TOPIK Writing Examples: the Essentials
The TOPIK writing examples below were written for this site to match the four task types of the writing section; none is copied from a real exam, and none is an official answer. Each sample shows the prompt, a model answer, an English translation and notes on what earns marks.
| Question | Task | Sample topic | Model length | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | fill two blanks in a practical text | email asking to move a presentation | one clause per blank | 10 |
| 52 | fill two blanks in an explanatory text | memory and review | one clause per blank | 10 |
| 53 | describe data | cyclists in an imaginary city | 235 characters | 30 |
| 54 | opinion essay | the meaning of volunteering | 646 characters (strong version) | 50 |
The character counts include spaces, which is how the length looks on the manuscript grid. The point values follow the breakdown published with the test; the current details are on topik.go.kr, the official TOPIK site. The task descriptions behind each sample are on the TOPIK writing hub, and the samples start with the shortest task.
What Does a Strong Q51 Answer Look Like?
A strong question 51 answer fits the meaning of the text around each blank and copies its register exactly. In the sample below, the text is a formal email, so both answers end in -습니다.
제목: 발표 날짜 변경
김 교수님께
안녕하십니까? 저는 교수님의 한국어 수업을 듣는 마리아입니다. 다음 주 수요일에 제가 발표를 하기로 했습니다. 그런데 그날 병원에 가야 해서 수업에 ( ㉠ ). 죄송하지만 발표 날짜를 금요일로 ( ㉡ )? 답장 기다리겠습니다.
마리아 올림
In English: "Subject: change of presentation date. Dear Professor Kim, Hello. I am Maria, a student in your Korean class. I am due to give my presentation next Wednesday. However, I have to go to hospital that day, so ( ㉠ ) the class. I'm sorry, but ( ㉡ ) the date to Friday? I look forward to your reply. From Maria."
Model answers:
- ㉠ 참석할 수 없습니다 (chamseokal su eopseumnida) "I cannot attend"
- ㉡ 바꿔 주실 수 있습니까 (bakkwo jusil su itseumnikka) "could you change"
Why Do These Q51 Answers Earn the Marks?
- Clue for ㉠: 병원에 가야 해서 ("because I have to go to hospital") gives a reason, and 수업에 needs a verb of attending. Together they demand "cannot attend".
- Clue for ㉡: the question mark after the blank and 죄송하지만 ("I'm sorry, but") signal a polite request in question form.
- Register: the email uses 안녕하십니까 and 기다리겠습니다, so both answers use -습니다, and ㉡ adds the honorific -시- (주실) toward the professor.
- Accepted variants: 갈 수 없습니다 for ㉠, and 바꿔 주시겠습니까 for ㉡ fit the same clues.
What Would Lose Marks in Q51?
Three kinds of answer lose marks here. 참석할 수 없다 has the right meaning but the essay register, which is wrong for an email. 못 가요 is correct Korean but casual-polite inside a formal text. 바꿀 거예요? changes the meaning to "Will you change it?", which is not a request. The register rule behind these choices is set out on TOPIK writing style, and the full routine for this task is on TOPIK question 51. The next task has the same blank format with a different text type.
What Does a Strong Q52 Answer Look Like?
A strong question 52 answer completes the logic of an explanatory paragraph, using the connector or contrast around each blank, in the passage's own plain -다 style.
공부를 잘하는 사람은 기억력이 좋을 것이라고 생각하기 쉽다. 그러나 실제로는 기억력보다 복습하는 습관이 ( ㉠ ). 사람은 새로 배운 내용을 시간이 지날수록 빨리 잊어버린다. 그래서 공부를 잘하는 사람들은 배운 내용을 ( ㉡ ) 다시 확인한다.
In English: "It is easy to think that people who study well must have good memories. However, in reality, the habit of reviewing ( ㉠ ) than memory. People forget newly learned things faster as time passes. So people who study well check what they learned again ( ㉡ )."
Model answers:
- ㉠ 더 중요하다 (deo jungyohada) "is more important"
- ㉡ 잊어버리기 전에 (ijeobeorigi jeone) "before they forget it"
How Do You Find the Clue for Each Blank?
