TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Is being completely honest with friends helps to solidify the friendship? Or is it considered as being naive and not flexible?
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Professor
Nowadays we talk a lot about how to build relationships with others. And of course, we all want to find ways to establish meaningful and enriching bond with others. Before next class, I would like for you to discuss this question: Is being completely honest with friends helps to solidify the friendship? Or is it considered as being naive and not flexible?
Student A
Being brutally honest with friends is the secret to maintaining intimacy with our friends. When we are utterly frank with our friends, we are building mutual trust. I read that a relatively good number of relationships fall apart due to numerous lies, whereas pure sincerity with friends usually guarantees a solid friendship.
Student B
Pure honesty is not practical. We probably have encountered situations where we dislike something about our friends intensely. Invariably, we tell our friends how wonderful everything is, to avoid hurting their feelings. Or we compliment our friends for how well they look or express our appreciation for gifts, when we don’t really mean it. I think these harmless and well-intended white lies are necessary social lubricant.
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While both Helen and Time have provided some valid arguments, I am inclined to align with Tim's stance that oppose pure honesty. Firstly, being totally candid can trigger tensions in friendship in some situations. For example, if one of your friends gain some weight, and you just blunt out the reality, she may be hurt by the words, thereby spoiling your relationship. Moreover, there are cases where the truth is too overwhelming to accept. Take one of my friends as an example. Two years ago he was preparing for an important exam, but his fathers passed away at that time. I heard this news, but I chose to hold it back in order to assure his mental stability. Should I told him the news at that moment, he might have gone through disastrous mental collapsing, even failing the exam.
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1. Sub Scores
Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.0 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.5 Language Use and Grammar: 4.0
2. Estimated Scores
Estimated Score: 25
3. Task completeness
The essay addresses the task requirements, discussing both perspectives on honesty in friendships. However, the essay could benefit from a more balanced discussion of both viewpoints and additional examples to support the writer's stance. To improve, the writer should:
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Provide more details on Student A's perspective to ensure a balanced discussion.
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Offer specific examples or scenarios that demonstrate how being completely honest can solidify friendships.
Example 1: The writer could mention a situation where being honest about a friend's negative behavior led to personal growth and strengthened their bond.
Example 2: The writer could discuss how being honest about one's feelings or emotions can create an environment of trust and understanding in a friendship.
4. Essay structure and organization
The essay has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it could be improved by adding transitions between ideas and paragraphs for better coherence. Additionally, the body paragraphs should focus on specific points with supporting details based on both students' perspectives. To improve organization:
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Add transitions between ideas to guide the reader through the essay.
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Ensure each paragraph focuses on one specific point with supporting details.
Example 1: Add a transition such as "On the other hand" before discussing Student B's perspective to show contrast between viewpoints.
Example 2: In the body paragraph discussing Student A's perspective, include a topic sentence that clearly states their viewpoint (e.g., "Student A believes that complete honesty is essential for building trust in friendships.")
5. Grammar
While both Helen and Time have provided some valid arguments, I am inclined to align with Tim's stance that oppose pure honesty. Firstly, being totally candid can trigger tensions in friendship in some situations. For example, if one of your friends gain some weight, and you just blunt out the reality, she may be hurt by the words, thereby spoiling your relationship. Moreover, there are cases where the truth is too overwhelming to accept. Take one of my friends as an example. Two years agoago,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) he was preparing for an important exam, but his fathersfather's(This rule identifies whether there is a missing apostrophe before an 's'.) passed away at that time. I heard this news, but I chose to hold it back in order to assure his mental stability. Should I told him the news at that moment, he might have gone through disastrous mental collapsing, even failing the exam.
