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

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Task Overview

Professor

This week, we discussed the importance of role models and opinion makers in society. One idea we discussed was the widespread impact of "influencers." Influencers are people who are very active posting on social media and who have many followers. Influencers' posts and opinions can influence their followers' choices on everything from fashion to politics. In your opinion, do social media influencers generally have a positive or negative effect on their followers? Why do you think so?

Claire

I think the influencers' effect is generally positive. People can learn about the latest trends and topics in a very quick and efficient way by following influencers. In the past, people had to spend time looking through magazines or visiting boutiques to even know what was trending.

Paul

I think influencers generally have a negative effect because they have far too much influence. I can think of one influencer who only has to mention a particular kind of sports shoe, and the next day they'll be sold out. The followers aren't really thinking for themselves; they're just blindly following the influencers' choices.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

When talking about the impact of influencers, I believe that they have predominantly positive effects. To begin with, influencers shared personal experiences like how they applied for a prestiges university, how they found their career path, or how they made important life choices. This information could inspire and encourage other people. For example, I followed a YouTube blogger who shared her experiences about studying abroad for a master's degree when I was an undergraduate student. Her vlogs, involving beautiful scenery in another country, different rituals from her homeland, and several friends from worldwide, inspired me to pursue my master's degree abroad. Moreover, when my favorite influencer recommended her favorite cake brand, I would like to try the new things since I trust her and I am confident to her taste. I disagree with Paul that individuals always blindly follow their favorite person. It is a way for me to support them, a way to showcase my love to them.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

  • Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 5

  • Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.5

  • Language Use and Grammar: 4.5

2. 预估分数

  • 28

3. 任务完成度

整体来说,你的文章很好地回答了问题,并且观点清晰。但是,为了更好地完成任务,你可以尝试以下几点来改进:

  1. 在支持观点时提供更多具体的例子和细节。

  2. 对于Paul的观点进行更深入的讨论和反驳。

示例1:在支持观点时,你可以举一个具体的例子说明社交媒体上的影响者如何帮助人们了解到新兴产业或者有益于社会发展的事物。 示例2:在反驳Paul的观点时,你可以指出跟随影响者并不一定意味着盲目,而是一种基于信任和共同兴趣的选择。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在组织方面还有一些改进空间。以下是一些建议:

  1. 在引言部分简要介绍文章将讨论哪些方面。

  2. 在正文中使用更明确的过渡词或短语来引导读者。

示例1:在引言部分,你可以这样写:“在本文中,我将讨论为什么我认为社交媒体影响者对他们的追随者产生了积极的影响,并通过具体例子来支持我的观点。” 示例2:在正文中,当从一个观点转向另一个观点时,可以使用过渡词,如“此外”、“然而”或“相反”。例如:“此外,当我喜欢的影响者推荐她喜欢的蛋糕品牌时,我愿意尝试新事物,因为我信任她并对她的品味有信心。”

5. 语法批改

When talking about the impact of influencers, I believe that they have predominantly positive effects. To begin with, influencers shared personal experiences like how they applied for a prestigesprestige(misspelling) university, how they found their career path, or how they made important life choices. This information could inspire and encourage other people. For example, I followed a YouTube blogger who shared her experiences about studying abroad for a master's degree when I was an undergraduate student. Her vlogs, involving beautiful scenery in another country, different rituals from her homeland, and several friends from worldwide, inspired me to pursue my master's degree abroad. Moreover, when my favorite influencer recommended her favorite cake brand, I would like to try the new things since I trust her and, and(comma between independent clauses) I am confident to her taste. I disagree with Paul that individuals always blindly follow their favorite person. It is a way for me to support them, a way to showcase my love to them.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

In considering the impact of social media influencers, I am of the opinion that they generally have a predominantly positive effect on their followers. Firstly, influencers often share personal experiences, such as applying to prestigious universities, discovering their career paths, or making significant life choices. This information can inspire and encourage others. For instance, as an undergraduate student, I followed a YouTube blogger who shared her experiences studying abroad for a master's degree. Her vlogs featured beautiful scenery from another country, unique cultural rituals, and friendships with people from around the world, which inspired me to pursue my own master's degree abroad. Furthermore, when a trusted influencer recommends something like their favorite cake brand, I am inclined to try it based on my confidence in their taste. Contrary to Paul's assertion that individuals blindly follow influencers' choices, I believe that supporting and trying new things recommended by them is an expression of appreciation and trust in their judgment. (163 words)

When talking about In considering the impact of influencers, social media influencers (clarified the context), I believe am of the opinion that they generally have a predominantly positive effects. To begin with, effect on their followers (rephrased for clarity). Firstly, influencers shared often share personal experiences like how they applied for a prestiges university, how they found experiences, such as applying to prestigious (corrected spelling) universities, discovering their career path, paths, or how they made important making significant life choices. This information could can inspire and encourage other people. others. For example, instance, as an undergraduate student, I followed a YouTube blogger who shared her experiences about studying abroad for a master's degree when I was an undergraduate student. degree. Her vlogs, involving vlogs featured beautiful scenery in from another country, different unique cultural rituals (clarified meaning), and friendships with people from her homeland, and several friends from worldwide, around the world (rephrased for clarity), which inspired me to pursue my own master's degree abroad. Moreover, Furthermore, when my favorite a trusted influencer recommended her recommends something like their favorite cake brand, I would like am inclined to try the it based on my confidence in their taste (rephrased for clarity). Contrary to Paul's assertion that individuals blindly follow influencers' choices, I believe that supporting and trying new things since I recommended by them is an expression of appreciation and trust her in their judgment (rephrased for clarity and I am confident to her taste. I disagree with Paul that individuals always blindly follow their favorite person. It is a way for me to support them, a way to showcase my love to them.conciseness).

8 思维导图


1. 社交媒体影响者的影响
   - 正面效果
     1. 分享个人经历
        - 申请名校
        - 职业规划
        - 重要人生选择
     2. 激励与鼓励他人
        - 学习经验分享
        - 文化体验交流
        - 国际友谊建立
   - 基于信任的推荐行为
     1. 尝试新事物
     2. 表达对影响者的信任和欣赏

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
influencer/ˈɪnfluənsər/nouna person who has the power to influence others影响者Social media influencers have a significant impact on their followers' choices and preferences.
prestigious/preˈstɪdʒəs/adjectiverespected and admired as very important or of high quality知名的,有声望的She applied to several prestigious universities for her master's degree program.
career path/kəˈrɪr pæθ/nounthe way that you progress in your work职业道路Discovering the right career path can be challenging but rewarding.
inspire/ɪnˈspaɪər/verbto make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it激励Her success story inspired me to pursue my own dreams.
vlog/vlɒɡ/nouna video blog视频博客She shared her study abroad experiences through a series of vlogs.
cultural rituals/ˈkʌltʃərəl ˈrɪtʃuəlz/nounthe customs and practices of a particular group or society文化习俗The cultural rituals we experienced during our trip were fascinating and eye-opening.
appreciation/əˌpriːʃiˈeɪʃn/nounthe feeling of being grateful for something欣赏,感激I expressed my appreciation for their help by sending them a thank-you note.
judgment/ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/nounan opinion or decision that is based on careful thought判断,评价I trust her judgment when it comes to choosing quality products.
recommendation/ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃn/nouna suggestion that something is good or suitable for a particular purpose or job推荐,建议I decided to try the cake based on her recommendation.

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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