All Samples

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on history& culture. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

Real user submissions with AI-powered evaluation and feedback

3 user-submitted samples available

Start Free Practice

Task Overview

Professor

As I was saying, some universities don’t have classes where students can learn about world history. However, some universities require students to take a course on world history in order to graduate. I want you to have a discussion about this and tell me do you think all students should learn about world history at university.

Student A

I believe all students should learn about world history at university. Through learning, we can have a better understanding of the heritage of humankind, and thus having a clear mind about where we came from and where we are heading. In my opinion, this benefit is universal.

Student B

I don’t think all students should learn about world history at university. Some students like myself just aren’t that interested in culture and history. We prefer to spend our time on doing science experiments and field research. So, if it becomes a compulsory thing, it’s likely to be a waste of time for us.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

Influenced by the prevaling view that learning history could help people to learn lessons from the past events and do a better job in the future, many universities start to offer world history class for students. However, because of the tight schedule of university students, the benefits of providing every students with world history class and referring it as a graduate requirement are overshadowed by their drawbacks. Students whose major do not related to world history are so exhausted by their major courses that they do not have rest energy to take this kind of class. To illustrate this point, I would like to take my own experience for example. As a student who major in chemistry, when I studied in my university, I have to take part in at least ten courses each semester. Spending six and a half day on articipating courses and completing their assignments have already made me exhausted, let alone taking world history class, which is nothing to do with my professional development. Therefore, I believe that not all students should be asked to take a world history class which could add extra burden to them.

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

Estimated Score: 27

3. 任务完成度

这篇文章在回答问题方面做得很好,但仍有一些改进的空间。首先,你可以尝试提供更多具体的例子来支持你的观点。例如,你可以讨论一下学习世界历史对于那些专注于科学和技术领域的学生来说是如何不切实际的。此外,在文章中加入一些对于赞成方观点的讨论也会使文章更加全面。

Example 1: Instead of just mentioning your personal experience, you could provide a more general example, such as "Students majoring in engineering or computer science may find it difficult to allocate time for a world history course due to their already demanding course load."

Example 2: You could add a counterargument, such as "While some may argue that learning world history can broaden one's perspective and foster critical thinking skills, it is important to consider the practicality of making it a requirement for all students."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面基本上是清晰的,但仍有改进空间。首先,可以在开头部分明确提出自己的观点,并在结尾部分进行总结。其次,在正文部分中使用过渡词汇可以使文章更加流畅。

Example 1: In the introduction, you could write, "In this essay, I will argue that not all students should be required to take a world history course due to the potential burden it may impose on their academic workload."

Example 2: Use transition words or phrases to improve the flow of your essay. For example, "Furthermore, students with different interests and career goals may not find world history relevant to their future endeavors."

5. 语法批改

Influenced by the prevalingprevailing(misspelling) view that learning history could help people to learn lessons from the past events and do a better job in the future, many universities start to offer world history class for students. However, because of the tight schedule of university students, the benefits of providing every studentsstudent('every/each' + SINGULAR) with world history class and referring it as a graduate requirement are overshadowed by their drawbacks. Students whose major do not related to world history are so exhausted by their major courses that they do not have rest energy to take this kind of class. To illustrate this point, I would like to take my own experience for example. As a student who major in chemistry, when I studied in my university, I have to take part in at least ten courses each semester. Spending six and a half day on articipatingparticipating(misspelling) courses and completing their assignments have already made me exhausted, let alone taking world history class, which is nothing to do with my professional development. Therefore, I believe that not all students should be asked to take a world history classclass,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) which could add extra burden to them.

Section Title: The Necessity of World History Education for All Students

In response to the professor's question, I believe that while learning history can indeed provide valuable insights into past events and help shape a better future, mandating world history courses for all university students may not be the most effective approach. The demanding schedules and diverse interests of students must be taken into consideration when designing curricula. For instance, students whose majors are unrelated to world history may find themselves overwhelmed by their existing coursework and unable to fully engage with an additional subject.

Drawing from my personal experience as a chemistry major, I recall having to juggle numerous courses each semester, dedicating almost seven days a week to attending classes and completing assignments. Adding a world history class—which held little relevance to my professional development—would have only increased my workload and potentially hindered my academic progress in my chosen field. Consequently, I contend that requiring all students to take a world history course may impose an unnecessary burden on those who are already stretched thin by their academic commitments. (181 words)

Revised essay: Section Title: The Necessity of World History Education for All Students

Influenced by the prevaling prevailing view (corrected spelling) that learning history could help people to learn lessons from the past events and do a better job in the future, many universities start to offer world history class for students. However, because of the tight schedule of university students, the benefits of providing every students student (singular form) with a world history class and referring to it as a graduate requirement are overshadowed by their drawbacks. Students whose major majors do not related relate (corrected verb form) to world history are so exhausted by their major courses that they do not have rest energy (rephrased for clarity) to take this kind of class. To illustrate this point, I would like to take my own experience for example. example (rephrased for clarity). As a student who major majors (corrected verb form) in chemistry, when I studied in my university, I have to take part in at least ten courses each semester. Spending six and a half day days (added "s" for plural form) on articipating participating (corrected spelling) courses and completing their assignments have already made me exhausted, let alone taking a world history class, which is has nothing to do with my professional development. development (rephrased for clarity). Therefore, I believe that not all students should be asked to take a world history class which could add extra burden to them.

8 思维导图


1. The Necessity of World History Education for All Students
   ├── 1.1 Valuable insights from history
   ├── 1.2 Demanding schedules and diverse interests
   │   ├── 1.2.1 Unrelated majors
   │   └── 1.2.2 Overwhelmed students
   └── 1.3 Personal experience as a chemistry major
       ├── 1.3.1 Juggling numerous courses
       ├── 1.3.2 Little relevance to professional development
       └── 1.3.3 Unnecessary burden on academic commitments

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
insights/ˈɪn.saɪts/nouna clear, deep understanding of a complicated problem洞察力Learning history can provide valuable insights into past events and help shape a better future.
demanding/dɪˈmændɪŋ/adjectiverequiring a lot of effort, skill, or attention要求高的The demanding schedules and diverse interests of students must be taken into consideration.
curricula/kəˈrɪk.jə.lə/nounthe subjects studied in a school, college, etc课程设置Curricula should be designed considering the diverse interests of students.
overwhelmed/ˌoʊ.vərˈwɛlmd// adjectivefeeling like you have too much to do不堪重负的Students may find themselves overwhelmed by their existing coursework.
juggle/ˈdʒʌɡ.əl/verbto try to manage and balance different commitments尽力平衡I recall having to juggle numerous courses each semester.
relevance/ˈrel.ə.vəns/nounthe quality of being directly connected or important to something相关性A world history class held little relevance to my professional development.
hindered/ˈhɪn.dərd/verb/to limit the ability of someone or something/妨碍/Adding a world history class would have potentially hindered my academic progress in my chosen field.
contend/kənˈtend//verb/to compete with others in a struggle/争论/I contend that requiring all students to take a world history course may impose an unnecessary burden.
unnecessary/ˌʌnˈnes.ə.ser.i//adjective/not needed/不必要的/Requiring all students to take a world history course may impose an unnecessary burden on them.

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.

Rooting for Your Goal Score Today!

With LingoLeap, an expert in English exams

Get to Your Dream Score Faster

Try for free now