TOEFL Essays

If you are going to take the TOEFL on computer, you will now have to write an essay. The score you receive will be part of your score. In other words, if you write well, you will be able to raise your score by writing a good essay. However, if your other scores are higher, then the writing section can lower your score.

Many people ask us how much their scores count. TOEFL says that the essay is worth about 1/6 of your total score. In other words:

1 essay point = about 10 points toward total score

For example, after you take your TOEFL, you will receive a score that has a range of something like 207-270. If you get a 1.0 on your essay, then your final score will be about 217. If you get a 5.0 on your essay, your final score will be about 260.

It is very important for students to practice writing these essays before they take the test. You should practice as many times as you can. In the beginning, you should concentrate on the form of the essay, i.e., try to make it good. As you get better, you need to focus more on the accuracy, i.e., try to watch your grammar, spelling and punctuation. Finally, you need to work on your speed. Many students are able to create good essays, but need an hour or more to do so. On the TOEFL you only have thirty minutes. You can check out the official TOEFL web site for more information. You should also download a copy of their essay topics. You will need a copy of the Acrobat Reader to view these documents. Practice writing on these topics. Sometimes, you will get lucky--many TestMagic students had already practiced the essay they had to write on the real TOEFL!!
source : http://www.testmagic.com/knowledge_base/toefl/Writing/index.htm