These TOEFL Email Writing samples cover asking for information, reporting a problem, inviting a classmate, making a recommendation, declining a request and correcting a mistake. Each question includes a recipient, a supplied subject, three required points and one possible response. They are original PrepEx teaching examples, not official ETS questions or guaranteed top-score answers.
How to practise with these email samples
- Choose a question and leave its sample answer closed. Identify the reader, purpose and required points.
- Write your own response in seven minutes. The To and Subject fields are supplied; write the email body, including a suitable greeting and closing.
- Open the sample and compare how each required point is handled. Your ideas and wording can differ.
- Revise one unclear sentence or missing point. For feedback on a separate task, try the free Email Writing exercise.
The displayed word counts include greetings and sign-offs, but exclude To and Subject. They describe these examples; they are not an ETS word-count requirement. For a reusable outline, see our TOEFL email template.
Sample 1 · Inquiry
Request information about a workshop
Practice question: You want to attend a photography workshop at a community center, but its advertisement leaves some details unclear. Write to the workshop coordinator.
In your email:
- Explain what you hope to learn.
- Ask whether beginners need their own camera.
- Ask about the session times and registration deadline.
- To
- workshops
@riverside.example.com - Subject
- Questions About the Weekend Photography Workshop
Read sample answer 1 and explanation
Dear Workshop Coordinator,
I saw your advertisement for the weekend photography workshop and would like to learn more before registering. I usually take pictures on my phone, but I hope to understand lighting and composition so I can photograph events for our student club.
Is the workshop suitable for complete beginners, and would I need to bring my own camera? I do not own one, so it would be helpful to know whether equipment is available to borrow.
Could you also tell me when the sessions start and finish, and the deadline for registration? I work on Saturday mornings and need to check that I can attend.
Thank you for your help.
Best regards, Sam
How it covers the required points
- The first paragraph connects lighting and composition to club photography.
- The equipment question states that Sam has no camera and asks about borrowing one.
- The final questions cover both session times and the registration deadline.
What to learn: When a bullet contains two details, answer both. Asking about session times alone would leave the registration deadline unresolved.
Sample 2 · Complaint and solution
Report a problem with a study-room booking
Practice question: You reserved a library study room for a group presentation rehearsal on Thursday afternoon. Your confirmation arrived, but the booking no longer appears in your account. Write to the library bookings team.
In your email:
- Describe the booking problem.
- Explain why the room is important to your group.
- Request a practical solution.
- To
- rooms
@oaklibrary.example.com - Subject
- Missing Study-Room Reservation for Thursday
Read sample answer 2 and explanation
Dear Bookings Team,
My reservation for a study room this Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. no longer appears in my library account, although I received a confirmation email when I booked it. Could you check whether the reservation is still valid?
Our group needs the room to rehearse a presentation together. We plan to speak aloud and show slides, so an ordinary reading area would disturb other students and would not give us access to a screen.
If the original room is unavailable, could you help us reserve another room with a screen during the same period? I can forward the confirmation email if that would help you investigate.
Thank you for looking into this.
Best regards, Taylor
How it covers the required points
- The opening contrasts the confirmation email with the missing account entry.
- Speaking aloud and showing slides explain why the room matters.
- The writer asks for a check and proposes a suitable replacement if necessary.
What to learn: Describe what happened without accusing staff of deleting the booking. A conditional alternative helps the reader act without assuming a replacement is available.
Sample 3 · Invitation
Invite a classmate to a study session
Practice question: You are organizing a study session before a biology quiz on Friday. Write to your classmate Maya to invite her.
In your email:
- Explain the purpose of the session.
- Suggest a time and place.
- Describe how Maya could contribute and ask whether she can attend.
- To
- maya
@students.example.com - Subject
- Study Session Before Friday’s Biology Quiz
Read sample answer 3 and explanation
Hi Maya,
A few of us are getting together to review for Friday’s biology quiz, and I wondered if you would like to join us. We want to work through the practice questions and compare our explanations instead of just reading the chapter again.
Would Thursday at 4 p.m. in the student center work for you? There are tables upstairs where we can talk, and we expect to finish by 5:30.
You explained the cell diagrams clearly in class, so it would be great if you could help us review those. I will bring the practice questions and my lecture notes. Let me know whether you can make it or if a slightly later start would help.
Thanks, Alex
How it covers the required points
- The opening identifies the quiz and the planned review activity.
- Thursday at 4 p.m. and the upstairs student-center tables provide usable arrangements.
- The writer invites Maya to explain diagrams and explicitly asks about attendance.
What to learn: Friendly language still needs complete arrangements. The writer invites a contribution instead of assigning Maya work without asking.
Sample 4 · Recommendation
Recommend a welcome-week activity
Practice question: The student activities coordinator has asked for suggestions for welcome week. Write an email recommending an activity for new students.
In your email:
- Describe your suggested activity.
- Explain how it would benefit new students.
