TOEFL Write an Email practice, scored free
Full access from CA$13.99 for 7 days · one-time, CAD, no renewal
Write one email to a 2026-format prompt and get it marked out of five by the same marker our paid tests use: a score for each criterion, two strengths and two fixes.
On this page
You are preparing a group presentation for your business course with three classmates. The presentation is due in two weeks. One member of the group has missed the last two meetings and has not answered any messages, and his part of the work has not been started. Write an email to your instructor, Professor Haddad.
In your email, do the following:
- Describe the situation in your group.
- Explain what the group has already done to try to solve the problem.
- Suggest a solution and ask whether the professor agrees with it.
Write as much as you can, in complete sentences. You have 7 minutes, as in the test.
One free check a day, no account. An estimate, not an official ETS score.
The task, from ETS
- What you get. A short scenario, in an academic or social setting, and a list of the points your email has to make, for example asking for something, explaining a problem or proposing a solution. The answer box already shows who the email is to and its subject.
- Time. Seven minutes for the one email. It is one of 12 Writing items, and the section takes about 23 minutes in all.
- Length. ETS sets no word count. The instruction is to write as much as you can, in complete sentences.
- What it measures. ETS says the email should reach its goal while following basic social conventions; be developed enough, clear and connected; use a range of grammar and vocabulary accurately; and follow English spelling, punctuation and capitals.
- Score. Up to 5 points, at CEFR levels B1 to C2. ETS gives 0 to an email that is blank, rejects the topic, is not in English, is copied entirely from the prompt, has nothing to do with it, or is random keystrokes.
Sources: ETS, TOEFL iBT Writing section · ETS, Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview · ETS, TOEFL iBT 2026 Update: Test Blueprint and Specifications · ETS, TOEFL iBT Writing Scoring Guides; checked 2026-10-01.
What our marker looks for
This part is ours, not ETS's. The marker reads your email with the task and gives four scores from 0 to 5, in half points, then one overall score for the email as a whole. The overall is a judgement, not an average.
Before anything is marked, the checker applies ETS's score-0 rules it can count: an email that is not in English, is copied from the task or is random letters is not sent to the marker, and does not use up your check.
Be aware: our TOEFL marker has not yet been calibrated against responses scored by ETS. It is a consistent reader that explains itself, not a forecast of your result.
Three habits that move the score (our advice)
- Give each point on the list its own sentence or two, in the order given. The list is the marking scheme.
- Add one concrete detail per point: a date, a reason, what you have already tried.
- Open and close the way you would for this reader: “Dear Professor …” for a professor, a first name for a friend.
More on the section: the TOEFL Writing guide · Build a Sentence practice with answers
How the free check works
- One marked email a day for each person, with no account. It resets after midnight Pacific time.
- The email needs at least 40 words. A check that is refused for length, copying or a busy marker is not used up.
- We keep what you wrote for 90 days to check the quality of the marking, then delete it. It is not shown to anyone else.
Practise the whole Writing section
A mock test runs ten Build a Sentence items, the email and the academic discussion on their own clocks, and marks all three. One mock test costs CA$8.49, or a pass opens every TOEFL test from CA$13.99 for 7 days; one-time, in CAD.
Questions
Is this TOEFL email checker really free?
Yes. One email a day is marked for free, with no account and no card. The check resets after midnight Pacific time. If the marker is busy, or your email is too short to mark, the check is not used up.
Is the score an official TOEFL score?
No. It is an estimate from our AI marker on the 0 to 5 scale ETS uses for this task. ETS scores the real test, and our TOEFL marker has not yet been calibrated against responses ETS has scored, so use the number as a guide to what to fix, not as a prediction.
How long should a TOEFL email be?
ETS does not set a word count for Write an Email. The instruction is to write as much as you can, in complete sentences, and the scoring guide rewards an email that does the job with enough detail. Here you need at least 40 words before the check will run, so there is enough to mark.
How much time do I get for the email in the TOEFL?
Seven minutes, according to ETS's test overview. The email is one of 12 Writing items, and the whole Writing section takes about 23 minutes.
What does the marker check?
Whether your email does every part of the task for the person it is written to, how well you develop each point, the range of your grammar and vocabulary, and how much errors get in the way. It also gives an overall score, two things that worked, two things to fix first, and up to four corrections.
Why was my check refused?
The most common reasons: the email is under 40 words, it is mostly copied from the task, it is not in English, or you have already used today's check. None of the first three uses up your check. If many people are checking at once, wait a minute and try again.
Where can I practise the whole Writing section?
In a mock test, which runs Build a Sentence, the email and the academic discussion on their own clocks and marks all three. A free account also includes one Writing practice test, fully marked. After that, one Writing practice test costs CA$3.49.
Sources
- ETS, TOEFL iBT Writing section — the three Writing task types and what the email measures (checked 2026-10-01).
- ETS, Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview — the email task: 7 minutes, the scenario, the points to cover, what it measures (checked 2026-10-01).
- ETS, TOEFL iBT 2026 Update: Test Blueprint and Specifications — one email item, up to 5 points, B1–C2; 12 Writing items in 23 minutes (checked 2026-10-01).
- ETS, TOEFL iBT Writing Scoring Guides — the 0–5 score bands for Write an Email and what earns a 0 (checked 2026-10-01).
The prompts on this page are ours, written for the 2026 format and for this page only: they are not in our practice or mock tests. No ETS item is reproduced. ExamStep is an independent practice site, not affiliated with ETS. TOEFL® and TOEFL iBT® are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Our scores are estimates for practice; only ETS issues TOEFL scores.