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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Do you think it isbeneficial to take breaks from reading orwatching the news for a period of a fewdays or weeks? Why or why not?

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Task Overview

Professor

In this course, we've been studying currentevents and discussing the value of beingeducated consumers of news.However, there isalso an opinion that we should periodicallylimit our exposure to current events and eventake breaks from the news. Do you think it isbeneficial to take breaks from reading orwatching the news for a period of a fewdays or weeks? Why or why not?

Student A

Beneficial or not, it would be impossibleToday, we're exposed to the news everywhere on our phones, on our computers, on big TVscreens in waiting rooms and in airport lounges.To take a break from the news, you would have towithdraw from all activities in society, which isunrealistic.

Student B

I think that taking a break from the newscould be helpful psychologically.It obviouslydepends on how long a break we take. Completelyavoiding watching or reading the news may betoo extreme, but taking a short break from thenews could help us avoid news stories that mayaffect us negatively

User Samples & Evaluation Results

1

User Sample #1

I think it can positively impact us to take short breaks from reading or watching the news for a period due to the fact that news can generate anxiety...

Score
26

User Sample

I think it can positively impact us to take short breaks from reading or watching the news for a period due to the fact that news can generate anxiety and depression, affecting our mental health. To be more specific, current news will cover the stories of unfortunate people and their miserable lives, such as a low-income family who died in the war between two countries. These stories will make us anxious about our safety, worrying about something that might not happen to us. Moreover, news can mislead our opinions about the world. Nowadays, people are only exposed to content and messages reinforcing their beliefs and values, which can be detrimental to the diversity of opinion. For example, my mom has an idea that it is harmful to take medicines. She received news telling her that people died because of taking medicines. While Claire is right about it being hard to take a break from the news, we can reduce the opportunities to watch them in a short period by cutting off the Internet and staying most of the time in a day at home.

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

整体来说,这篇文章回答了题目的问题,并对是否有益于暂时停止关注新闻进行了讨论。然而,文章在某些方面仍有改进的空间。首先,可以提供更多具体的例子来支持观点。其次,在讨论新闻对心理健康的影响时,可以引用一些研究或数据来增强说服力。

示例1:为了支持观点,可以添加一些关于新闻如何导致焦虑和抑郁的研究或数据。 示例2:在讨论避免负面新闻故事的好处时,可以提供一个具体的例子说明如何在短时间内减少接触新闻。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。但是,在组织上还有一些需要改进的地方。首先,正文部分应更加关注特定观点,并提供相应的支持细节。其次,在段落之间使用更明确的过渡词或短语,以帮助读者更好地理解文章的逻辑。

示例1:在讨论新闻对心理健康的影响时,可以将这一观点单独作为一个段落,并提供相关的支持细节。 示例2:在不同观点之间添加过渡词,如“此外”、“然而”等,以使文章结构更加紧密。

5. 语法批改

I think it can positively impact us to take short breaks from reading or watching the news for a period due to the fact that news can generate anxiety and depression, affecting our mental health. To be more specific, current news will cover the stories of unfortunate people and their miserable lives, such as a low-income family who died in the war between two countries. These stories will make us anxious about our safety, worrying about something that might not happen to us. Moreover, news can mislead our opinions about the world. Nowadays, people are only exposed to content and messages reinforcing their beliefs and values, which can be detrimental to the diversity of opinion. For example, my mom has an idea that it is harmful to take medicines. She received news telling her that people died because of taking medicines. While Claire is right about it being hard to take a break from the news, we can reduce the opportunities to watch them in a short period by cutting off the Internet and staying most of the time in a day at home.

