Providing Feedback on a Colleague’s Proposal (Intermediate)

Situations for Sending an Email to Colleague

In TOEFL Writing Part 2, you are tasked to compose an email based on a given situation. One common scenario is writing an email to a colleague about an event that has already taken place. In this case, the email typically focuses on providing feedback or suggesting ways to improve future events.

Because this type of email serves a professional purpose, it is important to maintain an appropriate level of formality throughout the message.

Maintain Formality

The level of formality in an email depends on the context and the relationship between the sender and the recipient. In TOEFL Writing Part 2, emails addressed to colleagues are generally written for professional purposes. Although colleagues are not strangers, the relationship is typically work-related rather than personal.

For this reason, casual or informal language is usually inappropriate unless the prompt explicitly allows it. Maintaining a clear and professional tone is essential in this task.

Now, let’s try writing an email based on a similar scenario.

Practice Question

Email Prompt

You will read some information and use the information to write an email. You will have 7 minutes to write the email.

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Your colleague, Nina, recently led a short presentation during a team meeting about introducing a weekly “focus hour,” during which no internal messages or calls would be allowed. The goal is to help team members concentrate on complex tasks without interruptions. The idea will be discussed again next week before a final decision is made. You have tried adjusting your schedule based on Nina’s proposal and would like to share your thoughts with her beforehand.

Write an email to Nina. In your email, do the following:

• Explain how the proposed focus hour might affect your daily work.
• Mention one potential benefit of the idea.
• Express one concern or question in a constructive way.

Write as much as you can and in complete sentences.

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Your Response:
To: Nina
Subject: Regarding the Proposed Focus Hour

Remember that you only have 7 minutes to complete the task. This means you are not expected to provide an in-depth analysis of the problem or detailed suggestions. Keep your ideas simple and focus on clarity.

Also, since you are writing an email to a colleague, the tone does not need to be overly formal. As long as you avoid highly colloquial expressions, a polite and natural style is enough.

Model Answer

To: Nina,
Subject: Regarding the Proposed Focus Hour

Hi Nina,

I’ve been thinking about the weekly focus hour you mentioned at the meeting and tried setting aside uninterrupted time yesterday to see how it would feel. I noticed that I was able to complete a report more efficiently without checking messages every few minutes, which was definitely a positive change.

At the same time, I wondered how urgent client requests would be handled during that hour. Some of my tasks require quick responses, so I’m unsure how flexible the rule would be in practice. Overall, I think the idea has real potential, and I’m interested in seeing how we might make it work for everyone.

Best regards,
Joe

Opening Greeting

This email is addressed to a colleague, so the opening can be as simple as “Hi [Name],” if you know the recipient and the required level of formality is not high.

Explaining How the Change Affects Performance

When a prompt introduces a proposed change to a rule and asks you to provide feedback, one effective strategy is to write as if you have already tried the new approach yourself.

In this case, you can mention that you intentionally tested the “focus hour” policy to see how it worked in practice. Then, explain clearly how it affected your performance. In the model response, this idea is expressed as follows:

… and tried setting aside uninterrupted time yesterday to see how it would feel. I noticed that I was able to complete a report more efficiently without checking messages every few minutes, which was definitely a positive change.

Notice that the writer doesn’t simply say the policy is good. Instead, the effect is demonstrated through a concrete result. This makes the feedback more persuasive.

Potential Benefit of the Idea

You don’t need to explain the potential benefit in a separate paragraph if it’s already clear from the example you provide. When you describe how the change affected you, the benefit becomes obvious.

In the model response, the writer does exactly that. Instead of stating the benefit in abstract terms, the effect is shown through a concrete experience:

… and tried setting aside uninterrupted time yesterday to see how it would feel. I noticed that I was able to complete a report more efficiently without checking messages every few minutes, which was definitely a positive change.

Here, the improvement in efficiency naturally demonstrates the benefit of the proposed idea. There is no need to repeat the same point in a more general way. Showing the result is often stronger than explaining it again.

Expressing a Concern or Question

Finally, the prompt asks you to raise one concern or question about the introduction of the “focus hour.” Keep in mind that raising a concern doesn’t mean directly opposing the idea. Instead, it can suggest ways to improve or refine the proposal.

A realistic concern would involve situations that require immediate communication. For example, what happens if a colleague urgently needs advice before responding to a client, especially if you are the person primarily responsible for that account? In fast-paced work environments, delaying communication for an hour could create unnecessary complications.

In the model response, this concern is expressed clearly and naturally:

At the same time, I wondered how urgent client requests would be handled during that hour. Some of my tasks require quick responses, so I’m unsure how flexible the rule would be in practice.

Notice that the writer doesn’t attack the idea. Instead, the concern is framed as a question about flexibility. This keeps the tone professional and constructive, which is important in TOEFL Writing Part 2.