TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on career. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response you should do the following. · Express and support your opinion. · Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words. An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
task_page.hero_subtitle
task_page.sample_count
task_page.cta_buttontask_page.task_overview_title
Professor
n many countries, the standard workweek consists of eight hours of work each day for five days per week. Now, though, some people advocate a shorter workweek: a four-day workweek with no decrease in workers' pay. There are advantages and disadvantages to this of course. What is your opinion about instituting a shorter, four-day workweek, and why?
Amy
I like that idea, but on one condition: that the workday is no longer than eight hours. I have heard some plans require ten hours a day for a four-day week. Most employees would find that exhausting, and it could actually be counterproductive to tire out your workers. Yes to four-day weeks, but no to ten-hour days!
Rory
In my country, the workweek is Monday to Friday plus half a day on Saturday, so moving to a four-day workweek would be too drastic a change! Workers might struggle to complete their tasks in a four-day workweek. It seems less stressful to spread work out over more days rather than trying to condense it all into a shorter week.
task_page.user_samples_title
task_page.user_sample
For where I stand, I staunchly believe that setting a shorter, four-day workweek, can reduce the possibility of getting some physical and health problems, which are very common within contemporary employees, since one more day break can provide a promising opportunity for them to release their stress. To be more specific, nowadays, more and more young employees are suffering from various healthy problems, such as obesity, neck and back issues, etc, owing to working for too much hours to relax. For example, Alibaba, a high-tech company I worked for, advocated their employees to stay in their stations for 12 hours per day, so many programmers including me suffered from cervical spondylosis. If we can only four days a week, I firmly believe we can avoid these healthy problems effectively. Still, a voice rises that it is stressful to condense work into a shorter workweek. Actually, as a worker, we can arrange our work rationally to overcome this issue.
task_page.evaluation_result
1. Sub Scores:
Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.5 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.0 Language Use and Grammar: 4.0
2. Estimated Scores:
Estimated Score: 27
3. Task completeness:
The essay does a good job of addressing the specific requirements of the task, expressing a clear opinion on the four-day workweek and providing personal experience to support the viewpoint. However, there is room for improvement in elaborating on the opposing view mentioned in the reading passage. To strengthen your response, consider discussing Rory's point about the potential difficulty in completing tasks within a shorter workweek.
Example 1: "While Rory argues that a four-day workweek might be too drastic a change for workers to complete their tasks, I believe that with proper time management and prioritization, employees can adapt to this new schedule."
Example 2: "Rory's concern about workers struggling to complete tasks within a four-day workweek can be addressed by implementing flexible working hours or offering additional support from employers."
4. Essay structure and organization:
The essay has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it could benefit from more explicit transitions between ideas and paragraphs to improve coherence.
Example 1: Instead of starting with "For where I stand," you could write "In my opinion" or "I firmly believe" to introduce your viewpoint more clearly.
Example 2: To transition between discussing health problems caused by long work hours and addressing concerns about condensing work into a shorter week, you could use phrases like "On the other hand" or "However." For example, "On the other hand, some may argue that condensing work into a shorter week could be stressful for employees."
5. Grammar
For where I stand, I staunchly believe that setting a shorter, four-day workweek, can reduce the possibility of getting some physical and health problems, which are very common within contemporary employees, since one more day break can provide a promising opportunity for them to release their stress. To be more specific, nowadays, more and more young employees are suffering from various healthy problems, such as obesity, neck and back issues, etcetc.(period after abbreviation 'etc.'), owing to working for too muchmany('much' + countable noun, e.g. 'much (many) children') hours to relax. For example, Alibaba, a high-tech company I worked for, advocated their employees to stay in their stations for 12 hours per day, so many programmers including me suffered from cervical spondylosis. If we can only four[No Replacement Word Found](missing verb after 'will/can/could/would') days a week, I firmly believe we can avoid these healthy problems effectively. Still, a voice rises that it is stressful to condense work into a shorter workweek. Actually, as a worker, we can arrange our work rationally to overcome this issue.
