TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Which approach do you think is better: Givingrades based only on performance, or gradingstudents not just on performance but also onheir effort?
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Professor
This week, I want you to discuss assessmentriteria. Some schoolteachers give high gradesmarks) only to those students who perform wellon their homework assignments and tests. Othereachers, however, may give high grades tostudents who have worked very hard on theirassignments but have not performed so well.Which approach do you think is better: Givingrades based only on performance, or gradingstudents not just on performance but also onheir effort?
Kelly
I think grades should be based on performance only.It'sa matter of fairness. l'd be really upset if another student got nearly the same grade that I did when I turned in work that was almost perfect and the other student's work had incorrect answers or unclear ideas. It wouldn't matter to me if they worked harder.
Paul
Sure, evaluation should mainly be based upon the student'sperformance, but hard work should count for something. Astudent who works hard, even when the final grade isn't thehighest in the class, builds character, which will benefit thestudent later in life when they go to university or apply for ajob.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
In discussing assessment criteria that teachers giving to students, Paul advocates that hard work should also count for students’ grade, not just performence. Admittedly, this arrpoach has some merits, I find myself agreeing with Kelly’s suggestion that grades should be based on performence only. In my view, this approach provides a relatively fair environment to evaluatie students’ achievement in academic work. Specifically, it not only helps to indentify students’ perfoemence efficiently, but also fosters a healthy competive atmosphere among students. Moreover, these factors serve as powerful incentives for students to work harder and contribute significantly to long-term individual development. Therefore, I firmly believe that grades should be the only form to evaluate students’ performence.
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 both Kelly's and Paul's viewpoints on grading students based on performance or effort. However, the essay could be improved by providing more detailed examples or explanations to support the chosen viewpoint. Additionally, some sentences are difficult to understand due to grammar errors or unclear language use.
Example 1: Original: "Specifically, it not only helps to indentify students’ perfoemence efficiently, but also fosters a healthy competive atmosphere among students." Improved: "Specifically, it not only helps to identify students' performance efficiently but also fosters a healthy competitive atmosphere among students."
Example 2: Original: "Therefore, I firmly believe that grades should be the only form to evaluate students’ performence." Improved: "Therefore, I firmly believe that grades should be based solely on students' performance."
4. Essay structure and organization
The essay has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the organization could be improved by focusing each paragraph on a specific point with supporting details and using clear transitions between ideas and paragraphs.
Example 1: Original: "In my view, this approach provides a relatively fair environment to evaluatie students’ achievement in academic work." Improved: "In my view, basing grades solely on performance provides a relatively fair environment for evaluating students' achievements in academic work."
Example 2: Original: "Moreover, these factors serve as powerful incentives for students to work harder and contribute significantly to long-term individual development." Improved: "Moreover, focusing on performance as the primary grading criterion serves as a powerful incentive for students to work harder, ultimately contributing to their long-term individual development."
5. Grammar
In discussing assessment criteria that teachers giving to students, Paul advocates that hard work should also count for students’ grade, not just performenceperformance(misspelling). Admittedly, this arrpoacharr poach(misspelling) has some merits, I find myself agreeing with Kelly’s suggestion that grades should be based on performenceperformance(misspelling) only. In my view, this approach provides a relatively fair environment to evaluatieevaluate(misspelling) students’ achievement in academic work. Specifically, it not only helps to indentifyidentify(misspelling) students’ perfoemenceperformance(misspelling) efficiently, but also fosters a healthy competivecompete(misspelling) atmosphere among students. Moreover, these factors serve as powerful incentives for students to work harder and contribute significantly to long-term individual development. Therefore, I firmly believe that grades should be the only form to evaluate students’ performenceperformance(misspelling).
