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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: 1. Your professor is teaching a class on business. Write a post responding to the professor's question.

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Task Overview

Dr.Diaz

We've been discussing employee working arrangements-whether employees should report to an office or work at home. Some businesses require all employees to work in the office. Others choose not to have a physical office and have all employees work from home. In industries where remote work is possible what is the most important factor for employers to consider when deciding where employees should work, and why?

Claire

I don't think businesses should allow their employees to work from home, because creating employees are not together physically in the same space.

Andrew

I think the most important thing to consider is the bottom line: keeping company expenses down. For example, requiring all employees to work from home might be the best option from an economic standpoint. Renting office space is expensive, as are the utility bills. Think of how much money a business could save if employees worked from home.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

From my perspective, it is both economically and productively beneficial for a company to allow their employees working at home. I highly concur with Andrew’s idea that keeping company expenses down could support better sustainability for a company. Because after financially cut-down renting fees, cafeteria employing fees and electricity fees, company could use the money for better incorporating. I would further argue that permitting employees working at home could achieve a better working efficiency. This is because employees are able to make better arrangement of their time if they no longer need to spend much time on commuting. Clair also makes a valid point, but she ignored the factor that smaller businesses have more difficulties on paying the fees I have mentioned above, which will eventually lead to bankruptcy.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.5 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.0 Language Use and Grammar: 4.0

2. 预估分数

26. 3 任务完成度

总体来说,你的文章回答了问题并提供了有力的论据。然而,有一些方面可以改进。首先,在文章中加入更多具体的例子和细节可以使你的观点更加充实。其次,尽量避免使用重复的词汇和表达,以增强文章的语言多样性。

改进示例1: Instead of "Because after financially cut-down renting fees, cafeteria employing fees and electricity fees, company could use the money for better incorporating." You can write "By reducing expenses such as rent, utilities, and cafeteria staff salaries, companies can allocate those funds towards research and development or employee training programs."

改进示例2: Instead of "This is because employees are able to make better arrangement of their time if they no longer need to spend much time on commuting." You can write "Remote work allows employees to manage their time more efficiently by eliminating lengthy commutes, leading to increased productivity."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在段落之间加入过渡词或短语可以使文章更连贯。此外,请确保每个段落都聚焦于一个特定观点,并提供支持细节。

改进示例1: 在第二段和第三段之间加入过渡词,例如:"On the other hand, Claire's argument also has some merit."

改进示例2: 在引言中明确提出你的观点,例如:"In this essay, I will argue that remote work is both economically and productively beneficial for companies, and I will provide reasons to support my viewpoint."

5. 语法批改

From my perspective, it is both economically and productively beneficial for a company to allow their employees working at home. I highly concur with Andrew’s idea that keeping company expenses down could support better sustainability for a company. Because after financially cut-down renting fees, cafeteria employing fees and electricity fees, company could use the money for better incorporating. I would further argue that permitting employees working at home could achieve a better working efficiency. This is because employees are able to make better arrangement of their time if they no longer need to spend much time on commuting. Clair also makes a valid point, but she ignored the factor that smaller businesses have more difficulties on paying the fees I have mentioned above, which will eventually lead to bankruptcy.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

In my opinion, allowing employees to work from home can be both economically and productively advantageous for a company. I strongly agree with Andrew's assertion that minimizing company expenses contributes to better sustainability. By reducing costs associated with renting office space, employing cafeteria staff, and paying utility bills, companies can allocate resources more effectively. Moreover, I contend that remote work can lead to increased efficiency as employees can better manage their time without the need for lengthy commutes. While Claire raises a valid concern about the lack of physical interaction among employees, she overlooks the financial challenges faced by smaller businesses in covering such expenses, which could ultimately result in bankruptcy. (116 words)

