GoodMocks teamThe short answer
On the 2026 TOEFL, Writing has three tasks and two scoring guides. Each of the ten Build a Sentence items is worth one point. Write an Email and Write for an Academic Discussion each get a score from 0 to 5 on ETS’s guide for that task. Both guides reward relevant ideas that are well developed, varied sentences with precise words, and almost no errors, with room for the odd typo; the email guide also asks for the right tone for the reader. ETS turns the points into a Writing band from 1 to 6, and doesn’t publish the table it uses.
- Writing items scored
- 12
- Point per Build a Sentence
- 1
- For the email and the post
- 0–5
- Writing band
- 1–6
On this page10 sections
- 01How each Writing task is scored
- 02Write an Email, level by level
- 03Write for an Academic Discussion, level by level
- 04What the two guides share
- 05From points to your Writing band
- 06What moves a response up a level
- 07Try it: read writing the way the guide does
- 08Writing mistakes, wrong next to right
- 09See where your writing sits
- 10Common questions
How each Writing task is scoredLink to How each Writing task is scored
“Rubric” and “scoring guide” mean the same thing here: ETS calls its rubrics scoring guides. Build a Sentence doesn’t need one, because each sentence is either right or wrong. The two written tasks each have a guide with six levels, from 0 to 5.
| Task | Items | Points | What earns them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a Sentence | Ten sentences | One each | Every word tile in the right order |
| Write an Email | One email, 7 minutes | Up to 5 | Developed points, varied and precise English, the right tone, almost no errors |
| Write for an Academic Discussion | One post, 10 minutes | Up to 5 | A relevant opinion, well explained, in varied and precise English, with almost no errors |
Write an Email, level by levelLink to Write an Email, level by level
You read a situation at school or in everyday life and write one email that does three things. ETS’s names for the levels are quoted; the descriptions are ETS’s, in our words.
| Level | ETS’s name for it | A typical email at this level |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | A fully successful response | Effective and clearly expressed throughout. Details that really serve the email’s purpose; varied sentences and precise, natural words; the right politeness and tone for the reader every time; almost no errors beyond the typos anyone makes against the clock. |
| 4 | A generally successful response | Mostly effective and easy to understand. Enough detail for the purpose; some variety in sentences and suitable words; tone mostly right; few errors. |
| 3 | A partially successful response | Gets the job generally done, but parts of the message aren’t fully clear. Details only partly support the purpose; a moderate range of sentences and words; some noticeable errors in structure, word forms, natural phrasing or tone. |
| 2 | A mostly unsuccessful response | Tries to do the task but mostly doesn’t work; the message may be thin or hard to follow. Little or irrelevant detail; a limited range; errors that pile up. |
| 1 | An unsuccessful response | Very little detail; short, disconnected phrases with very few words; serious, frequent errors; little original language, with most of it borrowed from the prompt. |
| 0 | — | Blank, rejects the topic, not in English, entirely copied from the prompt, unconnected to it, or random keystrokes. |
What sets the email guide apart is tone. ETS calls it social conventions: politeness, register, how you organize the information, and how you phrase requests, refusals and criticisms. A level 5 email gets these right consistently; a level 4 email mostly does. For greetings, requests and sign-offs that fit each kind of reader, see our TOEFL email writing guide.
Write for an Academic Discussion, level by levelLink to Write for an Academic Discussion, level by level
A professor asks a question on a class discussion board, two classmates reply, and you add your own post. ETS’s prompt says an effective response will contain at least 100 words.
| Level | ETS’s name for it | A typical post at this level |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | A fully successful response | A relevant, very clearly expressed contribution. Reasons, examples and details that are relevant and well developed; a variety of sentence structures used well; precise, natural words; almost no errors beyond everyday typos. |
| 4 | A generally successful response | A relevant contribution, easy to understand. Reasons, examples and details that are relevant and developed enough; varied sentences and suitable words; few errors. |
| 3 | A partially successful response | Mostly relevant and mostly understandable. Part of an explanation, example or detail is missing, unclear or off the point; some variety in sentences and words; some noticeable errors. |
| 2 | A mostly unsuccessful response | Tries to contribute, but the ideas are hard to follow. Poorly developed or only partly relevant ideas; a limited range; errors that pile up. |
| 1 | An unsuccessful response | Words and phrases that show an attempt, with few or no clear ideas; a very limited range; serious, frequent errors; little original language, mostly borrowed from the prompt. |
| 0 | — | Blank, rejects the topic, not in English, entirely copied from the prompt, unconnected to it, or random keystrokes. |
What the two guides shareLink to What the two guides share
- Ideas first. Every level of both guides opens with how well the response does its job: how developed and relevant the details are.
