The TOEFL Agree or Disagree prompt can be challenging. Do you know the tips you need to succeed? Read on and learn how to master this writing section of the TOEFL exam.
Note: The TOEFL Writing section can include many other types of prompts: check out our article on Types of TOEFL Writing Prompts to learn about each!
TOEFL Agree or Disagree Prompt
The Agree or Disagree prompt includes the following:
- Instructions for this portion of the exam
- A statement or question you are asked to agree or disagree with
TOEFL Agree or Disagree Prompt Example
Instructions:
Read the question. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective essay will include 300 words.
Prompt:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
White lies are acceptable in certain situations.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TOEFL Agree/Disagree Essay Tips
Your essay should have the following:
- Clear paragraphs (an introduction, body, and conclusion)
- A clearly defined argument
- Examples to support your argument
- Well constructed sentences with varied structures
- Conjunctions
Clear paragraphs (an introduction, body, and conclusion)
Do you know how to write well constructed paragraphs? A paragraph should have a topic sentence that clearly states the main idea of the paragraph. Every sentence in the paragraph should support this main idea through use of examples or supporting evidence. Your CISL instructor will teach you all of the tips and tricks to writing great introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs!
A clearly defined argument
With this prompt, you are being asked to agree or disagree. Make sure that you do so! Your essay needs to have a clear thesis statement which includes your opinion: read our article on Writing a Thesis Statement to learn how to do this effectively.
Examples to support your argument
Why do you feel the way you do? Don’t be afraid to use your own examples and life experiences: these are valuable!
Well constructed sentences with varied structures
The same sentence structure for the entire paragraph can be boring: mix it up by using things like the Passive Voice or various English tenses to avoid this monotony.
CISL has an articles on many of the English tenses: check them out!
- Simple Present
- Simple Past
- Simple Future
- Present Continuous
- Past Continuous
- Future Continuous
- Present Perfect
- Present Perfect Continuous
- Future Perfect
- Future Perfect Continuous
Conjunctions
Conjunctions enhance your writing in many ways. Conjunctions such as moreover, additionally, therefore, and in summary help to guide the reader through your essay, and because they can join sentences together, conjunctions help form longer, more varied sentence structures (see above).
Check out our article on Conjunctions in Writing to improve your TOEFL writing score significantly!
Sample TOEFL Agree or Disagree Prompts
Prompt 1:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Technology has changed the way we communicate, but not for the better.”
Prompt 2:
“Tourism negatively affects cities more than it positively affects them.” Do you agree or disagree?
Prompt 3:
“The internet has made cheating much easier for students, and students of today actually learn less than students who learned before the internet.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Prompt 4:
“The best way to get to know a culture is through its food.” Do you agree or disagree?
CISL is proud to offer eight-student intensive TOEFL preparation courses. Our classes, which are taught by well trained and dedicated instructors, focus on the writing, reading, listening, speaking, and grammar skills necessary to ace the exam.