TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: .In your opinion,what is the best way for a company to encourage its employees to stay at the company instead of seeking a different job elsewhere?
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2 user-submitted samples available
Start Free PracticeTask Overview
Professor
Our next class will focus on how companies maintain their staffing levels.While it is important for a company to look for new employees to fill open positions,many believe it is equally important for a company to retain the workers it already has on staff.In your opinion,what is the best way for a company to encourage its employees to stay at the company instead of seeking a different job elsewhere?
Paul
I think the best thing a company could do to keep its employees is to create a work environment that employees look forward to going to five days a week.Cramped office spaces or disorderly factory floors are not places I would want to spend a third of my life.
Kelly
I see Paul's point. But even more important than a nice workspace is making sure the employees don't feel stuck in their jobs. Companies should offer opportunities for employees to advance their skills so they can get new positions within the company if they want. Employees should feel like they have a goal to work toward.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
In the debate over how company maintain their starffing levels, Paul proposes that a company would better creat a comparable envoronment. While this approach has its merit, I find myself aligning with Kelly’s perspective that companies should provide the employees with great oppotunities to enhance their skills. In my view, it not only helps employees work efficiently, but also fosters a progressive atmosphere within company. Undoubtedly, this approach serves as a powerful incentive for employees to enhance overall technique and contributes significantly to a company’s long-term development. Therefore, I firmly believe that a company should offer chances for employees to advance their skills.
Evaluation Result
1. Sub Scores
Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.0 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.5 Language Use and Grammar: 3.5
2. Estimated Scores
Estimated Score: 22 (3.5)
3. Task completeness
The essay addresses the specific requirements of the task by discussing the importance of providing opportunities for employees to advance their skills. However, it could benefit from further elaboration on why this approach is more effective than creating a comfortable work environment, as suggested by Paul. Additionally, providing concrete examples or evidence to support the viewpoint would strengthen the argument.
Suggestions for improvement:
-
Compare and contrast both Paul's and Kelly's viewpoints, explaining why you agree with Kelly's perspective.
-
Provide specific examples or evidence to support your viewpoint.
Examples:
- "In contrast to Paul's suggestion of creating a comfortable work environment, providing skill advancement opportunities allows employees to grow professionally, which in turn increases their job satisfaction and loyalty."
- "For instance, a company that offers regular training programs or workshops for its employees not only helps them develop new skills but also demonstrates its commitment to their professional growth."
4. Essay structure and organization
The essay has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it could be improved by organizing each paragraph more effectively around a specific point or idea. Additionally, transitions between ideas could be smoother.
Suggestions for improvement:
-
Ensure each paragraph focuses on one main idea.
-
Use clear transitions between ideas and paragraphs.
Examples:
- "Firstly, offering skill advancement opportunities helps employees work more efficiently by keeping them up-to-date with industry trends and best practices."
- "Moreover, fostering a progressive atmosphere within the company encourages innovation and collaboration among employees."
5. Grammar
In the debate over how company maintain their starffingstaffing(misspelling) levels, Paul proposes that a company would better creatgreat(misspelling) a comparable envoronmentenvironment(misspelling). While this approach has its merit, I find myself aligning with Kelly’s perspective that companies should provide the employees with great oppotunitiesopportunities(misspelling) to enhance their skills. In my view, it not only helps employees work efficiently, but also fosters a progressive atmosphere within companythe company(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.). Undoubtedly, this approach serves as a powerful incentive for employees to enhance overall technique and contributes significantly to a company’s long-term development. Therefore, I firmly believe that a company should offer chances for employees to advance their skills.
Display title: 6 Revised Essay
In the discussion regarding how companies maintain their staffing levels, Paul suggests that creating a comfortable work environment is essential. While this approach has its merits, I find myself aligning with Kelly's perspective that companies should provide employees with ample opportunities to enhance their skills. In my view, this not only enables employees to work more efficiently but also fosters a progressive atmosphere within the company. Undoubtedly, this approach serves as a powerful incentive for employees to improve their overall expertise and contributes significantly to a company's long-term development. Therefore, I firmly believe that offering opportunities for skill advancement is the best way for a company to encourage employee retention. (115 words)
In the debate over discussion regarding how company companies maintain their starffing levels, staffing levels (revised for clarity and natural tone), Paul proposes suggests that creating a company would better creat a comparable envoronment. comfortable work environment (corrected "creat" to "creating" and "envoronment" to "work environment") is essential. While this approach has its merit, merits (revised for natural tone), I find myself aligning with Kelly’s Kelly's perspective that companies should provide the employees with great oppotunities ample opportunities (corrected "great oppotunities" to "ample opportunities") to enhance their skills. In my view, it this not only helps enables employees to work efficiently, more efficiently (revised for clarity) but also fosters a progressive atmosphere within company. the company (corrected "company" for consistency). Undoubtedly, this approach serves as a powerful incentive for employees to enhance improve their overall technique expertise (revised "technique" to "expertise") and contributes significantly to a company’s company's long-term development. Therefore, I firmly believe that offering opportunities for skill advancement (rephrased for clarity) is the best way for a company should offer chances for employees to advance their skills.encourage employee retention.
