Lesson 33 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Write for an Academic Discussion, Writing. In Write for an Academic Discussion, you have ten minutes, and on test day the clock doesn’t stop, and when the ten minutes are up you cannot keep writing.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Write for an Academic Discussion (Writing)
English focus
Cohesion (this + noun, such, which) and sentence variety (clause and phrase openings, relative clauses)
Task skill
A complete contribution in ten minutes: plan in two, write in six or seven, check in one or two
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
In Write for an Academic Discussion, you have ten minutes, and on test day the clock doesn’t stop, and when the ten minutes are up you cannot keep writing.
This lesson teaches the English that makes a fast draft read as one connected argument:
- pointers that link each sentence to the one before (this + a summary noun, such a + noun, , which for a whole idea)
- varied sentence openings (Because…, With…, Instead of ‑ing…)
- relative clauses instead of comma splices
Then it gives you a ten-minute routine: plan for two minutes, write for six or seven, and check in the last one or two, so that you always finish with an example and an ending.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Point back to the last idea with this / these + a summary noun, such (a) + noun and , which for a whole clause, and choose between it and this so that the reader always knows what you mean.
Vary your sentences by opening with a clause (If…, When…, Although…, Because…) or a phrase (For example, With…, Instead of ‑ing, By ‑ing), combine short sentences with relative clauses, and avoid comma splices and fragments.
Write a complete contribution (a position, a classmate link, one developed reason with an example, and an ending) in ten minutes with a plan–write–check routine, and cut the right thing when time runs short.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 33
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Cohesion: this, such and which
7
Cycle 2
English
Sentence variety
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Ten minutes: plan, write, check
8
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
in practice adverb phrase
in real life, as opposed to in theory
In theory, the study room is silent after eight; in practice, it’s the loudest room on the floor.
Goes with:
In theory, …; in practice, …
Word family:
practice (noun); practical (adjective); practically (adverb)
on average adverb phrase
typically; as a usual amount
On average, first-year students spend six hours a week in the library.
Goes with:
on average; an average of six hours
Word family:
average (noun, adjective); an average of + number; above / below average
rely on phrasal verb
to depend on someone or something, and trust it to be there or to work
The team relies on one shared spreadsheet to track every order.
Goes with:
rely on a person / a service / a tool
Word family:
reliable (adjective); reliability (noun); reliant on (adjective)
justify verb
to give good reasons for a decision or choice
The club had to justify every purchase to the student council.