Writing · Free lesson
TOEFL Academic Discussion: answer the other person’s concern
In the current TOEFL Academic Discussion task, you contribute and respond to viewpoints. Here, one student supports a campus repair workshop; another worries that buying tools will cost too much.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Identify the actual concern, acknowledge it accurately, and explain how your proposal addresses it. If someone worries about cost, saying an activity is fun does not answer the cost concern. A limited budget or donated equipment might address it if presented as a proposal.
Answer the objection that was actually made.
A useful response can concede a valid concern without abandoning your position: “Buying tools could be expensive, but we could begin with donated tools and a small budget.” Could marks a proposal, not a guaranteed solution. Do not invent a donation that the prompt never confirmed.
Concern and response
Buying new tools could be expensive.
We could start with donated tools and a small budget.
This could reduce the amount we need to spend at the start.
The other person did not say the workshop has no value. Do not replace a cost concern with a different argument that is easier to attack.
Build the response
Name the concern fairly
Buying tools could be expensive.
Offer a connected response
We could limit the initial budget and request tool donations.
Try it now
Answer the cost concern
Read all answers and explanations
The concern is buying expensive tools. Which response addresses it?
We could ask for tool donations before buying anything.Requesting donations targets the purchase cost. Enjoyment and scheduling do not address that concern.
No donation is confirmed. Which sentence presents a possibility honestly?
We could request donated tools.Could request proposes an action. The other answers invent certainty or a completed event.
Which acknowledgment keeps the original objection accurate?
You are concerned about the cost of new tools.The objection concerns cost, not the value of learning or repairing things.
Put it into practice
Replace a disconnected response
Keep support for the workshop, answer the tool-cost concern, and do not claim donations are confirmed.
The tools may cost a lot, but the workshop will be fun.
See a model answer
The tools may cost a lot, but we could start by requesting donations and setting a small budget.
A proposal can be useful without pretending it is certain to succeed.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Must I agree with the other student?
No. You can acknowledge a reasonable concern and still support a different conclusion.
Cost matters, but a small pilot could be manageable.
Is a contrast word enough?
No. The idea after but or however must genuinely address the concern in this exercise.
Cost concern → a limited budget
Take it into your day
Acknowledge the real concern, then connect your answer to it.
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The English Grammar and English Speaking Master Course develops broader grammar, sentence-building, and communication foundations. Grammar and communication foundations help you qualify proposals and connect reasons clearly. The dedicated exam course is coming soon; the available main course is not a complete exam-preparation program.
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