English guide
The TOEFL Academic Discussion task shows you a professor's question and two student responses. You write your own original contribution in 100–150 words in 10 minutes. This guide covers the 3-part template, scoring rubric (0–5), common mistakes, and the most frequent discussion topics. Practice free with AI feedback on English AIdol.
What this guide covers
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Use this guide to write a focused TOEFL Academic Discussion response in 10 minutes without summarising the other students too much.
A reliable TOEFL Academic Discussion answer has three moves: state your view, add a reason or example that is not just copied from the two students, and connect back to the professor's question. You can mention a classmate briefly, but the response must contribute a new idea.
For a higher score, use precise academic verbs such as suggests, illustrates, undermines, and supports. Keep sentences controlled; a clear 125-word response is usually stronger than a rushed 180-word response with grammar errors.
The TOEFL Academic Discussion task shows you a professor's question and two student responses. You write your own original contribution (100+ words) in 10 minutes. It replaced the old Independent Writing task.
Scored 0–5, converted to 0–30 Writing scale. Graders assess: contribution (new idea, not a summary), language proficiency, and development (specific reasons/examples).
Minimum 100 words, but top scorers typically write 120–150 words. Quality of ideas and language accuracy matter more than length.
Common mistakes: summarising student responses without adding your own idea, writing under 100 words, using informal language, being too vague, and going off-topic from the professor's question.