8 Mind Map
- Essay Structure
- Introduction
- Staffing levels
- Comfortable work environment vs skill enhancement
- Body
- Efficient work through skill enhancement
- Progressive atmosphere within the company
- Powerful incentive for employees to improve expertise
- Conclusion
- Skill advancement as the best way for employee retention
- Points of Lecture
- Paul's perspective: comfortable work environment
- Kelly's perspective: opportunities for skill enhancement
- Benefits of skill enhancement approach:
- Efficiency, progressive atmosphere, long-term development, employee retention
9 Key Words
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | English Translation | Sample Sentences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| staffing | /ˈstæfɪŋ/ | noun | The process of hiring and managing employees | The process of hiring and managing employees | Companies need to focus on their staffing levels to ensure a productive workforce. |
| retention | /rɪˈtɛnʃən/ | noun | The act of keeping something or someone | The act of keeping something or someone | Employee retention is crucial for a company's long-term success. |
| incentive | /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ | noun | /A thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something. | A thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something. | Offering opportunities for skill advancement serves as a powerful incentive for employees. |
| expertise | /ˌekspərˈtiːz/ | /noun | /Expert skill or knowledge in a particular field. | /Expert skill or knowledge in a particular field. | /The company's success is due to the expertise of its employees. |
| progressive | /prəˈɡresɪv/ | adjective | Favoring or promoting change or improvement | Favoring or promoting change or improvement | A progressive atmosphere within the company encourages innovation and growth. |
| alignment | /əˈlaɪnmənt/ | noun | The arrangement of something in a straight line or in correct relative positions. | The arrangement of something in a straight line or in correct relative positions. | I find myself aligning with Kelly's perspective on employee skill enhancement. |
| merits | /ˈmerɪts/ | noun | The good qualities of something | The good qualities of something | While Paul's approach has its merits, I believe Kelly's perspective is more effective. |
| efficiency | /ɪˈfɪʃənsi/ | noun | The state or quality of being efficient | The state or quality of being efficient | Skill enhancement enables employees to work more efficiently. |
| long-term | /lɔŋ ˈtɜrm/ | /adjective | /Occurring over a long period of time; lasting | /Occurring over a long period of time; lasting | /Long-term development is crucial for a company's success and stability. |
6 Revised Essay
In the discussion regarding how companies maintain their staffing levels, Paul suggests that creating a comfortable work environment is essential. While this approach has its merits, I find myself aligning with Kelly's perspective that companies should provide employees with ample opportunities to enhance their skills. In my view, this not only enables employees to work more efficiently but also fosters a progressive atmosphere within the company. Undoubtedly, this approach serves as a powerful incentive for employees to improve their overall expertise and contributes significantly to a company's long-term development. Therefore, I firmly believe that offering opportunities for skill advancement is the best way for a company to encourage employee retention.
How Academic Discussion Is Scored
The TOEFL Academic Discussion task is evaluated based on the official ETS scoring rubric. AI evaluation analyzes each response across multiple dimensions.
Relevance & Contribution
Does the response address the question and contribute meaningfully to the discussion?
Language Use
Grammar accuracy, vocabulary range, and sentence structure quality.
Development & Support
Are ideas well-developed with specific examples and clear reasoning?
Common Patterns Across Responses
Based on analysis of user submissions for this task, here are common patterns observed in student responses.
Many students provide clear opinions but lack specific supporting examples.
Strong responses directly reference the reading passage and other speakers' viewpoints.
Higher-scoring responses use varied sentence structures and academic vocabulary.
Time management is a key factor — responses that feel rushed tend to score lower on development.
Learning Tips
Read the prompt carefully and identify all parts of the question before writing.
Reference the reading passage and the other students' opinions in your response.
Use specific examples to support your main point — avoid generic statements.
Aim for 120-150 words. Longer responses are not always better; clarity and focus matter more.
Practice timed responses (10 minutes) to build fluency under exam conditions.
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