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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on city development. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, you should • express and support your personal opinion • make a contribution to the discussion in your own words An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

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Task Overview

Professor

Today, we're exploring the enduring impact of traditional media in our modern society. Despite the emergence of digital platforms, traditional media such as television and books continue to wield significant influence. Now, considering their impact on shaping perspectives and opinions, I'd like your insights. In your view, do you believe television holds greater importance, or do books exert a stronger impact on individuals in today's society? Explain the reasons behind your perspective, considering their respective reach and engagement.

Student A

Unlike books that require literacy skills and resources, television offers information readily available to a vast audience. Its audio-visual nature captivates diverse demographics, reaching individuals regardless of literacy levels. For instance, television news broadcasts reach millions instantly, shaping collective perspectives. Its immediacy and visual storytelling also create lasting impressions, influencing opinions and societal views more directly compared to the slower, more introspective impact of books

Student B

Books wield greater influence in modern society owing to their ability to convey specialized and in-depth knowledge. Unlike television, which often presents condensed or generalized information, books delve profoundly into various subjects, providing comprehensive insights and expertise. This depth allows readers to explore diverse perspectives, fostering critical thinking and nuanced opinions based on substantial information.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

From my perspective, books play a more important role in the impact of individuals in today’s society, just as what Claire claims. I would like to add that reading books allows us to establish different values and ethics based on different plot developments, which can shape people in the right way. To elaborate, children always watch the television because some TV shows can really hold their attention and entertain themselves, instead of obtaining knowledge from it. However, reading books can help children know necessary duties in the society and build good values. Taking children for example, the book from KongZi who was famous and outstanding writer in the ancient time of China. The books that were written by KongZi allows the children to know the fact that studing is a consistent and important progress in one’s life, and studing methods and be righteous and respectful to your parents and so on. Indeed, watching TV offers information that is avaliable for vast audiences. However, the contents of the TV show was dominated by the government, business and audiences’ taste. Thus, the information in TV show may be controlled and subjected. Therefore, I consider that reading books really bring a lot of benefits for the people in our society.

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

总体来说,你的文章回答了问题并对讨论做出了贡献。然而,有一些方面可以改进。首先,在引用其他学生观点时,尽量使用自己的话语表达。其次,尝试在论证过程中提供更多具体的例子和细节来支持你的观点。

Example 1: Instead of "Taking children for example, the book from KongZi who was famous and outstanding writer in the ancient time of China.", you could write "For example, children who read KongZi's books, a famous Chinese philosopher, can learn valuable lessons about respect, diligence, and the importance of education."

Example 2: Instead of "However, the contents of the TV show was dominated by the government, business and audiences’ taste.", you could write "However, television content is often influenced by government regulations, commercial interests, and audience preferences, which may limit its educational value."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构方面,你已经有了简介、主体和结论部分。但是,在段落之间加入更明确的过渡词或短语可以使文章更连贯。此外,请确保每个段落都集中讨论一个特定的观点,并提供相应的支持细节。

Example 1: Instead of "Indeed, watching TV offers information that is avaliable for vast audiences.", you could write "While it is true that television provides information to a wide audience, its content may not always be as impactful as books."

Example 2: You could add a concluding sentence to your last paragraph: "In conclusion, although both television and books have their merits, I believe that books have a stronger impact on individuals in today's society due to their ability to convey in-depth knowledge and promote critical thinking."

5. 语法批改

From my perspective, books play a more important role in the impact of individuals in today’s society, just as what Claire claims. I would like to add that reading books allows us to establish different values and ethics based on different plot developments, which can shape people in the right way. To elaborate, children always watch the television because some TV shows can really hold their attention and entertain themselves, instead of obtaining knowledge from it. However, reading books can help children know necessary duties in the society and build good values. Taking children for example, the book from KongZiKong(misspelling) who was famous and outstanding writer in the ancient time of China. The books that were written by KongZiKong(misspelling) allows the children to know the fact that studingstudying(misspelling) is a consistent and important progress in one’s life, and studingstudying(misspelling) methods and be righteous and respectful to your parents and so on. Indeed, watching TV offers information that is avaliableavailable(misspelling) for vast audiences. However, the contents of the TV show was dominated by the government, business and audiences’ taste. Thus, the information in TV show may be controlled and subjected. Therefore, I consider that reading books really bring a lot of benefits for the people in our society.