- Identify one practical issue and suggest how to address it.
- To
- orientation
@hillcrest.example.com - Subject
- A Walking Tour for Welcome Week
Read sample answer 4 and explanation
Dear Student Activities Coordinator,
For welcome week, I suggest a short walking tour led by current students. Each small group could visit the library, the health center, and the main bus stop, with time for questions at each location.
This would help new students find services they are likely to need during their first month. A small group would also make it easier to meet people and ask questions that they might hesitate to raise during a large presentation.
Rain could make an outdoor tour difficult. We could prepare an indoor version using a campus map and photographs, then explain how to reach each location. I would be happy to help plan the route if the idea fits the schedule.
Best regards, Jamie
How it covers the required points
- The proposal specifies a student-led tour and several stops.
- The benefits include finding services, meeting people, and asking questions.
- Rain is paired with a workable indoor alternative.
What to learn: A recommendation becomes more useful when it explains benefits for the intended audience. One realistic obstacle and response are enough; there is no need for a full event budget.
Sample 5 · Refusal with an alternative
Decline a request and offer another way to help
Practice question: Your friend Leo has asked you to help at a charity book sale on Saturday morning. You cannot attend because of a work shift. Write a reply.
In your email:
- Thank Leo for the invitation and explain why you cannot attend.
- Offer a different way to support the sale.
- Ask what arrangements are needed for your offer.
- To
- leo
@volunteers.example.com - Subject
- Helping With Saturday’s Book Sale
Read sample answer 5 and explanation
Hi Leo,
Thanks for asking me to help at the book sale. I would have enjoyed working with everyone, but I have a shift at the café on Saturday morning and cannot change it this week. I am sorry I will miss the event.
I could still help by sorting and labeling the donated books on Friday evening. I finish class at 5 p.m., so I would have a couple of hours free afterward. That might make setting up on Saturday a little easier.
Would Friday evening be useful, and where should I meet you? Please also let me know whether I should bring labels or any other supplies.
I hope the sale goes well!
Best, Casey
How it covers the required points
- The opening thanks Leo and clearly explains the work conflict.
- Friday sorting and labeling is a specific alternative to attending Saturday.
- The writer asks about timing, location, and supplies for the proposed help.
What to learn: A polite refusal can be clear. Avoid promising to attend after explaining that you cannot; an alternative should fit the availability you have stated.
Sample 6 · Correction and update
Correct information you sent to a project group
Practice question: You told your project group that your meeting with the instructor would be at 10 a.m. on Monday. You have now checked the instructor’s message and realized that the meeting is at 11 a.m. Write to the group.
In your email:
- Correct the meeting time and apologize for the mistake.
- Explain how the change affects your preparation plan.
- Ask the group to confirm that they have seen the update.
- To
- project-group
@students.example.com - Subject
- Correction to Our Presentation Meeting Time
Read sample answer 6 and explanation
Hi everyone,
I need to correct the meeting time I sent yesterday. Our appointment with the instructor is at 11 a.m. on Monday, not 10 a.m. I misread the message, and I am sorry for the confusion.
We had planned to meet thirty minutes beforehand to check our slides. Could we move that preparation session to 10:30 in the same classroom? This would still give us time to review the presentation together without asking everyone to arrive an hour early.
Please reply when you have seen this update so I know nobody is following the old schedule. If the later preparation time causes a problem, let me know and we can arrange another way to review your section.
Thanks, Morgan
How it covers the required points
- The first paragraph contrasts 11 a.m. with the incorrect 10 a.m. and accepts responsibility.
- Moving preparation to 10:30 preserves the planned thirty-minute review.
- A direct reply request checks that everyone has received the correction.
What to learn: Check all time references together. Correcting the appointment but leaving the preparation session unchanged would create avoidable confusion.
What makes an effective TOEFL email answer?
Read it from the recipient’s perspective: is the purpose clear, is the necessary information present, and is the requested action understandable? Then check whether the tone fits the relationship and whether grammar or word choice makes any part hard to interpret. Relevant details should help the reader respond.
ETS’s Write an Email rubric uses a 0–5 task scale. Its top category describes successful communication with appropriate language and social conventions; it does not demand an elaborate story or flawless typing. The reported TOEFL Writing section score is on the 1–6 scale. These examples have no official ETS scores.
Email sample questions: common questions
Can I memorize one email and change the names?
Learn a flexible structure, but write for the actual situation. An invitation, a refusal and a complaint require different information and actions. Reusing a whole response can leave the real task unanswered.
Should I copy the sample’s reasons and details?
Use the sample to see how details support a purpose. In your own practice, choose plausible details that fit the prompt and remain consistent. You do not need to match the sample’s exact ideas to write an effective response.
How many words should I write?
ETS’s published example gives seven minutes and asks for complete sentences without a numerical word minimum. Use the time to communicate fully. PrepEx’s free preview accepts 10–220 words as a tool limit, and a very short response may lack enough development for useful feedback.