Free interactive practice
The hardest of the three 2026 Writing tasks, where most students stall at band 3. Read the professor's question and the two student posts, then write your 100 to 130 word response in 10 minutes. Reveal a band-5 model, self-check against the rubric, then get an Eppy band score on your own attempt.
Each prompt below mirrors the real format: a professor poses a question, two classmates respond, and you write your own reply. The band-5 model shows what a top response looks like. Use the self-check rubric to score yourself on the four criteria. Then submit your own response in the free TOEFL app and get an Eppy band score within minutes.
For the full method on all three Writing tasks, see the TOEFL 2026 Writing guide. For the Email task, try our Write an Email practice. For Build a Sentence, see the Build a Sentence practice.
Most students lose points not on grammar but on peer engagement. A response can be well-written and clearly positioned but still cap at band 3 if it does not build on or contrast a specific point another student made, by name. The second common mistake is a vague position that is asserted ("I agree") rather than developed with a concrete example.
The scoring rubric evaluates four dimensions: Position (do you state a clear opinion?), Reasoning and Support (do you develop it with a specific example?), Peer Engagement (do you reference a classmate by name and build on their point?), and Language Use (grammar, vocabulary, cohesion). Band 5 requires all four. Band 3 usually means one is missing.
For more on how the 2026 scoring works across all sections, see the TOEFL 2026 score guide. To understand what counts as a good score, see what is a good TOEFL score in 2026. And to build the academic vocabulary that strong Discussion responses require, start with the TOEFL Vocabulary Voyage.
Write one Academic Discussion response per day for a week, using a different prompt each time. After each response, self-score with the rubric, then submit it for Eppy grading. Track which of the four criteria you miss most often. If it is Peer Engagement, drill the habit of naming a classmate in your opening sentence. If it is Reasoning, practice the "because + specific example" pattern until it is automatic. For a structured approach, see our TOEFL 2026 study plan.
If you want an expert to review your responses and coach you through the weak spots, Epic Exam Prep has prepared TOEFL students for top universities since 2010, with 25 years of combined expertise across Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, and Zurich.
Write your response, submit it in the free app, and get a band score with specific feedback within minutes.
Open the free TOEFL appAcademic Discussion is the third task in the TOEFL 2026 Writing section. You read a professor's question and two student responses, then write a 100 to 130 word reply in 10 minutes that states a clear position, supports it with specific reasoning, and engages at least one classmate by name. It is scored 0 to 5 on Position, Reasoning and Support, Peer Engagement, and Language Use.
The most common reason is failing to engage a classmate by name. A response can have strong grammar and a clear position but still cap at band 3 if it does not build on or contrast a specific point another student made. The second most common reason is a vague position that is asserted rather than developed with a concrete example.