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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Writing | Question 2 of 2 Your professor is teaching a class on marketing. Write a post responding to the professor's question.

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Task Overview

Professor

Let's continue talking about consumer behavior. We have been discussing different ways people go about choosing what products to buy, and there are many potential sources of information and advice for consumers. In your opinion, which is the better strategy for making purchasing decisions, relying on advice from friends and family, or depending on information from online sources? Why?

Claire

Asking friends and family members for product recommendations might seem like an easier option, but it might take too much time to get all the information you need. An internet search would be much more efficient. There are many consumer magazines available online that compile lots of data to compare the advantages and disadvantages of one product versus another.

Paul

The last time I bought a computer, I just watched a few videos online to make a decision, and now I regret that. My friends could have advised me better because they know my preferences and the kind of features that I am interested in. Consumers should get advice from the people around them to find the most suitable products.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

I share Paul’s perspective that friends’s and family’s advice are more useful for me to choose and purchase a product. My reasons stem from that friends and family’s advice can be more authentic, and more customized than online information since company will select the comments of their product. For example, recently I want to buy a new computer to help me learn graphic design, and my brother have one, so I asked him to give me some advice for buying computer. He told me that the iMac have outstanding screen and a captivating audio effects, which will be fulfilled my needs of learning graphic design. Finally, when I buy it, it is exactly like what my brother said. Eventually, I firmly believe that friends’s and family’s advice are more useful.

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

  • 27

3. 任务完成度

总体来说,这篇文章回答了教授的问题,并提供了一些有力的论据。但是,为了更好地完成任务,建议在文章中添加更多细节和例子来支持观点。此外,尝试从不同角度讨论问题,以使讨论更丰富。

示例1:在讨论朋友和家人建议的可靠性时,可以添加一个关于在线评论可能受到操纵的例子。 示例2:在描述购买电脑的经历时,可以详细说明为什么朋友和家人的建议比在线信息更适合自己的需求。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结尾。然而,在组织上还有改进空间。首先,在引言部分简要介绍主题,并明确表达观点。其次,在正文部分逐一阐述论点,并提供相关支持细节。最后,在结尾部分总结观点并呼应引言。

建议1:在引言中明确表达观点:“我认为向朋友和家人寻求建议在购买决策中更有价值。” 建议2:在正文中分段讨论论点,例如第一段讨论朋友和家人建议的可靠性,第二段讨论他们的建议如何更符合个人需求。

5. 语法批改

I share Paul’s perspective that friends’sfriend's(wrong genitive (e.g., 'employees's' instead of 'employee's')) and family’s advice are more useful for me to choose and purchase a product. My reasons stem from that friends and family’s advice can be more authentic, and more customized than online information since companythe company(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.) will select the comments of their product. For example, recently I want to buy a new computer to help me learn graphic design, and my brother have one, so I asked him to give me some advice for buying computera computer(This rule identifies whether the article 'a' is missing in a sentence.). He told me that the iMac have outstanding screen and a captivating audio effects, which will be fulfilled my needs of learning graphic design. Finally, when I buy it, it is exactly like what my brother said. Eventually, I firmly believe that friends’sfriend's(wrong genitive (e.g., 'employees's' instead of 'employee's')) and family’s advice are more useful.

Title: 6 文章修订

In my opinion, seeking advice from friends and family is a more effective strategy for making purchasing decisions than relying solely on online sources. This is because the recommendations from our loved ones tend to be more authentic and tailored to our specific needs, as opposed to the potentially biased information found online. For instance, when I recently wanted to purchase a computer for graphic design purposes, I consulted my brother who already owned one. He recommended the iMac due to its exceptional screen quality and impressive audio effects, which perfectly aligned with my requirements. Upon purchasing it, I found that his advice was indeed accurate. Thus, I strongly believe that the insights provided by friends and family are invaluable in guiding our consumer choices. (128 words)

I In my opinion, seeking advice from friends and family (I rephrased "I share Paul’s perspective that friends’s and family’s advice are more useful for me to choose and Paul's perspective" to make it more concise and direct) is a more effective strategy for making purchasing decisions than relying solely on online sources (I clarified the comparison being made). This is because the recommendations from our loved ones tend to be more authentic and tailored to our specific needs (I rephrased "more authentic, and more customized" for better flow), as opposed to the potentially biased information found online (I added this phrase to explain why online information might not be as reliable). For instance, when I recently wanted to purchase a product. My reasons stem from computer for graphic design purposes (I specified the purpose of buying a computer), I consulted my brother who already owned one (I corrected the tense of "have" to "owned"). He recommended the iMac due to its exceptional screen quality and impressive audio effects (I replaced "outstanding" with "exceptional" and "captivating" with "impressive" for better word choice), which perfectly aligned with my requirements (I rephrased "fulfilled my needs" for better flow). Upon purchasing it, I found that friends and family’s his advice can be more authentic, and more customized than online information since company will select the comments was indeed accurate (I corrected the tense of their product. For example, recently I want to buy a new computer to help me learn graphic design, and my brother have one, so I asked him to give me some advice for buying computer. He told me that the iMac have outstanding screen and a captivating audio effects, which will be fulfilled my needs of learning graphic design. Finally, when I buy it, it is exactly like what my brother said. Eventually, I firmly "buy" to "purchasing"). Thus, I strongly believe that friends’s and family’s advice the insights provided by friends and family are more useful.invaluable in guiding our consumer choices (I rephrased the concluding sentence for better flow and clarity).

8 思维导图

graph LR
A[Seeking advice from friends and family] --> B[More effective strategy]
B --> C[Authentic recommendations]
B --> D[Tailored to specific needs]
E[Online sources] --> F[Potentially biased information]
G[Personal experience] --> H[Purchasing a computer for graphic design]
H --> I[Consulted brother]
I --> J[iMac recommendation]
J --> K[Exceptional screen quality and impressive audio effects]
K --> L[Satisfied with the purchase]

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
authentic/ɔːˈθentɪk/adjectivegenuine; not fake or copied真实的The recommendations from our loved ones tend to be more authentic.
tailored/ˈteɪlərd/adjectivemade or adapted for a particular purpose定制的Their advice is tailored to our specific needs.
biased/ˈbaɪəst/adjectiveunfairly prejudiced for or against someone有偏见的Online sources can provide potentially biased information.
consultation/kənˌsʌlˈteɪʃən/nounthe action or process of formally consulting咨询I consulted my brother who already owned a computer for graphic design purposes.
recommendation/ˌrekəmənˈdeɪʃən/nouna suggestion or proposal as to the best course推荐He recommended the iMac due to its exceptional screen quality and impressive audio effects.
exceptional/ɪkˈsepʃənl/adjectiveunusually good; outstanding杰出的The iMac has exceptional screen quality.
audio effects/ˈɔːdi.oʊ ɪˈfekts/nounsound enhancements in media production音频效果The iMac also has impressive audio effects.
requirements/rɪˈkwaɪərmənts/nounthings that are needed or wanted要求The iMac's features perfectly aligned with my requirements.
invaluable/ɪnˈvæljuəbl/adjectiveextremely useful; indispensable无价的I strongly believe that the insights provided by friends and family are invaluable in guiding our consumer choices.

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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