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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: But how can we describe their effects on other groups of people, such as sports enthusiasts or sports fans? Consider the following question: When people spend a lot of time watching sports or following their favorite team, does it have a negative effect on their lives? Why or why not?

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Task Overview

Dr. Achebe

This week, we are discussing the social psychology of sports. We have learned that sports often have positive psychological effects on athletes, such as the members of sports teams.But how can we describe their effects on other groups of people, such as sports enthusiasts or sports fans? Consider the following question: When people spend a lot of time watching sports or following their favorite team, does it have a negative effect on their lives? Why or why not?

Claire

I agree that focusing on sports too much can have negative impacts. For example, some people who like watching sports on television have few other interests. In fact, it seems like watching sports is all they're interested in. I sometimes find such people annoying because they care too much about things that don't matter.

Paul

I am not sure what we mean by spending "a lot of time" following sports. But following sports has helped me in life. When I first met one of my best friends. Daphne. I started a conversation with her by saying something about a sports team I liked. Then we moved to other topics, but sports were a great conversation-starter.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In my opinion, I concur with Claire's assertion that an excessive focus on sports can yield detrimental consequences for individuals. Firstly, major sporting events, such as the World Cup, often lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices among avid fans during the competition period. For example, my father is an ardent supporter of both the World Cup and European Cup. During these events, he frequents a German restaurant with fellow enthusiasts to indulge in beer and fried foods. Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, televised sports can entice ordinary individuals to engage in online gambling, resulting in significant financial losses for many families.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

  • Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.5

  • Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.0

  • Language Use and Grammar: 4.0

2. 预估分数

26. 3 任务完成度

这篇文章在任务完成度方面表现较好,回答了题目中的问题,并给出了合理的论据。但是,为了更好地完成任务,建议在论证观点时提供更多具体的例子和细节。此外,可以尝试讨论一下正面影响,以使文章更全面。

改进示例1:为了支持观点,可以提供一个关于赌博成瘾导致家庭破裂的具体案例。 改进示例2:在讨论负面影响时,可以提到过度关注体育可能导致忽视其他重要生活方面(如工作、家庭和社交活动)。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构清晰,包括引言、主体和结论。每段都集中讨论一个特定观点并提供支持细节。然而,在段落之间加入更明确的过渡语句可以使文章更连贯。

改进建议1:在引言部分简要介绍正反两方观点,以便读者对文章内容有个大致了解。 改进建议2:在主体段落之间使用过渡词或短语(如“此外”、“然而”等),以使文章更连贯。

5. 语法批改

In my opinion, I concur with Claire's assertion that an excessive focus on sports can yield detrimental consequences for individuals. Firstly, major sporting events, such as the World Cup, often lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices among avid fans during the competition period. For example, my father is an ardent supporter of both the World Cup and European Cup. During these events, he frequents a German restaurant with fellow enthusiasts to indulge in beer and fried foods. Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, televised sports can entice ordinary individuals to engage in online gambling, resulting in significant financial losses for many families.

Section Title: 6. Article Revision

Revised Essay: I concur with Claire's perspective that an excessive preoccupation with sports can have negative repercussions on individuals' lives. One notable consequence is the promotion of unhealthy lifestyle choices during major sporting events, such as the World Cup. For instance, my father, a fervent fan of both the World Cup and European Cup, frequents a German restaurant with fellow enthusiasts to indulge in beer and fried foods during these competitions. Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension. Furthermore, televised sports can lure casual viewers into online gambling, leading to substantial financial losses for numerous families. (105 words)

In my opinion, Revised Essay: 6. Article Revision

I concur with Claire's assertion perspective (Changed "assertion" to "perspective" for a more natural tone) that an excessive focus on preoccupation (Changed "focus" to "preoccupation" for better clarity) with sports can yield have negative repercussions (Changed "yield detrimental consequences consequences" to "have negative repercussions" for individuals. Firstly, a more natural tone) on individuals' lives. One notable consequence is the promotion of unhealthy lifestyle choices during major sporting events, such as the World Cup, often lead Cup. For instance, my father, a fervent fan (Changed "ardent supporter" to unhealthy lifestyle choices among avid fans during the competition period. For example, my father is an ardent supporter "fervent fan" for a more natural tone) of both the World Cup and European Cup. During these events, he Cup, frequents a German restaurant with fellow enthusiasts to indulge in beer and fried foods. foods during these competitions (Changed "events" to "competitions" for better clarity). Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, Furthermore, televised sports can entice lure casual viewers (Changed "entice ordinary individuals individuals" to engage in "lure casual viewers" for a more natural tone) into online gambling, resulting in significant leading to substantial financial losses for many families.numerous families (Changed "many families" to "numerous families" for better word choice).

