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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on sociology. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response you should: • express and support your opinion • make a contribution to the discussion An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

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4 user-submitted samples available

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Task Overview

Dr. Diaz

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at lots of different materials about the role of television programs and television watching in people’s lives. But first, I want to know what you think about this topic. So here’s a question for the class discussion board: What do you think is the most significant effect that watching television has on people? Why do you think television has this effect?

Kelly

I know that one way that television influences people’s behavior is that when you are watching television, you are not moving around or exercising. This is especially true for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that when children spend a lot of time watching television, they have a greater tendency to be overweight.

Paul

I think the main effect that television has on people is to broaden their experience. There are so many programs devoted to nature and travel. Think of all the different places in the world you can experience through television! Last night I watched a program about life in Antarctica, and it was fascinating!

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

From my perspective, I agree with Paul's view, since exactly people can open their eyes on the television, they can see a lot of other area landscape. And it is easy way let people can quickly and accurate to receive news, people don't worry error when information comes from someone else. Nevertheless, I disagree with Kelly's view, because children's daily life are be controled very strict by them parent, so they don't have opportunity to watch television long time, while it can bring a lot of benefit for children, they can have more topic to discuss with their friend, and they can through news to raise their own idea. For example, for my when I was young, I very afaird talk with other, then I saw a lot of news that condition have better.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

  • Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.0

  • Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.0

  • Language Use and Grammar: 2.5

2. 预估分数

  • Estimated Score: 20

3. 任务完成度

这篇文章在回答问题方面做得不错,但是在阐述观点和论据方面还有待提高。首先,你需要更清晰地表达你的观点,并给出更多具体的例子来支持你的看法。此外,尽量避免使用过于口语化的表达方式,以符合学术讨论的要求。最后,在语法和词汇方面也需要加强。

改进建议:

  1. 使用更具体的例子来支持你的观点。

  2. 避免使用过于口语化的表达方式。

示例:

  1. Instead of "For example, for my when I was young, I very afaird talk with other, then I saw a lot of news that condition have better.", you can write "For instance, when I was young, I was afraid to talk with others. However, after watching various news programs on television, my communication skills improved significantly."

  2. Instead of "And it is easy way let people can quickly and accurate to receive news", you can write "Moreover, television serves as an efficient medium for people to receive accurate and up-to-date information."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构方面需要改进。虽然文章包含了引言、主体和结论,但是段落之间的逻辑关系不够明确。建议在写作时更加注重段落的组织和过渡,使文章更加流畅。

改进建议:

  1. 在段落之间使用过渡词或短语来增强逻辑关系。

  2. 每个段落都应该集中讨论一个具体的观点,并提供相应的支持细节。

示例:

  1. You can use transition words like "Moreover" or "On the other hand" to connect your ideas and paragraphs.

  2. Instead of combining both Paul's and Kelly's viewpoints in one paragraph, you can dedicate one paragraph to each viewpoint, explaining why you agree or disagree with them and providing supporting details.

5. 语法批改

From my perspective, I agree with Paul's view, since exactly people can open their eyes on the television, they can see a lot of other area landscape. And it is easya easy(missing article before 'BE + ADJECTIVE + way') way let people can quickly and accurate to receive news, people don't worry error when information comes from someone else. Nevertheless, I disagree with Kelly's view, because children's daily life are beare being(Agreement: 'been' or 'was' + past tense) controledcontrolled(misspelling) very strict by them parent, so they don't have opportunity to watch television long time, while it can bring a lot of benefit for children, they can have more topic to discuss with their friend, and they can through news to raise their own idea. For example, for my when I was young, I very afairdafield(misspelling) talk with other, then I saw a lot of news that condition havecondition has(Plural verb after 'this' or 'that') better.

Title: 6 文章修订

In my opinion, the most significant effect of watching television is its ability to broaden people's experiences and perspectives, as Paul mentioned. Television exposes viewers to a vast array of information and landscapes from around the world, allowing them to gain knowledge and insights without physically traveling. Moreover, it serves as a reliable source of news, ensuring that people receive accurate information without the risk of miscommunication.

However, I disagree with Kelly's assertion that television contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity in children. While excessive screen time can indeed have negative consequences, parental supervision plays a crucial role in regulating children's television consumption. Furthermore, watching TV can provide numerous benefits for children by offering them diverse topics for discussion with their peers and encouraging them to form their own opinions based on the news they consume. For instance, when I was younger, watching the news helped me overcome my fear of engaging in conversations with others and allowed me to develop informed opinions on various subjects. (170 words)

From In my perspective, I agree with Paul's view, since exactly opinion, the most significant effect of watching television is its ability to broaden people's experiences and perspectives (revised for clarity and natural tone), as Paul mentioned. Television exposes viewers to a vast array of information and landscapes from around the world (rephrased for better flow), allowing them to gain knowledge and insights without physically traveling. Moreover, it serves as a reliable source of news, ensuring that people can open their eyes on the television, they can see a lot of other area landscape. receive accurate information without the risk of miscommunication (rephrased for clarity).

And it is easy way let people can quickly and accurate to receive news, people don't worry error when information comes from someone else. Nevertheless, However, I disagree with Kelly's view, because assertion that television contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity in children (revised for natural tone). While excessive screen time can indeed have negative consequences, parental supervision plays a crucial role in regulating children's daily life are be controled very strict television consumption (rephrased for clarity). Furthermore, watching TV can provide numerous benefits for children by offering them parent, so they don't have opportunity to watch television long time, while it can bring a lot of benefit for children, they can have more topic to discuss diverse topics for discussion with their friend, and they can through news to raise peers (revised for better flow) and encouraging them to form their own idea. opinions based on the news they consume (rephrased for clarity). For example, for my instance, when I was young, I very afaird talk younger, watching the news helped me overcome my fear of engaging in conversations with other, then I saw a lot of news that condition have better.others (revised for natural tone) and allowed me to develop informed opinions on various subjects (rephrased for better flow).

Title: 8 思维导图


- Broaden experiences and perspectives
  - Exposure to information and landscapes
  - Gain knowledge without traveling

- Reliable source of news
  - Accurate information
  - Avoid miscommunication

- Disagree with sedentary lifestyle and obesity argument
  - Parental supervision crucial
  - Regulate TV consumption

- Benefits for children
  - Diverse topics for discussion
  - Encourage forming opinions based on news consumption

Title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
significant/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/adjectiveimportant or noticeable显著的,重要的Watching television has a significant effect on people's experiences and perspectives.
expose/ɪkˈspoʊz/verbto make something visible or known暴露,揭示Television exposes viewers to a vast array of information and landscapes.
landscape/ˈlændskeɪp/nouna view or picture of the countryside风景,景色Television allows people to see landscapes from around the world without physically traveling.
miscommunication/mɪskəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən/nounfailure to communicate clearly沟通失误Television helps avoid miscommunication by providing accurate information.
assertion/əˈsɜrʃən/nouna confident statement or declaration断言,主张I disagree with Kelly's assertion that television contributes to a sedentary lifestyle.
supervision/ˌsuːpərˈvɪʒən/nounthe act of watching and directing others监督,管理Parental supervision plays a crucial role in regulating children's television consumption.
diverse/daɪˈvɜrs, dɪ-/adjectiveshowing a great deal of variety多样的,不同的Watching TV offers children diverse topics for discussion with their peers.
opinion/əˈpɪnjən/nouna belief or judgment about something观点,看法Encourage children to form their own opinions based on the news they consume.
informed/ɪnˈfɔrmd/adjectivehaving or showing knowledge about something了解情况的,见多识广的Watching the news allowed me to develop informed opinions on various subjects.

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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