TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Professor: many people propose placing a fine on companies that pollute the environment. Is this going to work?
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Professor
Professor: many people propose placing a fine on companies that pollute the environment. Is this going to work?
Student A
Student 1: yes
Student B
Student 2: no
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
When it comes to the debate over whether governments should place a fine on companioes that pollute the environment, I agree with Claire that this is a rational policy because this can reduce pollution and protect envrionment. Apart from Claire’s view, I believe this policy can also promote companies to develop more sustainable modes of business. For instance, airplane companies, influenced by this policy, will try to invent clean fuels that cause little harm to environment. With Environmentally friendly fuels, mor e people will choose to take their planes. However, Andrew’s perspective triggers my dissent. I don’t agree that placing fines on those companies can make some companies suffer. Even for those companies who really need to use some harmful chemicals like detergent companies, causing harm to environment can be avoided. For instance, detergent companies can develop a process to clean the chemicals they produce during creating detergent. Besides, they can also set up adds to warn people not to throw detergent bottles without using them up to avoid excessive fines.
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. Task completeness
The essay addresses the task requirements by discussing both sides of the argument, but it could be improved by providing more specific examples and a clearer conclusion. The essay should also better differentiate between the two students' opinions (Student A and Student B) instead of using names like Claire and Andrew, which are not mentioned in the original task.
Suggestions for improvement:
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Use more specific examples to support your arguments.
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Clearly state your conclusion based on the discussion.
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Stick to the names provided in the task (Student A and Student B).
Examples:
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Instead of mentioning "airplane companies," provide a real-life example of an airline that has made efforts to reduce pollution.
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When discussing detergent companies, give an example of a company that has implemented environmentally friendly practices.
4. Essay structure and organization
The essay has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it could be improved by using better transitions between ideas and paragraphs.
Suggestions for improvement:
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Use clear transitions between ideas to guide the reader through your argument.
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Ensure each paragraph focuses on one specific point with supporting details.
Examples:
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Instead of starting a paragraph with "However," use a transition like "On the other hand" or "In contrast" to show you are presenting an opposing viewpoint.
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Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states the main point you will discuss in that paragraph, followed by supporting details or examples.
5. Grammar
When it comes to the debate over whether governments should place a fine on companioescompanies(misspelling) that pollute the environment, I agree with Claire that this is a rational policy because this can reduce pollution and protect envrionmentenvironment(misspelling). Apart from Claire’s view, I believe this policy can also promote companies to develop more sustainable modes of business. For instance, airplane companies, influenced by this policy, will try to invent clean fuels that cause little harm to environmentthe environment(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.). With Environmentally friendly fuels, mor emore(misspelling) people will choose to take their planes.
However, Andrew’s perspective triggers my dissent. I don’t agree that placing fines on those companies can make some companies suffer. Even for those companies who really need to use some harmful chemicals like detergent companies, causing harm to environmentthe environment(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.) can be avoided. For instance, detergent companies can develop a process to clean the chemicals they produce during creating detergent. Besides, they can also set up adds to warn people not to throw detergent bottles without using them up to avoid excessive fines.
Display title: 6 Revised Essay
In addressing the question of whether governments should impose fines on companies that pollute the environment, I concur with Claire's stance that this is a reasonable policy, as it can help reduce pollution and protect the environment. Beyond Claire's viewpoint, I also believe that such a policy can encourage companies to adopt more sustainable business practices. For example, influenced by this policy, airplane manufacturers may be motivated to develop cleaner fuels that have minimal environmental impact. As a result of using environmentally friendly fuels, more people might opt for air travel.
On the other hand, I find myself disagreeing with Andrew's assertion that imposing fines on polluting companies could lead to their suffering. Even for those businesses that require the use of harmful chemicals, such as detergent manufacturers, causing environmental harm can still be mitigated. For instance, these companies could develop processes to clean the chemicals produced during detergent manufacturing. Additionally, they could implement advertising campaigns to educate consumers about proper disposal methods for detergent bottles and promote full usage to avoid excessive fines. (179 words)
When it comes to the debate over In addressing the question of whether governments should place a fine impose fines on companioes companies that pollute the environment, environment (rephrased for clarity), I agree concur with Claire Claire's stance that this is a rational reasonable policy because this (changed "rational" to "reasonable" for a more natural tone), as it can help reduce pollution and protect envrionment. Apart from Claire’s view, the environment. Beyond Claire's viewpoint, I also believe this that such a policy can also promote companies to develop encourage companies to adopt more sustainable modes of business. business practices (rephrased for better flow). For instance, airplane companies, example, influenced by this policy, will try to invent clean airplane manufacturers may be motivated to develop cleaner fuels that cause little harm to environment. With Environmentally have minimal environmental impact (revised for clarity and conciseness). As a result of using environmentally friendly fuels, mor e more people will choose to take their planes. might opt for air travel (rephrased for better flow).
