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

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Task Overview

Professor

History and literature are filled with stories of rugged individuals who become heroes by going their own way and ignoring the popular behavior, beliefs, and actions of their peers. On the other hand, we all live in a society where, as members of a community, we are expected to behave (and rewarded for behaving) like the other members of the community. Before next class, I want you to consider the following question: To what extent do the notions of individuality and conformity have impact on our society?

Student A

If individual members of society never thought differently, dressed differ-ently, or acted differently, society would have no chance to progress. Most of our great breakthroughs have been achieved by people who were not afraid to be different from the crowd.

Student B

Individuality is like salt-a small amount adds flavor to our lives, but too much ruins the whole dish. There is no problem with going against the crowd, assuming the defiant act is modest in scope and does not harm or damage others.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

From my prespective, the extent of individuality and conformity having impact on our society depends on different situations. On the one hand, individulas in groups or conmunities should have their own crtical thinking. It is good to keep our own thoughts and not going with the crowd all the time. For example, people are not so obejective online, and may even be aggresive. This is when cyber-violence may happen, and at this situation, people keep crtical thinking will be able to stay calm, and not follow the crowd on attacking others. Therefore, at this circumstances, being out of the crowd actually brings a positive impact to the whole society. However, if one is going against the crowd just to gain attention, then this will bring a negative impact to the society. For instance, some influencer apload videos that include impropriate actions just to get foot traffic. Under this situation, being out of crowd is unacceptable. To conclude, the extent of notion from individuals have on our society should be based on different situation.

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

这篇文章在回答问题方面做得很好,表达了个人观点并提供了一些例子。但是,有一些语法错误和不清晰的表达需要改进。为了提高文章质量,我建议:

  1. 修改语法错误和不清晰的表达。
  2. 使用更丰富的词汇和句式结构。

示例1(改进前):From my prespective, the extent of individuality and conformity having impact on our society depends on different situations. 示例1(改进后):From my perspective, the extent to which individuality and conformity impact our society varies depending on different situations.

示例2(改进前):On the one hand, individulas in groups or conmunities should have their own crtical thinking. 示例2(改进后):On the one hand, individuals in groups or communities should possess their own critical thinking skills.

4.文章结构与组织

这篇文章的结构基本上是清晰的,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在段落之间的过渡和连接方面还有待加强。为了提高文章的组织结构,我建议:

  1. 在段落之间使用更明确的过渡词或短语。
  2. 确保每个段落都集中讨论一个具体的观点,并提供相关的细节和例子。

示例1(改进前):However, if one is going against the crowd just to gain attention, then this will bring a negative impact to the society. 示例1(改进后):On the other hand, if one goes against the crowd merely to gain attention, it will bring a negative impact on society.

示例2(改进前):To conclude, the extent of notion from individuals have on our society should be based on different situation. 示例2(改进后):In conclusion, the impact of individuality and conformity on our society should be assessed based on different situations.

  1. 语法批改

From my prespectiveperspective(misspelling), the extent of individuality and conformity having impact on our society depends on different situations. On the one hand, individulasindividuals(misspelling) in groups or conmunitiescommunities(misspelling) should have their own crticalcritical(misspelling) thinking. It is good to keep our own thoughts and not going with the crowd all the time. For example, people are not so obejectiveobjective(misspelling) online, and may even be aggresiveaggressive(misspelling). This is when cyber-violence may happen, and atin(This rule identifies wrong preposition usage.) this situation, people keep crticalcritical(misspelling) thinking will be able to stay calm, and not follow the crowd on attacking others. Therefore, atin(This rule identifies wrong preposition usage.) thisthese('this' vs. 'these') circumstances, being out of the crowd actually brings a positive impact to the whole society. However, if one is going against the crowd just to gain attention, then this will bring a negative impact to the society. For instance, some influencer aploadupload(misspelling) videos that include impropriateappropriate(misspelling) actions just to get foot traffic. Under this situation, being out of crowdthe crowd(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.) is unacceptable. To conclude, the extent of notion from individuals have on our society should be based on different situation.