Section Title: The Impact of Books vs. Television on Individuals

In my opinion, books hold a more significant impact on individuals in today's society, as Claire has mentioned. I would like to emphasize that reading books enables us to develop diverse values and ethics based on various plot developments, which can guide people in the right direction. For instance, children often watch television for entertainment rather than acquiring knowledge from it. However, reading books can help children understand their responsibilities in society and cultivate positive values.

Taking the example of Confucius, a renowned writer from ancient China, his works teach children the importance of continuous learning throughout one's life and instill virtues such as respect for parents. These lessons are invaluable for personal growth and development.

While television does provide readily available information to a wide audience, it is essential to consider that the content may be influenced by government regulations, commercial interests, and audience preferences. Consequently, the information presented on television may be controlled or biased. In contrast, books offer an opportunity to delve deeply into various subjects and perspectives, fostering critical thinking and well-informed opinions.

In conclusion, I believe that reading books offers numerous benefits for individuals in our society by promoting personal growth and cultivating informed perspectives. (210 words)

From Revised essay: Section Title: The Impact of Books vs. Television on Individuals

In my perspective, books play opinion (clarifies that this is the writer's viewpoint), books hold a more significant impact (more formal and precise than "play a more important role in the impact of role") on individuals in today’s today's society, just as what Claire claims. has mentioned. I would like to add emphasize (more concise than "I would like to add") that reading books allows enables us to establish different develop diverse values and ethics based on different various plot developments, which can shape guide people in the right way. To elaborate, direction (clearer expression of the intended meaning). For instance, children always often watch the television because some TV shows can really hold their attention and entertain themselves, instead of obtaining for entertainment rather than acquiring knowledge from it. However, reading books can help children know necessary duties in the understand their responsibilities in society and build good cultivate positive values.

Taking the example of Confucius (corrected spelling and provided English name), a renowned writer from ancient China, his works teach children for example, the book from KongZi who was famous and outstanding writer in the ancient time of China. The books that were written the importance of continuous learning throughout one's life and instill virtues such as respect for parents. These lessons are invaluable for personal growth and development.

While television does provide readily available information to a wide audience, it is essential to consider that the content may be influenced by KongZi allows the children to know the fact that studing is a consistent and important progress in one’s life, and studing methods and be righteous and respectful to your parents and so on. ¶ Indeed, watching TV offers government regulations, commercial interests, and audience preferences (clarifies reasons for potential bias). Consequently, the information that is avaliable for vast audiences. However, the contents of the TV show was dominated by the government, business and audiences’ taste. Thus, the information in TV show presented on television may be controlled and subjected. ¶ Therefore, or biased. In contrast, books offer an opportunity to delve deeply into various subjects and perspectives, fostering critical thinking and well-informed opinions.

In conclusion, I consider believe that reading books really bring a lot of offers numerous benefits for the people individuals in our society.society by promoting personal growth and cultivating informed perspectives.

Display title: 8 思维导图


1. Impact of Books
   a. Develop diverse values and ethics
   b. Guide people in the right direction
   c. Cultivate positive values in children

2. Example: Confucius
   a. Importance of continuous learning
   b. Virtues such as respect for parents

3. Impact of Television
   a. Readily available information
   b. Potential influence by government, commercial interests, and audience preferences

4. Books vs Television
   a. Books foster critical thinking and well-informed opinions

5. Conclusion
   a. Reading books offers numerous benefits for personal growth and informed perspectives

Display title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
impact/ˈɪmpækt/nounthe effect or influence of one thing on another影响The impact of books on individuals is significant in today's society
diverse/daɪˈvɜrs/adjectiveshowing a great deal of variety多样的Reading books enables us to develop diverse values and ethics
cultivate/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/verbdevelop or improve through education培养Reading books can help children cultivate positive values
virtues/ˈvɜrtʃuːz/nounmoral excellence; goodness; righteousness美德;善良;正直Confucius' works instill virtues such as respect for parents
readily/ˈrɛdɪli/adverbwithout hesitation or difficulty轻而易举地Television provides readily available information to a wide audience
influenced/ˈɪnfluənst/adjectiveaffected by external factors受影响的The content on television may be influenced by government regulations and commercial interests
delve/delv/verbto search deeply and laboriously深入探究Books offer an opportunity to delve deeply into various subjects and perspectives
critical/ˈkrɪtɪkəl/adjectiveinvolving the objective analysis of facts涉及对事实的客观分析Reading books fosters critical thinking and well-informed opinions
perspectives/pərˈspektɪvz/nouna particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view观点;看法Books allow us to explore various subjects and perspectives, unlike television which can be biased.

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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