Section Title: The Impact of Taking Breaks from News Consumption

In my opinion, taking short breaks from reading or watching the news can have a positive impact on our well-being, as constant exposure to news may lead to anxiety and depression, ultimately affecting our mental health. For instance, current news often highlights stories of misfortune and suffering, such as war-torn families or natural disasters. These stories can instill fear and concern for our own safety, causing us to worry about events that may never directly affect us. Furthermore, news consumption can inadvertently skew our perception of the world. In today's media landscape, individuals are frequently exposed to content that reinforces their existing beliefs and values, which can hinder the development of diverse opinions. For example, someone who believes that taking medication is harmful may only receive news supporting this notion, further solidifying their stance. While it may be challenging to completely disconnect from the news as Claire suggests, we can still minimize our exposure by limiting internet usage and spending more time at home engaged in other activities. (178 words)

I think it can positively impact us to take Section Title: The Impact of Taking Breaks from News Consumption

In my opinion, taking short breaks from reading or watching the news for can have a period due to the fact that news can generate positive impact on our well-being (revised for clarity and conciseness), as constant exposure to news may lead to anxiety and depression, ultimately affecting our mental health. To be more specific, health (revised for better flow). For instance, current news will cover the often highlights stories of unfortunate people and their miserable lives, misfortune and suffering, such as a low-income family who died in the war between two countries. war-torn families or natural disasters (revised for specificity). These stories will make can instill fear and concern for our own safety, causing us anxious to worry about our safety, worrying about something events that might not happen to us. Moreover, news can mislead our opinions about the world. Nowadays, people may never directly affect us (revised for clarity). Furthermore, news consumption can inadvertently skew our perception of the world (revised for conciseness). In today's media landscape, individuals are only frequently exposed to content and messages reinforcing that reinforces their existing beliefs and values, which can be detrimental to the diversity of opinion. hinder the development of diverse opinions (revised for better flow). For example, my mom has an idea someone who believes that it taking medication is harmful to take medicines. She received news telling her that people died because of taking medicines. may only receive news supporting this notion, further solidifying their stance (revised for clarity). While it may be challenging to completely disconnect from the news as Claire is right about it being hard to take a break from the news, suggests, we can reduce the opportunities to watch them still minimize our exposure by limiting internet usage and spending more time at home engaged in a short period by cutting off the Internet and staying most of the time in a day at home.other activities (revised for better flow and clarity).

8 思维导图


- Impact of Taking Breaks from News Consumption
    - Positive impact on well-being
        - Constant exposure may lead to anxiety and depression
    - Stories of misfortune and suffering
        - War-torn families, natural disasters
        - Instill fear and concern for safety
    - Skewed perception of the world
        - Reinforces existing beliefs and values
        - Hinders development of diverse opinions
    - Minimizing exposure to news
        - Limiting internet usage, spending more time at home engaged in other activities

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
consumptionkənˈsʌm(p)ʃ(ə)nnounthe action of using up a resource消费The rapid consumption of resources is harming the environment.
anxietyaŋˈzʌɪətinouna feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease焦虑Excessive news consumption can lead to anxiety.
depression/dɪˈprɛʃ(ə)n/noun/feelings of severe despondency and dejection/抑郁症/The constant exposure to negative news can cause depression.
perception/pərˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/noun/the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something/感知/News consumption can skew our perception of the world.
landscape/ˈlan(d)skeɪp/noun/all the visible features of an area of land/景观/The media landscape has changed significantly in recent years.
inadvertently/ɪnədˈvərt(ə)ntli/adverb/without intention; accidentally/无意地/Inadvertently, he reinforced his existing beliefs through news consumption.
diversedaɪˈvərsadjectiveshowing a great deal of variety多样的It's important to develop diverse opinions and perspectives.
disconnectˌdɪskəˈnɛktverbto break the connection of or between断开连接It can be challenging to completely disconnect from the news.
minimizeˈmɪnɪmaɪzverbreduce (something, especially something unwanted) to the smallest possible amount or degree最小化We can minimize our exposure to news by limiting internet usage.
engagedɪnˈgeɪdʒdadjectivebusy; occupied忙碌的Spending more time at home engaged in other activities can help reduce news consumption.

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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