I think the most frequently asked question about the new TOEFL writing task (“writing for an academic discussion”) is about the timing. Test-takers want to know if the ten minutes provided for the task is for both reading and writing. The answer to that comes from a Tweet by ETS:
The second task requires a limited amount of reading to provide a context for writing and help the writer form a response. The reading is part of the task, so it is included in the 10-minute response time.
So there ya go. You’ve got ten minutes to read the question, read the student responses and write your own response. That will require effective time-management. I recommend quickly skimming the responses so that you can spend most of your time writing your own answer.
I do hope that ETS recognizes that a lot of people want to know this information, and that a Tweet (a reply no less) is probably not the best way to disseminate it!
