TOEFL Write an Email: structure, tone and a sample response

Write an Email is new in the 2026 TOEFL. It looks simple, but it's marked on how well you complete a real communication task: covering everything asked, in clear and appropriate English.

What the task looks like

You read a short situation, for example:

Last week your tutor, Dr Hale, lent you a book from her personal collection for your research project. Yesterday you accidentally spilled coffee on it, and several pages are stained.

Write an email to Dr Hale. In your email: - apologise and explain what happened - describe the damage - offer a way to fix the situation

You have about 7 minutes.

A simple structure

1. Greeting: "Dear Dr Hale," (formal) or "Hi Sam," (friend).
2. Opening (1 sentence): why you're writing.
3. Point 1, point 2, point 3: a few sentences each, with a specific detail.
4. Closing (1 sentence): what you hope will happen, or thanks.
5. Sign-off: "Best regards," / "Kind regards," and your name.

A sample response

Dear Dr Hale,

I am very sorry, but I have to tell you about an accident with the book you kindly lent me last week. Yesterday I was reading it at my desk when I knocked over a cup of coffee, and some of it went onto the book before I could move it.

The cover is fine, but about ten pages in the third chapter are stained along the bottom edge. The text is still readable, although the pages are a little wrinkled.

I would like to replace it with a new copy. I have checked, and the campus bookshop can order one within a week. Alternatively, if you would prefer to keep the original, I am happy to pay for it to be repaired.

Again, I apologise for being careless with something you trusted me with.

Kind regards,

Min-jun Park

(about 150 words)

Why it works: all three points are covered, each with a concrete detail (how it happened, which pages, two specific ways to fix it). The tone is apologetic and respectful, which suits a student writing to a tutor.

Getting the tone right

Common mistake: being too direct with a professor ("I want you to give me an extension"). Use softeners: "I was wondering if…", "Would it be possible…".

What raises the score

• All three points covered, each clearly and with a specific detail.
• Clear organisation: a reader can see where each point is.
• Accurate grammar, with a range of sentence types.
• Appropriate tone from greeting to sign-off.

What lowers it

• Missing one of the three points, even if the rest is excellent.
• One-line answers to each point with no detail.
• Very short emails (under about 60 words).
• Memorised openings that don't fit ("I hope this email finds you well" is fine once, but don't build the whole email from templates).

A 7-minute plan

• 1 minute: read the situation and the three points, decide the tone.
• 5 minutes: write.
• 1 minute: check that all three points are there, then check verb tenses and articles.

Practise with feedback

Each AIL TOEFL iBT style practice test includes a Write an Email task, scored on the 0–5 writing rubric by AI with comments and a model answer.