TOEIC Practice - Writing

The writing section of the TOEIC takes approximately one hour to complete. You will have 8 questions to answer including one essay. Different types of writing skill are evaluated including grammar, vocabulary, organization, structure and content.

Try the following writing question examples. After you try to write your own answers, read the sample responses provided. Keep in mind that the sample answers are just ideas. Your answers may be very different.

Questions 1-5: Pictures

In questions 1-5 you will be asked to write sentences based on pictures. Each picture will have two words that you must use in your sentence. You can change the forms of the words. You will be scored on grammar as well as on the relevance of the sentence to the picture.

Question 1: fishing, at
fishing
Type a sentence:

Question 2: together, table
together
Type a sentence:

Question 3: beside, chatting
beside
Type a sentence:

Question 4: frame, but
frame
Type a sentence:

Question 5: baggage, open
baggage
Type a sentence:

Example Responses:

  1. The men stare out at the lake as they take a fishing break.
  2. Three employees have gathered together around an oval table to discuss their concerns of the day.
  3. She is chatting on her cell phone while sitting beside a colleague in the taxi.
  4. The frame of the building is almost done but construction has been called off.
  5. When she got to the arrivals department, the tourist noticed that her belongings were falling out of her open baggage.

Questions 6-7: Written Requests

For these questions you will have to respond in writing to an email request. You will have ten minutes to read and respond to each question.

Example: Read the email

To: Homeowner
From: Taryn Kent
Subject: Your home
Sent: January 7

Hello. I've been looking at the photo gallery of your online home buyer's ad. Congratulations on trying to sell your home without a real estate agent. It is difficult (we have done it twice) but is worth the effort if you find a reasonable buyer. My sister is interested in buying a home in your region. Your home could be ideal if you are willing to negotiate the price. Your asking price is about $10, 000 above her budget. She also wants to live near an elementary school and a bus route. I'm not sure if your home is near these amenities. Could you let me know about these details? Most importantly, are you open to negotiation on the price? Please let me know when the house would be available for viewing.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Taryn Kent

Directions: Respond to the email as if you are trying to sell your house privately. Answer the questions and provide at least TWO details about the neighbourhood and ONE reason why you can or can't negotiate the price.

Sample response:

To: Taryn Kent
From: Homeowner
Subject: My home
Sent: January 8

Hi. Thank you for your message. We are excited about selling our home privately. Your sister is welcome to call me at 222-444-4444 to schedule a time to see our home. We will be showing it this weekend. We are willing to negotiate but will not be able to drop the price too much. We have just spent $7000 on basement renovations.

There is an elementary school a few blocks from here. It has a very good reputation. The local bus stop is about a five minute walk down the hill. I look forward to meeting your sister. Thank you for reviewing the photos. We love this house and have lived here for twenty years.

Warm regards,
James Canyon

Question 8: Opinion Essay

In this part of the test you will be asked to write an opinion essay in which you state, explain, and support reasons about your opinion. You will have 30 minutes to plan and write your essay. Leave a little time to proofread and edit your essay. Your essay should be 4-5 paragraphs in length. It will be rated in terms of organization, grammar, vocabulary, and coherence.

Sample Question: Some companies block their employees from using social media networks and websites such as Facebook. Do you think managers should trust employees to use time wisely, or do you think it is smart of companies to block access to some sites? Provide reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Type your outline (5-10 minutes):

Type your essay (15 minutes):

Save five minutes to proofread your writing.

Sample opinion essay:

The average work day is seven to eight hours long. How much of this time is spent working? People who work on computers have many distractions due to the Internet. Some companies have been forced to restrict usage of certain sites, such as Facebook and Twitter due to concerns about productivity. It is a wise decision to remove these Internet temptations.

A boss is not a babysitter. Though some people only log onto Facebook or surf the Internet on their own time, other people cannot resist temptation. Having rules about Internet use is not enough. Some employees cannot stand to be stuck in their offices without social interaction. If they need a short break, they should be encouraged to stand up and stretch. Unlike chatting to friends on Facebook, this type of activity increases productivity. By blocking certain social sites from a system, the boss need not waste time monitoring those who cannot follow rules.

When time is wasted online it is the company that pays for the loss. Employees on salary still get paid no matter how productive they are. Those who waste time may not get raises or bonuses, but they still get a paycheque. It is only the employer that loses out when time is wasted online. Employers should not feel guilty about restricting Internet access. If surfing the Internet and sending out Tweets is not part of one's job description, these activities take away from true duties.

Some employees have lost their jobs because they wrote something online against their own company. It is too easy to press send, post, or publish these days. Preventing employees from using certain websites actually protects the employees as well.

There are many honest workers who can be trusted at work. They only check Facebook or Twitter during their break time or lunch, and they don't post any information that could damage the company's (or their own) reputation. Unfortunately, there are always a handful of workers who cannot be trusted. By eliminating the temptation, employers can prevent any problems related to Internet abuse in the workplace.