TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing: Shorter work hours in the future

The TOEFL Academic Discussion writing task asks you to:

1. Express and support your opinion. This means you need to have a clear claim (your opinion or thesis) and provide evidence to support it.

2. Contribute to the discussion. This means your idea must answer the professor's question, but it should be original and different from the responses given by the two students. Your response should not simply summarize their points.

Step-by-step method

This is a step-by-step method for producing a TOEFL academic response.

1. Read only the question. Since you have only 10 minutes, you should go straight to reading the professor's question. You can find the question at the end. Don't waste time reading the whole paragraph; they are fillers.

2. Identify the question type. The question can be either binary, with only two positions, or open, with more than two positions. Two students in the discussion have already chosen each position for a binary question.

3. Develop your own position and reasons. Before reading the students' responses, think about your position and a few reasons for it. Write them down. You need to come up with your own reasons now so that you can present a reason that is different from the students'. If you start reading the students' responses before forming your own opinion, you might be too persuaded to come up with your own.

4. Briefly skim the students' responses. Now, briefly skim the students' responses and identify which one you agree with. Check their reason for their position.

5. Choose an unused reason. You need to choose a reason that is not used by the students.

6. Focus on your own argument. The majority of your essay should be on your own argument, not a summary of the students' essays. In fact, you do not need to incorporate any student responses at all, as an ETS sample demonstrates. If you must, use the following sample response as a guide.

Prompt question

With that, let's try to answer this question:

Will people work fewer hours in 20 years?

Let me show you how to approach this question. There are only two possible answers: yes or no. Let's first consider the "yes" case. 

Agreeing with Claire

Say you believe people will work fewer hours in 20 years. What are some reasons for this belief? I can think of two:

• Increased productivity thanks to technological advancements.

• The increasing importance of work-life balance.

Now that you have your own ideas, quickly skim the students' responses. These are their argument

Claire: Yes, the society gets richer, making it unnecessary to work longer hours

Paul:: No, Similar predictions in the past were proven to be wrong. Given the cut-throat economy, companies will continue to force workers work longer

Your position is the same as Claire's. These are several sample responses.

Version 1

I agree with Claire on the belief that people will work fewer hours in the future. However, I believe that the reason is not due to the diminishing marginal utility of more money, but rather due to people being able to work smarter and more efficiently thanks to technological advancements. It is undeniable that technology is the fuel for increased productivity. Robots and automation have already reduced the work hours of blue-collar workers. A similar trend is happening for white-collar workers as well. Currently, many developers spend hours writing repetitive code, testing for bugs, and fixing minor issues. But with advanced AI algorithms like ChatGPT, these tasks could be automated, resulting in fewer work hours. This kind of increased productivity will spread across all industries, eliminating the need for people to work as many hours as they do.

Version 2

I agree with Claire that people will work fewer hours in the future. However, I do not find her reason convincing. Becoming richer does not necessarily reduce working hours, as many wealthy individuals continue to work long hours due to ambition and competitive pressures. Instead, I believe the main reason will be increased efficiency driven by technological advancements. In recent years, tools like ChatGPT have significantly reduced the time required for many tasks. For example, office workers no longer need to spend hours writing routine reports or responding to basic emails, since AI can now handle these tasks quickly and accurately. As these technologies continue to develop, employees will be able to complete the same amount of work in far less time. As a result, companies will have less need to require long working hours, which will naturally lead to shorter workdays in the future.

Version 3

I agree with Claire that people will work fewer hours in the future. While increasing wealth may play a role, I believe a more important reason is the rapid advancement of technology, which is making work far more efficient. Over the past century, technological progress has consistently reduced the need for human labor. For instance, automation in manufacturing has already decreased the workload for many workers. Today, this trend is accelerating with the development of AI tools such as ChatGPT, which can perform tasks like data analysis, writing, and customer support in a fraction of the time. Because of these improvements, employees will be able to finish their tasks much faster than before. Consequently, companies will likely reduce working hours since maintaining long workdays will no longer be necessary to achieve high productivity.

Version 4

I believe that people will work fewer hours in the future, and the primary reason is the increasing importance of work-life balance for both companies and employees. This balance between professional and personal pursuits is becoming a top priority, and numerous studies have shown its positive impact. Work-life balance leads to happier and healthier employees, who are more engaged and focused at work. This, in turn, enhances their productivity and overall output. In a happy personal life, employees are better equipped to bring their best selves to the workplace, resulting in higher-quality work. Companies such as Unilever, Microsoft, and Patagonia have already implemented shorter work hours with great success, demonstrating the potential benefits of reduced working hours. These trends point towards a future of shorter workweeks.

