Lesson 30 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Write an Email, Writing. In Write an Email, seven minutes go fast.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Write an Email (Writing)
English focus
Correcting a misunderstanding politely (facts, not blame); concise sentences (cutting filler, one idea per sentence); proofreading the errors that blur meaning
Task skill
Planning, writing and checking a complete email in seven minutes with a 1–5–1 routine
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
In Write an Email, seven minutes go fast. Many good writers spend too long on the first paragraph, rush or lose the third requirement, and have no time left to check their work.
And when the email corrects someone’s mistake, a first draft often sounds like blame.
This lesson teaches the English for correcting a misunderstanding politely (I think there may be a mix-up …, According to my records …), for writing short, clear sentences, and for a one-minute proofreading pass.
Then it shows you a simple routine for planning, writing and checking in seven minutes. In this lesson’s Check, the seven-minute limit is strict, as on test day.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Correct a misunderstanding politely: signal the mismatch without blame (I think there may be a mix-up …, It seems …, It looks like …), give a record the reader can check (what, when, how, proof), and ask one precise question or offer a quick fix.
Write concise sentences (cut filler such as due to the fact that, keep one main idea per sentence, join clauses with a word, not a comma), and proofread for the errors that blur meaning: names, tense with time words, ‑s and ‑ed endings, agreement, uncountable nouns, word order and fixed phrases.
Use the 1–5–1 routine (one minute to plan in keywords, five to write, one to check) to finish all three requirements, including any condition inside them, in seven minutes.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 30
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Correcting a misunderstanding politely
7
Cycle 2
English
Concise sentences and a proofreading pass
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Seven minutes: plan, write, check
8
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
confirmation noun
a message that says something is arranged or true
The confirmation email for the campsite arrived two minutes after I booked.
Goes with:
a confirmation email / number; get a confirmation
Word family:
confirm (verb); confirmed (adjective)
latest adjective
the newest; the most recent
Please use the latest version of the timetable; last week’s has two wrong room numbers.
Goes with:
the latest version / schedule / news
Word family:
late (adjective); lately (adverb): recently
provide verb
to give something that people need
The museum provides free lockers for visitors with large bags.
Goes with:
provide information; provide something for / to someone; provide someone with something
Word family:
provider (noun); provision (noun)
avoid a delay verb + noun collocation
to stop something from happening later than planned
To avoid a delay at the entrance, print your ticket before you arrive.
Goes with:
avoid a delay / avoid another delay; avoid + ‑ing
Word family:
avoidable (adjective); delay (verb): The train was delayed
upload verb
to send a file from your device to a website
I uploaded my lab report to the course page at 9 p.m., and it appeared right away.
Goes with:
upload a file / a photo to a website or folder
Word family:
download (verb): the opposite; upload (noun): the upload failed
remind verb
to help someone remember something
Could you remind me to return the projector on Friday?
Goes with:
remind someone of something / to do something / that …
Word family:
reminder (noun): a friendly reminder; remember (verb): keep something in your own memory
reach verb
to arrive at a place or a person (used for letters, files and messages)
The package reached the mailroom on Tuesday, but the notice came on Friday.
Goes with:
reach someone / reach an office (no preposition)
Word family:
reachable (adjective); reach (noun): within reach
missing adjective
not there when it should be; absent
Two chairs are missing from the seminar room; could someone check the storage closet?
Goes with:
a missing page / name; be missing from the list
Word family:
miss (verb); be missing from (+ a list or place)
sort out phrasal verb
to deal with a problem and fix it
Our two clubs booked the same room, but we sorted it out with a quick call.
Goes with:
sort out a mix-up / a problem; sort it out (neutral; resolve is more formal)
Word family:
sorted (adjective, informal): It’s all sorted
paper copy noun phrase
a printed version of a document
The online form kept freezing, so I brought a paper copy to the front desk.
Goes with:
bring / print a paper copy
Word family:
a digital / electronic copy; a hard copy (= a paper copy)
The takeaway: One minute to plan, five to write, one to check: give the facts calmly and make sure the third requirement gets written.
In the full course
Seven minutes: plan, write, check is part of the full TOEFL course
Unlock all 41 lessons with the TOEFL plan, or try one of the free lessons first.
✓All 3 teaching cycles of this lesson, with 22 drills and feedback on every answer
✓The 10-word bank, each word with a recall drill
✓A walk-through, guided practice and a Check on Write an Email