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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Do you agree or disagree with the idea: Volunteer work is a must for graduation.

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Task Overview

Professor

This week we discussed the fact that in some education systems, doing volunteer work is a requirement for graduation from high school. That is, students would not receive their high school diplomas until they provide evidence of doing volunteer work to serve their community; for example, they might distribute food to the needy and document how many hours they spent doing that. In your post, discuss whether you agree or disagree with the idea of requiring volunteer work for graduation and why you feel that way.

Student A

While volunteering is important, I do not think requiring it is acceptable. An integral part of volunteering is one's willingness to sacrifice time and effort for the good of others without expecting a reward. If volunteering becomes a requirement, it loses that essential quality of not expecting a reward-because there would be a reward, namely, graduation.

Student B

While I agree with parts of Claire's argument, I like the idea of making volunteering a requirement. By having students practice the act of volunteering during high school, even if it is required and not merely out of goodwill, it will become a part of their lives that they will continue doing after they graduate.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

1

User Sample #1

First, with today's increasing availability for shopping, including traditional e-commerce and live-streaming commerce, people have been exposed to wa...

Score
10

User Sample

First, with today's increasing availability for shopping, including traditional e-commerce and live-streaming commerce, people have been exposed to way too many commercial commodities that have gone far over what they really need. As a result, the motive of purchase for many people has skewed, going from buying for themselves to buying for other people's approval.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 1.0 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 1.0 Language Use and Grammar: 2.5

2. 预估分数

Estimated Score: 10 (1.33)

3. 任务完成度

这篇文章没有明确回答问题,即是否同意义工是毕业的必要条件。文章的内容与主题关系不大,需要重新审视讨论的焦点。建议在撰写时,先明确自己的观点,然后用具体的例子和论据来支持观点。

示例1:我同意义工应该成为高中毕业的必要条件,因为这样可以培养学生的社会责任感和团队合作精神。 示例2:我不同意义工是高中毕业的必要条件,因为这可能导致学生把重心从学术上转移到其他方面,影响他们在学术上取得更好的成绩。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章缺乏清晰的结构和组织。建议按照引言、正文和结论的顺序来组织文章。每个段落都应该集中讨论一个具体观点,并提供相关支持细节。此外,在段落之间使用明确的过渡词或短语。

示例1: 引言:在本文中,我将讨论我为什么同意义工应该成为高中毕业的必要条件。 正文:首先,义工可以培养学生的社会责任感。其次,参与义工活动有助于提高团队合作能力。 结论:综上所述,我认为义工对于高中生的成长和发展具有重要意义,因此应该成为毕业的必要条件。

示例2: 引言:在本文中,我将讨论我为什么不同意义工是高中毕业的必要条件。 正文:首先,强制性的义工可能导致学生关注度从学术转移到其他方面。其次,有些学生可能没有足够的时间来平衡学术和义工活动。 结论:总之,虽然义工对于个人和社会都有益处,但将其作为高中毕业的必要条件可能会带来一些负面影响。

5. 语法批改

First, with today's increasing availability for shopping, including traditional e-commerce and live-streaming commerce, people have been exposed to way too many commercial commodities that have gone far over what they really need. As a result, the motive of purchase for many people has skewed, going from buying for themselves to buying for other people's approval.

Title: 6 文章修订

While I acknowledge the importance of volunteer work, I disagree with making it a mandatory requirement for high school graduation. The essence of volunteering lies in an individual's willingness to devote their time and effort for the betterment of others without expecting any reward. By making it compulsory, we risk undermining this altruistic aspect, as students would be motivated by the prospect of graduation rather than genuine goodwill. Furthermore, in today's consumer-driven society, individuals are often influenced by external validation when making purchases. Encouraging voluntary acts based on intrinsic motivation could help counteract this trend and foster a more compassionate mindset among young people. Instead of imposing mandatory volunteer work, educational institutions should focus on nurturing students' innate desire to contribute positively to their communities. (128 words)

Revised essay: Title: 7 文章批改

First, with today's increasing availability for shopping, including traditional e-commerce and live-streaming commerce (clarification: specifying types of shopping), people have been exposed to way too many commercial commodities (word choice: "way too many" changed to "an overwhelming number of" for a more formal tone) that have gone far over what they really need. As a result, the motive of purchase for many people has skewed (word choice: "skewed" changed to "shifted" for clarity), going from buying for themselves to buying for other people's approval (explanation: emphasizing the change in purchasing motivation).

Revised paragraph: First, with today's increasing availability for shopping, including traditional e-commerce and live-streaming commerce, people have been exposed to way too many an overwhelming number of commercial commodities that have gone far over what they really need. As a result, the motive of purchase for many people has skewed, shifted, going from buying for themselves to buying for other people's approval.

Display title: 8 思维导图


1. Introduction
   - Importance of volunteer work
   - Disagreement with mandatory requirement

2. Essence of volunteering
   - Willingness to devote time and effort
   - Altruistic aspect

3. Compulsory volunteering
   - Undermining altruism
   - Motivation for graduation, not goodwill

4. Consumer-driven society
   - Influence of external validation
   - Encouraging intrinsic motivation

5. Fostering compassionate mindset
   - Voluntary acts based on intrinsic motivation

6. Educational institutions' role
   - Nurturing innate desire to contribute positively

7. Conclusion
   - Focus on intrinsic motivation, not mandatory requirements

Display title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
acknowledge/əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/verbTo accept or admit the existence or truth of承认I acknowledge the importance of volunteer work.
altruistic/ˌæltruˈɪstɪk/adjectiveShowing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish无私的The essence of volunteering lies in its altruistic aspect.
compulsory/kəmˈpʌlsəri/adjectiveRequired by law or a rule; obligatory强制性的I disagree with making volunteer work compulsory for high school graduation.
undermine/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/verbTo weaken or damage, especially gradually or insidiously削弱By making it compulsory, we risk undermining the altruistic aspect of volunteering.
intrinsic/ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk/adjectiveBelonging naturally; essential内在的Encouraging voluntary acts based on intrinsic motivation could foster a more compassionate mindset.
consumer-driven/kənˈsjuːmər ˈdrɪvən/adjectiveInfluenced or controlled by the needs and wants of consumers消费者驱动的In today's consumer-driven society, individuals are often influenced by external validation when making purchases.
validation/ˌvælɪˈdeɪʃən/nounThe action of checking or proving the validity or accuracy of something验证People are often influenced by external validation when making decisions.
compassionate/kəmˈpæʃənət/adjectiveFeeling or showing sympathy and concern for others富有同情心的Fostering a compassionate mindset among young people is important.
innate/ɪˈneɪt/adjective- Inborn; natural- 天生的- Educational institutions should focus on nurturing students' innate desire to contribute positively to their communities.

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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