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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on environment. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

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11 user-submitted samples available

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Task Overview

Professor

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 as ecological taxes or green taxes, are extra charges that get added to the price of airplane tickets. Money collected from these taxes could be invested to environmentally friendly technologies or 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 consumers.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

I agree with Claire that we should not impose taxes on air travel. In addition to her argument, I would like to emphasize that it will not be effective to address air pollution and environmental problems. In other words, for some people have to travel long distance, they still choose to take airplane rather than other transportations. For example, everytime when I travel to different states, I would consider take the air plane as the priority. This is because I can shorten the commute time, and there are a lot of people think about it in the same way. In 2022, the government impose environmental taxes on air travel. At the time, I travelled to Shanghai alone. Even though I lived in China, but the distance between my hometown and Shanghai is so far away. It took 5 hours to take high speed train to there, but taking airplane I can spend only 2 hours. Thus, even though the price of airplane is more expensive, but considering the distance, people will still choose to take airplane as the most convenient way, which could not reduce any air pollution. Therefore, I firmly believe that putting additional taxes on air travel is not necessary.

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

这篇文章基本上完成了任务要求,表达了对环境税的看法,并举例说明了观点。但是,可以在以下方面进行改进:

  1. 在表达观点时,可以更具体地说明为什么认为环境税不会有效解决空气污染问题。

  2. 可以引入一些数据或研究来支持观点。

示例1: 原文:In other words, for some people have to travel long distance, they still choose to take airplane rather than other transportations. 改进:In other words, for some people who have to travel long distances, they still choose to take airplanes due to their efficiency and convenience, despite the potential environmental tax.

示例2: 原文:Therefore, I firmly believe that putting additional taxes on air travel is not necessary. 改进:Therefore, I firmly believe that putting additional taxes on air travel is not the most effective solution for reducing air pollution; instead, we should focus on promoting cleaner technologies within the aviation industry.

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面基本符合要求,有明确的引言、主体和结论。但在以下方面可以进行改进:

  1. 在主体部分,可以使用更清晰的段落结构来阐述不同的论点。

  2. 在段落之间添加过渡词或短语,使文章更连贯。

示例1: 原文:In addition to her argument, I would like to emphasize that it will not be effective to address air pollution and environmental problems. 改进:In addition to Claire's argument, I would like to emphasize another reason why imposing environmental taxes on air travel will not effectively address air pollution and environmental problems.

示例2: 原文:Thus, even though the price of airplane is more expensive, but considering the distance, people will still choose to take airplane as the most convenient way, which could not reduce any air pollution. 改进:Thus, even though the price of airplane tickets may be more expensive due to environmental taxes, people will still choose air travel for its convenience when considering long distances. Consequently, this approach may not significantly reduce air pollution.

5. 语法批改

I agree with Claire that we should not impose taxes on air travel. In addition to her argument, I would like to emphasize that it will not be effective to address air pollution and environmental problems. In other words, for some people have to travel long distance, they still choose to take airplane rather than other transportations. For example, everytimeevery time(misspelling) when I travel to different states, I would consider take the air planeairplane(Hyphenated words: air plane) as the priority. This is because I can shorten the commute time, and there are a lot of people think about it in the same way. In 2022, the government imposeimposes(punctuation + singular noun + plural verb) environmental taxes on air travel. At the time, I travelled to Shanghai alone. Even though I lived in China, but the distance between my hometown and Shanghai is so far away. It took 5 hours to take high speed train to there, but taking airplane I can spend only 2 hours. Thus, even though the price of airplane is more expensive, but considering the distance, people will still choose to take airplane as the most convenient way, which could not reduce any air pollution. Therefore, I firmly believe that putting additional taxes on air travel is not necessary.

