All Samples

TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on economics.Write a post responding to the professor'squestion.

Real user submissions with AI-powered evaluation and feedback

11 user-submitted samples available

Start Free Practice

Task Overview

Dr. Achebe

This week, we'll be discussing ways to address air pollution. One idea is introducing environmental taxes on air travel. Such taxes, also referred to asecological taxes or green taxes, are extra charges that get added to the price of airplane tickets.Money collected from these taxes could be invested in environmentally friendly technologiesor in promoting other, cleaner modes of transportation. Do you think there should be an environmental tax on air travel? Why or why not?

Andrew

We should impose environmental taxes on air travel. These taxes might encourage people to find cheaper, more eco-friendly ways to get places. In my country, many people use planes to fly a short distance because flights are relatively cheap, when they could just as easily take a less polluting form of transportation.

Claire

Additional taxes on air travel will do little to solve the problem of air pollution. Airplane tickets would become more expensive, punishing passengers without incentivizing airlines to become more environmentally friendly. The airlines should pay the price to protect the environment, not their customers.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In the debate of whether to impose environmental taxes on air travel, I align with Claire's viewpoint that this incentitive will do little to solve air pollution. For most people who choose to fly to their destinations, air plane is typically the most appropriate option, as it is usually safer and faster than other public transportations, such as train and bus. For instance, if travelling from Boston to Paris, taking a plane is often cheaper and has more options than taking a ship. Thus, adding taxes on air travel would detrimental to these customers, making their travelling more difficult and exhausted, and therefore solving air pollution cannot achieved via this method. Instead, government could encourage companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and planes, and enhance public transportation facilities to make it, emcompassing railway and driving, a substitude for short-time air travel. Ultimately, I reckon that it is irrationale to add taxes on air travel.

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: 4.0

2. 预估分数

26. 3 任务完成度

总体来说,这篇文章在完成任务方面做得不错,但仍有一些改进的空间。首先,在表达观点时,可以尝试提供更多具体的例子和详细信息来支持你的观点。此外,在讨论环境税对于解决空气污染问题的影响时,可以更全面地考虑其他相关因素,如政府、航空公司和消费者之间的互动。

改进建议示例:

  1. 在讨论环境税对消费者造成负担时,可以提供具体数据或案例来说明这一点。

  2. 在提出替代方案时,可以详细说明政府如何鼓励航空公司采用环保燃料和飞机。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构方面基本合理,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在组织上还有一些需要改进的地方。首先,在正文部分,建议将各个观点分成不同段落进行讨论,并在段落之间使用明确的过渡词语。此外,在结论部分,可以更明确地总结文章的主要观点,并指出为什么你认为这种观点是正确的。

改进建议示例:

  1. 在正文部分,将讨论环境税对消费者造成负担的观点与提出替代方案的观点分成两个段落,并使用过渡词语如“另一方面”、“此外”等进行连接。

  2. 在结论部分,可以这样总结:“综上所述,我认为对航空旅行征收环境税并非解决空气污染问题的最佳方法。相反,政府应鼓励航空公司采用环保燃料和飞机,并改善公共交通设施以减少短途航班。”

5. 语法批改

In the debate of whether to impose environmental taxes on air travel, I align with Claire's viewpoint that this incentitiveincentive(misspelling) will do little to solve air pollution. For most people who choose to fly to their destinations, air planeairplane(Hyphenated words: air plane) is typically the most appropriate option, as it is usually safer and faster than other public transportations, such as train and bus. For instance, if travelling from Boston to Paris, taking a plane is often cheaper and has more options than taking a ship. Thus, adding taxes on air travel would detrimental to these customers, making their travelling more difficult and exhausted, and therefore solving air pollution cannot achievedbe achieved(it would (be) appreciated) via this method. Instead, government could encourage companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and planes, and enhance public transportation facilities to make it, emcompassingencompassing(misspelling) railway and driving, a substitudesubstitute(misspelling) for short-time air travel. Ultimately, I reckon that it is irrationaleirrational(misspelling) to add taxes on air travel.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

