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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: university spending

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Task Overview

Professor

Funding for education is a really hot topic nowadays, so today we’re going to talk about how universities use their limited resources. In the discussion board please respond to the following question: Should universities prioritize funding academic facilities like libraries, or is it okay to spend just as much money on sports and athletic programs?

Student A

I think universities should prioritize funding for libraries. Libraries are essential for academic research, and they provide students with access to information and resources that they might not have otherwise. Investing in libraries can also help attract and retain the most talented professors, which can ultimately benefit the university as a whole. Sports, on the other hand, appeal to just a few people.

Student B

While I agree that libraries are important, I think that sports programs should also be a priority for universities. Sports can bring the campus community together, even if that just means they attend sports and cheer for their favorite athletes. Meanwhile, among the athletes themselves, sports promote teamwork and leadership skills. Additionally, successful sports programs can generate revenue for the university and boost its reputation.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

It' s a controversial topic of the university’ s funding preference on whether academic facility or sports, from my perspective, I believe that the university should satisfied the academic utilization. I concur Rachel’ s view that labs and libraries enhance the academic performance and recruit more professors. It brings brilliant reputation and academic influence on the university. I’ d add that better lab and libraries help us students to achieve academic success. Study is significant to all students. Bright classrooms and comfortable libraries definitely are attractive to top students, and the better undergraduates, the denser academic atmosphere in university. While I partly agree with Mike’ s opinion that sport means a lot to undergraduates. However, it is unnecessary for a collage to have an enormous gym like Olympic stadium. A gym satisfying students to do regular exercise such as running, playing ball games and so on is enough.

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: 3.5

2. 预估分数

25. 3 任务完成度

整体来说,你的文章回答了问题并提出了自己的观点。但是,你可以在以下方面进行改进:

  1. 更详细地阐述你的观点,提供更多具体的例子和论据。

  2. 注意语法和词汇的准确性,避免使用不清楚或不符合语境的词汇。

示例1(改进前):It brings brilliant reputation and academic influence on the university. 示例1(改进后):Investing in academic facilities can enhance the university's reputation and academic influence.

示例2(改进前):A gym satisfying students to do regular exercise such as running, playing ball games and so on is enough. 示例2(改进后):A gym that provides students with opportunities for regular exercise, such as running and playing ball games, should be sufficient.

4. 文章结构与组织

从结构和组织方面来看,你的文章有明确的结构,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在以下方面还有待改进:

  1. 在段落之间使用更清晰的过渡词或短语。

  2. 确保每个段落都集中讨论一个具体观点,并提供支持细节。

示例1(改进前):I concur Rachel’ s view that labs and libraries enhance the academic performance and recruit more professors. 示例1(改进后):I agree with Rachel's view that investing in labs and libraries can enhance academic performance and attract more talented professors.

示例2(改进前):While I partly agree with Mike’ s opinion that sport means a lot to undergraduates. 示例2(改进后):Although I partially agree with Mike's opinion that sports play a significant role in undergraduate life, I believe that academic facilities should be prioritized.

5. 语法批改

It' sIt's(space after apostrophe in contraction (e.g. I' m)) a controversial topic of the university’ suniversity’s(space after apostrophe in contraction (e.g. I' m)) funding preference on whether academic facility or sports, from my perspective, I believe that the university should satisfiedsatisfy(Non-infinitive verb after modal verbs) the academic utilization. I concur Rachel’ sRachel’s(space after apostrophe in contraction (e.g. I' m)) view that labs and libraries enhance the academic performance and recruit more professors. It brings brilliant reputation and academic influence on the university. I’ dI’d(space after apostrophe in contraction (e.g. I' m)) add that better lab and libraries help us students to achieve academic success. Study is significant to all students. Bright classrooms and comfortable libraries definitely are attractive to top students, and the better undergraduates, the denser academic atmosphere in universitythe university(This rule identifies whether the article 'the' is missing in a sentence.). While I partly agree with Mike’ sMike’s(space after apostrophe in contraction (e.g. I' m)) opinion that sport means a lot to undergraduates. However, it is unnecessary for a collage to have an enormous gym like Olympic stadium. A gym satisfying students to do regular exercise such as running, playing ball games and so on is enough.

Title: 6 文章修订

The allocation of university funding between academic facilities and sports programs has long been a contentious issue. In my opinion, prioritizing academic resources, such as libraries and laboratories, is crucial for the overall success of an institution. I concur with Student A's assertion that investing in these facilities not only enhances academic performance but also attracts and retains top-tier professors, thereby bolstering the university's reputation and influence. Furthermore, well-equipped libraries and laboratories are instrumental in fostering student success and creating a conducive learning environment. High-quality facilities undoubtedly appeal to high-achieving students, which in turn cultivates a vibrant academic atmosphere on campus.

