TOEFL Email Writing: Format, Template and Tips (2026)

TOEFL Write an Email gives you seven minutes to respond to an academic or social situation. You write for a particular reader and purpose, such as requesting information, inviting someone or proposing a solution. An effective response addresses the requested points in connected sentences, with language appropriate to the relationship.

Looking for questions to practise? Start with our six TOEFL Email Writing samples and answers, or write a separate task in the free practice exercise.

TOEFL Email Writing format in 2026

• Time: seven minutes for Write an Email.
• Task: respond to a written situation and the requested points. Read every bullet carefully; one bullet can ask for more than one detail.
• Headers: the To and Subject fields are supplied in ETS’s published example. In PrepEx, these are read-only task context. Write the message body with a suitable greeting and closing.
• Word count: ETS’s published example asks for complete sentences and gives no numerical word minimum. Our practice length suggestions are preparation guidance, not official cutoffs.
• Scores: the task rubric uses 0–5; the reported Writing section score uses 1–6 in half-point increments. A practice email estimate does not establish your section score.

These format details are based on the ETS updated test overview and current score reporting guidance, checked on 8 September 2026.

A flexible TOEFL email template

Use this outline to plan, then replace every bracket with information that fits the task. Some situations need a question; others need a recommendation, correction or invitation. You do not need to introduce your name if the reader already knows you.

Dear [title and name], / Hi [name],

[State why you are writing and give the context the reader needs.]

[Address the requested points. Add a relevant reason or detail when it helps the reader understand or act.]

[Make the request, proposed solution or next step clear, if the task calls for one.]

Thank you for your help. / Thanks,
[Your name]

A template should help you remember the parts of a message. It should not force every answer into the same number of paragraphs or add an apology when nothing has gone wrong. A brief greeting and closing leave more time for the actual task.

Make each required point visible

Suppose a bullet asks about a course’s schedule and fees. “Please send me more information” leaves the reader guessing. “Could you tell me which evenings the classes meet and how much the course costs?” addresses both parts directly.

Likewise, “I have a problem with my booking” needs an explanation. State what you booked, what went wrong and what you need now. Include dates or reference details only when they help with the task; an invented student ID is not a universal requirement.

Formal and friendly email language

Start with the relationship described in the prompt. A first message to an office usually needs a polite greeting and direct questions. A classmate can receive a warmer, less formal message. Avoid text-message abbreviations when they make your meaning harder to follow.

Politeness does not require long, indirect wording. “Would it be possible to change the appointment?” is clear. Several lines of compliments before the request can make the purpose harder to find. For a complaint, describe the problem calmly and suggest a practical next step.

Sample: coordinate a group project

Situation: Your group’s marketing project is due next Tuesday. Your partner Alex has not sent the competitor-analysis section. Write to Alex: acknowledge the deadline, ask about progress, offer help and suggest a plan for finishing together.

To

alex@students.example.com

Subject

Group Project Update — Deadline Next Tuesday

Hi Alex,

I wanted to check in about our marketing project since it's due next Tuesday.

I noticed we haven't received your section on competitor analysis yet. How is it going? If you're running into any issues with the research or need access to resources, let me know—I'm happy to help out or share what I've found.

To make sure we have time to review everything together, could we plan to have all sections done by Saturday? That gives us the weekend to combine and polish the final draft.

Let me know what works for you.

Thanks,
Jordan

This existing PrepEx teaching example identifies the deadline immediately, asks about the missing section without accusing Alex, offers specific help and proposes Saturday so the group has review time. The proposed plan is a question, so Alex can respond. It is one possible answer, not an official ETS answer or a promised score.

Compare how the language changes in our study-room complaint sample and polite refusal sample.

A seven-minute writing plan

1. First minute: identify the reader and purpose. Map every required point to something you will say.
2. Next five minutes: write the message. Keep useful details close to the request or explanation they support.
3. Last minute: check point coverage, names, dates, verb forms and sentences that are hard to follow. Finish any incomplete request before adding optional detail.

This is a practice plan, not an ETS rule. Adjust the split as you learn how quickly you can read and type. During review, check coverage before polishing vocabulary: underline the sentence that answers each bullet, then check whether any bullet contains two requests. If one is missing, use the remaining time to complete it rather than add a longer greeting.

Before you submit

• Can the reader tell why I am writing?
• Where did I address each requested point and each part of a compound bullet?
• Does the greeting, request and closing fit this reader?
• Are my dates, times and proposed arrangements consistent?
• Have I removed copied prompt sentences, irrelevant background and unfinished thoughts?

What the Email Writing rubric rewards

The ETS task rubric considers successful communication, useful development, suitable social conventions and control of language. A strong answer gives the reader enough information to understand and respond. Extra length, impressive vocabulary or a memorized introduction does not guarantee a higher score.

PrepEx’s free preview gives a 0–5 AI task estimate with feedback on completion, social conventions, organization and language. It accepts 10–220 words and up to 1,800 characters; these are preview limits. Our grader also uses practice length safeguards for very short responses. See the preview scoring explanation before interpreting your result.

Frequently asked questions