- Range, then accuracy. Both ask for varied sentences and precise, natural words, and both count errors by how many there are and whether they get in the way.
- Room for typos. Both top levels allow the common typos, misspellings and mix-ups like there/their that a good writer makes under time pressure. ETS’s Writing page puts it plainly: scoring focuses on communicating clearly, “not on writing a perfect first draft”.
- Copying costs the most. Both put language mostly borrowed from the prompt at level 1, and a response entirely copied from it at 0.
- No length or vocabulary target. Neither guide mentions a word count, a set structure or rare words.
From points to your Writing bandLink to From points to your Writing band
ETS’s 2026 blueprint gives Writing 20 raw points: one for each of the ten Build a Sentence items, and up to five each for the email and the discussion post. ETS then turns the total into a Writing band from 1 to 6, in half steps. Its Teacher FAQ says this is done by “weighted equipercentile linking”, a method that allows for small differences in difficulty between versions of the test.
Your overall score is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Our Score Calculator converts a band to the old 0–30 and 0–120 scales, and our score report guide shows where Writing sits on the report.
What moves a response up a levelLink to What moves a response up a level
This is our advice, not ETS’s, but each step aims at a difference the scoring guides themselves name between two levels.
| To move from… | Try this | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Email, level 3 to 4 | Give each of the three tasks a paragraph with one specific detail: a day, a number, a reason. | Level 3 detail only partly supports the purpose; level 4 has enough. |
| Email, level 4 to 5 | Choose the greeting, the request and the sign-off for this reader, and keep the tone the same all the way through. | Level 4 conventions are mostly right; level 5 gets them right consistently. |
| Discussion, level 3 to 4 | Finish every point: your opinion, a reason, then an example that proves the reason. | Level 3 has part of an explanation or example missing or unclear. |
| Discussion, level 4 to 5 | Add something new to what the classmates said, and use one or two longer sentences with “although”, “which” or “unless”. | Level 5 is well developed, with a variety of sentence structures and precise words. |
| Both, any level | Spend your last minute on errors that change the meaning: verb forms, missing words, word endings. Leave tiny typos for last. | The guides count errors that pile up or get in the way, and allow everyday typos. |
For a structure for both written tasks, see our TOEFL templates.
Try it: read writing the way the guide doesLink to Try it: read writing the way the guide does
Try it
What does ETS’s guide say about this?
Four short pieces of writing, written to match the descriptions in ETS’s guides. It’s practice in reading the guide, not a score.
The professor asks: “Some cities give street food sellers permanent spaces with water and electricity. Others move them on. Should cities give street food sellers their own permanent spaces?” Read each piece of writing, then pick the answer that matches what ETS’s scoring guides say.
Question 1 of 4
A post says: “I agree with Daniel. Street food is good. Cities should give spaces to them. It is a good idea because it is good for people.” What does ETS’s discussion guide say this post most needs?
B. Explanations, examples or details that develop the idea. The opinion is relevant, but “because it is good” explains nothing. Every level of ETS’s discussion guide starts with how well the ideas are explained and supported, and level 5 asks for well-elaborated explanations, examples and details.
Question 2 of 4
A strong, well-argued post has one slip: “Sellers would recieve clean water, so there food would be safer.” Does this keep it out of the guide’s top level?
B. No: the top level allows the common typos and mix-ups like there and their that a good writer makes against the clock. ETS’s level 5 says almost no errors “other than those expected from a competent writer writing under timed conditions”, and gives common typos and there/their as examples. Errors that pile up, or that hide your meaning, are what move a response down.
Question 3 of 4
A post says: “Should cities give street food sellers their own permanent spaces? This is an interesting question. There are good sides and bad sides.” Where does ETS’s guide describe writing like this?
C. At the bottom: little original language, mostly borrowed from the prompt. It repeats the question and then says nothing new. ETS’s level 1 includes “minimal original language”, mostly borrowed from the prompt, and level 0 covers a response that is entirely copied.
