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

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Task Overview

Professor

Today, we're discussing the ethics of targeted advertising. Some people argue that online advertising which uses personal information to target specific people is an invasion of privacy. Others argue that it's simply an acceptable way to reach consumers with products and services they' re interested in. What' s your take? Do you think targeted advertising is ethical, or is it an invasion of privacy?

Jessica

I think targeted advertising is an invasion of privacy. Advertisers shouldn't be able to track and use our personal information to sell us products. It' s not fair to consumers,and it' s a violation of our rights. Instead,advertisers should focus on creating high-quality ads that appeal to a broad audience.

Mike

I disagree with Jessica. I think targeted advertising is ethical.It' s a more efficient way to reach consumers with products and services that are relevant to their interests. Plus, consumers can always opt-out of targeted advertising by adjusting their privacy settings. As long as advertisers give users a choice, I think targeted advertising can be beneficial for both businesses and consumers.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

I wholefully concur with Mike’s oponion that target advertising is ethical, as they are benefit for consumers by choose their own advertising.Furthermore, I believe that target advertising can save people’s time and reduce the company’s cost. With the development of the Internet,the contents of message become more and more complex. However, people use lots of time on scaning the information,so,accurate delivery is a necessary for people to save times. For example,I need a bag these days,searching the different kinds of bags evaluation. But as usual, advertisements recommend beauty and music that I don't need, which is not conducive to my bag’data collection. In addition, the advertisment also spend a large number of money,but inaccurate advertising placement may lead to high costs and insufficient returns. For example,the sports company is selling a football, but if they widely advertis, they will touch all kinds of person like artists,teachers and singer. All of them will not consume this product,so the money is waste. Consequently,targeted advertisment can save people’s time and reduce the company’s cost.

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: 3.5

2. 预估分数

26. 3 任务完成度

总体来说,你的文章回答了教授的问题,并表达了你对于目标广告的看法。然而,为了更好地完成任务,你可以在以下方面进行改进:首先,在论述观点时可以提供更具体的例子或数据来支持你的观点;其次,注意避免使用过于口语化的表达,以符合学术讨论的要求。

Example 1: Instead of "I wholefully concur with Mike’s oponion", you can write "I strongly agree with Mike's opinion".

Example 2: Instead of "But as usual, advertisements recommend beauty and music that I don't need", you can write "However, I often receive irrelevant advertisements related to beauty products and music, which are not helpful for my search for a bag."

4. 文章结构与组织

从文章结构和组织方面来看,你的文章基本上遵循了引言、正文和结论的结构。但是,在以下方面仍有改进空间:首先,可以在引言部分更明确地陈述自己的观点;其次,在正文部分注意使用恰当的过渡词或短语来连接不同观点。

Example 1: For a clearer introduction, you can write "In response to the professor's question, I strongly agree with Mike's opinion that targeted advertising is ethical and beneficial for both consumers and businesses."

Example 2: To improve transitions between ideas, you can write "Firstly, targeted advertising saves people's time by providing them with relevant information. For instance, when I was searching for a bag, receiving targeted advertisements would have been more helpful than getting irrelevant ads about beauty products and music."

5. 语法批改

I wholefullywhole fully(misspelling) concur with Mike’s oponionopinion(misspelling) that target advertising is ethical, as they are benefit for consumers by choose their own advertising.Furthermore Furthermore(Missing space between sentences), I believe that target advertising can save people’s time and reduce the company’s cost. With the development of the Internet,the, the(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) contents of message become more and more complex. However, people use lots of time on scaningscaling(misspelling) the information,so, so(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses),accurate delivery is a necessary for people to save times. For example,I, I(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) need a bag these days,searching, searching(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) the different kinds of bags evaluation. But as usual, advertisements recommend beauty and music that I don't need, which is not conducive to my bag’data collection. In addition, the advertismentadvertisement(misspelling) also spend a large number ofmany(a large number of (many)) money,but, but(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) inaccurate advertising placement may lead to high costs and insufficient returns. For example,the, the(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) sports company is selling a football, but if they widely advertisadvertise(misspelling), they will touch all kinds of person like artists,teachers, teachers(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) and singer. All of them will not consume this product,so, so(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) the money is waste. Consequently,targeted, targeted(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) advertismentadvertisement(misspelling) can save people’s time and reduce the company’s cost.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

I wholeheartedly agree with Mike's perspective that targeted advertising is ethical, as it allows consumers to choose their preferred advertisements. Furthermore, I believe that targeted advertising can save people's time and reduce a company's expenses. With the increasing complexity of online content, people spend a significant amount of time sifting through information; hence, accurate delivery is essential for time efficiency. For instance, if I am searching for a bag and evaluating different options, irrelevant advertisements for beauty products or music would hinder my data collection process.