Find the clue in the connector before the blank and the sentence after it. For ㉠, 그러나 reverses the first sentence's idea about memory, and 기억력보다 ("rather than memory") calls for a comparison with 더, giving 더 중요하다. For ㉡, the sentence before says people forget quickly, and 그래서 ("so") points to the action that prevents it: checking again before forgetting. Both answers end in the plain style because the passage does.
What Would Lose Marks in Q52?
Answers that ignore the logic or the register lose marks in question 52. 더 중요해요 has the right meaning but the spoken polite ending inside a plain -다 passage. 좋다 for ㉠ misses the comparison that 기억력보다 sets up, so it only half answers the blank. 잊어버린 후에 ("after forgetting") for ㉡ reverses the logic of the passage, because the point is to review before the memory fades. A single word such as 복습 is also too thin: each blank needs a clause that completes the sentence. More practice passages are on TOPIK question 52. These two short tasks carry 20 points together; the next one carries 30 on its own.
What Does a Strong Q53 Answer Look Like?
A strong question 53 answer describes every part of the data, in order, in 200 to 300 characters, with no opinion and no title. The data below is invented for practice.
| City A: number of people who cycle | |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 30,000 |
| 2021 | 70,000 |
| 2026 | 120,000 |
| Causes | more cycle lanes; a public bike-share scheme |
| Outlook | about 200,000 expected in 2030 |
Model answer (235 characters including spaces):
A 시의 자전거 이용자 수 변화를 조사한 결과, 이용자 수는 2016년 3만 명에서 2021년 7만 명, 2026년 12만 명으로 꾸준히 늘어 10년 사이에 4배가 된 것으로 나타났다. 이렇게 이용자가 늘어난 원인으로는 두 가지를 들 수 있다. 첫째, 자전거 도로가 확대됐고 둘째, 누구나 쉽게 빌릴 수 있는 공공 자전거가 도입됐다. 이러한 추세가 계속된다면 2030년에는 이용자 수가 20만 명에 이를 것으로 예상된다.
"A survey of changes in the number of cyclists in City A found that the number rose steadily from 30,000 in 2016 to 70,000 in 2021 and 120,000 in 2026, quadrupling in ten years. Two causes of this increase can be given. First, cycle lanes were expanded, and second, a public bike-share scheme that anyone can use easily was introduced. If this trend continues, the number of cyclists is expected to reach 200,000 by 2030."
What Must a Q53 Answer Include?
A question 53 answer must include every element of the data: the trend with its numbers, each cause and the outlook. The model does this in four moves:
- Opening formula: 조사한 결과 ("the survey found that") names the data.
- Trend: 3만 명에서 ... 12만 명으로 ("from 30,000 ... to 120,000") with the time span, and a check of the arithmetic: 120,000 is four times 30,000, so 4배 ("four times") is correct.
- Causes: 첫째 and 둘째 list both causes in the order of the chart.
- Outlook: -(으)ㄹ 것으로 예상된다 ("is expected to") reports the prediction without giving an opinion.
Forms such as 확대됐고 and 도입됐다 are contractions of 확대되었고 and 도입되었다; both spellings are standard in writing. Numbers are written with Korean units, 3만 명, which is shorter on the grid than 30,000명. The way digits fill squares is explained on TOPIK writing rules.
Which Slips Cost Marks in Q53?
Four slips cost the most marks in question 53 answers like this one. The first is adding an opinion, such as 자전거를 더 많이 타야 한다 ("people should cycle more"), which the task does not ask for. The second is leaving out a part of the data, often the outlook in the last line of the chart. The third is a wrong number word: 4배 is right here, but writing 3배 by counting the increase (90,000 is three times 30,000) instead of the new total is a common slip. The fourth is a title above the paragraph, which the instruction forbids. The complete frame for chart answers, with trend expressions, is on TOPIK question 53. The essay that follows question 53 asks for your opinion, which question 53 never does.
What Does a Strong Q54 Answer Look Like?
A strong question 54 answer answers every guiding question in its own paragraph, reaches 600 to 700 characters and stays in the written style. The original prompt below is followed by a weak and a strong answer.
