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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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Task Overview

Doctor 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

I think that the most significant effect that watching television has on people is to help them relax, relief stress, and to learn more about the world. After a whole day of work or school, when people go home, they would turn on the television to watch something that they like or are interested in. And watching something entertaining and something that they enjoy would help them release their stress of the day. Also, watching television and sitting on the sofa would be really relaxing, and that also helps with reliefing stress. Finally, there are many television programs about a vast and broad variety of subjects, so when people watch any of them, they could learn new things from a program about something that they have never heard of, seen, or experienced before.

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

25. 3 任务完成度

这篇文章在完成任务方面做得相当不错,你表达了自己的观点,并对讨论作出了贡献。但是,你可以更深入地探讨电视节目如何帮助人们放松和学习新知识。此外,尝试使用更多的例子来支持你的观点。

Example 1: You could mention specific television programs that are known for their educational content, such as documentaries or news programs, to support your point about learning new things from television.

Example 2: To further emphasize the relaxation aspect, you could discuss how watching television can be a shared activity among family members or friends, creating a sense of bonding and relaxation together.

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面基本合理,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,你可以在引言部分更明确地陈述你的主要观点,并在正文中使用更多的例子和详细信息来支持你的观点。同时,在段落之间添加一些过渡词或短语以提高连贯性。

Example 1: In the introduction, you could write something like "In my opinion, the most significant effect of watching television is its ability to help people relax and learn about the world, which I will discuss further in this post."

Example 2: To improve transitions between paragraphs, you could use phrases like "Firstly," "In addition," and "Furthermore" to guide the reader through your points.

5. 语法批改

I think that the most significant effect that watching television has on people is to help them relax, relief stress, and to learn more about the world. After a whole day of work or school, when people go home, they would turn on the television to watch something that they like or are interested in. And watching something entertaining and something that they enjoy would help them release their stress of the day. Also, watching television and sitting on the sofa would be really relaxing, and that also helps with reliefingrelieving(misspelling) stress. Finally, there are many television programs about a vast and broad variety of subjects, so when people watch any of them, they could learn new things from a program about something that they have never heard of, seen, or experienced before.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

In my opinion, the most significant effect of watching television on people is its ability to provide relaxation, stress relief, and an opportunity to learn about the world. After a long day at work or school, individuals often turn to television as a means of unwinding and engaging in content that piques their interest. Engaging in entertaining and enjoyable programs allows viewers to release the stress accumulated throughout the day. Additionally, the act of sitting comfortably on a sofa while watching television contributes to relaxation and stress relief. Furthermore, television offers a plethora of programs covering diverse subjects, enabling viewers to expand their knowledge by exploring topics they may have never encountered before. (118 words)

In my opinion (I think that that), the most significant effect that watching television has of watching television on people is its ability to provide relaxation (to help them relax, relax), stress relief stress, and (relief stress), and an opportunity to learn more about the world. After a long day at work or school (After a whole day of work or school, school), individuals often turn to television as a means of unwinding and engaging in content that piques their interest (when people go home, they would turn on the television to watch something that they like or are interested in. in). Engaging in entertaining and enjoyable programs allows viewers to release the stress accumulated throughout the day (And watching something entertaining and something that they enjoy would help them release their stress of the day. day). Additionally, the act of sitting comfortably on a sofa while watching television contributes to relaxation and stress relief (Also, watching television and sitting on the sofa would be really relaxing, and that also helps with reliefing stress. stress). Furthermore, television offers a plethora of programs covering diverse subjects (Finally, there are many television programs about a vast and broad variety of subjects, subjects), enabling viewers to expand their knowledge by exploring topics they may have never encountered before (so when people watch any of them, they could learn new things from a program about something that they have never heard of, seen, or experienced before.before).

8 思维导图

Mindmap:

1. Introduction
   - Effects of watching television

2. Relaxation
   - Unwinding after work/school
   - Engaging in enjoyable content

3. Stress relief
   - Releasing accumulated stress
   - Comfortable environment (sofa)

4. Opportunity to learn
   - Diverse subjects and programs
   - Expanding knowledge on new topics

5. Conclusion
   - Significance of television's effects on people

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
significant/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/adjectiveimportant; of consequence重要的Watching television has a significant effect on people's lives.
relaxation/ˌriːlækˈseɪʃən/nounthe state of being free from tension and anxiety; recreation or rest, especially after a period of work放松Watching television provides relaxation after a long day at work.
stress relief/stres rɪˈliːf/nounthe act or process of reducing stress or tension减压Engaging in enjoyable programs contributes to stress relief.
unwinding/ʌnˈwaɪndɪŋ/gerundthe process of relaxing and releasing tension放松身心Unwinding in front of the TV is a common way to relax.
engaging/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/adjectivecharming; attractive; interesting吸引人的Engaging television programs can help people relax and learn.
diverse/daɪˈvɜːrs/adjectiveshowing a great deal of variety; very different多样的Television offers diverse programs covering various subjects.
expand/ɪkˈspænd/verbto increase the extent, number, volume or scope of (something)扩大,扩展Watching TV can expand our knowledge on new topics.
encounter/ɪnˈkaʊntər/verbto meet or come across (something), especially unexpectedly遇到,遭遇Viewers may encounter topics they have never heard of before.
accumulated/əˈkjuːmjuleɪtəd/adjectivegathered or collected over time积累的Watching TV helps release the stress accumulated throughout the day.
plethora/ˈpleθərə/ │ noun │ an excess or overabundance of something │ 过多,过剩 │ Television offers a plethora of programs for viewers to choose from.

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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