TOEFL iBT Writing: Write for an Academic Discussion

The third Writing task, Write for an Academic Discussion, asks you -- in ETS's own words -- to "contribute to an online classroom discussion by stating and supporting your opinion." You're shown a professor's discussion prompt, typically along with a brief post from a classmate, and asked to write your own post continuing the discussion, commonly within around 10 minutes. Notably, this task actually predates the January 2026 redesign: ETS introduced it in July 2023 to replace the older standalone independent essay, and it's the one Writing task carried forward unchanged into the current format -- which also makes it the most-documented and most-studied of the three current Writing tasks.

A strong response states a clear position early -- agree, disagree, or a specific stance on the discussion question -- and supports it with at least one concrete reason or example, rather than a vague generalization. Because this is genuinely framed as a discussion rather than an isolated essay, it also helps to briefly engage with what the classmate's post said: agreeing with it, disagreeing with it, or adding a distinct angle it didn't cover. A response that reads as though it never noticed the other post can undersell the organization and relevance side of how these responses are assessed.

Given the short time limit, aim for a tight, well-organized paragraph or two: one clear stance with one or two well-developed supporting points beats several shallow, underdeveloped ones. This is a genuinely different goal from Writing Task 2 in courses built around older essay-based English tests -- there's no room, and no expectation, for a full multi-paragraph essay here.

Below is an original practice prompt in this style.

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Discussion prompt (original):

Professor's post: Our topic this week is the role of social media in local civic engagement. Some argue social media makes it easier than ever for community members to organize around local issues -- petitions, local town-hall reminders, neighborhood safety alerts. Others argue it mostly amplifies outrage and misinformation rather than genuine civic participation. What's your view: does social media, on balance, strengthen or weaken civic engagement at the local level? Post your response.

Classmate (Priya): I think it strengthens engagement -- our neighborhood's community garden project only got enough volunteers because someone posted about it in a local group chat that reached people who'd never have heard about it otherwise.

Practice writing your own response using the Writing self-review tool on this course's exam-practice page, which includes this task with its own rubric.