Universal Templates for the TOEFL Writing Independent Task

This page collects reusable phrases for a position-and-reasons response in English: describing the background, introducing an issue, agreeing or disagreeing, signposting your points, giving reasons, and conceding a counterargument before returning to your own view. They were written for the TOEFL's old Independent Writing essay, but they work just as well in Write for an Academic Discussion, where you also take a position and support it, only in a shorter response.

A. Describing the general background

• It's widely / commonly / generally accepted (believed / recognized / acknowledged) that…

Talking about the present

• At present, / Currently, / These days, / Nowadays, …
• In this day and age, / In present-day society, / In today's society, / In contemporary society, / In the present age, …

Describing change and progress

• … has revolutionized / transformed / fundamentally changed our lives.
• … plays an increasingly important / significant role in…
• … has come to play an increasingly essential role in…
• … is advancing / progressing by leaps and bounds.
• … continues to advance at a staggering / an astonishing rate.
• Progress in… has enabled us to…
• Today, (communication / exchange) between… has become far more frequent.
• The impact of… on… has been enormous.
• Gone are the days when…

B. Expressing concern

• The issue of… is increasingly worrying / worrisome / serious.
• … has been deteriorating at an alarming rate.
• The issue of… has drawn widespread attention.
• With…, the problem of… has been thrown into sharp relief.
• With the incidence of… remaining high, many people have become alarmed.
• The incidence of… has been on the rise.
• … is having a profound impact on / serious repercussions for / important implications for…
• Today, there are many competing claims on our limited…
• The rapid changes in… have brought the issue of… into sharp focus.
• The spread of… has made many people fearful.
• As an inevitable consequence of…, …

C. Introducing the topic

• The debate over whether… has been going on for some time.
• People remain divided over whether…
• People are divided over whether…
• There is still no consensus on whether…
• The question of whether… has triggered intense debate.
• The issue of whether… has caused quite a stir.
• Whether… has sparked heated debate.
• Whether… has long been a controversial issue.
• When it comes to…, people tend to hold different views.
• There has been much discussion about whether…
• Today, an issue that has given rise to much debate is whether…
• People tend to have mixed opinions on…
• There have been mixed reactions to…

D. Expressing agreement or disagreement

Agreement

• I tend to agree with…
• I think that's a valid point.
• I entirely agree with…
• I'm in favor of…
• I tend to agree with…, and I would go further and say that…
• Personally, I think their view has considerable merit.

Disagreement

• I'm afraid I can't agree with…
• I don't share their point of view.
• I can't go along with…
• I don't think that idea will work.
• It seems to me that there may be other possibilities.
• I'm afraid my experience has been different.
• I would say the exact opposite.

Partial agreement

• In theory, that may be true, but in reality…
• That may be true to a certain extent, but we also have to consider…
• Speaking for myself, I agree with their proposal, with certain qualifications.
• I admit there is an element of truth in…

E. Signpost words

F. Giving your reasons

• The main / chief / principal / primary reason for… is…
• First and foremost, …
• A second factor / Another factor that should be taken into account is…
• A third point / Yet another thing we should consider is…
• A third argument that we should not overlook is…
• The most significant aspect of this issue is…

G. Expressing concession

• Admittedly, / Granted, / To be sure, / Undeniably, / Certainly, …
• I concede that… Nevertheless, …
• I recognize that… Nonetheless, …
• It may be tempting to argue that… However, …
• It may be true that… Still, …
• This is reasonable to the extent that… Despite that, …
• This is valid insofar as… However, closer examination reveals that…
• This argument has considerable merit in that… However, further analysis makes it clear that…

Putting it together: a fill-in frame

Here is how the categories above fit into one complete opinion response. Fill in the blanks for any agree/disagree topic, then swap in other phrases from the lists once the structure feels natural.

People are divided over whether ________. Some argue that ________.

Personally, I believe that ________, for two main reasons.

The main reason is that ________. For example, ________.

Another factor that should be taken into account is ________. When I ________, I found that ________.

Admittedly, ________. Still, ________.

For these reasons, I believe that ________.

For Write for an Academic Discussion, shorten this: one sentence stating your position, one developed reason with an example, and, if you have room, a brief concession or a response to another student's view.

To see phrases like these in full essays, read the sample answers for questions 1–10 and questions 11–20. For shorter linking words grouped by function, see the transition words list.