TOEFL Writing for an Academic Discussion Task

The writing portion of the TOEFL exam has changed as of July 2023. The TOEFL independent writing portion has been replaced by a new writing test for an academic discussion problem. You have ten minutes to write an academic essay for the TOEFL, during which you must express and defend an opinion in an online classroom. Your response can be as long as you want it to be, but ideally, it should be at least 100 words. Below is a summary of the second writing task on the TOEFL:

Prompt

• You will be given a prompt that presents a scenario, issue, or question related to an academic topic.
• The prompt will often include different viewpoints or positions on the issue.

Writing Response

• Duration: 10 minutes
• Length: At least 100 words

Sample Question

• A marketing course is being taught by your professor. In your post, address the professor’s query. As you respond, you should:
• Express and support your own viewpoint
• Contribute to the conversation using your own words.
• A well-written response will be at least one 100 words long.

Professor: Hi everyone in class!  We’ll talk about how social media influencers affect customer behavior next week. A new class of celebrity has emerged as a result of the growth of social media sites like YouTube and Instagram: the social media influencer. These influencers can affect consumer behavior by promoting goods and services and have large fan bases. I have the following query for the discussion board:

Do customers get much from social media influencers?  Why not, and why not?

Jack: Social media influencers, in my opinion, have a big influence. Young people are more likely to purchase goods and services that these influencers promote when they begin to look up to them and believe what they have to say. But since some influencers might recommend goods, they don’t really use or believe in, I also think there are some questions regarding the accuracy of these endorsements.

Emily: Influencers on social media don’t seem to have much of an effect on how people shop. The majority of people are intelligent enough to make their own purchase decisions based on their needs and tastes, even though they may have big supporters. Also, it might be difficult to determine which influencers to believe because there are so many of them advocating various items.

Sample Answer

This is one possible answer to the question that was asked.  It speaks directly to the other pupils’ reactions.  As you can see, it explains and rejects the points they raised.  This strategy is the simplest for certain test takers.

Though I believe there is more to social media influencers than meets the eye, this is a difficult issue to discuss.  I completely agree with Emily’s assertion that people are too intelligent to be swayed by them.  I would also add that, twenty years ago, we might have been convinced to buy something we didn’t need by a charming person, but I don’t think it happens as often these days.  This is because we can use blogs, consumer magazines, and social media to extensively research anything we are interested in.

These informational resources enable us to identify products that precisely meet our needs, preventing us from being convinced by the exaggerated arguments made by social media influencers. Jack brought up the important point that young people are particularly susceptible, but he omitted the fact that parents now spend time teaching their children responsible internet usage habits. Young individuals are therefore less inclined to choose their purchases quickly.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) includes a writing element that is essential to evaluating your ability to communicate ideas in written English clearly and convincingly. The Writing component of the TOEFL exam is one of the four core sections, along with Reading, Listening, and Speaking.

To help you prepare well and get a good score, we’ll go into detail about the TOEFL Writing tasks in this article. We’ll provide sample essays, useful advice, and techniques.