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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Starting this week, we will discusshow public transportation is funded. Public transportation gives peop le from all social groups access to their homes, workplaces, and shopp ing. Some argue that public transportation should be supported by tax revenue so that all people could have free access to it. What do you think?Sh ould public transportation be free to all? Why or why not?

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Task Overview

Professor

Starting this week, we will discusshow public transportation is funded. Public transportation gives peop le from all social groups access to their homes, workplaces, and shopp ing. Some argue that public transportation should be supported by tax revenue so that all people could have free access to it. What do you think?Sh ould public transportation be free to all? Why or why not?

Student A

People already pay so much in taxes for things like schools, roads, and law enforcement. I don't think that adding one more tax-especially when some people don't even use public transportation-would be a good idea. People need money for other essentials for their families.

Student B

Free public transportation would result in having fewer cars on the roads. Also, it would mean cleaner air for the cities, and there are many health conditions that could be improved with cleaner air. I th ink the savings in hea lth-care costs and less pollution would make it worth it.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In my opinion, I prefer not to taking revenue taxes just like what Kelly suggests. Although what Paul claims hold merits that taking some taxes helps eliminate the busy traffic and does help to the environment, those reducing on traffic will cause a damage on the economy either. When traffic on roads would take you some taxes, you would not like to go out any more like shopping or having meals on the restaurant. As a result, it slows down the economical developm ent. Meanwhile. considering the taxes, lots of people will turn to thepublic transportation which will derive a big inconvenience in daily life for those people who have never used the public transportation before. As Kelly says, it may also become a burden for some families who need money for other essentials in life. In conclusion, I think the government shouldn's take the avenue taxes despite it has some benefits.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

  • Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 3.5

  • Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.0

  • Language Use and Grammar: 2.5

2. 预估分数

  • Estimated Score: 20

3. 任务完成度

这篇文章在任务完成度方面有待提高。首先,文章没有充分利用阅读材料中的观点和信息。例如,作者只是简单地提到了Kelly和Paul的观点,而没有详细解释他们的论据。其次,文章的论证过程不够清晰和有力。建议在撰写文章时更加关注任务要求,并尝试更全面地讨论问题。

改进建议示例:

  1. 在引入Kelly和Paul的观点时,可以详细描述他们的论据,并在自己的观点中加以讨论。例如:“正如Kelly所说,增加税收可能会给那些需要资金用于其他生活必需品的家庭带来负担。”
  2. 在表达自己的观点时,可以提供更多具体的例子和细节来支持论述。例如:“另一方面,免费公共交通可能会导致公共交通系统过于拥挤,从而降低了乘客的出行体验。”

4. 文章结构与组织

从结构和组织角度来看,这篇文章有一定的基础,但仍有改进空间。文章的开头和结尾部分较为简单,建议在引言中更明确地陈述自己的观点,并在结论中进行总结。此外,文章的段落划分不够明确,缺乏恰当的过渡词汇。建议在撰写文章时注意段落之间的逻辑关系,并使用过渡词汇来连接不同观点。

改进建议示例:

  1. 在引言部分,可以更明确地陈述自己的观点。例如:“在这篇文章中,我将讨论为什么我认为公共交通不应该完全免费。”
  2. 在段落之间使用过渡词汇来连接不同观点。例如:“然而,在考虑到免费公共交通可能带来的环境和健康益处时,我们还需要权衡其他因素。”

5. 语法批改

In my opinion, I prefer not to taking revenue taxes just like what Kelly suggests. Although what Paul claims hold merits that taking some taxes helps eliminate the busy traffic and does help to the environment, those reducing on traffic will cause a damagedamage(Articles: a + uncountable noun) on the economy either. When traffic on roads would take you some taxes, you would not like to go out any more like shopping or having meals on the restaurant. As a result, it slows down the economical developm entdevelopment(misspelling). Meanwhile. consideringConsidering(Checks that a sentence starts with an uppercase letter) the taxes, lots of people will turn to thepublicthe public(misspelling) transportationtransportation,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) which will derive a big inconvenience in daily life for those people who have never used the public transportation before. As Kelly says, it may also become a burden for some families who need money for other essentials in life. In conclusion, I think the government shouldn'sshouldn't(Contraction errors: e.g. did'nt (didn't)) take the avenue taxesof taxes(This rule identifies whether the preposition 'of' is missing in a sentence.) despite it has some benefits.

