TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing (Task 2) – Practice Test #049

This TOEFL Writing Task 2 (Academic Discussion) practice test offers a realistic experience with a genuine prompt featuring a professor’s question and responses from two classmates. Follow the instructions closely to simulate the exam conditions. After writing your response, you can submit it for feedback or choose to order a written assessment or video call session to review your writing in detail.

TOEFL Academic Discussion Task Detailed Instructions

Read the Prompt Carefully: Pay close attention to the professor’s question and understand the topic being discussed. What are the two positions presented on the issue? In some cases, the two sides may disagree on the nature or cause of the problem itself. In other cases, they might agree on the problem but propose different solutions or approaches to address it. This will guide your response and ensure that you stay on topic.
Consider Different Perspectives: Reflect on the responses from the two classmates provided in the prompt. Think about how their viewpoints relate to the professor’s question and how you can add to the discussion.
Express Your Opinion: Clearly state your opinion on the topic. Make sure to support your viewpoint with relevant reasoning, examples, or personal experiences to strengthen your argument.
Make a Unique Contribution: Go beyond summarizing the responses of the classmates. This is the main difference between the TOEFL Integrated Writing Task 1 and the new Academic Discussion task. In the older task, you were expected to remain completely unbiased and objective, simply reporting what you read and heard. In contrast, the new task asks you to participate in the discussion by offering your own opinion. Try to contribute something original to the conversation. You can share a new idea, extend one of the points made, or provide a relevant example. This demonstrates your ability to think critically and engage thoughtfully with the topic.
Organize Your Response: Structure your post with a clear introduction, body paragraph(s), and a conclusion. This will help your ideas flow logically and enhance the readability of your response.
Stay Within the Word Limit: Ensure your response contains at least 100 words. This helps you develop your ideas in enough detail to meet the expectations of the task. While 100 words is the minimum, it is often not sufficient to fully explain your position, provide examples, and respond meaningfully to the other students’ comments. Do not feel limited by the word count. Aim to express your opinion clearly and support it with relevant reasoning or personal experience. Personally, I usually end up writing around 200 words when responding to this task, as that length allows me to build a well-structured and thoughtful response without running out of time.
Submit your writing: Use the form below to privately submit your writing for review, or post it publicly in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Posting publicly encourages an organic “Academic Discussion,” allowing other site visitors to join in, respond to your ideas, and share their own perspectives.
Feedback (optional): Order detailed written analysis or a video session to review your response using the official TOEFL writing criteria and identify specific areas for improvement.

The Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Society

Academic Discussion

Dr. Alvarez: This week, we focused on machine intelligence, commonly referred to as artificial intelligence (AI). We explored various perspectives on how AI is being used and what effects it might have on human society. Some people see AI as a valuable tool that can improve daily life without posing serious threats. Others are concerned that the rapid growth of AI could have negative consequences for individuals and society. What is your opinion? Do you believe AI is more helpful or more harmful overall? Support your response with reasons and examples.

Isabel: I think the focus should be on how we can expand the use of AI to make everyday life easier. For example, AI can help automate routine tasks around the house, like vacuuming or managing energy use. Worrying about AI being dangerous seems unnecessary to me, especially when it has so much potential to help us save time and effort.

Omar: I disagree. The more advanced AI becomes, the more it can interfere with our personal lives. These systems can collect huge amounts of data about us, and that information is often used for targeted advertising or other purposes we didn’t agree to. I believe we should be cautious about how much power we give to machines.

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TOEFL Writing Task 2 Academic Discussion Practice Tests [With Sample Responses & Examiner Comments]

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