Section Title: 6 Article Revision

I concur with Claire's stance against imposing environmental taxes on air travel. Beyond her argument, I would like to emphasize that such taxes would not effectively address air pollution and other environmental issues. In particular, for individuals who must travel long distances, airplanes remain the preferred mode of transportation despite potential tax increases. For instance, when traveling between states or even within large countries like China, many people prioritize air travel due to its ability to significantly reduce commute time. In 2022, the government introduced environmental taxes on air travel; however, this did not deter me from flying to Shanghai from my hometown, as the five-hour high-speed train journey paled in comparison to the two-hour flight. Consequently, even with higher ticket prices due to environmental taxes, people continue to choose airplanes for their convenience and efficiency, rendering these taxes ineffective in reducing air pollution. Thus, I firmly believe that implementing additional taxes on air travel is unnecessary and will not achieve the desired environmental outcomes. (170 words)

I agree concur with Claire that we should not impose Claire's stance against imposing environmental taxes on air travel. In addition to travel (revised for clarity and formality). Beyond her argument, I would like to emphasize that it will such taxes would not be effective to effectively address air pollution and environmental problems. other environmental issues (rephrased for clarity). In other words, for some particular, for individuals who must travel long distances, airplanes remain the preferred mode of transportation despite potential tax increases (revised for conciseness). For instance, when traveling between states or even within large countries like China, many people have to travel long distance, they still choose to take airplane rather than other transportations. For example, everytime when I travel to different states, I would consider take the air plane as the priority. This is because I can shorten the prioritize air travel due to its ability to significantly reduce commute time, and there are a lot of people think about it in the same way. time (rephrased for clarity and flow). In 2022, the government impose introduced environmental taxes on air travel. At the time, I travelled travel; however, this did not deter me from flying to Shanghai alone. Even though I lived in China, but the distance between from my hometown and Shanghai is so far away. It took 5 hours to take high speed (revised for clarity), as the five-hour high-speed train to there, but taking airplane I can spend only 2 hours. journey paled in comparison to the two-hour flight (rephrased for better flow). Consequently, even with higher ticket prices due to environmental taxes, people continue to choose airplanes for their convenience and efficiency (revised for conciseness), rendering these taxes ineffective in reducing air pollution (clarified meaning). Thus, even though the price of airplane is more expensive, but considering the distance, people will still choose to take airplane as the most convenient way, which could not reduce any air pollution. Therefore, I firmly believe that putting implementing additional taxes on air travel is unnecessary and will not necessary.achieve the desired environmental outcomes (rephrased for better flow and clarity).

8 思维导图


1. Introduction
   - Claire's stance against environmental taxes on air travel

2. Ineffectiveness of environmental taxes
   - People still choose airplanes for long distances

3. Convenience and efficiency of air travel
   - Example: Traveling within China (Shanghai)

4. Environmental taxes in 2022
   - Did not deter people from flying

5. Comparison of transportation modes
   - High-speed train vs. airplane (time)

6. Higher ticket prices due to taxes
   - Still preferred by people for convenience and efficiency

7. Conclusion
   - Implementing additional taxes on air travel is unnecessary and ineffective for environmental outcomes.

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
concur/kənˈkɜr/verbagree; be of the same opinion同意I concur with Claire's stance against imposing environmental taxes on air travel.
emphasize/ˈɛmfəˌsaɪz/verbgive special importance or prominence to (something)强调I would like to emphasize that such taxes would not effectively address air pollution.
deter/dɪˈtɜr/verbdiscourage (someone) from doing something威慑,阻止The government introduced environmental taxes on air travel; however, this did not deter me from flying.
commute/kəˈmju:t/nounregular journey between one's home and place of work通勤Many people prioritize air travel due to its ability to significantly reduce commute time.
convenience/kənˈviːniəns/nounthe state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty便利性People continue to choose airplanes for their convenience and efficiency.
efficiency/ɪˈfɪʃənsi/nounthe state or quality of being efficient效率Airplanes are preferred due to their efficiency in reducing travel time.
environmental/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntl/adjectiverelating to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition环境的Environmental taxes on air travel would not effectively address air pollution.
outcome/ˈaʊtˌkʌm/nounthe way a thing turns out; a consequence结果Implementing additional taxes on air travel will not achieve the desired environmental outcomes.
unnecessary/ʌnˈnɛsəseri/adjectivenot needed or required不必要的I firmly believe that implementing additional taxes on air travel is unnecessary.

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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