Display title: 6 Revised Essay
While both Helen and Tim have presented compelling arguments, I find myself leaning towards Tim's perspective, which advocates for a more nuanced approach to honesty. Firstly, complete candor can occasionally lead to discord within friendships. For instance, if a friend gains weight and you bluntly state the fact, it may cause emotional distress and potentially damage the relationship. Furthermore, there are instances where the truth may be too overwhelming to handle. To illustrate this point, consider a friend of mine who was preparing for a crucial exam two years ago when his father passed away. Upon learning this news, I opted to withhold the information in order to preserve his mental stability during that critical period. Had I divulged the truth at that moment, he might have experienced a devastating emotional breakdown and potentially failed the exam. (142 words)
While both Helen and Time Tim have provided some valid arguments, presented compelling arguments (revised for clarity and natural tone), I am inclined to align with find myself leaning towards Tim's stance that oppose pure honesty. perspective, which advocates for a more nuanced approach to honesty (rephrased to better convey the idea). Firstly, being totally candid complete candor can trigger tensions in friendship in some situations. occasionally lead to discord within friendships (revised for improved readability). For example, instance, if one of your friends gain some weight, a friend gains weight and you just blunt out the reality, she bluntly state the fact, it may cause emotional distress and potentially damage the relationship (rephrased for clarity). Furthermore, there are instances where the truth may be hurt by the words, thereby spoiling your relationship. Moreover, there are cases where the truth is too overwhelming to accept. Take one handle (revised for better flow). To illustrate this point, consider a friend of my friends as an example. Two mine who was preparing for a crucial exam two years ago he was preparing for an important exam, but when his fathers father passed away at that time. I heard (rephrased for clarity and natural tone). Upon learning this news, but I chose to hold it back opted to withhold the information in order to assure preserve his mental stability. Should stability during that critical period (revised for improved readability). Had I told him the news divulged the truth at that moment, he might have gone through disastrous mental collapsing, even failing the exam.experienced a devastating emotional breakdown and potentially failed the exam (rephrased for clarity and natural tone).
Display title: 8 Mind Map
- Introduction
- Helen's argument
- Tim's argument
- Point 1: Complete candor and discord
- Friend gaining weight example
- Point 2: Overwhelming truth
- Friend's father passing away example
- Conclusion
- Leaning towards Tim's perspective
Display title: 9 Key Words
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | English Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compelling | kəmˈpɛlɪŋ | adjective | evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way | compelling | Both Helen and Tim have presented compelling arguments. |
| nuanced | njuːɑːnst | adjective | characterized by subtle shades of meaning or expression | nuanced | Tim's perspective advocates for a more nuanced approach to honesty. |
| candor | ˈkændər | noun | the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness | candor | Complete candor can occasionally lead to discord within friendships. |
| discord | ˈdɪskɔːrd | noun | disagreement between people | discord | Complete candor can occasionally lead to discord within friendships. |
| overwhelming | ˌoʊvərˈwɛlmɪŋ | adjective | very great in amount; overpowering | overwhelming | There are instances where the truth may be too overwhelming to handle. |
| illustrate | ˈɪləstreɪt | verb | to make clear by using examples or comparisons | illustrate | To illustrate this point, consider a friend of mine who was preparing for a crucial exam. |
| stability | stəˈbɪlɪti | noun | the state of being stable; not likely to change or fail | stability | I opted to withhold the information in order to preserve his mental stability during that time. |
| divulge | dɪˈvʌldʒ | verb | make known (private or sensitive information) | divulge | Had I divulged the truth at that moment, he might have experienced a devastating breakdown. |
| devastating | ˈdɛvəsteɪtɪŋ | adjective | highly destructive or damaging; causing severe shock, distress, or grief | devastating | He might have experienced a devastating emotional breakdown and potentially failed the exam. |
Display title: 6 Revised Essay
While both Helen and Tim have presented compelling arguments, I find myself leaning towards Tim's perspective, which advocates for a more nuanced approach to honesty. Firstly, complete candor can occasionally lead to discord within friendships. For instance, if a friend gains weight and you bluntly state the fact, it may cause emotional distress and potentially damage the relationship. Furthermore, there are instances where the truth may be too overwhelming to handle. To illustrate this point, consider a friend of mine who was preparing for a crucial exam two years ago when his father passed away. Upon learning this news, I opted to withhold the information in order to preserve his mental stability during that critical period. Had I divulged the truth at that moment, he might have experienced a devastating emotional breakdown and potentially failed the exam.
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