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

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Task Overview

Professor

In our last class, we talked about famous historical sites and artifacts around the world. Now I want you to think about one thing and have a discussion: Do you think the government should preserve all the old buildings and sites? Why?

Hailey

I totally agree with this statement. Old buildings and sites are a reflection of a country’s history. So, it makes perfect sense to spend money on preserving them. Think about this. When we are all old and our grandchildren ask about our history, wouldn’t it be better to take them to the sites than just showing them pictures?

Cameron

To be honest, I don’t think it’s necessary to spend money on preserving old buildings. We are currently in such a fast changing world where histories and miracles are being made every second, which makes it our priority to make economic and technological breakthroughs. Anything would soon become old and abandoned in a world like this. So, there’s no need to spend money preserving old buildings.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

I concur with Cameron's view that we don't need to preserving all the old buildings. On the one hand, if we overprotect the old sites and buildings, it may cause the waste of land sources. For instance, my hometown has considerable old buildings and sites, in order to develop the tourism, government decided to save them all. But this measure cause the plant don't have enough land to expend it's size so that it can't make enough money. Also overprotect may cause housing shortage, traffic congestion and so on, which may cause serious societal problems. On the other hand, those old sites and buildings exit some risk, even through they are be repaired and rebuilt. In this regard, it may poses a safety hazard to residents. Take my school as an example, there are a old building in our school which built in Tang dynast , it's very beautiful but very old too. When one of it's block fall off, it hurt on of my classmate. Therefore, our school decided to move it totally. May someone would say the old buildings and sites are the reflection or reappear of history, so, we should protect them all. Nevertheless, they don't realize we can use writing to record the stories behind the buildings. Then move some of them to avoid the waste of land source. In essence, protect all old sites and buildings exit safety hazard and will cause land waste, thus, we just need to selectively protect them.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.0 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.5 Language Use and Grammar: 3.0

2. 预估分数

22. 3 任务完成度

整体来说,你的文章回答了问题并表达了个人观点。但是,你的文章可以在以下方面进行改进:首先,在支持观点时需要提供更具体的例子和详细信息。其次,注意避免语法错误和不清晰的表达。

改进示例1: 原文:"For instance, my hometown has considerable old buildings and sites, in order to develop the tourism, government decided to save them all." 修改后:"For example, in my hometown, there are numerous historical buildings and sites. The government decided to preserve all of them to promote tourism."

改进示例2: 原文:"Take my school as an example, there are a old building in our school which built in Tang dynast , it's very beautiful but very old too." 修改后:"For instance, there is an ancient building from the Tang Dynasty on my school campus. Although it is beautiful, it is also very old and poses safety risks."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面有待改进。虽然文章包含了引言、主体和结论,但段落之间缺乏明确的过渡。此外,每个段落应更加专注于一个特定观点,并提供支持细节。

改进建议1:在段落之间添加过渡句,使文章更加连贯。 改进建议2:确保每个段落都有一个明确的主题句,并提供相关的支持细节。

改进示例1: 在第一段和第二段之间添加过渡句:"While I understand the importance of preserving historical sites, there are several reasons why I believe not all of them should be preserved."

改进示例2: 为第二段添加主题句:"One reason is that preserving all old buildings may lead to a waste of land resources and cause societal problems."

5. 语法批改

I concur with Cameron's view that we don't need to preservingneed to preserve(need to VBG (VB)) all the old buildings. On the one hand, if we overprotect the old sites and buildings, it may cause the waste of land sources. For instance, my hometown has considerable old buildings and sites, in order to develop the tourism, government decided to save them all. But this measure causecauses(punctuation + singular noun + plural verb) the plant don't have enough land to expend it's size so that it can't make enough money. AlsoAlso,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) overprotect may cause housing shortage, traffic congestion and so on, which may cause serious societal problems. On the other hand, those old sites and buildings exit some risk, even through they are beare being(Agreement: 'been' or 'was' + past tense) repaired and rebuilt. In this regard, it may posespose(Non-infinitive verb after modal verbs) a safety hazard to residents. Take my school as an example, there are aan(Use of 'a' vs. 'an') old building in our school which built in Tang dynastdynasty(misspelling) ,,(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) it's very beautiful but very old too. When one of it'sits(about its NN (possessive)) block fall off, it hurt onone(Detects potentially wrong usage of "on" instead of "one") of my classmate. Therefore, our school decided to move it totally. May someone would say the old buildings and sites are the reflection or reappear of history, so, we should protect them all. Nevertheless, they don't realize we can use writing to record the stories behind the buildings. Then move some of them to avoid the waste of land source. In essence, protect all old sites and buildings exit safety hazard and will cause land waste, thus, we just need to selectively protect them.

