TOEFL Academic Discussion: Study Alone or in Groups?
Join an online class discussion about whether students learn more alone or in study groups, giving a reason and an example.
- Time
- 10 min
- Length
- 100-150 words
Writadia · B1 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
NameClassDate
The situation
Your professor is teaching a class on learning psychology. Write a post responding to the professor's question.
Professor Okafor: Before an exam, some students prefer to study alone, while others join study groups. Which approach do you think is more effective, and why?
Emma: I always study alone. In groups, people start chatting about other things, and I end up wasting half the evening. When I'm alone, I can focus on the topics I find difficult.
Leo: Study groups work better for me. When someone in the group explains a concept, I often understand it more quickly than from the textbook. And explaining things to others helps me remember them.
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
- Decide: alone, groups or a mix?
- Mention Emma or Leo.
- Give one reason they didn't mention.
- Add a short example from your own experience.
- End with one summary sentence.
Useful phrases
Opinion
Reasons
Example
Conclusion
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- concept
- an idea or principlea difficult concept
- distracted
- unable to concentrateeasily distracted
- test each other
- ask each other questions to check knowledgeWe test each other.
- combine
- use two things togethercombine both methods
Model answer (112 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
Personally, I think the most effective approach is to combine both methods.1 I agree with Emma that groups can be distracting, especially at the start of revision, when you need to understand the material on your own.
However, there is one advantage of study groups that nobody has mentioned: they show you what you don't know.2 When classmates ask you questions, you quickly discover the topics you only thought you understood. For instance, last semester my group tested each other the night before a biology exam, and I realized I had completely misunderstood one diagram.3
Overall, I would study alone first and then meet a group near the end to test myself.
- Clear opinion that differs slightly from both classmates.
- New contribution.
- Personal example that supports the point.
Teacher notes
Timing tip: students should stop writing with one minute left to reread. Many lose points through small errors they could have fixed.
Extra challenge
Rewrite the post in exactly 100 words. What did you cut?
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: concept, distracted, test each other, combine.
- 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: “Personally, I think the best approach is ...”, “I agree with Leo, but ...”, “The main advantage of ... is that ...”.
- 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 my opinion clearly.
- I referred to a classmate.
- I added a new reason and an example.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I gave my opinion clearly.
- I referred to a classmate.
- I added a new reason and an example.
Writadia · B1 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Assessment rubric: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Study Alone or in Groups?
| 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 my opinion clearly.
- I referred to a classmate.
- I added a new reason and an example.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B1 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Peer-review sheet: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Study Alone or in Groups?
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I gave my opinion clearly. | |||
| I referred to a classmate. | |||
| I added a new reason and an example. |
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?
Two stars and a wish
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Writadia · B1 · TOEFL Academic Discussion
Lesson plan: TOEFL Academic Discussion: Study Alone or in Groups?
- 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: concept, distracted, test each other, combine.
- 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: “Personally, I think the best approach is ...”, “I agree with Leo, but ...”, “The main advantage of ... is that ...”.
- 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.
Did you use this task in class?
If you used it, tell us. It helps us see which tasks work.