Should manufacturers be required to sell spare parts and publish repair manuals?

A band 6 model answer to a real TOEFL iBT writing question in the official format, with notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.

The question

Your professor is teaching a class on consumer policy. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, express and support your opinion and add to the discussion in your own words. A strong response has at least 100 words. Professor Karim: Should manufacturers be legally required to sell spare parts and publish repair manuals for the products they make? Beatriz: Yes. A device that cannot be opened is designed to be replaced, and the buyer pays for that decision twice, first in money and then in waste. Sven: Requirements like that raise prices and constrain design. Engineers would be building around a regulation instead of building the best product they can.

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Band 6 model answer

I support Beatriz, and I think Sven's cost argument works against him. He warns that repairable designs raise prices, but the present arrangement only hides the cost somewhere else: a phone that cannot be opened is not cheap, it is temporary, and the buyer pays again in two years. A repair requirement converts an invisible cost back into a visible one, which is uncomfortable for sellers rather than expensive for buyers. Sven's stronger point is about design freedom, and I would grant him a narrow version of it. Rules should require that parts and manuals exist, not dictate how a product is assembled, because engineers designing around a regulation really do produce worse products. The test I would apply is simple: if a trained repairer holding the manual still cannot open the device, the design has failed the person who bought it.

Why this answer earns band 6

Turns the opposing argument around rather than dismissing it, which is the hardest move to do well.
Concedes the part of Sven's case that holds and narrows the proposal accordingly.
Finishes with a usable test, so the position is specific enough to argue with.

Do not memorise model answers; raters recognise recycled essays instantly. Study the moves, then make them with your own ideas, and check where you stand with a scored practice.

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to band 6, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.

How long should my answer be?

This model answer is 142 words, and the task asks for at least 100.

What is the most common mistake with a model answer?

Memorising it. Raters recognise recycled answers instantly, so study the moves, then make them with your own ideas.