Moreover, advertising entails substantial financial investments; however, imprecise ad placements may result in high costs and insufficient returns. For example, if a sports company selling footballs utilizes widespread advertising, they may reach individuals such as artists, teachers, and singers who have no interest in purchasing their product. This ineffective approach wastes resources and does not yield the desired outcomes. Therefore, targeted advertising not only saves consumers' time but also reduces companies' expenditures by ensuring ads reach the appropriate audience. (170 words)

I wholefully concur wholeheartedly agree (revised "wholefully concur" for a more natural tone) with Mike’s oponion Mike's perspective (revised "oponion" to correct spelling) that target advertising targeted advertising (added "ed" for correct term) is ethical, as they are benefit for it allows consumers by to choose their own advertising.Furthermore, preferred advertisements. Furthermore, I believe that target targeted advertising can save people’s people's time and reduce the company’s cost. a company's expenses (revised "cost" for a more appropriate term). With the development increasing complexity of the Internet,the contents online content (rephrased for clarity), people spend a significant amount of message become more and more complex. However, people use lots of time on scaning the information,so,accurate time sifting through information; hence, accurate delivery is a necessary for people to save times. essential for time efficiency (rephrased for clarity). For example,I need instance, if I am searching for a bag these days,searching the and evaluating different kinds of bags evaluation. But as usual, options, irrelevant advertisements recommend for beauty and products or music that I don't need, which is not conducive to would hinder my bag’data collection. In addition, the advertisment also spend a large number of money,but inaccurate advertising placement data collection process (rephrased and corrected punctuation).

Moreover, advertising entails substantial financial investments; however, imprecise ad placements may lead to result in high costs and insufficient returns. returns (rephrased for clarity). For example,the example, if a sports company is selling a football, footballs utilizes widespread advertising, they may reach individuals such as artists, teachers, and singers who have no interest in purchasing their product. This ineffective approach wastes resources and does not yield the desired outcomes (rephrased for clarity). Therefore, targeted advertising not only saves consumers' time but if they widely advertis, they will touch all kinds of person like artists,teachers and singer. All of them will not consume this product,so also reduces companies' expenditures by ensuring ads reach the money is waste. Consequently,targeted advertisment can save people’s time and reduce the company’s cost.appropriate audience (corrected punctuation and rephrased for clarity).

8 思维导图


1. 目标广告的道德性
   - 消费者选择喜欢的广告

2. 节省时间
   - 提高信息筛选效率
   - 示例:寻找包包与无关广告

3. 降低公司开支
   - 减少无效广告投放
   - 示例:足球公司与非目标受众

4. 确保广告触达适当受众

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
wholeheartedly/ˌhoʊlˈhɑrtɪdli/adverbwith complete sincerity and commitment全心全意地I wholeheartedly agree with Mike's perspective on targeted advertising.
targeted/ˈtɑrɡɪtəd/adjectivedirected or used toward a particular object or goal针对性的Targeted advertising is ethical and efficient.
advertising/ˈædvərtaɪzɪŋ/nounthe activity of making products or services known to the public广告Advertising entails substantial financial investments.
complexity/kəmˈplɛksəti/nounthe state of being complicated or having many parts复杂性With the increasing complexity of online content, accurate delivery is essential.
efficiency/ɪˈfɪʃənsi/nounthe ability to do something well without wasting time or energy效率Targeted advertising improves time efficiency for consumers.
expenditures/ɪkˈspɛndɪtʃərz/nounthe act of spending money, time, or energy on something开支Targeted advertising reduces companies' expenditures.
widespread/ˈwaɪdˈsprɛd/adjectiveexisting or happening in many places or situations广泛的Widespread advertising may result in high costs and insufficient returns.
ineffective/ˌinəˈfektiv/adjectivenot producing the effects that are wanted无效的Ineffective advertising wastes resources and does not yield desired outcomes.
appropriate/əˈproʊpriət/adjectivesuitable or right for a particular situation or person适当的Targeted advertising ensures ads reach the appropriate audience.

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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