다음을 주제로 하여 자신의 생각을 600~700자로 글을 쓰십시오.
최근 학생과 직장인 사이에서 봉사 활동에 참여하는 사람이 늘고 있다. 아래의 내용을 중심으로 봉사 활동의 의미에 대한 자신의 생각을 쓰라.
- 봉사 활동은 왜 필요한가?
- 봉사 활동을 할 때 생기는 문제는 무엇인가?
- 봉사 활동이 의미 있으려면 어떤 태도가 필요한가?
In English: "Write your own view on the following topic in 600-700 characters. More and more students and office workers take part in volunteering. Write about the meaning of volunteering, covering: why volunteering is needed; what problems arise; what attitude makes volunteering meaningful."
What Is Wrong with the Weak Answer?
The weak answer below is 127 characters long and would score low on every criterion. It is reasonable Korean for a conversation, but it fails the task.
봉사 활동은 왜 필요한가? 저는 봉사 활동이 정말 좋아요. 왜냐하면 다른 사람을 도와주니까요. 근데 봉사 활동을 할 때 문제가 있어요. 사람들이 시간이 없어요. 그래서 봉사 활동은 중요하다. 우리는 봉사 활동을 많이 해야 한다.
- Copied prompt: the first sentence repeats a guiding question word for word.
- Mixed register: -아요 endings, then -다 endings, plus the humble 저는.
- Spoken words: 근데 and 정말 belong in conversation.
- Thin content: reasons are claimed, not explained; the third guiding question is never answered.
- Length and structure: about a fifth of the minimum, in one block with no paragraphs.
What Does the Strong Answer Do Differently?
The strong answer (646 characters including spaces) gives each guiding question a paragraph, supports each point with a reason or example, and never leaves the -다 style.
최근 주말이나 휴가를 이용해 봉사 활동에 참여하는 사람들을 쉽게 볼 수 있다. 봉사 활동은 도움이 필요한 사람에게 힘이 될 뿐만 아니라 봉사하는 사람 자신에게도 큰 의미가 있다. 그러나 그 의미를 살리기 위해서는 올바른 태도가 필요하다.
"These days it is easy to see people volunteering at weekends or on holiday. Volunteering gives strength to people who need help, and it also means a great deal to the volunteers themselves. However, to make it meaningful, the right attitude is needed."
우선 봉사 활동은 공동체를 유지하기 위해 필요하다. 정부나 기관의 지원만으로는 모든 사람의 어려움을 해결하기 어렵기 때문이다. 예를 들어 혼자 사는 노인을 돌보는 일은 이웃의 작은 관심에서 시작되는 경우가 많다. 또한 봉사하는 사람은 다른 사람의 삶을 가까이에서 보면서 자신이 가진 것의 가치를 깨닫게 된다.
"First, volunteering is needed to keep a community going, because support from the government or institutions alone cannot solve everyone's difficulties. For example, caring for older people who live alone often starts with small attention from neighbours. Volunteers also come to realise the value of what they have by seeing other people's lives up close."
그러나 봉사 활동에도 문제가 있다. 일부 사람들은 취업이나 입시에 필요한 봉사 시간을 채우기 위해 형식적으로 참여한다. 이런 경우에는 도움을 받는 사람의 입장보다 봉사하는 사람의 필요가 먼저가 되어 오히려 상대방에게 상처를 줄 수도 있다. 또 한두 번 참여하고 그만두면 도움을 받던 사람이 더 외로워질 수 있다.
"However, volunteering has problems too. Some people take part only as a formality, to fill the volunteering hours needed for jobs or university entrance. In such cases the volunteer's needs come before the position of the person being helped, which can even hurt them. And if volunteers take part once or twice and then stop, the person they helped may become lonelier."
따라서 봉사 활동이 의미 있으려면 상대방을 존중하는 태도가 필요하다. 내가 하고 싶은 일보다 상대방에게 필요한 일이 무엇인지 먼저 물어봐야 한다. 그리고 한 번의 행사로 끝내기보다 작은 일이라도 꾸준히 참여하는 것이 중요하다. 이러한 태도를 가질 때 봉사 활동은 모두에게 의미 있는 경험이 될 것이다.