Version 5

I believe that people will work fewer hours in the future because work-life balance is becoming a top priority. In the past, older generations often put their careers first, even if it meant sacrificing their health or personal happiness. Today, younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z are changing this mindset. They care more about having time for family, hobbies, and personal growth. This shift is also supported by the idea that working less can actually make people more productive. Many studies show that employees who have a better balance between work and life are happier, more focused, and do better at their jobs. Because of this, some companies are already starting to change. For example, Microsoft has tried shorter workweeks and found that employees were more productive and satisfied. As both people and companies continue to value balance and efficiency more, shorter working hours will likely become the norm in the future.

Agreeing with Paul

Let's now consider the argument against a shorter workweek in the future. Several key factors support this position, which I'll explore. These include:

• 24-Hour Connectivity to Technology: Our constant access to communication through smartphones and various digital platforms creates a "work-from-anywhere" world. This makes it difficult to truly disconnect from work responsibilities, leading to longer and more blurred workweeks.

• The "Hustle Culture": Our society often celebrates and glorifies long work hours and relentless productivity. This "hustle culture" pressures individuals to work longer, fueled by fear of falling behind and the desire to achieve success.

• Income Inequality: In societies with significant wealth disparities, the need for financial security and the pursuit of a better standard of living can lead people to take on additional work and longer hours.

Here are some examples of responses that utilize these arguments:

Version 1

I agree with Paul that people will not work fewer hours in the future. His argument regarding global competition is persuasive. Another reason for longer work hours is the pervasive technology that makes it practically impossible to disconnect from work outside of regular working hours. Smartphones and notifications constantly buzzing create a sense of urgency and obligation to respond to work-related matters even after hours. This can lead to longer workweeks as the line between work time and personal time becomes increasingly blurred. In addition to this "always-on" mentality, our culture glorifies the hustle mentality, valuing long hours and relentless productivity. In this environment, individuals feel pressured to work longer, fueled by the fear of falling behind. This pressure, combined with the ever-present digital leash of technology, can lead to longer workweeks.

Version 2

I agree with Paul that people will not work fewer hours in the future. In addition to global competition, which he mentions, I believe that constant connectivity through technology is another major reason why people continue to work long hours. Today, smartphones and instant notifications make it possible for employees to be reached at any time. Because of this, it is difficult to maintain a clear boundary between work and personal time. Even after official working hours, many people feel pressure to respond to emails or messages immediately. This issue is even more noticeable in remote or hybrid jobs, where employees often feel the need to stay online to prove they are working. Being constantly available becomes a way to show commitment to their employers. As a result, this “always-on” culture blurs the boundary between work and personal life, which keeps working hours long.

Version 3

Economist John Maynard Keynes predicted in 1930 that technological advancements would allow people to work only 15 hours a week by the 21st century. However, this prediction has not come to pass, and I doubt it ever will for most people in our current society where the wealth of the top 1% exceeds that of the bottom 90%. While automation has increased productivity, this has not translated to shorter workweeks for the majority. Instead, companies utilize automation to reduce their workforce, leading to massive layoffs. Laid-off workers struggle to find permanent jobs, resorting to multiple temporary positions, often working even longer hours than before. The rise of the gig economy, where workers reportedly work an average of 53 hours a week, exemplifies this trend. Therefore, I believe that technological advancements could very well force people to work even longer hours in the future than they do now.

Version 4

I disagree with Claire and do not believe that increased wealth will lead to shorter working hours. While it is true that overall wealth and productivity have increased, the benefits are not shared equally. In many cases, most of the gains go to a small group of very wealthy individuals, while the majority of people see little improvement in their living conditions. Instead of a growing middle class, we often see it shrinking, with more people moving toward lower-income levels and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. For example, in the United States, the wealth of the top 1% exceeds that of the bottom 90%. Because of this inequality, many people are forced to work longer hours just to maintain a stable income. In addition, technological advancements—especially AI—can reduce the number of available jobs, making it harder for workers, particularly younger generations, to find secure employment. For these reasons, simply increasing wealth does not guarantee shorter working hours. In fact, it may lead to longer working hours for many people.