Students often ask how long the TOEFL essays should be. My opinion is that the academic discussion answer should be between 110 and 130 words, and the integrated essay should be between 280 and 300 words.
Let me explain where these numbers come from, and my general ideas about TOEFL essay length.
For the academic discussion question, I feel that 110 to 130 words is long enough to use a wide range of words and various grammatical structures. Trying to fit various words and grammatical structures into a very short answer is possible… but it can be very difficult.
Regarding the integrated essay, I feel that 280 to 300 words is enough to write one or two sentences about the reading, and two sentences about the lecture in each body paragraph. To get a really good score in this task you need to include quite a few details from the lecture. Short essays are usually missing important lecture details. This length will also allow you to follow the templates contained in my guide to the task.
Remember: there is no penalty for writing too much.
Sign up for express essay evaluation today!
Submit your practice essays for evaluation by the author of this website. Get feedback on grammar, structure, vocabulary and more. Learn how to score better on the TOEFL. Feedback in 48 hours.