"Therefore, for volunteering to be meaningful, an attitude of respect for the other person is needed. We should first ask what the other person needs rather than what we want to do. And it is important to take part steadily, even in small things, rather than finishing with a one-off event. With this attitude, volunteering will become a meaningful experience for everyone."
| Criterion | Weak answer | Strong answer |
|---|---|---|
| Guiding questions answered | 1 of 3, partly | 3 of 3, one paragraph each |
| Support | claims only | a reason or example for each point |
| Structure | one block | four paragraphs with 우선, 그러나, 따라서 |
| Register | -아요 and -다 mixed | -다 throughout |
| Linking patterns | 왜냐하면, 그래서 | -기 때문이다, -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라, -(으)려면, -기보다, -아/어야 한다 and more |
| Length | 127 characters | 646 characters |
More on planning the essay in 30 minutes is on the TOPIK 54 essay page. Reading a strong answer is useful only if you then score your own work against it.
How Do You Score Yourself?
Score yourself with the three criteria raters use for questions 53 and 54, on a simple 0 to 3 practice scale for each. This scale was made for this site to help self-study; it is not the official marking scheme, and its totals do not convert into TOPIK points.
| Criterion | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content and task | off-topic or blank | one guiding question or data point covered | most covered, little support | all covered, each with a reason, example or number |
| Structure | no order | some order, no paragraphs | paragraphs, weak links | clear paragraphs with signal words |
| Language use | many errors, spoken style | frequent errors or mixed style | few errors, limited range | few errors, varied patterns, written style throughout |
Two quick checks sit outside the scale. First, length: under the minimum, cap your content score at 1. Second, register: if any sentence uses -요 or -습니다 in questions 53 or 54, cap your language score at 1. Scored this way, the weak question 54 answer above gets 1 or less on each criterion, and the strong one gets 3 on each.
How Should You Use These Examples?
Use each example in three steps: read it with the notes, cover it and write your own answer to the same prompt under time, then compare paragraph by paragraph. Do not memorise the answers; raters see many essays and memorised text rarely fits a new prompt. For timed practice with full papers, see the TOPIK mock test page, and for habits that raise every score, the TOPIK writing tips.
The Bottom Line
Good TOPIK writing examples share three features: they answer exactly what the task asks, they follow the register of the task, and they reach the length range with real content. In questions 51 and 52, the clue is always in the text around the blank. In 53 and 54, the plain -다 style and one paragraph per job matter most, and a self-check against the three criteria shows you which one to fix next.
About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. All prompts, data and answers on this page were written for this site; the data in question 53 is invented. The Korean was drafted with AI assistance and cross-checked with the site's rule-based conjugation engine; a Korean reviewer checks every lesson before it is marked as reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Copy These TOPIK Writing Examples in the Exam?
No, and it would not help. The exam prompts are new each time, so a memorised answer rarely fits the task, and copied text that ignores the prompt scores low on content. Learn the structures and patterns instead: the opening formula, one paragraph per guiding question and the linking endings.
Are These TOPIK Writing Samples Official?
No. They were written for this site to match the four official task types, and the data in the question 53 sample is invented. Official past papers, including the writing questions, are published by the test organiser on topik.go.kr, and they are the best source of real prompts to practise with.
How Long Should a Q54 Answer Be?
Between 600 and 700 characters, counted with spaces as on the manuscript grid. Aim for about 650, which leaves room for a final sentence if you need it. The strong sample on this page is 646 characters; the weak one, at 127 characters, cannot complete the task whatever its language.
How Are TOPIK Writing Answers Scored?
Trained raters score them. Questions 51 and 52 are checked for meaning and register in each blank. Questions 53 and 54 are scored on content and task completion, the structure of the writing, and language use. The detailed marking scheme is not given to candidates; topik.go.kr publishes the current information.
Where Can I Find More TOPIK Writing Practice?
Use the official past papers on topik.go.kr for real prompts, and rewrite each one after comparing it with the annotated samples here. The question 54 page on this site has a second full model essay, on reading habits, with a 30-minute plan for writing it under time.