8 思维导图


- 主题: 过度沉迷于体育的负面影响
  - 不健康的生活方式
    - 世界杯期间的饮食习惯
    - 父亲的例子
  - 电视体育与网络赌博
    - 吸引观众参与赌博
    - 家庭经济损失

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
preoccupation/priːɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/nounthe state of being completely absorbed in something全神贯注An excessive preoccupation with sports can have negative repercussions on individuals' lives.
repercussion/ˌriːpərˈkʌʃən/nounan unintended consequence of an event or action反响,影响One notable consequence is the promotion of unhealthy lifestyle choices during major sporting events.
indulge/ɪnˈdʌldʒ/verbto allow oneself to enjoy something放纵My father indulges in beer and fried foods during these competitions.
hypertension/haɪpərˈtɛnʃən/nounabnormally high blood pressure高血压Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension.
televised/ˈtɛlɪvaɪzd/adjectivebroadcast or transmitted by television电视转播的Televised sports can lure casual viewers into online gambling.
lure/lʊər/verbto tempt or attract someone to do something引诱Televised sports can lure casual viewers into online gambling.
online gambling/ˈɒnlaɪn ˈɡæmblɪŋ/nounthe activity of betting money on the outcome of games网络赌博Online gambling leads to substantial financial losses for numerous families.
financial loss/faɪˈnænʃəl lɒs/nouna decrease in money or monetary value经济损失Online gambling leads to substantial financial losses for numerous families.
enthusiast/ɪnˈθjuːziæst/nouna person who is highly interested in a particular subject热衷者,爱好者My father, a fervent fan of both the World Cup and European Cup, frequents a German restaurant with fellow enthusiasts.
diabetes/daɪəˈbiːtiːz/nouna disease in which the body's ability to produce insulin is impaired糖尿病Such habits inevitably contribute to health issues like diabetes and hypertension.

How Academic Discussion Is Scored

The TOEFL Academic Discussion task is evaluated based on the official ETS scoring rubric. AI evaluation analyzes each response across multiple dimensions.

Relevance & Contribution

Does the response address the question and contribute meaningfully to the discussion?

Language Use

Grammar accuracy, vocabulary range, and sentence structure quality.

Development & Support

Are ideas well-developed with specific examples and clear reasoning?

Common Patterns Across Responses

Based on analysis of user submissions for this task, here are common patterns observed in student responses.

Many students provide clear opinions but lack specific supporting examples.

Strong responses directly reference the reading passage and other speakers' viewpoints.

Higher-scoring responses use varied sentence structures and academic vocabulary.

Time management is a key factor — responses that feel rushed tend to score lower on development.

Learning Tips

1

Read the prompt carefully and identify all parts of the question before writing.

2

Reference the reading passage and the other students' opinions in your response.

3

Use specific examples to support your main point — avoid generic statements.

4

Aim for 120-150 words. Longer responses are not always better; clarity and focus matter more.

5

Practice timed responses (10 minutes) to build fluency under exam conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the TOEFL Academic Discussion task?
The TOEFL Academic Discussion task requires you to contribute to an online classroom discussion. You'll read a professor's question and other students' responses, then write your own post expressing and supporting your opinion in about 10 minutes.
How is the Academic Discussion task scored?
The task is scored on a scale of 0-5 based on relevance to the discussion, quality of language use (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure), and how well you develop and support your ideas with specific examples and reasoning.
What are the user samples on this page?
These are real responses submitted by TOEFL test-takers who practiced this question on LingoLeap. Each sample has been evaluated by our AI scoring engine, which provides a score and detailed feedback on strengths and areas for improvement.
How accurate is the AI evaluation?
LingoLeap's AI evaluation engine is trained on official ETS scoring rubrics and calibrated against human rater scores. While no automated system is perfect, it provides reliable feedback for practice purposes and helps identify specific areas for improvement.
How can I practice this Academic Discussion task?
You can practice by signing up for a free LingoLeap account. Write your own response to this exact question, submit it, and receive instant AI evaluation with detailed feedback on your writing.
How long should my Academic Discussion response be?
Aim for 120-150 words. The task gives you 10 minutes to write your response. Focus on clarity, supporting your opinion with specific examples, and referencing the discussion context rather than writing a longer response.

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