This document provides guidance on writing a successful independent task essay for the TOEFL iBT exam. It outlines a 5-step process: understand, brainstorm, plan, write, and check. It then walks through an example essay responding to the prompt "In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are students. Do you think this is a good idea?" Following the outlined process, the example develops a 3-paragraph body supporting the opinion that working while studying can be beneficial, concluding that it brings benefits and skills for future careers.

1. Writing a successful independent task

4. Understand TOEFL iBT Independent Task Sample In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details. An effective response is 300 words long. If you write fewer than that you may still get a top score, but experience has shown that shorter responses do not tend to fully demonstrate the development of ideas required to get a score of 5.

5. Brainstorm

7. Introduction Strategy One There are 3 ways to write the introduction ONE: Find new words (paraphrase) that can describe the task. It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.

8. Introduction Strategy Two TWO: Use a ´stock paragraph´ that can be adapted to any task. Many people wonder/are talking about/debate what should be done about ______. Some people think it is best ______. However, other people think that ______. This is not an easy question to answer but in this essay I will look at this issue more closely. Example: Many people wonder what should be done about the fact that some students work and study at the same time . Some people think it is best to continue studying without the intrusion of work . However, other people think that work and study can be done with no problem at all . This is not an easy question to answer but in this essay I will look at this issue more closely.

9. Introduction Strategy Three THREE: Copy almost exactly what task tells you to do. In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are students. Can this be a good idea? I think this is the best thing to do and I will explain this point of view by using some of the reasons and details that make me hold that position. A rater will definitely know you copied this answer and he or she will assume that you do not have the necessary skills to make an introductory paragraph. You may still get a pretty high score if you demonstrate in the next paragraph that you can develop your ideas extremely well. In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.

10. Write Body paragraph one Let’s look at our plan and the first paragraph of the body: Body Paragraph 1 Yes Creates Independence We start with a Topic Sentence which explains our idea but does not give any specific details:

11. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Now let’s write the rest of the paragraph. Each sentence must be related to the Topic Sentence we just wrote. Don’t get off topic! We have to use the details we created while brainstorming ideas.

12. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. Let’s look at our Plan and write the second paragraph of the body: Body Paragraph 2 Yes Future competency if study-related We start with a Topic Sentence which explains our idea but does not give any specific details:

13. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. Now let’s write the rest of the paragraph. Each sentence must be related to the Topic Sentence we just wrote. Don’t get off topic! We have to use the details we created while brainstorming ideas.

14. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. It is always a good idea to ask people if they have found beneficial to work and study in the same area, their experiences may demonstrate that it is not difficult to work and study at the same time. For example, a girl working in a museum will enjoy having the experience she can use in class. DO NOT DO THIS! Although it sounds OK, it is neither directly related to the topic sentence nor gives the corresponding background of it all. Let’s do it again.

15. Sample essay It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. Again, let’s look at our Plan and write the third paragraph of the body: Body Paragraph 3 No Students dropping out of college

16. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. On the other hand, the number of students dropping out of colleges are alarming. No, no, no, no. This is too specific to be a topic sentence! Let’s try again.

17. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. On the other hand, there is a tendency to believe that students who engage in some kind of work might end up having a lack of interest in their studies. Now let’s write the rest of the paragraph. Each sentence must be related to the Topic Sentence we just wrote. Don’t get off topic! We have to use the details we created while brainstorming ideas.

18. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. On the other hand, there is a tendency to believe that students who engage in some kind of work might end up having a lack of interest in their studies. For some reason, several people claim that the levels of students dropping out of college come from the fact that these teenagers start developing a love for money that leads them to lose their interest in continuing with their studies. Although this may be true in some cases, it cannot represent the great majority of people who actually cope with both things and get their final goal of getting a degree.

19. Conclusion Now let’s write the conclusion. It must only repeat what has already been stated although it can also give your opinion. Do not get off the topic! You can begin by restating your thesis in the introduction.

20. Essay sample It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. On the other hand, there is a tendency to believe that students who engage in some kind of work might end up having a lack of interest in their studies. For some reason, several people claim that the levels of students dropping out of college come from the fact that these teenagers start developing a love for money that leads them to lose their interest in continuing with their studies. Although this may be true in some cases, it cannot represent the great majority of people who actually cope with both things and get their final goal of getting a degree. As it can be seen, working and studying at the same time surely brings a set of benefits that can surely give us a sense of autonomy and confidence that will lead to the acquisition of new skills for future job opportunities. Students can carry on with their studies and become the best professionals for the future.

21. Check It is commonly known that in many parts of the world where studies cannot be afforded easily by the younger population, students are allowed and even encouraged to work while pursuing studies at universities or colleges. This situation raises the question whether it can be considered a good idea or not for them to do so. I truly support the initiative that studying while working can be beneficial in many ways. One of the most important considerations is that working can create in the student a great sense of independence. Many cases are known in which students have to study away from home and may lack the financial support from their parents. These teenagers may seek opportunities to find certain part-time jobs that can give them the freedom and autonomy to pay for their own tuition as well as to take extra-curricular activities that can enhance their performance in the line of studies they are pursuing. In the same order of ideas, it is fact that those who work in study-related jobs will gain the necessary skills to become competent employees in the future. For example, a girl who is planning to major in applied and fine arts will definitely find beneficial to work in a museum even if it is part-time. The exposure to real art and the constant contact with artists and art critics will enhance her performance in her regular classes without mentioning that, once graduated, she will be taken seriously by a recognized gallery. On the other hand, there is a tendency to believe that students who engage in some kind of work might end up having a lack of interest in their studies. For some reason, several people claim that the levels of students dropping out of college come from the fact that these teenagers start developing a love for money that leads them to lose their interest in continuing with their studies. Although this may be true in some cases, it cannot represent the great majority of people who actually cope with both things and get their final goal of getting a degree. As it can be seen, working and studying at the same time surely brings a set of benefits that can surely give us a sense of autonomy and confidence that will lead to the acquisition of new skills for future job opportunities. Students can carry on with their studies and become the best professionals for the future. Let’s count! 71 words 85 words 92 words 101 words 57 words = 406 words

23. Congratulations You have just finished this tutorial. If you follow these steps you will be one of those who get the top scores.