Free TOEFL® Writing Practice Tools Compared

You don’t need a paid subscription to improve your TOEFL® Writing score. Here are the best free TOEFL® Writing practice tools, what each offers, and how to combine them for structured, repeatable practice.

What to look for in a free TOEFL® Writing tool

A useful free tool should give you at least one of the following:

• Realistic prompts — tasks that match the current TOEFL® Writing format, including the Academic Discussion task.
• Structured feedback — scores or criterion-based notes, not just vague comments.
• Progress tracking — a way to save attempts and compare improvement over time.
• Phrase-level coaching — specific suggestions for words or sentences that could be more academic.

Comparison of free TOEFL® Writing practice options

Tool	Cost	Prompts	AI feedback	Best for
OpenPrep	Free / open source	Curated TOEFL®-style	Structured, rubric-based	Repeatable practice + saved attempts
ETS free resources	Free	Official samples	None	Understanding the test format
Raw ChatGPT / Claude	Your own subscription	You provide them	Conversational, unstructured	Quick questions or brainstorming
TOEFL forums / Reddit	Free	Community shared	Peer feedback	Reading example responses
Magoosh (free trial)	Trial access	Some	Some	Short-term sampling

OpenPrep: structured, local, and free

OpenPrep is a free, open-source macOS app for TOEFL® Writing practice. It includes curated prompts, a focused writing workspace, and structured AI feedback that returns an overall score, CEFR level, criterion subscores, improvement points, and phrase-level recommendations. Attempts are saved locally on your Mac, so you can revisit earlier work and watch your scores improve.

Because OpenPrep connects to AI tools you already use — ChatGPT via Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, or local Ollama — you don’t pay for another AI subscription.

ETS official resources

The official ETS website and TOEFL® practice materials are the best source for understanding the test format. They offer sample prompts and scored responses, but they do not provide ongoing feedback or progress tracking.

Raw ChatGPT or Claude

If you already subscribe to ChatGPT or Claude, you can paste prompts and ask for feedback. The downside is that the feedback is usually conversational and unstructured. You have to craft your own scoring rubric, manage prompts across chat threads, and track progress manually.

How to build a free TOEFL® Writing study routine

1. Learn the format with official ETS sample questions.
2. Practice 2–3 prompts per week in a structured tool like OpenPrep.
3. Review feedback carefully — focus on recurring weaknesses, not just the overall score.
4. Rewrite one sentence or paragraph from each attempt using the phrase-level suggestions.
5. Compare attempts monthly to see improvement in organization, grammar, and vocabulary.