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

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Task Overview

Professor

As discussed in class, the concept of health has evolved over time, and with advancements in technology and medicine, it is often believed that staying healthy is easier in modern times. However, some argue that current lifestyles and environmental factors have made it more challenging to maintain good health. In which period would you argue it is easier for people to stay in a healthy condition—at present or in the past? Why?

Amber

I would definitely say that it is easier to maintain good health nowadays than in the past. It is important to consider the various factors that contribute to people's health. In the past, access to healthcare was limited and medical knowledge was not as advanced as it is today. Also, people's lifestyles were often less healthy due to factors such as limited access to healthy food and a lack of awareness about the importance of exercise.

Jonah

I hold a different view from Amber and believe that it was actually easier to stay healthy in the past. Most people led healthier, more active lives in the past so there was no need to go the gym in their spare time. There were far fewer sedentary jobs in those days so there was no obsession to keep fit. Also, in terms of the issue of food and diet, there were far fewer additives and processed foods in the past, meaning that people had healthier diets.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

Jonah provides a convincing opinion that it was easier to stay healthy in the past due to their healthier lifestyles and fewer unhealthy jobs. However, I disagree with Jonah and think it is easier to keep fit nowadays because of the highly developed science and technology. Contributing to the modern medical science, a lot of diseases that are considered to be incurable are actually curable today. In particular, the development of vaccines highly prevents a variety of illnesses to harm people. So in my opinion, it would be definitely easier for people to keep healthy nowadays provided modern medical assistance is available.

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

整体来说,这篇文章回答了问题并表达了观点。但是,可以在以下方面进行改进:

  1. 更具体地讨论现代生活方式和环境因素如何影响健康。

  2. 在文章中加入更多细节和例子来支持观点。

示例1:可以讨论现代人如何通过健康饮食、锻炼和科学的生活习惯来保持健康。 示例2:可以举例说明现代医学技术如何帮助人们预防和治疗疾病,从而更容易保持健康。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。但在组织上还有改进空间:

  1. 在引言部分简要介绍文章的主题和观点。

  2. 在正文部分使用更明确的段落划分,以便突出每个具体观点及其支持细节。

示例1:在引言中加入一句话,例如:“尽管过去的生活方式可能更加健康,但我认为现代医学的进步使得人们更容易保持健康。” 示例2:在正文中分段讨论不同方面的观点,如:“首先,现代医学的发展使得许多疾病得到了有效治疗。其次,人们对健康饮食和锻炼的意识也有所提高。”

5. 语法批改

Jonah provides a convincing opinion that it was easier to stay healthy in the past due to their healthier lifestyles and fewer unhealthy jobs. However, I disagree with Jonah and think it is easier to keep fit nowadays because of the highly developed science and technology. Contributing to the modern medical science, a lot of diseases that are considered to be incurable are actually curable today. In particular, the development of vaccines highly prevents a variety of illnesses to harm people. So in my opinion, it would be definitely easier for people to keep healthy nowadays provided modern medical assistance is available.

Title: 6 文章修订

While Jonah presents a compelling argument that maintaining good health was easier in the past due to more active lifestyles and fewer sedentary jobs, I respectfully disagree. In my view, it is simpler to stay healthy in the present day, primarily due to advancements in science and technology. Modern medical breakthroughs have rendered numerous previously incurable diseases treatable, and the development of vaccines has significantly reduced the prevalence of various illnesses. Consequently, I believe that maintaining good health is indeed more feasible today, provided that individuals have access to contemporary medical assistance. (95 words)

Revised essay: Title: 7 Article Revision

While Jonah provides presents a convincing opinion compelling argument (revised for clarity and conciseness) that it maintaining good health was easier in the past due to more active lifestyles (rephrased for better flow) and fewer sedentary jobs, I respectfully disagree (added for politeness). In my view, it is simpler to stay healthy in the past present day (rephrased for better flow), primarily due to their healthier lifestyles and fewer unhealthy jobs. However, I disagree with Jonah and think it is easier to keep fit nowadays because of the highly developed advancements in science and technology. Contributing to the modern technology (rephrased for clarity). Modern medical science, a lot of breakthroughs have rendered numerous previously incurable diseases that are considered to be incurable are actually curable today. In particular, treatable (revised for conciseness), and the development of vaccines highly prevents a variety has significantly reduced the prevalence of various illnesses (rephrased for better flow). Consequently, I believe that maintaining good health is indeed more feasible today (rephrased for clarity), provided that individuals have access to harm people. So in my opinion, it would be definitely easier for people to keep healthy nowadays provided modern contemporary medical assistance is available.(revised for conciseness).

8 思维导图


- Maintaining Good Health
    - Past
        - Active lifestyles
        - Fewer sedentary jobs
    - Present (My View)
        - Advancements in science and technology
            - Modern medical breakthroughs
                - Previously incurable diseases now treatable
            - Development of vaccines
                - Reduced prevalence of illnesses
        - Access to contemporary medical assistance

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
sedentary/ˈsɛdntˌɛri/adjective(of a person) tending to spend much time seated久坐的Fewer sedentary jobs contributed to better health in the past.
compelling/kəmˈpɛlɪŋ/adjectiveevoking interest, attention, or admiration引人注目的Jonah presents a compelling argument about health in the past.
advancements/ədˈvænsmənts/noundevelopment or improvement进步Advancements in science and technology have made it easier to stay healthy today.
breakthroughs/ˈbreɪkθru/noun/a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery/突破/Modern medical breakthroughs have improved our ability to treat diseases.
prevalence/ˈprɛvələns//noun/the fact or condition of being widespread/流行/The development of vaccines has reduced the prevalence of various illnesses.
feasible/ˈfiːzəbl/adjectivepossible to do easily or conveniently可行的Maintaining good health is more feasible today due to modern medicine.
contemporary/kənˈtɛmpəreri/adjectivebelonging to or occurring in the present当代的Access to contemporary medical assistance is crucial for maintaining good health.
incurable/ɪnˈkjʊrəbl/adjective(of a sick person or a disease) not able to be cured无法治愈的Previously incurable diseases are now treatable thanks to medical advancements.
assistance/əˈsɪstəns/noun/help or support/援助/Individuals need access to medical assistance in order to maintain good health in the present day.

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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