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

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Task Overview

Professor

Today we're going to talk about the debate between economic growth and protecting the environment. Economic growth creates new jobs and gives people money they can use to improve their lives. On the other hand, if we protect the environment it can be enjoyed both by ourselves and future generations. If you had to choose between prioritizing economic growth or protecting the environment, which one would you choose.Why?

Alex

I would prioritize the environment. We only have one planet and if we don't take care of it, we won't have pleasant lives in the future. Economic growth can be important, but not at the expense of the environment.I think we need to shift towards more environmentally-friendly economic practices, such as investing in renewable energy and promoting environmentally-friendly technologies. We'll all live much healthier lives if the world around us is clean.

Maggie

While I agree with Alex that environmental sustainability is important, I think that economic growth is the only way to solve many of the social and economic problems we face. We need a strong economy to create jobs, reduce poverty, and improve standards of living. Not only that, but if companies grow stronger and more profitable, they might eventually develop new technologies that solve our environmental problems

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

Personally speaking, I believe it would be better to choose to protect the environment which can also benefit to economic growth. Admittedly, developing economic growth can not only help resolve various problems we meet but also help promote people living standards, leading to reduce the environment problems either, as Maggie suggested. However, I would like to highlight the essence that protecting environment has numerous benefits and also can be the best way to develop economic growth. Imagine two pictures, the first one is that we are living surrounding with the trees, sunlight and suitable temperature, and the second one is that the living environment is abundant of industrial gas and new technologies working hard to absorb these gas. I believe many people will choose to the first one. A wonderful environment can enhance both our living standards and our descendent's life. In addition, protecting environment also benefit to company, leading to their economic growth. There is a business strategy called friendly environmental business practice, that is to use environmentally-friendly methods to reduce the operating cost, such as using special light bulb in order to save energy and also the monthly electricity cost, and increase profit by advertising to attract people who concerned about environment. Given the facts and arguments presented, I believe it is more beneficial for us to prioritize the environment.

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

整体来说,你的文章回答了教授的问题,并提出了保护环境的观点。但是,你可以在以下方面进行改进:

  1. 更具体地说明保护环境如何促进经济增长;

  2. 提供更多具体的例子来支持你的观点;

  3. 略微减少重复词汇,以增加文章的多样性。

示例1: 原文:In addition, protecting environment also benefit to company, leading to their economic growth. 修改后:In addition, protecting the environment can lead to economic growth by encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices, which can reduce costs and attract environmentally-conscious consumers.

示例2: 原文:A wonderful environment can enhance both our living standards and our descendent's life. 修改后:A healthy environment not only improves our current living standards but also ensures a better quality of life for future generations.

4. 文章结构与组织

你的文章结构基本清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在以下方面可以进行改进:

  1. 在引言部分明确提出你的观点;

  2. 在正文中使用更清晰的过渡词汇来连接不同段落和观点。

示例1: 原文:Personally speaking, I believe it would be better to choose to protect the environment which can also benefit to economic growth. 修改后:In my opinion, prioritizing environmental protection is the best choice, as it not only preserves our planet but can also contribute to sustainable economic growth.

示例2: 原文:However, I would like to highlight the essence that protecting environment has numerous benefits and also can be the best way to develop economic growth. 修改后:However, I would like to emphasize that protecting the environment offers numerous benefits and serves as a foundation for sustainable economic growth.

5. 语法批改

Personally speaking, I believe it would be better to choose to protect the environmentenvironment,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) which can also benefit to economic growth.

Admittedly, developing economic growth can not only help resolve various problems we meet but also help promote people living standards, leading to reduce the environment problems either, as Maggie suggested. However, I would like to highlight the essence that protecting environment has numerous benefits and also can be the best way to develop economic growth.

Imagine two pictures, the first one is that we are living surrounding with the trees, sunlight and suitable temperature, and the second one is that the living environment is abundant of industrial gas and new technologies working hard to absorb these gasthis gas('this' vs. 'these'). I believe many people will choose to thethe(Detects potentially wrong usage of "to the") first one. A wonderful environment can enhance both our living standards and our descendentdescendant(misspelling)'s life.

