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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on education. Write a post responding to theprofessor's question. In your response you should do the following.·Express and support your opinionMake a contribution to the discussion in your own words An effective response will contain at least 100 words

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Task Overview

Professor

This week, I want you to discuss assessment criteria. Some schoolteachers give highgrades (marks) only to those students who perform well on their homeworkassignments and tests. Other teachers, however, may give high grades to students whohave worked very hard on their assignments but have not performed so well. Whichapproach do you think is better: Giving grades based only on performance, or gradingstudents not just on performance but also on their effort?

Student A

I think grades should be based on performance only. It's amatter of fairness. I'd be really upset if another studentgot nearly the same grade that I did when I turned in workthat was almost perfect and the other student's work hadincorrect answers or unclear ideas. It wouldn't matter tome if they worked harder.

Student B

Sure, evaluation should mainly be based upon thestudent's performance, but hard work should count forsomething. A student who works hard, even when the finalgrade isn't the highest in the class, builds character,which will beneft the student later in life when they go touniversity or apply for a job.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In response to the professor's question, I concur with Rory's viewpoint, whose instance is when we give one student's grade, we need to consider performance and effort together. There are two primary reasons for my point. Firstly, as a student, we need to pursue all-round development instead of one aspect. As we all know, there is someone who is good at exams even if they just devoted a little to the exam. in that case, they also will not pay more attention to their class performance, so it is not fair for other students who were not clever enough but devoted a lot of effort to their studies. For my friend, last semester her calculus final exam score is not very well, but our professor still give her A, the best grade. Because all of us have seen how diligent and hard my friend was, which means she deserves an A. Secondly, class performance means we should support and cooperate with the professor's work, and show our respect to them. In essence, I think the best way to evaluate one student is through their grades and performance.

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 这篇文章在完成任务方面做得相当不错,但仍有改进的空间。首先,尽管你表达了自己的观点并提供了一些例子,但这些例子可以更具体和详细。此外,在语法和词汇使用方面,你的文章有一些小错误,需要加以修正。

示例1:将 "For my friend, last semester her calculus final exam score is not very well" 改为 "For example, my friend did not perform well on her calculus final exam last semester." 示例2:将 "in that case, they also will not pay more attention to their class performance" 改为 "in that case, they might not pay much attention to their class performance."

4.文章结构与组织 从结构和组织的角度来看,这篇文章基本上是合理的。然而,在引入段和结论段方面可以进行一些改进。引入段应该更明确地陈述你的观点,并在结论段中对你的论点进行总结。此外,在段落之间使用过渡词或短语可以使文章更连贯。

建议1(简体中文):在引入段中明确表达观点,例如:“我认为,评估学生的表现时,我们应该同时考虑他们的成绩和努力。” 建议2(简体中文):在结论段中总结论点,例如:“总之,我认为评价学生时应兼顾他们的成绩和表现。”

  1. 语法批改

In response to the professor's question, I concur with Rory's viewpoint, whose instance is when we give one student's grade, we need to consider performance and effort together. There are two primary reasons for my point. Firstly, as a student, we need to pursue all-round development instead of one aspect. As we all know, there is someone who is good at examsexams,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) even if they just devoted a little to the exam. inIn(Checks that a sentence starts with an uppercase letter) that case, they also will not pay more attention to their class performance, so it is not fair for other students who were not clever enough but devoted a lot of effort to their studies. For my friend, last semester her calculus final exam score is not very well, but our professor still givegives(punctuation + singular noun + plural verb) her A, the best grade. Because all of us have seen how diligent and hard my friend was, which means she deserves an A. Secondly, class performance means we should support and cooperate with the professor's work, and show our respect to them. In essence, I think the best way to evaluate one student is through their grades and performance.

6.文章修订

In response to the professor's question, I concur with Rory's viewpoint that when grading a student, we should consider both performance and effort. There are two primary reasons for my stance.

