Writing: Edit and E-mail
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| reply | reply |
| greeting/ˈɡriːtɪŋ/ | greeting |
| proofread | proofread |
A friendly email that misses the point
- Jun writes a friendly, neat, 120-word reply 回复. It forgets to answer the second question. The teacher still does not know which day Jun can come.
- In the Writing test, answering every question is the first thing that counts.
The Writing test
- 4 task types, 5 questions, about 40 minutes: two Edit sets, then E-mail, Opinion and Listen-Write. You type on a computer or tablet.
- ETS scores the responses with an automated scoring engine trained on human ratings; the total is 0–16. This lesson covers Edit and E-mail.
How many questions are in the Writing test?
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Two Edit sets plus E-mail, Opinion and Listen-Write make five.
Task 1: Edit
- You read a paragraph about an academic topic with choices inside it, and you pick the correct option for each sentence. You get 2 minutes 30 seconds for each of the two sets.
- Use your Language Form and Meaning checks: subject and verb, time words, connectors, word meaning.
"Honeybees [ (A) lives (B) live (C) living (D) to live ] in large groups called colonies. Each colony [ (A) have (B) are having (C) has (D) having ] one queen." → (B) live (plural subject honeybees), (C) has (singular subject each colony).
Edit: "The first postage stamp ___ in Britain in 1840."
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A finished past event (in 1840) in the passive, was used.
Edit: "Stamps made sending letters cheaper; ___, more people began to write to each other."
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More letters is the result of cheaper sending.
Each Edit set has 2 minutes and ____ seconds.
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2 minutes 30 seconds per set, and there are two sets.
Task 2: E-mail
- You read a school-related email that asks you some questions, and you write a reply. You have 7 minutes to read and write.
- Turn the questions into a checklist and answer each one with a detail. Start with a greeting 问候语 and end with a polite closing.
Ms Park asks: Which club will you join? Which day suits you? Do you need anything?
Dear Ms Park, I would like to join the robotics club. Wednesday afternoons suit me best, because I have football practice on Mondays. Could you tell me if I need to bring my own laptop? Thank you, Jun
Does this reply sentence answer a question?
Write an e-mail reply that answers every question asked
How long do you have for the E-mail task?
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Seven minutes to read the email and write the reply.
Ms Park asks: "Which club will you join? Which day suits you? Do you need anything?" Reply: "Dear Ms Park, I would like to join the art club because I love drawing. Thank you, Lin." What is missing?
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Two of the three questions are not answered.
Fit the reader
- Writing to a teacher: Dear Ms Park, full sentences, Thank you / Best wishes. Writing to a friend: Hi Sam, a friendlier tone, See you soon.
- Either way, keep sentences clear and complete. A short, correct reply is better than a long one with missing answers.
Match each reader with a suitable greeting and closing.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Fit the tone to the reader, but keep sentences clear for both.
Proofread in the last minute
- Proofread 校对: read your reply once more. Check that every question has an answer, verbs agree with their subjects and each sentence ends with a full stop.
- Don't copy long parts of the email. Use your own words.
Your teacher, Mr Ali, writes: "Can you help at the school open day on Saturday? Which job would you like: guide, café or posters? What time can you arrive?" Write a reply of about 50–80 words in 7 minutes. Then compare it with the model and tick the checklist.
Every question in the email needs its own sentence; a detail or reason makes the answer useful to the reader.
Common mistakes
- Answering two of three questions.
- Copying the question as the answer ("Which day suits me? Wednesday suits me" is fine; copying the whole email is not).
- No greeting or closing, or a closing that does not fit the reader ("Bye bye, Ms Park!!!").
Copying long parts of the email into your reply is a good way to reach more words.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Use your own words; the questions are a checklist, not text to copy.
Recap
- Edit: 2 sets × 2 min 30 s; the same checks as Language Form and Meaning.
- E-mail: 7 minutes; checklist of questions, one answer and one detail each, greeting and closing.
- Leave time to proofread. Practice here is self-checked; only ETS gives a Writing score.
Official sources
- Task timings checked on 15 November 2026 in the TOEFL Junior Test Taker Handbook (ETS, PDF).
- Interactive official samples: Edit (ETS) and E-mail (ETS). The tasks here are original.