Question 4 of 4
In Write an Email, a student writes to their landlord: “The heater is broken. Fix it today. I am very angry about this.” What does ETS’s email guide name that this misses?
A. Social conventions: politeness, tone and how a request is phrased. ETS’s email guide asks for the right social conventions, such as politeness, register and how requests, refusals or criticisms are phrased. “Unfortunately, the heater in my flat stopped working on Monday. Could someone come and look at it this week?” does the same job well. ETS fills in the subject line for you.
0/4 questions
Writing mistakes, wrong next to rightLink to Writing mistakes, wrong next to right
| Instead of this… | Write this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Opening by copying the professor’s question | Your opinion, in your own words, in the first sentence | Language mostly borrowed from the prompt is described at level 1. |
| “I agree with Daniel because his idea is good.” | “Daniel is right about the cost, and there’s a second reason: …” | Agreeing adds nothing; a new reason or example is the development the guide rewards. |
| A long general opening, like “In today’s modern world…” | Straight into your point | The guides reward relevant, developed ideas, and 10 minutes goes quickly. |
| Rare words you aren’t sure of | Precise words you use confidently | The top level asks for precise, natural word choice, not difficult words. |
| “Dear Sir or Madam” to a friend | “Hi Maya,” | The email guide asks for a register that suits the reader. |
| Stopping mid-sentence to fix a typo | Finish the idea, then check in your last minute | Both top levels allow everyday typos; an unfinished point costs more. |
| Leaving a Build a Sentence item unfinished | Complete every one, even if you’re unsure | Each is worth a point, and an empty answer can’t earn it. |
See where your writing sitsLink to See where your writing sits
Knowing the guide is half of it; the other half is writing to it against the clock. Writing Practice Test 1 has all three tasks, timed like the test. For each task on its own, see the guides to Build a Sentence, Write an Email and Write for an Academic Discussion. Speaking has scoring guides too: our TOEFL speaking rubric explains them level by level.
Common questions
What is the TOEFL Writing rubric?
It’s ETS’s scoring guide for each written task. In the 2026 test there are two, both from 0 to 5: one for Write an Email and one for Write for an Academic Discussion. Build a Sentence has no rubric, since each sentence is right or wrong for one point.
How many points is TOEFL Writing out of?
ETS’s blueprint gives 20 raw points: ten for Build a Sentence and up to five each for the email and the discussion post. ETS reports a band from 1 to 6, not the points. Its Test Overview lists the raw range as 0 to 15, a difference ETS doesn’t explain.
How many words should I write?
Neither scoring guide sets a length. For the discussion post, ETS’s prompt says an effective response will contain at least 100 words. For the email, ETS says to write as much as you can, in complete sentences.
Do spelling mistakes lower my TOEFL Writing score?
A few don’t rule out the top level: both guides allow the common typos and mix-ups like there/their that a good writer makes against the clock. Errors that pile up, or that make your meaning unclear, do lower it.
Can I use a template?
Use a structure, not memorized sentences. Both guides put language mostly borrowed from the prompt near the bottom, and a stock paragraph can’t develop ideas about a question you haven’t seen.
Who scores TOEFL Writing on the real test?
ETS’s Teacher FAQ says Writing and Speaking answers on the real test are scored by ETS’s own AI scoring engine against these scoring guides. ETS adds that the engines are trained on human ratings, which also check their accuracy.
Is the 2026 Writing rubric the same as the old one?
Partly. The Academic Discussion guide is word for word the rubric ETS used before 2026. The email guide is new, along with Build a Sentence, and the old Integrated Writing task and its rubric are gone.
Sources
Every exam fact on this page comes from ETS, checked on November 6, 2026. GoodMocks is independent from ETS.
- ETS: Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview (the Writing scoring guides, pp. 23–25; scoring, p. 21)
- ETS: TOEFL iBT Test Blueprint and Specifications (2026)
- ETS: Teacher FAQ for the TOEFL iBT enhancements (how points become bands, and how ETS scores)
- ETS: the TOEFL iBT Writing section
- ETS: the pre-2026 Writing rubrics (for comparison)
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- TOEFL speaking rubricEvery level of ETS’s Listen and Repeat and interview scoring guides.
- TOEFL email writingThe format, tone for every reader, and three sample emails.
- Write for an Academic DiscussionHow the task works, with a strong sample post.
- TOEFL templates for 2026A structure for the email, the discussion post and the interview.