In the debate surrounding the imposition of environmental taxes on air travel, I concur with Claire's perspective that such a measure would have minimal impact on mitigating air pollution. For the majority of individuals who opt for air travel, airplanes are often the most suitable mode of transportation due to their safety and efficiency compared to alternatives like trains and buses. For example, traveling from Boston to Paris is generally more affordable and offers greater flexibility when flying rather than taking a ship. Consequently, imposing additional taxes on air travel would adversely affect these passengers, making their journeys more challenging and exhausting without effectively addressing air pollution. A more viable approach would involve incentivizing companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and aircraft while simultaneously improving public transportation infrastructure, including railways and roadways, to provide viable alternatives for short-distance air travel. Ultimately, I believe that levying taxes on air travel is an irrational solution to combat air pollution. (161 words)

In the debate of whether to impose surrounding the imposition of environmental taxes on air travel, travel (clarified the topic), I align concur with Claire's viewpoint perspective that this incentitive will do little to solve air pollution. such a measure would have minimal impact on mitigating air pollution (rephrased for clarity). For the majority of individuals who opt for air travel (changed "most people" to "the majority of individuals"), airplanes are often the most people who choose to fly suitable mode of transportation due to their destinations, air plane is typically the most appropriate option, as it is usually safer and faster than other public transportations, such as train and bus. safety and efficiency compared to alternatives like trains and buses (rephrased for clarity and readability). For instance, if travelling example, traveling from Boston to Paris, taking a plane Paris is often cheaper and has generally more options affordable and offers greater flexibility when flying rather than taking a ship. Thus, adding ship (rephrased for better flow). Consequently, imposing additional taxes on air travel would detrimental to adversely affect these customers, passengers, making their travelling journeys more difficult and exhausted, and therefore solving challenging and exhausting without effectively addressing air pollution cannot achieved via this method. Instead, government could encourage (rephrased for clarity). A more viable approach would involve incentivizing companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and planes, and enhance aircraft while simultaneously improving public transportation facilities to make it, emcompassing railway and driving, a substitude for short-time air travel. infrastructure, including railways and roadways, to provide viable alternatives for short-distance air travel (rephrased for better flow and clarity). Ultimately, I reckon believe that it levying taxes on air travel is irrationale to add taxes on air travel.an irrational solution to combat air pollution (rephrased for conciseness).

8 思维导图


- Environmental taxes on air travel
  - Minimal impact on mitigating air pollution
    - Airplanes as suitable transportation
      - Safety and efficiency
      - Affordability and flexibility
    - Adverse effects on passengers
      - Challenging and exhausting journeys
  - Viable approach to address pollution
    - Incentivizing eco-friendly fuels and aircraft
    - Improving public transportation infrastructure
      - Railways and roadways alternatives for short-distance travel
  - Conclusion: Levying taxes is an irrational solution

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
imposition/ˌɪmpəˈzɪʃən/nounthe act of establishing or applying something as a rule, tax, or duty征收,强加The imposition of environmental taxes would have minimal impact on mitigating air pollution.
concur/kənˈkɜr/verbto agree with someone or have the same opinion as them同意,一致I concur with Claire's perspective that such a measure would have minimal impact.
adversely/ædˈvɜrsli/adverbin a way that has negative or harmful effects不利地Imposing additional taxes on air travel would adversely affect these passengers.
incentivize/ɪnˈsɛntɪvaɪz/verbto encourage someone to do something by offering rewards激励,鼓励A more viable approach would involve incentivizing companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and aircraft.
eco-friendly/ˌikoʊˈfrɛndli/adjectivenot harmful to the environment环保的Incentivizing companies to adopt eco-friendly fuels and aircraft is a better solution.
infrastructure/ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌktʃər/nounthe basic systems and services that a country or organization needs in order to function properly基础设施Improving public transportation infrastructure would provide viable alternatives for short-distance air travel.
levying/ˈlɛviɪŋ/verb- impose (a tax, fee, or fine)-征收,课税- Ultimately, I believe that levying taxes on air travel is an irrational solution to combat air pollution.
irrational/ɪˈræʃənl/adjective- not logical or reasonable- 不合理的,无理性的- Levying taxes on air travel is an irrational solution to combat air pollution.
mitigation/mɪtɪˈgeɪʃən/noun- the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something- 缓和,减轻- Imposing environmental taxes would have minimal impact on mitigating air pollution.

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.

Rooting for Your Goal Score Today!

With LingoLeap, an expert in English exams

Get to Your Dream Score Faster

Try for free now