From In my perspective, it is opinion, allowing employees to work from home can be both economically and productively beneficial advantageous (revised for a company to allow their employees working at home. I highly concur with Andrew’s idea that keeping company expenses down could support better sustainability clarity and conciseness) for a company. Because after financially cut-down I strongly agree (changed "highly concur" to "strongly agree" for a more natural tone) with Andrew's assertion that minimizing company expenses contributes to better sustainability. By reducing costs associated with renting fees, office space, employing cafeteria employing fees staff, and electricity fees, company could use the money paying utility bills, companies can allocate resources more effectively (rephrased for clarity). Moreover, I contend that remote work can lead to increased efficiency as employees can better incorporating. I would further argue that permitting employees working at home could achieve a better working efficiency. This is because employees are able to make better arrangement of manage their time if they no longer without the need to spend much time on commuting. Clair also makes for lengthy commutes (rephrased for clarity and conciseness). While Claire raises a valid point, but concern about the lack of physical interaction among employees, she ignored overlooks the factor that financial challenges faced by smaller businesses have more difficulties on paying the fees I have mentioned above, in covering such expenses, which will eventually lead to bankruptcy.could ultimately result in bankruptcy (rephrased for clarity and conciseness).

8 思维导图


- 主题: 允许员工在家办公的优势
  - 经济优势
    - 减少租赁办公空间成本
    - 减少雇佣食堂员工成本
    - 减少支付水电费用成本
  - 生产力优势
    - 增加效率
      - 无需长时间通勤
      - 更好地管理时间
  - 反驳观点: 缺乏员工之间的面对面互动
    - 考虑到小企业的财务挑战和破产风险

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
advantageous/ədˈvæntɪdʒəs/adjectiveproviding an advantage; beneficial有利的Allowing employees to work from home can be both economically and advantageously for a company.
sustainability/səˌsteɪnəˈbɪlɪti/nounthe ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level可持续性Minimizing company expenses contributes to better sustainability.
allocate/ˈæləkeɪt/verbdistribute (resources or duties) for a particular purpose分配Companies can allocate resources more effectively.
efficiency/ɪˈfɪʃənsi/nounthe state or quality of being efficient效率Remote work can lead to increased efficiency.
commute/kəˈmjuːt/verbtravel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis通勤Employees can better manage their time without the need for lengthy commutes.
interaction/ˌɪntərˈækʃən/nounreciprocal action or influence互动Claire raises a valid concern about the lack of physical interaction among employees.
overlook/ˌoʊvərˈlʊk/verbfail to notice; ignore忽视She overlooks the financial challenges faced by smaller businesses.
expenses/ɪkˈspensɪz/noun_the cost required for something; the money spent on something_开支_Reducing costs associated with renting office space, employing cafeteria staff, and paying utility bills.
bankruptcy/ˈbæŋkrəptsi/_noun_the state of being bankrupt; complete lack of funds or assets_破产_Such expenses could ultimately result in bankruptcy.

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

1

Read the prompt carefully and identify all parts of the question before writing.

2

Reference the reading passage and the other students' opinions in your response.

3

Use specific examples to support your main point — avoid generic statements.

4

Aim for 120-150 words. Longer responses are not always better; clarity and focus matter more.

5

Practice timed responses (10 minutes) to build fluency under exam conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the TOEFL Academic Discussion task?
The TOEFL Academic Discussion task requires you to contribute to an online classroom discussion. You'll read a professor's question and other students' responses, then write your own post expressing and supporting your opinion in about 10 minutes.
How is the Academic Discussion task scored?
The task is scored on a scale of 0-5 based on relevance to the discussion, quality of language use (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure), and how well you develop and support your ideas with specific examples and reasoning.
What are the user samples on this page?
These are real responses submitted by TOEFL test-takers who practiced this question on LingoLeap. Each sample has been evaluated by our AI scoring engine, which provides a score and detailed feedback on strengths and areas for improvement.
How accurate is the AI evaluation?
LingoLeap's AI evaluation engine is trained on official ETS scoring rubrics and calibrated against human rater scores. While no automated system is perfect, it provides reliable feedback for practice purposes and helps identify specific areas for improvement.
How can I practice this Academic Discussion task?
You can practice by signing up for a free LingoLeap account. Write your own response to this exact question, submit it, and receive instant AI evaluation with detailed feedback on your writing.
How long should my Academic Discussion response be?
Aim for 120-150 words. The task gives you 10 minutes to write your response. Focus on clarity, supporting your opinion with specific examples, and referencing the discussion context rather than writing a longer response.

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