits, training, space,
because these workers
will be more alert and or equipment for extra workers.
make fewer mistakes in
their work.

A policy of having four- Unemployment may not decrease because

day workers opens up
more jobs and could
companies could just ask workers to work overtime, or expect four-day wor
reduce unemployment
nationwide. to complete five days of work in four days.

The extra day off would The quality of life of people working four-day weeks could suffer because
improve individuals’
they could have fewer chances for career advancement or be more
quality of life by
allowing them more likely to be laid off.
time with family and
more leisure time.