TOPIK Writing 54: How to Write the 600–700 Character Essay (Structure, Timing, Scoring)

TOPIK writing question 54 is an opinion essay of 600–700 Korean characters on a social topic, and it is worth 50 points — the single biggest question in TOPIK II. You must answer every sub-question in the prompt, organize the essay as introduction – body – conclusion, write in the -다 style, and never copy the prompt. With about 25–30 minutes and a fixed structure, even a level 4 writer can score well.

This guide follows NIIED's official document "TOPIK II 쓰기 답안 작성 방법" (How to write TOPIK II writing answers). Before 54, make sure you are comfortable with questions 51–52 and question 53 — they take less time and give you safe points.

What the question looks like

The instruction is always close to this:

다음을 주제로 하여 자신의 생각을 600~700자로 글을 쓰십시오. 단, 문제를 그대로 옮겨 쓰지 마십시오.

("Write your own opinion on the topic below in 600–700 characters. Do not copy the question.")

Below it comes a short paragraph that introduces a social issue, and then two or three guiding questions. In the official sample the topic is environmental pollution (환경오염), and the essay must cover:

1. the problems caused by environmental pollution (환경오염으로 생긴 문제점),
2. the efforts needed to reduce it (환경오염을 줄이기 위한 노력),
3. concrete ways to put it into practice (실천 방법).

These guiding questions are the task. The official notes say you must include all of them and develop each one fully. An essay that answers two of three questions is incomplete, no matter how good the Korean is.

⚠️ 600–700 characters, not words — Korean syllable blocks, counting spaces and punctuation. On the paper answer sheet (원고지) each one takes a box. 650 characters is roughly 12–16 sentences.

How the 50 points are scored

The official table also splits each category into grades. For language, a top-band answer gets 10–13 (× 2), a middle-band answer 6–9 (× 2) and a low-band answer 0–5 (× 2). So the gap between "simple but correct" and "rich and accurate" Korean is worth a lot.

The official notes for 54 say:

• - Complete every part of the task and express it fully.
• - Use an introduction – body – conclusion structure, and start a new paragraph when the topic changes.
• - Use upper-intermediate to advanced grammar and vocabulary. "Even for the same content, writing it in higher-level language earns a high score for language."
• - Write formally. Spoken expressions or the endings -ㅂ/습니다 and -아/어요 lose points.
• - Do not write in bullet points (개조식).

A 4-paragraph structure that always works

Most prompts have three guiding questions, so a 4-paragraph essay maps onto them neatly.

If the prompt has only two questions, give each its own body paragraph and use the conclusion to restate your opinion.

What it looks like in Korean (official sample topic)

These sentences are our own examples, written for the official sample topic:

• - Introduction: 최근 산업이 발달하면서 환경오염이 심각한 사회 문제가 되고 있다. 환경오염은 우리의 건강과 생활에 직접적인 영향을 미치기 때문에 더 이상 미룰 수 없는 문제이다.
• - Body 1 (problems): 먼저 환경오염은 사람들의 건강을 위협한다. 예를 들어 미세먼지가 심한 날이 늘어나면서 호흡기 질환을 앓는 사람이 많아졌다. 또한 …
• - Body 2 (efforts + practice): 따라서 환경오염을 줄이기 위해서는 정부와 개인이 함께 노력해야 한다. 정부는 오염 물질 배출 기준을 강화하고, 개인은 일회용품 사용을 줄이고 대중교통을 이용하는 등 생활 속에서 실천해야 한다.
• - Conclusion: 환경은 한번 파괴되면 회복하기 어렵다. 그러므로 작은 일이라도 지금 바로 실천하는 자세가 필요하다.

Notice: no copied sentences from the prompt, -다 endings throughout, one paragraph per guiding question, and a clear link word at the start of each paragraph (먼저, 따라서, 그러므로).