Display title: 6 Revised Essay
In the debate over assessment criteria, Paul contends that hard work should factor into a student's grade alongside performance. While this approach has its merits, I concur with Kelly's assertion that grades should be based solely on performance. In my opinion, this method offers a fairer environment for evaluating students' academic achievements. Specifically, it not only efficiently identifies students' performance levels but also fosters a healthy competitive atmosphere among them. Furthermore, these factors serve as potent motivators for students to work harder and contribute significantly to their long-term individual development. Consequently, I am steadfast in my belief that grades should be the exclusive means of assessing student performance. (113 words)
In discussing the debate over assessment criteria that teachers giving to students, (revised for clarity and conciseness), Paul advocates contends that hard work should also count factor into a student's grade alongside performance (rephrased for students’ grade, not just performence. Admittedly, better flow). While this arrpoach approach has some merits, its merits (corrected spelling), I find myself agreeing concur with Kelly’s suggestion Kelly's assertion that grades should be based solely on performence only. performance (clarified meaning). In my view, opinion, this approach provides method offers a relatively fair fairer environment to evaluatie students’ achievement in for evaluating students' academic work. achievements (rephrased for better flow). Specifically, it not only helps to indentify students’ perfoemence efficiently, efficiently identifies students' performance levels (corrected spelling) but also fosters a healthy competive competitive atmosphere among students. Moreover, them (improved readability). Furthermore, these factors serve as powerful incentives potent motivators (more precise word choice) for students to work harder and contribute significantly to their long-term individual development. Therefore, development (enhanced clarity). Consequently, I firmly believe am steadfast in my belief that grades should be the only form to evaluate students’ performence.exclusive means of assessing student performance (emphasized the main point).
8 Mind Map
- Assessment Criteria Debate
- Paul's Argument
- Hard work as a factor
- Alongside performance
- Kelly's Assertion
- Grades based on performance only
- Author's Opinion
- Agree with Kelly
- Fairer evaluation method
- Efficiently identifies performance levels
- Fosters healthy competition
- Potent motivators for hard work
- Contributes to long-term development
9 Key Words
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | English Translation | Sample Sentences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | əˈsesmənt | Noun | The act of evaluating or appraising something or someone. | The evaluation of a student's academic progress. | Assessment criteria should be fair and transparent. |
| Contend | kənˈtend | Verb | To assert or maintain a position in an argument or debate. | To argue in favor of a particular point of view. | Paul contends that hard work should factor into grades. |
| Merit | ˈmerɪt | Noun | The quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially so as to deserve praise or reward. | A positive quality deserving recognition. | This approach has its merits, but it is not perfect. |
| Concur | kənˈkɜr | Verb | To agree; to have the same opinion as someone else. | To share the same viewpoint. | I concur with Kelly's assertion about grading policies. |
| Performance | pərˈfɔrməns | Noun | string>A measure of how well someone does a task or activity. | How well a student does in their academic work. | Grades should be based solely on performance. |
| Efficiently | ɪˈfɪʃəntli | Adverb | In a way that achieves maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense. | Effectively and without waste. | The method efficiently identifies students' performance levels. |
| Fosters | ˈfɒstər | Verb | To encourage or promote the development of something, typically something regarded as good. | To nurture or support growth. | The system fosters a healthy competitive atmosphere among students. |
| Motivators | ˈmoʊtɪveɪtər | Noun | string>Something that provides a reason or stimulus for someone to do something. | Factors that encourage action. | These factors serve as potent motivators for students to work harder. |
| Development | string> dɪˈvɛləpmənt | Noun | The process of growing, progressing, or advancing towards a more complete state. | Improvement and growth over time. | This contributes significantly to their long-term individual development. |
6 Revised Essay
In the debate over assessment criteria, Paul contends that hard work should factor into a student's grade alongside performance. While this approach has its merits, I concur with Kelly's assertion that grades should be based solely on performance. In my opinion, this method offers a fairer environment for evaluating students' academic achievements. Specifically, it not only efficiently identifies students' performance levels but also fosters a healthy competitive atmosphere among them. Furthermore, these factors serve as potent motivators for students to work harder and contribute significantly to their long-term individual development. Consequently, I am steadfast in my belief that grades should be the exclusive means of assessing student performance.
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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