A calmer template for TOEFL Integrated Writing
Templates get a bad reputation because most of them lock candidates into the same three sentences. This one gives you rails without stealing your voice.
TOEFL Integrated Writing is a compression exercise. You have three minutes to read, two minutes to hear, and twenty minutes to write. Templates should protect that budget — not fight it.
The 3+3+3 template
- Opening (3 sentences) — restate the reading claim, name the lecture stance, forecast three contrast points.
- Body 1–3 (3 sentences each) — reading point, lecture rebuttal, one specific detail from the audio.
- Closer (3 sentences) — synthesize, not conclude. Do not repeat.
Why voice survives
The template pins the structure, not the phrasing. Your paraphrasing choices, lexical range and hedging still show — which is exactly what the raters score.
Common failure modes
Two things tank Integrated scores: dropping specific audio details, and over-quoting the reading. Cap reading references at two clauses per body paragraph.
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