6.文章修订

In my perspective, the extent to which individuality and conformity impact our society varies depending on different situations. On one hand, individuals within groups or communities should possess their own critical thinking skills. Maintaining independent thoughts and not always conforming to the crowd can be beneficial. For instance, during instances of online aggression, people with critical thinking abilities can remain calm and avoid joining the crowd in attacking others. In such circumstances, deviating from the norm has a positive effect on society.

On the other hand, if one goes against the crowd merely to gain attention, it will bring a negative impact on society. For example, some influencers upload videos containing inappropriate actions solely to increase their viewership. In this situation, standing out from the crowd is detrimental. Thus, the influence of individuality and conformity on our society should be assessed based on specific situations. (146 words)

From 7.文章批改

In my prespective, perspective (revised for clarity), the extent of to which individuality and conformity having impact on our society depends varies depending on different situations. situations (revised for grammar and clarity). On the one hand, individulas in individuals within groups or conmunities communities should have possess their own crtical thinking. It is good to keep our own critical thinking skills (corrected spelling and grammar). Maintaining independent thoughts and not going always conforming to the crowd can be beneficial (rephrased for clarity). For instance, during instances of online aggression, people with the crowd all the time. For example, people are not so obejective online, and may even be aggresive. This is when cyber-violence may happen, and at this situation, people keep crtical critical thinking will be able to stay calm, and not follow the crowd on abilities can remain calm and avoid joining the crowd in attacking others. Therefore, at this others (revised for grammar and clarity). In such circumstances, being out of the crowd actually brings deviating from the norm has a positive impact to the whole society. However, effect on society (rephrased for better flow).

On the other hand, if one is going goes against the crowd just merely to gain attention, then this it will bring a negative impact to the society. on society (rephrased for better flow). For instance, example, some influencer apload influencers upload videos that include impropriate containing inappropriate actions just to get foot traffic. Under solely to increase their viewership (corrected spelling and rephrased for clarity). In this situation, being standing out from the crowd is detrimental (rephrased for better flow). Thus, the influence of crowd is unacceptable. To conclude, the extent of notion from individuals have individuality and conformity on our society should be assessed based on different situation.specific situations (revised for grammar and clarity).

8.思维导图

  • Introduction

    • Individuality and conformity
    • Impact on society
    • Varying situations
  • Positive aspects of individuality

    • Critical thinking skills
    • Independent thoughts
    • Example: online aggression
  • Negative aspects of individuality

    • Attention-seeking behavior
    • Example: inappropriate content by influencers
  • Conclusion

    • Assess impact based on specific situations

9.关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
perspective/pərˈspektɪv/nouna particular way of considering something观点From my perspective, individuality plays a crucial role in society.
critical/ˈkrɪtɪkəl/adjectiveexpressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults批判的Critical thinking skills are essential for making informed decisions.
conformity/kənˈfɔrmɪti/nouncompliance with standards, rules, or laws遵从Conformity can sometimes stifle creativity and innovation.
detrimental/detrimental/adjective/detrimental//有害的//Too much exposure to the sun can be detrimental to your skin./
circumstances/ˈsɜrkəmstænsiz//noun//the conditions that affect a situation, action, or event//环境,情况//In certain circumstances, it's better to remain silent than to speak out./
aggression/əˈgrɛʃən//noun//hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another//侵略,攻击//Online aggression can lead to a toxic environment for users./
detrimental/ˌdɛtrɪˈmɛntl//adjective//tending to cause harm//有害的//Smoking is detrimental to your health./
assess/əˈsɛs/verbevaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of something评估We should assess the situation before making any decisions.
viewership/ˈvjuːərʃɪp/nounthe audience for a particular television program or channel观众人数The show's viewership has increased since its premiere.
attention-seeking/əˈtɛnʃən siːkɪŋ/adjectivebehaving in a way that is intended to attract attention寻求关注的Attention-seeking behavior can be harmful when it leads to negative actions.

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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