Title: 6 Revised Essay
In my opinion, implementing a shorter, four-day workweek has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence of physical and health issues commonly experienced by modern employees. An additional day off would offer a valuable opportunity for workers to alleviate stress and focus on their well-being. The contemporary workforce is increasingly plagued by health problems such as obesity, neck and back pain, often resulting from excessive working hours with little time for relaxation. For instance, during my tenure at Alibaba, a high-tech company that encouraged employees to work 12-hour days, numerous programmers, including myself, developed cervical spondylosis. I am confident that transitioning to a four-day workweek would effectively mitigate such health concerns. While some argue that condensing work into a shorter week may be stressful, I believe that with proper planning and rational organization of tasks, employees can successfully adapt to this new schedule. (147 words)
In my opinion (For where I stand, I staunchly believe that setting stand), implementing a shorter, four-day workweek, workweek has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence of physical and health issues (can reduce the possibility of getting some physical and health problems, problems) commonly experienced by modern employees (which are very common within contemporary employees, employees). An additional day off would offer a valuable opportunity for workers to alleviate stress and focus on their well-being (since one more day break can provide a promising opportunity for them to release their stress. To be more specific, stress). The contemporary workforce is increasingly plagued by health problems such as obesity, neck and back pain, often resulting from excessive working hours with little time for relaxation (nowadays, more and more young employees are suffering from various healthy problems, such as obesity, neck and back issues, etc, owing to working for too much hours to relax. relax). For example, instance, during my tenure at Alibaba, a high-tech company that encouraged employees to work 12-hour days (Alibaba, a high-tech company I worked for, advocated their employees to stay in their stations for 12 hours per day, day), numerous programmers, including myself, developed cervical spondylosis (so many programmers including me suffered from cervical spondylosis. spondylosis). I am confident that transitioning to a four-day workweek would effectively mitigate such health concerns (If we can only four days a week, I firmly believe we can avoid these healthy problems effectively. effectively). While some argue that condensing work into a shorter week may be stressful (Still, a voice rises that it is stressful to condense work into a shorter workweek. workweek), I believe that with proper planning and rational organization of tasks (Actually, as a worker, we can arrange our work rationally rationally), employees can successfully adapt to this new schedule (to overcome this issue.issue).
8 Mind Map
-
Introduction
- Four-day workweek
- Health benefits
-
Physical issues
- Obesity
- Neck and back pain
-
Mental health
- Stress reduction
- Well-being focus
-
Personal experience
- Alibaba example
- Cervical spondylosis
-
Counterargument
- Shorter week stress
-
Planning and organization
- Adapting to new schedule
-
Benefits outweigh concerns
-
Conclusion
9 Key Words
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | English Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevalence | /ˈprɛvələns/ | Noun | The fact or condition of being widespread or common | Prevalence | The prevalence of obesity in the workforce has increased due to excessive working hours. |
| Alleviate | /əˈliːviˌeɪt/ | Verb | To make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe | Alleviate | An additional day off would help alleviate stress for workers. |
| Cervical spondylosis | /ˈsɜrvɪkəl spɒnˈdaɪləsɪs/ | Noun | A degenerative condition affecting the bones and cartilage in the neck | Cervical spondylosis | Many programmers at Alibaba developed cervical spondylosis due to long working hours. |
| Mitigate | /ˈmɪtɪˌgeɪt/ | Verb | To make less severe, serious, or painful | Mitigate | A four-day workweek would mitigate health concerns in the workforce. |
| Condensing | /kənˈdɛnsɪŋ/ | Verb | To make (something) denser or more concentrated | Condensing | Some argue that condensing work into a shorter week may be stressful. |
| Rational | /ˈræʃənl/ | Adjective | Based on or in accordance with reason or logic | Rational | With rational organization of tasks, employees can adapt to a shorter workweek. |
| Tenure | /ˈtɛnjʊr/ | Noun | The holding of an office or position | Tenure | During my tenure at Alibaba, I witnessed the effects of long working hours on employees' health. |
| Plagued | /pleɪgd/ | Verb | - To cause continual trouble or distress to | - Plagued | - The contemporary workforce is plagued by health problems due to excessive working hours. |
| Transition | /trænˈzɪʃən/ | - Noun | - The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another | - Transition | - Transitioning to a four-day workweek would effectively address health concerns in the workforce. |
task_page.scoring_framework_title
task_page.scoring_framework_intro
task_page.scoring_criterion_1_title
task_page.scoring_criterion_1_desc
task_page.scoring_criterion_2_title
task_page.scoring_criterion_2_desc
task_page.scoring_criterion_3_title
task_page.scoring_criterion_3_desc
task_page.common_patterns_title
task_page.common_patterns_intro
task_page.pattern_1
task_page.pattern_2
task_page.pattern_3
task_page.pattern_4
task_page.learning_tips_title
task_page.tip_1
task_page.tip_2
task_page.tip_3
task_page.tip_4
task_page.tip_5
task_page_faq.title
task_page_faq.q1
task_page_faq.q2
task_page_faq.q3
task_page_faq.q4
task_page_faq.q5
task_page_faq.q6
task_page.related_tasks_title
All TOEFL Writing Samples
Browse all user-submitted TOEFL writing samples with AI evaluation
TOEFL Academic Discussion Guide
Learn strategies and tips for the Academic Discussion writing task
TOEFL Writing Guide
Complete guide to all TOEFL writing task types and scoring
TOEFL Speaking Guide
Master all TOEFL speaking tasks with expert strategies
TOEFL Reading Guide
Strategies for TOEFL reading comprehension tasks
TOEFL Listening Guide
Tips and practice for TOEFL listening comprehension
task_page.related_tasks_title
Consumer Behavior
task_page.sample_count
Write A Post Responding To The Professors Question
task_page.sample_count
Economics
task_page.sample_count
Academic Discussion
task_page.sample_count
Environmental Science
task_page.sample_count
Sociology
task_page.sample_count
Rooting for Your Goal Score Today!
With LingoLeap, an expert in English exams
Get to Your Dream Score Faster