TOEFL writing task 2 tips that helped me most were honestly not about fancy vocabulary. The biggest change was planning for 2 minutes before typing. I force myself to write a super basic structure: opinion, 2 reasons, 1 example for each.
What worked for me:
- Pick the easier side fast instead of trying to sound balanced.
- Use one clear idea per body paragraph so coherence is obvious.
- Write simple examples from school, work, or daily life. They do not need to be impressive.
- Leave 3 minutes to check for repeated words, missing articles, and awkward sentences.
My template was basically: intro with my opinion, body 1 reason + example, body 2 reason + example, short conclusion. Once I stopped overthinking, my essays got way cleaner.