However, Andrew’s perspective triggers my dissent. On the other hand, I don’t agree that placing find myself disagreeing with Andrew's assertion that imposing fines on polluting companies could lead to their suffering (rephrased for a more natural tone). Even for those companies businesses that require the use of harmful chemicals, such as detergent manufacturers, causing environmental harm can make some companies suffer. Even for those companies who really need to use some harmful chemicals like detergent companies, causing harm to environment can still be avoided. mitigated (revised for clarity). For instance, these companies could develop processes to clean the chemicals produced during detergent companies can develop a process to clean the chemicals manufacturing (rephrased for better flow). Additionally, they produce during creating detergent. Besides, they can also set up adds to warn people not to throw could implement advertising campaigns to educate consumers about proper disposal methods for detergent bottles without using them up and promote full usage to avoid excessive fines.fines (clarified meaning and improved sentence structure).
8 Mind Map
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Introduction
- Governments imposing fines
- Reducing pollution
- Protecting the environment
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Claire's stance
- Reasonable policy
- Encouraging sustainable practices
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Airplane manufacturers example
- Cleaner fuels development
- Increased air travel demand
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Disagreeing with Andrew's assertion
- Companies can mitigate harm
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Detergent manufacturers example
- Cleaning processes for chemicals
- Advertising campaigns for proper disposal and usage
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Conclusion
- Fines as a tool for environmental protection
9 Key Words
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | English Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impose | /ɪmˈpoʊz/ | Verb | To force something to be accepted or put in place | Impose | Governments should impose fines on companies that pollute the environment. |
| Sustainable | /səˈsteɪnəbəl/ | Adjective | Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Sustainable | Such a policy can encourage companies to adopt more sustainable business practices. |
| Mitigate | /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/ | Verb | To make something less severe, serious, or painful | Mitigate | Causing environmental harm can still be mitigated by companies using harmful chemicals. |
| Assertion | /əˈsɜrʃən/ | Noun | A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief | Assertion | - I find myself disagreeing with Andrew's assertion that imposing fines could lead to suffering. |
| Detergent | /dɪˈtɜrʤənt/ | Noun | A water-soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble | Detergent | Even for detergent manufacturers, causing environmental harm can be mitigated. |
| Advertising | /ˈædvərˌtaɪzɪŋ/ | Noun | The activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services | Advertising | They could implement advertising campaigns to educate consumers about proper disposal methods. |
| Disposal | /dɪˈspoʊzəl/ | Noun | The action or process of getting rid of something | Disposal | - Advertising campaigns can educate consumers about proper disposal methods for detergent bottles. |
| Excessive | /ɪkˈsɛsɪv/ | Adjective | - More than is necessary, normal, or desirable; immoderate | Excessive | - They could promote full usage to avoid excessive fines. |
| Environmental impact | /ɛnvaɪrənˈmɛntl ˈɪmpækt/ | Noun | - The effect of human activity on the environment | Environmental impact | - Airplane manufacturers may develop cleaner fuels that have minimal environmental impact. |
6 Revised Essay
In addressing the question of whether governments should impose fines on companies that pollute the environment, I concur with Claire's stance that this is a reasonable policy, as it can help reduce pollution and protect the environment. Beyond Claire's viewpoint, I also believe that such a policy can encourage companies to adopt more sustainable business practices. For example, influenced by this policy, airplane manufacturers may be motivated to develop cleaner fuels that have minimal environmental impact. As a result of using environmentally friendly fuels, more people might opt for air travel.
On the other hand, I find myself disagreeing with Andrew's assertion that imposing fines on polluting companies could lead to their suffering. Even for those businesses that require the use of harmful chemicals, such as detergent manufacturers, causing environmental harm can still be mitigated. For instance, these companies could develop processes to clean the chemicals produced during detergent manufacturing. Additionally, they could implement advertising campaigns to educate consumers about proper disposal methods for detergent bottles and promote full usage to avoid excessive fines.
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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