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Academic Discussion prompt

Given the widespread use of social media, do you think individuals should be more concerned about their privacy online, or is the benefit of connection and sharing worth the potential risks? Explain your reasoning.

Every scored sample answer Reach120 publishes for this prompt, banded so you can see the range rather than one version of "good".

2 sample answersTechnology

The prompt

As it appears in practice

This refers to the balance between sharing personal information on social media platforms and the expectation or right to control who accesses that information. With the increasing use of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, individuals often share details about their lives, but concerns about data breaches, targeted advertising, and the misuse of personal data are also growing.

Sample answers, by band

2 published

Reach120 practice band estimate — not an official ETS score How we estimate

Middle response

Band 4.53.5/5 rubric
While I appreciate the points made by both students, I agree with Student 1 that individuals should be more concerned about their privacy online. This is because the systems used by social media companies may unexpectedly fail. For example, in Japan, a famous bank leaked customers' personal information because of a system failure. In addition, pictures posted on social media could be misused. While Student 2 argues that the benefits of social media often outweigh the privacy risks, I believe that this point is less convincing. Therefore, I believe individuals should be more concerned about their privacy online.
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Middle response

Band 4.53.5/5 rubric
While I appreciate the points made by both students, I agree with Student 2 that the benefits of social media outweigh the privacy concerns when it is used wisely. This is mainly because social media represents a valuable tool in modern society that allows individuals to stay connected beyond physical distance. This means that people can maintain strong relationships and provide support even when they are far apart. For example, someone who is living far away from their parents can stay informed about their needs and help them through online banking or by arranging medical assistance. This allows individuals to respond quickly to important situations, which reduces stress and improves emotional well-being. As a result, staying connected can significantly improve people’s overall quality of life. Some people, like Student 1, may argue that companies collect personal data such as location or browsing habits. However, I believe that individuals can control what they share by adjusting their privacy settings, which helps reduce the risk of losing control over their personal information.
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How attempts at this prompt actually score

Measured 2026-08-25

Across 34 scored practice attempts at the Reach120 practice prompt "Given the widespread use of social media, do you think individuals should be more concerned about their privacy online, or is the benefit of connection and sharing worth the potential risks? Explain your reasoning.", the mean Reach120 practice band estimate is 3.0 of 6 (measured 2026-08-25; Reach120 practice band estimate — not an official ETS score).

Mean band estimate

3.0of 6

over 34 scored practice attempts

Reach120 practice band estimate — not an official ETS score How we estimate

Band spread

  • 2.0–2.51
  • 3.0–3.530
  • 4.0–4.53

Where attempts lose points

  • Language use2.60 of 5
  • Organization2.73 of 5
  • Contribution3.13 of 5
  • Content3.20 of 5
  • Format3.20 of 5

Source: Reach120 practice corpus, every scored attempt at this prompt, internal and harness-created accounts excluded through the same rule as public_measured_stats(). Attempts scored before 2026-03-23 are excluded: Reach120 changed how it scores on that date, and pooling across the change would describe the change rather than the writing. Recomputed when this page is rebuilt; the date above is when this reading was taken.

Published only at or above 30 scored attempts from at least 10 learners; below that Reach120 shows nothing here.

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