TOEFL Academic Discussion: Should Internships Be Required?
Read a professor's question and two student posts, then add your own contribution with a clear opinion and support.
- Time
- 10 min
- Length
- 100-150 words
Writadia · B2 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
NameClassDate
The situation
Your professor is teaching a class on education policy. Write a post responding to the professor's question.
Professor Lin: Some universities now require every student to complete an internship before graduating, whatever their major. Supporters say it prepares students for work; critics say it takes time away from academic study. Should internships be required for all students? Why or why not?
Kai: I think they should be required. Many of my friends graduated with good grades but no idea how a real workplace functions. Even a short internship teaches skills like teamwork and communication that you simply can't learn in a lecture hall.
Rosa: I disagree. Not every student can afford to work unpaid for a summer, and some majors, like philosophy, don't lead to an obvious internship. Making it compulsory could be unfair to students who need paid jobs.
Your task
In your response, you should express and support your own opinion and make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
You have 10 minutes. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Read the professor's question and both posts (2 minutes).
- Take a clear position. You can partly agree.
- Refer to one classmate by name.
- Add a NEW reason or example: don't just repeat Kai or Rosa.
- Finish with a short concluding sentence.
Useful phrases
Position
Responding to classmates
New idea
Ending
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- compulsory
- required by a rulecompulsory internships
- unpaid
- without a salaryan unpaid placement
- compromise
- a solution where each side gets part of what it wantsa reasonable compromise
- placement
- a period of work as part of a coursea work placement
Model answer (133 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
I agree with Kai that practical experience is extremely valuable, but I think Rosa raises a problem that can't be ignored.1 If internships become compulsory, they have to be accessible to everyone, not just students whose families can support them.
What nobody has mentioned yet is that the internship doesn't have to be a summer job at a company.2 Universities could count paid part-time work, volunteering or a research project with a local organization. For example, a philosophy student could help a museum design its educational programs, which would build the same teamwork and communication skills that Kai describes.
So my answer is yes, internships should be required, but only if the definition is flexible and unpaid placements are funded.3 That way, the requirement prepares students for work without making university more unfair.
- Clear position + refers to both classmates.
- The NEW contribution: the key to a high score.
- Concluding sentence that restates the position with conditions.
Teacher notes
What raters look for: a relevant contribution, clear opinion, support with explanation or examples, and good language control. Repeating a classmate's argument in new words doesn't count as a contribution.
Extra challenge
Write a 40-word reply to your own post from Rosa's point of view.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: compulsory, unpaid, compromise, placement.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “In my view, ...”, “I see where Kai is coming from, but ...”, “Rosa makes a fair point about ..., but ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (100-150 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task fulfilment | Everything asked for, fully on purpose. | Almost all; a small gap. | Partly; one request missed. | Task largely not met. | |
| Development and organisation | Ideas explained, illustrated and easy to follow. | Clear but thin in places. | Ideas present, connections weak. | Ideas undeveloped. | |
| Language use | Varied and accurate; natural tone. | Minor errors, meaning clear. | Noticeable errors, limited range. | Errors block meaning. | |
| Total | / 15 | ||||
TOEFL responses get one holistic 0–5 score. This grid splits that score into three headings so you can explain it in class.
Task checklist
- I gave a clear opinion in the first sentence.
- I mentioned at least one classmate.
- I added an idea that neither classmate gave.
- I wrote at least 100 words.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I gave a clear opinion in the first sentence.
- I mentioned at least one classmate.
- I added an idea that neither classmate gave.
- I wrote at least 100 words.
Writadia · B2 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Assessment rubric: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Should Internships Be Required?
| Criterion | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task fulfilment | Everything asked for, fully on purpose. | Almost all; a small gap. | Partly; one request missed. | Task largely not met. | |
| Development and organisation | Ideas explained, illustrated and easy to follow. | Clear but thin in places. | Ideas present, connections weak. | Ideas undeveloped. | |
| Language use | Varied and accurate; natural tone. | Minor errors, meaning clear. | Noticeable errors, limited range. | Errors block meaning. | |
| Total | / 15 | ||||
TOEFL responses get one holistic 0–5 score. This grid splits that score into three headings so you can explain it in class.
Task checklist
- I gave a clear opinion in the first sentence.
- I mentioned at least one classmate.
- I added an idea that neither classmate gave.
- I wrote at least 100 words.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B2 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Peer-review sheet: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Should Internships Be Required?
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I gave a clear opinion in the first sentence. | |||
| I mentioned at least one classmate. | |||
| I added an idea that neither classmate gave. | |||
| I wrote at least 100 words. |
Questions
- Does the text cover every point in the task?
- Are there paragraphs? What is each one about?
- Write two linking words the writer used.
- Is there a sentence you had to read twice?
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Writadia · B2 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Lesson plan: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Should Internships Be Required?
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: compulsory, unpaid, compromise, placement.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “In my view, ...”, “I see where Kai is coming from, but ...”, “Rosa makes a fair point about ..., but ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (100-150 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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