While I acknowledge Student B's argument regarding the importance of sports programs in promoting campus unity and developing valuable skills among athletes, I contend that universities need not invest exorbitant amounts into these initiatives. Instead, providing modest yet adequate sports facilities that cater to students' basic fitness needs should suffice. This balanced approach ensures that universities maintain their primary focus on academics while still supporting the physical well-being of their students. (175 words)

It' s a controversial topic of the university’ s The allocation of university funding preference on whether academic facility or sports, from between academic facilities and sports programs has long been a contentious issue (rephrased for clarity and natural tone). In my perspective, I believe that the university should satisfied the academic utilization. opinion, prioritizing academic resources, such as libraries and laboratories, is crucial for the overall success of an institution (clarified the focus on academic resources). I concur Rachel’ s view that labs and with Student A's assertion that investing in these facilities not only enhances academic performance but also attracts and retains top-tier professors (rephrased to maintain natural tone), thereby bolstering the university's reputation and influence. Furthermore, well-equipped libraries enhance the academic performance and recruit more professors. It brings brilliant reputation and academic influence on the university. I’ d add that better lab and libraries help us students to achieve academic success. Study is significant to all students. Bright classrooms and comfortable libraries definitely and laboratories are attractive to top instrumental in fostering student success and creating a conducive learning environment (added "conducive learning environment" to emphasize the importance of facilities). High-quality facilities undoubtedly appeal to high-achieving students, and the better undergraduates, the denser which in turn cultivates a vibrant academic atmosphere in university. on campus (rephrased for clarity).

While I partly agree with Mike’ s opinion that sport means a lot to undergraduates. However, it is unnecessary for a collage to have an enormous gym like Olympic stadium. A gym satisfying acknowledge Student B's argument regarding the importance of sports programs in promoting campus unity and developing valuable skills among athletes (rephrased to maintain natural tone), I contend that universities need not invest exorbitant amounts into these initiatives (clarified the stance on sports funding). Instead, providing modest yet adequate sports facilities that cater to students' basic fitness needs should suffice (suggested a balanced approach). This balanced approach ensures that universities maintain their primary focus on academics while still supporting the physical well-being of their students to do regular exercise such as running, playing ball games and so on is enough.(summarized the main point).

8 思维导图


1. Introduction
   - Allocation of university funding
   - Academic facilities vs. sports programs

2. Prioritizing academic resources
   - Enhances academic performance
   - Attracts and retains top-tier professors
   - Bolsters university's reputation and influence

3. Importance of well-equipped libraries and laboratories
   - Fosters student success
   - Creates conducive learning environment

4. Appeal to high-achieving students
   - Cultivates vibrant academic atmosphere on campus

5. Acknowledging importance of sports programs
   - Promotes campus unity 
   - Develops valuable skills among athletes 

6. Balanced approach to sports funding 
   - Modest yet adequate facilities 
   - Focus on basic fitness needs 

7. Maintaining primary focus on academics 

8. Supporting physical well-being of students 

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
allocation/ˌæləˈkeɪʃən/nounthe process of distributing something分配The allocation of university funding should prioritize academic resources over sports programs.
contentious/kənˈtɛnʃəs/adjectivecausing or likely to cause disagreement有争议的The allocation of university funding has long been a contentious issue.
bolster/ˈboʊlstər/verbsupport or strengthen支持,加强Investing in academic facilities bolsters the university's reputation and influence.
instrumental/ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntl/adjectivehelpful; useful有帮助的Well-equipped libraries and laboratories are instrumental in fostering student success.
conducive/kənˈduːsɪv/adjectivemaking a certain situation or outcome likely有助于...的A conducive learning environment is essential for student success.
exorbitant/ɪgˈzɔrbɪtənt/adjectiveunreasonably high (in cost)过高的Universities need not invest exorbitant amounts into sports programs.
suffice/səˈfaɪs/verbbe enough or adequate足够Providing modest yet adequate sports facilities should suffice for students' basic fitness needs.
vibrant/ˈvaɪbrənt/adjectivefull of energy and enthusiasm充满活力的High-achieving students cultivate a vibrant academic atmosphere on campus.
well-being/wɛlˈbiɪŋ/nounthe state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy健康幸福- Supporting the physical well-being of students is an important aspect of university life.

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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