Section Title: 6 文章修订

In my perspective, I concur with Kelly's argument against implementing additional taxes to fund free public transportation. While Paul's assertion that tax-funded public transportation could alleviate traffic congestion and benefit the environment carries some weight, the potential economic drawbacks must also be considered. Imposing taxes on road usage may discourage individuals from engaging in activities such as shopping or dining out, consequently impeding economic growth. Furthermore, an influx of new public transportation users could create inconvenience for those unaccustomed to this mode of travel. As Kelly highlights, the financial strain of additional taxes may also burden families who require funds for other essential aspects of life. Thus, despite certain advantages, I believe that governments should refrain from imposing revenue taxes for public transportation. (127 words)

In my opinion, perspective [Changed "In my opinion" to "In my perspective" for a more natural tone], I prefer not to taking revenue taxes just like what Kelly suggests. Although concur with Kelly's argument against implementing additional taxes to fund free public transportation. While Paul's assertion that tax-funded public transportation could alleviate traffic congestion and benefit the environment carries some weight [Rephrased "Although what Paul claims hold merits that taking some taxes helps eliminate the busy traffic and does help to the environment, those reducing merits..." for clarity and a more natural tone], the potential economic drawbacks must also be considered. Imposing taxes on traffic will cause a damage on the economy either. When road usage may discourage individuals from engaging in activities such as shopping or dining out [Rephrased "When traffic on roads would take you some taxes, you would not like to go out any more like shopping or having meals on the restaurant. As a result, it slows down the economical developm ent. Meanwhile. considering restaurant" for clarity and conciseness], consequently impeding economic growth. Furthermore, an influx of new public transportation users could create inconvenience for those unaccustomed to this mode of travel [Rephrased "considering the taxes, lots of people will turn to thepublic the public transportation which will derive a big inconvenience in daily life for those people who have never used the public transportation before. before" for clarity and conciseness]. As Kelly says, it highlights, the financial strain of additional taxes may also become a burden for some families who need money require funds for other essentials in life. In conclusion, essential aspects of life [Clarified meaning and improved sentence structure]. Thus, despite certain advantages, I think the government shouldn's take the avenue taxes despite it has some benefits.believe that governments should refrain from imposing revenue taxes for public transportation [Clarified conclusion and improved sentence structure].

8 思维导图


- 核心论点
  - 反对额外税收资助免费公共交通

- 优点
  - 减轻交通拥堵
  - 环境效益

- 缺点
  - 抑制经济增长
    - 减少购物和就餐活动
  - 新公共交通用户带来不便
  - 家庭负担加重

- 结论
  - 政府应避免征收额外税收资助公共交通

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
perspective/pərˈspektɪv/nouna particular way of considering something观点In my perspective, I concur with Kelly's argument against implementing additional taxes to fund free public transportation.
concur/kənˈkɜr/verbto agree with someone同意I concur with Kelly's argument against implementing additional taxes to fund free public transportation.
assertion/əˈsɜrʃən/nouna confident and forceful statement that something is true主张Paul's assertion that tax-funded public transportation could alleviate traffic congestion and benefit the environment carries some weight.
impose/ɪmˈpoʊz/verbto force someone to accept or put up with征收Imposing taxes on road usage may discourage individuals from engaging in activities such as shopping or dining out.
impede/ɪmˈpid/verbto slow the movement, progress, or action of (someone or something)阻碍Imposing taxes on road usage may discourage individuals from engaging in activities such as shopping or dining out, consequently impeding economic growth.
influx/ˈɪnˌflʌks/nounthe arrival of a large number of people涌入Furthermore, an influx of new public transportation users could create inconvenience for those unaccustomed to this mode of travel.
unaccustomed/ˌʌnəˈkʌstəmd/adjectivenot used to something不习惯的An influx of new public transportation users could create inconvenience for those unaccustomed to this mode of travel.
financial strain/fəˈnænʃəl streɪn/nouna situation where there is not enough money available for something财务压力As Kelly highlights, the financial strain of additional taxes may also burden families who require funds for other essential aspects of life.
refrain/rɪˈfreɪn/verb-to stop oneself from doing something that one wants to do-避免-Thus, despite certain advantages, I believe that governments should refrain from imposing revenue taxes for public transportation.

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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