Louisville, Kentucky. November 14, 2007.

Now, in our world, many many people are studying for better life in the future. There are two ways of doing this : studying at home and studying with a group. From my own experience, I prefer to the second choice, studying with a group.

Firstly, studying with a group, students can save time. If one has a mathematical problem, it may take him a lot of time to think about a solution for it, he may have to read several books, post to some forums in the internet and so on. But if he studies in a group, other student can give him some advice and suggestions and he can solve the problem quickly.

Secondly, students can gain better result. I would like to take an example of learning English. When one studies alone, reading books, listening to cassette tapes and speaking to himself are very boring and he may not get the expected result. It would be wonderful if he studies with other, they can practise speeking English, do some vocabulary quizes. I am sure that after a short time, his skills will be much better.

Morever, it will encourage students to study harder and harder because no one wants to be lagged behind. They always think that if the others can solve the problem, why they can not. So it is the great motivation for them to learn more. It is also a good experience for them in the future when they work, because the world now is more competive, people have to compete to gain success.

In conclusion, I think studying in a group is better for students. they can save time, get good results and are under pressure to work harder. They are very essential to a sucessful man in our harsh society.

Excerpted from a message board asking TOEFL question Topic 184: ‘Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer,’ found on the Test Magic forums.