Time plan for the 50-minute writing section

On the paper test all four writing questions share 50 minutes. This is a common split (a suggestion, not a rule):

Inside the 54 block:

1. 3–5 min — plan. Underline the guiding questions. Write 3–4 keywords for each paragraph in the margin of the question booklet.
2. 18–20 min — write directly on the answer sheet, paragraph by paragraph. There is no time for a full rough draft.
3. 2–3 min — check endings (-다), spelling of words you use often, and that every guiding question is answered.

Some learners write 54 before 53, so the big question never gets squeezed. Try both orders in timed practice and keep the one that gives you a complete 54.

Expressions for each paragraph

These are standard phrases, not taken from the official document.

Introduction

• - 최근 …이/가 사회적으로 큰 문제가 되고 있다.
• - …에 대해서는 의견이 다양하다. (there are many views on …)
• - 나는 …다고 생각한다. / 이 글에서는 …에 대해 살펴보고자 한다.

Body — reasons and examples

• - 그 이유는 다음과 같다. 첫째, … 둘째, …
• - 예를 들어 / 실제로 (for example / in fact)
• - …기 때문이다. · …(으)로 인해 … (because of …)
• - 또한 / 뿐만 아니라 (also / not only that)

Body — contrast and solutions

• - 물론 …(으)ㄴ/는 측면도 있다. 그러나 … (of course … but …)
• - 이를 해결하기 위해서는 …아/어야 한다.
• - …는 것이 바람직하다. (it is desirable to …)

Conclusion

• - 이처럼 / 지금까지 살펴본 바와 같이 (as we have seen)
• - 따라서 / 그러므로 …아/어야 할 것이다.

Use them as frames, not as a memorized essay. Examiners read thousands of answers; a ready-made essay that does not answer this prompt scores badly on content.

Mistakes that lose the most points

1. Skipping a guiding question. The most expensive mistake — it hits the 12-point content score.
2. Copying the prompt. The instruction says 문제를 그대로 옮겨 쓰지 마십시오. Rephrase the issue in your own words.
3. -습니다 / -아요 endings or spoken words (너무, 진짜, 근데). The official notes say they lose points.
4. One huge paragraph. The official notes ask you to change paragraphs when the topic changes — it is part of the structure score.
5. Bullet points or numbered lists instead of sentences. 첫째, 둘째 inside normal sentences is fine; a list is not.
6. Going far under 600 characters. There is no official "minus X points" rule for length, but a short essay can't develop three guiding questions, so content and structure scores drop. Writing past 700 doesn't add points either.
7. Writing outside the answer area. The 2026 rules say an answer written outside its area, or in the wrong question's box, gets no points. Fix mistakes with two lines or your own correction tape.

On the computer test (IBT)

The IBT writing section has 3 questions in 50 minutes, typed on a keyboard with a character counter. The task types are close to the paper test, but not identical — try the official IBT demo on topik.go.kr before your test day, and practice typing Korean at speed.

How to practice 54

• - Build a topic bank. 54 topics are social issues: technology, education, environment, work, media, aging society. For each, prepare 2–3 reasons and one concrete example.
• - Write one full essay a week under time (30 minutes) on grid paper. Count characters at the end.
• - Rewrite one paragraph with better grammar. Replace 많다 with 증가하고 있다, 때문에 with (으)로 인해, 해야 한다 with 바람직하다. That is exactly what "higher-level language" means in the official notes.
• - Study model answers from the official past papers — see the TOPIK past papers list. Check how they answer each guiding question in order.

How much does 54 matter for your level? The writing section is 100 of TOPIK II's 300 points, and levels are set by total score — see the TOPIK score table.

Get feedback on your 54 essay

Writing alone, it is hard to know where the points went. In TOPIKly you can write a 54 answer inside a TOPIK II practice set, and the AI grader scores it on content, structure and language and points out what to fix (AI grading is part of the Pro plan). Try TOPIK II practice questions.

Sources: NIIED, "TOPIK Ⅱ 쓰기 답안 작성 방법" (official writing guide with scoring tables, PDF on topik.go.kr) · Ministry of Education notice No. 2025-317, 2026 TOPIK implementation plan · topik.go.kr.