Academic Discussion — join the conversation, do not write an essay
What the task actually is
- You are shown a professor's question and two students' replies, and you add your own post.
- You are joining a discussion, not writing an essay. That difference decides how it is scored.
- One solid paragraph. You have minutes, not an hour.
Four moves that earn the marks
- State a position — one sentence, first.
- Give a reason for it.
- Support the reason — an example, a consequence, a piece of evidence.
- Engage with a classmate — by name, agreeing and extending or disagreeing and saying why.
Match each of the four moves to what it does.
Plan these four in thirty seconds, then write straight through. The planning is what stops you restating the question.
The fourth move is the one that is missing
- Chinese candidates reliably do the first three and skip the fourth, because school essays never asked for it.
- I agree with Mei that … but I would add that … is worth more than another paragraph of your own opinion.
- Read both replies before you write. One of them usually asks something a good post has to answer.
Your post states a position, gives a reason and an example, and never mentions either classmate. What happens?
The task is to contribute to a discussion. A post that ignores both classmates is an essay posted in a thread, and it is marked as one.
Thirty seconds of planning
- Before typing: position, reason, example, whose comment you will answer. Then write straight through.
- Do not restate the professor's question. It costs a quarter of your time and the reader already knows it.
- Do not open with a memorised phrase. With the development of society is read straight past.
Which opening is the best use of your first sentence?
The first restates the question; the second is a memorised opener a marker reads past. The third states a position and a reason in one sentence.
What a strong post looks like
- Short, specific and committed. A position you can point at in the first line.
- "It depends" is a position only if you say what it depends on, in the same sentence.
- Precision beats decoration: cost fell sharply after 2015 outscores there was a considerable diminution.
- Format facts checked on the ETS website on 13 September 2026.
'It depends on the situation' is a clear position.
It becomes one the moment you say WHAT it depends on, in the same sentence. Without that it reads as avoiding the question.