Section Title: The Necessity of Preserving Historical Sites and Buildings

While I understand the importance of preserving historical sites and buildings, I agree with Cameron that not all of them need to be protected. Overprotection of these structures can lead to inefficient land use and potential societal issues. For example, in my hometown, the government's decision to preserve numerous old buildings for tourism purposes has limited the expansion of local industries, impacting economic growth. Additionally, overprotection can contribute to housing shortages and traffic congestion.

Moreover, some old sites and buildings may pose safety risks to residents, even after undergoing repairs or reconstruction. In my school, there is a beautiful but aged building from the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, a falling block from this structure injured one of my classmates, prompting the school to relocate it entirely.

While some argue that historical sites and buildings are tangible reflections of our past that warrant preservation, we must also consider alternative methods for recording history. Written accounts can capture the stories behind these structures while allowing for more efficient land use through selective preservation.

In summary, although historical sites and buildings hold cultural significance, we must weigh their value against potential safety hazards and land waste. By adopting a selective approach to preservation, we can strike a balance between honoring our heritage and addressing contemporary needs. (222 words)

I concur with Cameron's view that we don't need to preserving (change "preserving" to "preserve" for correct verb form) all the old buildings. On the one hand, if we overprotect the old sites and buildings, it may cause the waste of land sources. sources (change "land sources" to "land resources" for better word choice). For instance, my hometown has considerable old buildings and sites, in order to develop the tourism, tourism (change "the tourism" to "tourism"), government decided to save them all. But this measure cause (change "cause" to "caused") the plant don't have (change "don't have" to "not having") enough land to expend (change "expend" to "expand") it's size so that it can't make enough money. Also overprotect may cause housing shortage, traffic congestion and so on, which may cause serious societal problems. On the other hand, those old sites and buildings exit some risk, risk (change "exit some risk" to "pose some risks"), even through they are be repaired and rebuilt. rebuilt (revise this phrase as: even after being repaired and rebuilt). In this regard, it may poses a safety hazard to residents. Take my school as an example, there are a old building in our school which built in Tang dynast , it's very beautiful but very old too. When one of it's block fall off, off (revise this phrase as: when a block from it fell off), it hurt on of my classmate. classmate (revise this phrase as: it injured one of my classmates). Therefore, our school decided to move it totally. May someone would say the old buildings and sites are the reflection or reappear of history, history (revise this phrase as: Some might argue that historical sites and buildings are tangible reflections of our past), so, we should protect them all. Nevertheless, they don't realize we can use writing to record the stories behind the buildings. Then move some of them to avoid the waste of land source. source (change "land source" to "land resources"). In essence, protect all old sites and buildings exit safety hazard (revise this phrase as: preserving all historical sites and buildings poses safety hazards) and will cause land waste, thus, we just need to selectively protect them.

8 思维导图


- The Necessity of Preserving Historical Sites and Buildings
    - Importance of preservation
    - Overprotection issues
        - Inefficient land use
        - Societal issues
            - Economic growth impact
            - Housing shortages
            - Traffic congestion
    - Safety risks
        - Example: Tang Dynasty building in school
    - Alternative methods for recording history
        - Written accounts
    - Selective preservation approach
        - Balancing heritage and contemporary needs

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
Preservation/ˌprɛzərˈveɪʃən/NounThe action of preserving something, especially a building or site.保护Preservation of historical sites is important for cultural heritage.
Overprotection/ˌoʊvərprəˈtɛkʃən/NounExcessive protection or shielding from harm or risk.过度保护Overprotection of old buildings can lead to inefficient land use.
Inefficient/ˌɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/AdjectiveNot achieving maximum productivity; wasting resources.低效的Inefficient land use can impact economic growth and cause societal issues.
Tang Dynasty/tæŋ ˈdaɪnəsti/Noun_A Chinese imperial dynasty from 618 to 907. _唐朝_The building from the Tang Dynasty in my school was beautiful but posed a safety risk. _
Safety hazard/ˈseɪfti ˈhæzərd/NounA condition or situation that poses a risk to one's safety.安全隐患The aged building posed a safety hazard to students after a falling block injured one of my classmates.
Written account/ˈrɪtən əˈkaʊnt/NounA record or description of an event or experience in writing.文字记载Written accounts can capture the stories behind historical sites and buildings without requiring preservation.
Selective/sɪˈlɛktɪv/AdjectiveCharacterized by the selection of certain elements or features.选择性的A selective approach to preservation can balance heritage and contemporary needs.
Heritage/ˈhɛrɪtɪdʒ/NounValued objects and qualities such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations.遗产Preserving historical sites helps maintain our cultural heritage for future generations.
Contemporary/kənˈtɛmpəreri/AdjectiveLiving or occurring at the same time; belonging to or occurring in the present.当代的We must balance honoring our heritage with addressing contemporary needs such as housing shortages.

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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