TOEFL Exam Pattern: TOEFL Exam to get Shorter Starting July 26

TOEFL Exam Pattern: Highlights

We have provided a comparison between the current TOEFL exam pattern and the TOEFL exam pattern that would come into effect starting July 26, 2023.

TOEFL Exam Pattern Changes in Detail

In this section, we are going to be looking at the TOEFL exam pattern changes in detail.

• While earlier test takers had to attempt 3 to 4 reading passages having 10 questions each in the TOEFL Reading Section. Going forward, the TOEFL Reading Section will be limited to 2 passages with 10 questions each.
• The TOEFL Writing Section required candidates to attempt two tasks, Question 1: Integrated Writing Task in 20 minutes and Question 2: Independent Writing Task in 30 minutes. In the new TOEFL exam pattern to go live on July 26, 2023, Question 2: Independent Writing Task would have been replaced with 'Writing for an Academic Discussion.' More on the Writing for an Academic Discussion has been discussed below.
• All unscored test questions have been removed.

What is TOEFL Writing Task 2: Writing for an Academic Discussion?

The current TOEFL Writing Section requires candidates to attempt two writing tasks. Question 1 is the Integrated Writing Task that candidates are required to complete in 20 minutes and Question 2 is the Independent Writing Task that candidates are required to complete in 30 minutes. From July 26, 2023, onwards, the Independent Writing Task will be replaced with the Writing for an Academic Discussion.

The Writing for an Academic Discussion will require candidates to write a post on an online academic discussion. For example, test takers would be required to read a question from a professor and answers from other students. Then, you as the test taker would be required to express and support your opinion and contribute to the discussion. You will get 10 minutes to complete the task. (sample provided below)

Getting Familiar with Other TOEFL Changes

Along with the shortening of the TOEFL iBT exam pattern. Candidates looking to take the TOEFL exam starting July 26, 2023, will experience the below enhancements:

• The TOEFL registration process has been simplified
• The user experience of the TOEFL test taker on the ETS website would have been improved by introducing intuitive navigation and enhanced usability
• A more mobile-friendly design would have been launched
• Test takers would have got additional local payment options, and
• While earlier TOEFL test scores were made available within 6 days from the date of the exam, starting July 26, 2023, test takers would be able to see the date for when they can expect their official TOEFL scores to be available upon completion of their test. Thus bringing in score transparency.

Candidates should note that starting July 26, 2023, all TOEFL iBT tests will include the changes mentioned above. The TOEFL enhancements would go live on the TOEFL Computer based test and TOEFL at Home Edition formats of the test. However, the changes would not apply to the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition test. Test takers also have the opportunity to reschedule their test for free in their ETS account until April 30, 2023. 

Writing for an Academic Discussion Sample Exercise

Question: Your professor is teaching a class on political science. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

In your response, you should:

• express and support your opinion
• make a contribution to the discussion

An effective response will contain at least 100 words. You will have 10 minutes to write it.

Dr. Gupta

As I mentioned in class, governments make public policies to describe their responses to various problems that affect a community. Part of this process involves setting and defending priorities about which issues deserve the most attention and resources. For example, governments need to decide whether they should spend more money on education or on environmental protections. If you were a policy maker, which issue would you argue is more important—education or environmental protections? Why?

Kelly

We all live on planet Earth, and it is the only planet we have. Therefore, we must take care of it. Clearly, protecting the environment should be the government’s priority over education. I think the REAL question is, which approach to protecting the environment—restricting pollution, regulating population, promoting clean energy, or something else—should be the government’s priority.

Andrew

I disagree with Kelly that the environment is more important than education. Education is actually the best way to protect the environment. Educated people can see how their decisions affect the world around them. Also, with better science and technology education, we can develop solutions to environmental problems. Therefore, I think the government should spend more money on education.

Writing for an Academic Discussion Response Tips

To earn a top score, you should state and support your opinion about whether education or environmental protection should be the priority for governments to spend money on. Your response is a contribution to the other two students’ posts in an online discussion for the class. Be sure to add your own perspective to the discussion, not merely repeat ideas that have already been stated. Typically, an effective response will contain a minimum of 100 words.

You might agree with Kelly that environmental protection should be the priority. You will need to add your own support for this viewpoint. For example, you could argue that environmental protections are a more important investment to sustain our economies. You could point out that governments currently spend a great deal of money compensating for climate change catastrophes such as increased flooding, wind damage, or ruined crops. Investing more in environmental protections now could actually save governments money later on—which could then be used for more education funding. This would differ from the support Kelly gave for her opinion.

If you agree with Andrew that education should be the bigger priority, you could add to his argument by pointing out the amount of research that universities conduct—not only on solving environmental problems, which Andrew alluded to, but also on treating diseases, creating useful technology, and developing sustainable agriculture. Therefore, education funding has a bigger overall impact on improving human lives than investment in environmental protection only. This would be a meaningful addition to the support Andrew provided for his opinion.

You may find you agree with a point Kelly made about the environment even though you think education is more important. Or you might even find that your opinion about government priorities depends on certain factors—that education should be a priority in some circumstances, environmental protections in others. This is perfectly acceptable as long as you explain and support your reasoning. There is no “correct” answer to the question. The important part of this task is to make sure that you state your opinion and provide reasonable, relevant support for it in a way that makes a meaningful contribution to the online discussion. Try to develop your opinion as well as you can within the time limit. A well-developed response will contain clearly appropriate reasons, examples, and details—ones that do a good job supporting or illustrating your own viewpoint.

The quality and accuracy of the sentence structure and vocabulary you use to express your ideas is also very important and part of what is considered when your response is scored. The task context—a post to an online discussion group—is not quite as informal as you might think. While the task asks you to contribute to a discussion with fellow students, imagine that the professor would also be reading your post. It is true that your tone might be more casual than what you would use in an academic paper, but you should still follow standard grammar rules. Also, if disagreeing with another student's post, be sure to express your disagreement in a respectful way as you would in a real online discussion.

(sample source: ETS)