TOEFL TPO 27 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on transportation. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.
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286 user-submitted samples available
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Doctor Diaz
Starting this week, we will discuss how public transportation is funded. Public transportation gives people from all social groups access to their homes, workplaces, and shopping. Some argue that public transportation should be supported by tax revenue so that all people could have free access to it. What do you think? Should public transportation be free to all? Why or why not?
Kelly
People already pay so much in taxes for things like schools, roads, and law enforcement. I don’t think that adding one more tax—especially when some people don’t even use public transportation—would be a good idea. People need money for other essentials for their families.
Paul
Free public transportation would result in having fewer cars on the roads. Also, it would mean cleaner air for the cities, and there are many health conditions that could be improved with cleaner air. I think the savings in health-care costs and less pollution would make it worth it.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
In my opinion, it is unreasonable to force people pay taxes on public trasprotation even in the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out. To be more specific, there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs ,like taking them to their destination in the shortest time, thus disturbing people from their plan. For instance, people may go out in a hurry when getting up late in the morning, and in such circumstance, driving private cars enables them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop at every station by bus or railway. Still, a voice rises that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, the majority of polllution is caused by other industries such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behaviours are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.
Evaluation Result
1. 子项得分
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Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.5
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Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.0
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Language Use and Grammar: 4.0
2. 预估分数
26. 3 任务完成度
整体而言,你的文章在完成任务方面做得很好。你明确表达了自己的观点,并提供了一些支持论据。然而,为了更好地回应讨论问题,你可以尝试在论述中加入更多与问题相关的细节和例子。此外,在语法和词汇使用方面还有一些小错误,需要加以改进。
英文示例1:Instead of saying "the majority of pollution is caused by other industries," you could provide specific examples or statistics to support your claim, such as "According to a study, transportation only accounts for 20% of air pollution, while industrial activities contribute to 60%."
英文示例2:To improve grammar and vocabulary usage, you can revise the sentence "there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs" to "there are emergency situations where public transportation cannot meet people's needs."
4. 文章结构与组织
从结构和组织的角度来看,你的文章整体上是合理的。然而,在某些地方缺乏清晰的过渡句子或连接词,这可能会影响到读者对文章内容的理解。为了改进这一点,你可以在段落之间添加适当的过渡句子或连接词,以便更好地引导读者理解你的观点。
英文示例1:在第一段和第二段之间,你可以添加一个过渡句子,如 "While some people argue that free public transportation can reduce pollution, I believe there are more effective ways to address this issue."
英文示例2:在文章中使用连接词来增强逻辑性,例如将 "However, the majority of pollution is caused by other industries" 改为 "Nevertheless, the majority of pollution is caused by other industries."
5. 语法批改
In my opinion, it is unreasonable to force people pay taxes onfor public trasprotationtransportation, even inwith the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out.
To be more specific, there exist emergentemergency situations that public transportations can nottransportation cannot satisfy prople's needs ,likepeople's needs, such as taking them to their destination in the shortest time, thus disturbing people from their plan.plans. For instance, people may go out in a hurry when getting up late in the morning, and in such circumstance,circumstances, driving private cars enables them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop at every station by bus or railway.
Still, a voice rises that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, the majority of polllutionpollution is caused by other industriesindustries, such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behavioursbehaviors are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.
Title: 6 文章修订
In my opinion, it is unjustifiable to impose taxes on individuals for the sake of providing free public transportation, as not everyone requires this mode of travel for their daily needs.
To elaborate, there are urgent situations where public transportation cannot meet people's demands, such as reaching their destination in the shortest time possible. This can disrupt their plans and cause inconvenience. For example, when someone wakes up late in the morning and needs to get to work quickly, driving a private car allows them to reach their workplace without having to wait at multiple stops or stations like they would on a bus or train.
While some argue that public transportation helps reduce pollution, it is essential to note that the majority of pollution stems from other industries, such as burning environmentally-unfriendly fuels. Implementing government regulations on these harmful practices is a more efficient method for reducing pollution. Additionally, overcrowding on public transportation during peak hours can also contribute to congestion and delays. (167 words)
In my opinion, it is unjustifiable (unreasonable to -> unjustifiable for a more accurate term) to impose taxes on individuals for the sake of providing free public transportation (force people pay taxes on public trasprotation even in the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, transportation -> rephrased for clarity and proper grammar), as not everyone requires this mode of travel for their daily needs (since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out. out -> rephrased for clarity).
To be more specific, elaborate, there are urgent situations where public transportation cannot meet people's demands (there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs ,like taking them to -> corrected grammar and phrasing), such as reaching their destination in the shortest time, time possible. This can disrupt their plans and cause inconvenience (thus disturbing people from their plan. plan -> rephrased for clarity). For instance, people may go out in a hurry example, when getting someone wakes up late in the morning, and in such circumstance, morning and needs to get to work quickly, driving a private cars enables car allows them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop without having to wait at every station by multiple stops or stations like they would on a bus or railway. train (rephrased sentence for better flow and clarity).
Still, a voice rises While some argue that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, pollution, it is essential to note that the majority of polllution is caused by pollution stems from other industries industries, such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and fuels (rephrased sentence for better flow and clarity). Implementing government regulations on these harmful practices is a more efficient method for reducing pollution (regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behaviours are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, pollution -> rephrased for proper grammar and clarity). Additionally, overcrowding on public transportation during peak hours can also contribute to congestion and delays (too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.jams -> rephrased for better word choice and clarity).
Title: 8 思维导图
1. Introduction
- Unjustifiable taxes
- Free public transportation
2. Inconvenience of public transportation
- Urgent situations
- Example: late for work
3. Pollution reduction argument
- Majority from other industries
- Government regulations needed
4. Overcrowding and congestion issues
- Peak hours
- Delays and inefficiency
Title: 9 关键词
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unjustifiable | /ʌnˈdʒʌstɪfaɪəbl/ | adjective | not able to be shown to be right or reasonable | 无法证明为正确或合理的 | Imposing taxes for free public transportation is unjustifiable. |
| inconvenience | /ˌɪnkənˈviːniəns/ | noun | trouble or difficulty caused to one's personal requirements or comfort | 不便 | Public transportation can cause inconvenience in urgent situations. |
| destination | /ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ | noun | the place to which someone is going or being sent | 目的地 | They need to reach their destination quickly. |
| pollution | /pəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ | noun | the presence in or introduction into the environment of contaminants or substances that cause damage, disorder, harm, or discomfort to living organisms or the environment | 污染 | Public transportation helps reduce pollution. |
| environmentally | /ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəli/ | adverb | in a way that relates to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition | 环境上 | They are burning environmentally-unfriendly fuels. |
| regulations | /ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ | noun | rules or directives made and maintained by an authority | 规定 | Implementing government regulations is more efficient. |
| overcrowding | /ˌəʊvəˈkraʊdɪŋ/ | noun | too many people in a confined space | 拥挤 | Overcrowding on public transportation can cause congestion. |
| congestion | /kənˈdʒɛstʃ(ə)n/ | noun | the state of being overcrowded, especially with traffic or people | 堵塞 | Overcrowding can contribute to congestion and delays. |
| peak hours | /pi:k ˈaʊərz/ | noun phrase | the busiest hours, especially of traffic or business | 高峰时段 | During peak hours, public transportation can be inefficient. |
| delays | /dɪˈleɪz/ | noun | a period of time by which something is late or postponed | 延误 | Overcrowding can lead to delays in public transportation. |
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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