What is the fee of registering for the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

Applicants who choose to take the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition must pay an amount of INR 16,900 for registering, which is the same for TOEFL iBT.

How many times is the TOEFL iBT Home Edition conducted in a month?

The TOEFL iBT Paper Edition is offered once or twice every month.

As the TOEFL iBT exam is conducted in two sessions, do I have to book two dates or one?

You need to schedule two appointments when you register: one at your neighbourhood testing facility and the other at your house.

In some places, why is the duration of the first session of TOEFL iBT Paper Edition written as three and half hours? What is the actual duration?

The test duration at a centre is three hours. An additional thirty minutes is allocated for test administration tasks, such as admitting examinees, allowing them to input identifying information, and managing test materials.

Are there any special requirements for the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

As the Speaking section is conducted from home, please ensure that you have the required setup for both the equipment and environment before registering. You will get the details from the official website.

TOEFL Writing Score Calculation: Grading Criteria, Score Interpretation

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TOEFL iBT® Test Writing Score Calculation: Marking Criteria, Score Interpretation

Smruti Das

4 min read

Updated On September 10, 2024

Key Highlights

Marking Criteria for TOEFL Writing Score
Score Descriptors for TOEFL Writing Tasks
Marking Rubric of TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task
Marking Rubric of TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

Mastering the TOEFL iBT® is a crucial milestone for international students pursuing academic endeavours overseas. Despite its challenges, the writing component can be effectively tackled with the correct strategies.

This blog aims to elucidate the calculation process of your TOEFL writing iBT score, providing insights into the marking criteria and the score descriptors used by the raters.

Marking Criteria for TOEFL Writing Score

The TOEFL writing section is scored on a scale of 0-30. Your writing is scored based on two tasks, and each task is scored on a scale of 0-5 by two independent readers. These scores are then averaged to give you a raw score between 0 and 10. This raw score is then converted into a scaled score between 0 and 30. Here’s a quick overview of what the raters look for in TOEFL Writing:

Task Type	Integrated Writing Task	Writing Academic Discussion Task
Direction	Write a response after reading a passage and listening to a recording of a lecture.	Write a short opinion in response to an academic discussion in a class.
Quality of Response	How well you integrate and relate information from the reading and listening materials.	Relevance and depth of your argument.
Language Used	Accuracy and range of grammar and vocabulary.	Grammar, vocabulary, and spelling accuracy.
Word Count	150-225 words	100+ words
Time	20 minutes	10 minutes

Check out - What is a Good TOEFL iBT® Writing Score in 2024?

Score Descriptors for TOEFL Writing Tasks

Before delving into the specifics of TOEFL Writing tasks, let's explore the score descriptors that delineate the criteria for evaluating your performance. Understanding these descriptors is crucial for achieving success in the writing section of the TOEFL exam.

Level	Score	CEFR Level	Description
Advanced	24–30	C1	Test takers achieving scores within this range exhibit a high level of proficiency in writing. They can confidently and clearly articulate their thoughts on a wide array of academic and non-academic topics. Their writing is characterised by clear organisation, well-developed arguments supported by appropriate details and explanations, and a rich vocabulary and grammatical repertoire. Note: Test takers scoring 29-30 may perform at CEFR Level C2.
High-Intermediate	17–23	B2	Test takers at the High-Intermediate demonstrate competence in writing on general or familiar topics. While they can convey most of the main ideas effectively, their writing may lack completeness or clarity, especially when tackling complex or academic concepts. Though grammatical errors and lapses in cohesion may occasionally impede the flow of their writing, they exhibit a reasonable level of proficiency.
Low-Intermediate	13–16	B1	Test takers at this level can produce simple written texts on general or familiar topics. However, their writing may suffer from limited development of ideas, inadequate details, and inaccuracies in summarising source information. Language errors and deficiencies in organisation may also hinder comprehension in some areas.
Basic	7–12	A2	Those scoring in this range are able to convey very basic information in written English. Their writing generally lacks depth and detail, with grammatical errors, unclear expressions, and poor sentence structure posing challenges to comprehension.
Below Basic	0-6	—	Test takers scoring below 7 have not yet demonstrated proficiency even at the Basic level. Their writing is extremely limited, with significant deficiencies in organisation, coherence, and language accuracy.

Marking Rubric of TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Task

Your TOEFL Academic Discussion writing score indicates:

Score	Rubric Notes
5	Relevant and well-elaborated explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
	Addresses the topic excellently with details and examples
	Written logically
	Strong language skills with no grammatical mistakes
4	Well addresses the topic but may lack full elaboration
	Well-structured content flow
	Noticeable grammatical mistakes that do not interfere with meaning
	Good vocabulary and language use
3	Somewhat addresses the topic
	Considerable use of examples and details
	Occasional unrelated sentences
	Inconsistent writing
	Standard vocabulary with accurate sentences
2	Not well-connected to the question
	Lacks enough examples and details
	Unclear idea of the topic
	Contains some sentence errors
	Poor word choice
	Many general sentences
1	No connection to the prompt
	Irrelevant details
	Poor content organisation
	Multiple grammatical errors
	Inaccurate or unjustified examples
	Limited vocabulary
0	Not written or just copied sentences from the prompt
	Incorrect sentence usage
	No relation to the prompt

Want to achieve your desired writing score on the TOEFL?
Check out our expert-curated TOEFL writing practice tests.

Marking Rubric of TOEFL Integrated Writing Task

While both Integrated and Independent Writing tasks in the TOEFL are scored on a 0-5 scale, they use different criteria. Here's a breakdown of the TOEFL Integrated Writing rubric:

Score	Rubric Notes
5 (Excellent)	Successful selection of the most crucial information from the passage and audio clip
	Well-organised and coherent essay structure
	Information presented accurately, with minimal grammatical errors, and logically
4 (Good)	Considerable amount of important information from the passage and audio clip included
	Minor inaccuracies and vagueness in the essay content
	Occasional lack of clarity in certain parts
3 (Average)	Topics from the passage generally connected with information from the audio clip
	Does not cover all the key points
	Contains grammatically inaccurate and incomplete sentences
2 (Poor)	Includes some relevant information from the passage and clip
	Marked by significant errors and misinterpretations
	Multiple spelling errors and Language level below standard, topic misinterpreted
1 (Very Poor)	Usage of extremely low-level language
1 (Very Poor)	Contains very little meaningful information
0 (Incomplete)	Not an essay, just a copied sentence from the passage with severe grammatical mistakes

Understanding the TOEFL writing score calculation is just the first step. By familiarising yourself with the marking criteria and practicing diligently, you'll be well on your way to achieving a stellar writing score and unlocking your academic dreams abroad. So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing today!

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