Firstly, as students, we should pursue well-rounded development rather than focusing on a single aspect. It is common knowledge that some individuals excel in exams with minimal effort. In such cases, they might not pay much attention to their class performance, which would be unfair to other students who may not be as naturally gifted but put in significant effort into their studies. For example, my friend did not perform well on her calculus final exam last semester; however, our professor still awarded her an A due to her diligence and hard work throughout the course.

Secondly, class performance signifies supporting and cooperating with the professor's work and showing respect towards them. Demonstrating effort in class participation and assignments can contribute positively to a student's overall evaluation.

In essence, I believe that the most effective way to evaluate a student is by considering both their grades and overall performance in class. (183 words)

7.文章批改

In response to the professor's question, I concur with Rory's viewpoint, whose instance is viewpoint that when grading a student, we give one student's grade, we need to should consider both performance and effort together. effort. (Revised for clarity and conciseness) There are two primary reasons for my point. stance.

Firstly, as a student, students, we need to should pursue all-round well-rounded development instead of one rather than focusing on a single aspect. As we all know, there (Revised for clarity) It is someone who is good at common knowledge that some individuals excel in exams even if with minimal effort. In such cases, they just devoted a little to the exam. in that case, they also will might not pay more much attention to their class performance, so it is not fair for which would be unfair to other students who were may not clever enough be as naturally gifted but devoted a lot of put in significant effort to into their studies. (Revised for better flow and coherence) For example, my friend, last semester ¶ friend did not perform well on her calculus final exam score is not very well, but last semester; however, our professor still give awarded her A, the best grade. Because all of us have seen how diligent an A due to her diligence and hard my friend was, which means she deserves an A. work throughout the course. (Revised for clarity and proper grammar)

Secondly, class performance means we should support and cooperate signifies supporting and cooperating with the professor's work, and show our work and showing respect to towards them. (Revised for clarity) Demonstrating effort in class participation and assignments can contribute positively to a student's overall evaluation. (Revised for better flow)

In essence, I think the best believe that the most effective way to evaluate one a student is through by considering both their grades and performance.overall performance in class. (Revised for clarity and conciseness)

8.思维导图

  • Introduction

    • Agree with Rory's viewpoint
    • Consider both performance and effort
  • Reason 1: Well-rounded development

    • Not focusing on a single aspect
    • Unfair to hardworking students
    • Example: Friend awarded an A for diligence
  • Reason 2: Class performance and respect

    • Supporting and cooperating with the professor
    • Demonstrating effort in class participation and assignments
  • Conclusion

    • Most effective evaluation method

9.关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentences
concur/kənˈkɜr/verbTo agree or have the same opinion同意I concur with your assessment of the situation.
well-rounded/ˌwelˈraʊndɪd/adjectiveFully developed in various aspects全面发展的She is a well-rounded student, excelling in both academics and sports.
excel/ɪkˈsel/verbTo be exceptionally good at or proficient in an activity or subject擅长She excels in mathematics and science.
diligence/ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/noun/The quality of working carefully and with a lot of effort/勤奋,用功/Her diligence paid off when she received a scholarship for her outstanding academic performance.
performance/pərˈfɔrməns//noun/The action or process of performing a task or function/表现,性能/The teacher evaluated the students' performance in class and during exams.
cooperation/koʊˌɑpəˈreɪʃən/nounThe process of working together to achieve a common goal合作Cooperation between team members is essential for success.
evaluation/ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃən/nounThe act of judging the value, quality, or importance of something评估The teacher's evaluation of the student's work was fair and thorough.
participation/pɑrˌtɪsəˈpeɪʃən/nounThe act of taking part in an activity or event参与Active participation in class discussions can improve a student's understanding of the subject.
unfair/ʌnˈfɛr/adjectiveNot based on what is right, reasonable, or just不公平的It is unfair to judge someone based on their appearance alone.
respect/rɪˈspɛkt/noun/A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements尊重/Showing respect towards others is an important aspect of maintaining healthy relationships.

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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