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TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: In your opinion, do social media influencers generally have a positive or negative effect on their followers? Why do you think so?

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Task Overview

Professor

This week, we discussed the importance of role models in society. One idea we discussed was the widespread impact of “influencers.” Influencers are people who are very active posting on social media and who have many followers. Influencers‘ posts and opinions can influence their followers’ choices on everything from fashion to politics. In your opinion, do social media influencers generally have a positive or negative effect on their followers? Why do you think so?

Claire

I think the influencers‘ effect is generally positive. People can learn about the latest trends and topics in a very quick and efficient way by following influencers. In the past, people had to spend time looking through magazines or visiting boutiques to even know what was trending.

Paul

I think influencers generally have a negative effect because they have far too much influence. I can think of one influencer who only has to mention a particular kind of sports shoes, and the next day they’ll be sold out. The followers aren’t really thinking for themselves; they’re just blindly following their influencers’ choices.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

Regrading to this question, I align with Paul's perspective that social media influencers have negative effect on people because they may lead a blind following. With the widespread of smart phones, all children have easy access to social media influencers. Influencers' videos will attract teenagers who may don't have the ability to recognize their needs, to follow their makeup, brand shoes, and expensive phones, leading to unnecessary spending. Additionally, some social media influencers even use their influence to abuse people online. Sine teenagers are a big part of their fans, it may lead them to follow this terriable behaviros, harming other's mental health. Therefore, I firmly believe that social media influencers have negative influence on people, especially on teenagers.

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,你的文章回答了问题,表达了自己的观点。但是,为了更好地完成任务,你可以尝试以下几点改进:

  1. 在论述观点时,可以提供更多具体的例子和详细的解释。

  2. 考虑引入反驳观点,并对其进行反驳,以使论证更加有说服力。

示例1(英文): Instead of just mentioning that influencers can lead to unnecessary spending, you could provide a specific example, such as how a popular influencer promoted an expensive clothing brand, causing many teenagers to spend their savings on items they didn't need.

示例2(英文): You could introduce a counterargument by acknowledging that some influencers promote positive messages or raise awareness about important issues, but then argue that the overall negative impact of influencers on teenagers' decision-making and mental health outweighs these benefits.

4. 文章结构与组织

你的文章结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在组织方面还有一些改进空间:

  1. 在段落之间使用过渡词或短语,使文章更连贯。

  2. 每个段落中都要有一个明确的主题句,并围绕这个主题句展开论述。

示例1(英文): To improve the transition between paragraphs, you could add a sentence like "Despite the potential benefits of following influencers, their negative impact on teenagers cannot be ignored."

示例2(英文): For a clearer topic sentence in your second paragraph, you could write: "One major issue with social media influencers is their promotion of consumerism, which can lead to unnecessary spending among teenagers."

5. 语法批改

Regrading toRegarding this question, I align with Paul's perspective that social media influencers have negative effecteffects on people because they may lead ato blind following. With the widespread of smart phones,smartphones, all children have easy access to social media influencers. Influencers' videos will attract teenagers who may don'tnot have the ability to recognize their needs, to follow their makeup, brand shoes, and expensive phones, leading toresulting in unnecessary spending. Additionally, some social media influencers even use their influence to abuse people online. SineSince teenagers are a big part of their fans, it may lead them to follow this terriable behaviros,terrible behavior, harming other'sothers' mental health. Therefore, I firmly believe that social media influencers have negative influenceinfluences on people, especially on teenagers.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

In response to the question, I concur with Paul's viewpoint that social media influencers generally exert a negative impact on their followers due to the potential for fostering blind allegiance. With the ubiquity of smartphones, children and teenagers can easily access content from these influencers. Their captivating videos may entice impressionable young individuals, who may lack the discernment to identify their true needs, into emulating their makeup styles, purchasing branded shoes, or acquiring expensive phones, ultimately resulting in unnecessary expenditure. Moreover, certain social media influencers exploit their sway to engage in online harassment. As adolescents constitute a significant portion of their fan base, this could lead them to adopt such detrimental behaviors and inflict emotional distress on others. Consequently, I firmly maintain that social media influencers predominantly have an adverse effect on people, particularly teenagers. (140 words)

Regrading In response to this question, the question (clarifying the context), I align concur with Paul's perspective viewpoint that social media influencers have generally exert a negative effect impact on people because they may lead a their followers due to the potential for fostering blind following. allegiance (rephrasing for clarity and conciseness). With the widespread ubiquity of smart phones, all smartphones (replacing "widespread" with a more precise term), children have easy and teenagers can easily access to social media content from these influencers. Influencers' Their captivating videos will attract teenagers may entice impressionable young individuals (improving readability), who may don't have lack the ability discernment to recognize identify their needs, to follow true needs, into emulating their makeup, brand makeup styles, purchasing branded shoes, and or acquiring expensive phones, leading to ultimately resulting in unnecessary spending. Additionally, some expenditure (clarifying meaning). Moreover, certain social media influencers even use exploit their influence sway (using a more appropriate term) to abuse people online. Sine teenagers are engage in online harassment. As adolescents constitute a big part significant portion of their fans, it may fan base (improving readability), this could lead them to follow this terriable behaviros, harming other's mental health. Therefore, adopt such detrimental behaviors and inflict emotional distress on others (correcting spelling and grammar). Consequently, I firmly believe maintain that social media influencers predominantly have negative influence an adverse effect on people, especially on teenagers.particularly teenagers (rephrasing for clarity and emphasis).

8 思维导图


1. 社交媒体影响力
   1.1 负面影响
       1.1.1 盲目效仿
       1.1.2 不必要的消费
   2. 智能手机普及
       2.1 儿童和青少年易接触社交媒体内容
   3. 影响力者视频吸引力
       3.1 年轻人缺乏辨别能力
   4. 网络欺凌现象
       4.1 影响青少年行为模式
   5. 青少年心理健康受损

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
concur/kənˈkɜr/verbto agree同意I concur with Paul's viewpoint that social media influencers generally exert a negative impact on their followers.
ubiquity/juːˈbɪkwɪti/nounthe state of being everywhere, especially at the same time普遍存在With the ubiquity of smartphones, children and teenagers can easily access content from these influencers.
discernment/dɪˈsɜrn.mənt/nounthe ability to judge well辨别力They may lack the discernment to identify their true needs.
emulate/ˈem.jə.leɪt/verbto try to be like someone or something you admire模仿Impressionable young individuals may be enticed into emulating their makeup styles.
expenditure/ɪkˈspen.dɪ.tʃər/nounthe act of using or spending energy, time, or money开支This can ultimately result in unnecessary expenditure.
exploit/ˈek.splɔɪt/verbto use someone or something unfairly for your own advantage利用Certain social media influencers exploit their sway to engage in online harassment.
sway/sweɪ/nouncontrol or influence影响力Social media influencers exploit their sway to engage in online harassment.
detrimental/ˌdet.rɪˈmen.təl/- adjective -- causing harm or damage -- 有害的 -- This could lead them to adopt such detrimental behaviors and inflict emotional distress on others. -
adverse/ædˈvɜrs/- adjective -- having a negative or harmful effect on something -- 不利的 -- I firmly maintain that social media influencers predominantly have an adverse effect on people, particularly teenagers.

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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