In TOEFL Writing Part 3, professors typically present discussion prompts in one of three formats:
Agree or disagree
Which do you prefer: A or B?
Open-ended questions
On this page, you will focus on practicing the second type, in which you are asked to choose between two options and explain your preference.
Practice Question
Prompt
A professor has posted a question about a topic, and students have responded with their thoughts and ideas. Make a contribution to the discussion.
You will have 10 minutes to write.
Your professor is teaching a class on human behavior and routines. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.
In your response, you should do the following:
Express and support your opinion.
Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
—
Professor
People adopt different strategies to maintain motivation over long periods of time. One approach emphasizes setting long-term goals and focusing on future outcomes, while another highlights the value of short-term goals that provide frequent feedback and rewards. Which do you prefer as a more effective way to stay motivated: long-term goals or short-term goals? Explain your choice.
Student 1
Focusing on long-term goals works better for me. Keeping a clear picture of the final outcome helps me stay committed, even when progress feels slow. This approach provides a sense of direction and purpose that short-term rewards cannot replace.
Student 2
Short-term goals seem more practical in everyday life. Small achievements create a sense of progress and make it easier to stay motivated. Frequent feedback also helps people adjust their efforts before problems become serious.
Remember that, according to official TOEFL Writing guide video, you don’t necessarily have to address each student’s response. Indeed, if you can express your ideas with more than 100 words, you can simply write that down, and you will still have 5 marks out of 5.
Short-term goals are more effective for maintaining motivation over time. From my own experience, dividing a large project into small, manageable tasks helped me stay focused and consistent. Each completed task gave me immediate feedback and a sense of achievement, which encouraged me to keep going. Short-term goals make progress visible and easier to track, especially during busy or demanding periods. They also allow people to adjust their approach quickly when something is not working. This flexibility keeps motivation steady and prevents frustration from building up. Because of these practical benefits, short-term goals provide a reliable way to stay motivated in everyday situations.
Opening of the Response
For TOEFL Writing Part 3, the first step is to clearly state your opinion. While school writing often encourages students to remain neutral, this approach is not recommended in TOEFL academic writing. Instead, you are expected to take one clear position.
There are two main reasons for this. First, the time limit does not allow you to fully explore both sides of an issue. Second, balancing two positions within a short response often leads to vague or underdeveloped arguments.
In this prompt, for example, you should begin by choosing one side and stating it directly, such as:
Setting short-term goals is more effective for maintaining motivation.
Focusing on a long-term goal is a better way to stay motivated.
As shown in the model response, the writer makes their stance clear at the very beginning of the discussion:
Short-term goals are more effective for maintaining motivation over time.
Provide Two Supports for Your Opinion
In TOEFL academic discussion tasks, you are expected to write more than 100 words. To make your response clear and effective, it’s generally a good idea to support your opinion with two points.
One practical approach is to use a concrete example for the first support and a more general explanation for the second. The first support can be based on personal experience, even if the example is simple or hypothetical. This helps make your argument specific and easy to follow. The second support can then focus on broader reasoning that applies more generally.
This structure can be seen in the model response. The first support is drawn from the writer’s own experience:
From my own experience, dividing a large project into small, manageable tasks helped me stay focused and consistent. Each completed task gave me immediate feedback and a sense of achievement, which encouraged me to keep going. Short-term goals make progress visible and easier to track, especially during busy or demanding periods.
After establishing a concrete example, the response can move on to a more general point. Keep in mind that the goal of TOEFL Writing is to evaluate your English proficiency, not the originality or depth of your ideas. As long as your supports are logically connected to your opinion and expressed in clear, fluent English, even general reasoning is enough to achieve a high score.
You can see this structure in the latter half of the model answer:
They also allow people to adjust their approach quickly when something is not working. This flexibility keeps motivation steady and prevents frustration from building up.
In this part, the writer no longer refers to a personal experience. Instead, the response shifts to a general explanation that supports the main claim.
Hi, I completed a Master’s program at Purdue University, where I specialized in test design and assessment effectiveness. My academic focus was English-language standardized tests, including the TOEFL, IELTS, ACT, SAT, and GRE.
I began writing these articles because, when I was preparing for the SAT and GRE myself, I found few resources that explained the tests in a systematic and practical way. My goal is to create materials in which solving questions naturally builds the background knowledge needed for the exams, helping learners manage both content and strategy more effectively.
