The lists of independent writing topics will help you prepare for TOEFL IBT writing section.
Agree or Disagree
1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Only people who earn a lot of money are successful. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? There is nothing that young people can teach older people. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People behave differently when they wear different clothes. Do you agree that different clothes influence the way people behave? Use specific xamples to support your answer.
4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
5. It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay.
6. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People pay too much attention to the less important things in life and fail to see the larger issues. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion.
Preference
1. Some people choose friends who are different from themselves. Others choose friends who are similar to themselves. Compare the advantages of having friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are similar to you. Which kind of friend do you prefer for yourself? Why?
2. Some people like doing work by hand. Others prefer using machines. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. What are some of the qualities of a good parent? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.
4. Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
5. Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable information. Others think access to so much information creates problems. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
6. Which do you feel is more important in your life: security or freedom and independence? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.
Description / Explanation
1. What is a very important skill a person should learn in order to be successful in the world today? Choose one skill and use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
2. A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Where should this visitor go on that day? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
3. If you could go back to some time and place in the past, when and where would you go? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
4. Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
5. How do movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
6. What are some important qualities of a good school teacher? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.
If / Imaginary
1. You have the opportunity to visit a foreign country for two weeks. Which country would you like to visit? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
2. If you could invent something new, what product would you develop? Use specific details to explain why this invention is needed.
3. If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
4. If you could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history, what person would you like to meet? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
5. If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.
6. If you could change one important thing about your country, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
Compare & Contrast
1. When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.
2. Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Movies are popular all over the world. Explain why movies are so popular. Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
4. Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference.
5. A friend of yours has received some money and plans to use all of it either:
- to go on vacation
- to buy a car
Your friend has asked you for advice. Compare your friend’s two choices and explain which one you think your friend should choose. Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
6. When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answers with specific details.