In addition, protecting environment also benefit to company, leading to their economic growth. There is a business strategy called friendly environmental business practice, that is to use environmentally-friendly methods to reduce the operating cost, such as using special light bulb in order to save energy and also the monthly electricity cost, and increase profit by advertising to attract people who concerned about environment.

Given the facts and arguments presented, I believe it is more beneficial for us to prioritize the environment.

Title: 6 文章修订

In my opinion, prioritizing environmental protection is the optimal choice, as it can also contribute to economic growth.

While it is true that economic growth can help address various issues and improve living standards, potentially reducing environmental problems as Maggie mentioned, I would like to emphasize the numerous benefits of environmental protection and its potential to foster economic growth.

Consider two scenarios: in the first, we live surrounded by trees, sunlight, and a comfortable temperature; in the second, our environment is filled with industrial pollution while new technologies work tirelessly to mitigate these emissions. I believe many people would prefer the former. A healthy environment enhances both our living standards and those of future generations.

Moreover, environmental protection can also benefit companies and contribute to their economic growth. One such strategy is adopting environmentally-friendly business practices. By utilizing eco-friendly methods to reduce operating costs – such as energy-saving light bulbs that lower monthly electricity expenses – companies can increase profits while appealing to environmentally-conscious consumers.

Taking into account the facts and arguments presented, I firmly believe that prioritizing environmental protection offers greater benefits for society as a whole. (191 words)

Personally speaking, I believe In my opinion, prioritizing environmental protection is the optimal choice (revised for clarity and conciseness), as it would be better to choose to protect the environment which can also benefit to economic growth. ¶ Admittedly, developing economic growth can not only contribute to economic growth (revised for better flow and clarity).

While it is true that economic growth can help resolve address various problems we meet but also help promote people issues and improve living standards, leading to reduce the environment potentially reducing environmental problems either, as Maggie suggested. However, mentioned (added "as Maggie mentioned" to clarify the reference), I would like to highlight the essence that protecting environment has emphasize the numerous benefits and also can be the best way to develop economic growth. ¶ Imagine of environmental protection and its potential to foster economic growth (revised for better flow and clarity).

Consider two pictures, the first one is that scenarios: in the first, we are living surrounding live surrounded by trees, sunlight, and a comfortable temperature; in the second, our environment is filled with the trees, sunlight and suitable temperature, and the second one is that the living environment is abundant of industrial gas and pollution while new technologies working hard to absorb work tirelessly to mitigate these gas. emissions (revised for better visualization). I believe many people will choose to the first one. would prefer the former (revised for better flow). A wonderful healthy environment can enhance enhances both our living standards and our descendent's life. ¶ In addition, protecting environment those of future generations (revised for conciseness).

Moreover, environmental protection can also benefit to company, leading companies and contribute to their economic growth. There is a growth (revised for clarity). One such strategy is adopting environmentally-friendly business strategy called friendly environmental business practice, practices. By utilizing eco-friendly methods to reduce operating costs – such as energy-saving light bulbs that is to use environmentally-friendly methods to reduce the operating cost, such as using special light bulb in order to save energy and also the lower monthly electricity cost, and expenses – companies can increase profit by advertising to attract people who concerned about environment. ¶ Given profits while appealing to environmentally-conscious consumers (revised for better flow and clarity).

Taking into account the facts and arguments presented, I firmly believe it is more beneficial for us to prioritize the environment.that prioritizing environmental protection offers greater benefits for society as a whole (revised for emphasis).

8 思维导图


- Environmental Protection
  - Enhances living standards
    - For current and future generations
  - Fosters economic growth
    - Benefits companies
      - Environmentally-friendly business practices
        - Reduce operating costs
        - Appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
prioritize/praɪˈɒrətaɪz/verbto treat or consider something as more important优先考虑We should prioritize environmental protection over short-term economic gains.
environmental/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntl/adjectiverelating to the natural world and its preservation环境的Environmental protection is crucial for our planet's future.
protection/prəˈtɛkʃən/nounthe act of keeping something safe from harm保护The government has implemented new measures for wildlife protection.
optimal/ˈɒptɪməl/adjective/best or most favorable/最佳的/In my opinion, prioritizing environmental protection is the optimal choice.
living standards/ˈlɪvɪŋ ˈstændərdz//noun/the level of comfort and wealth experienced by people in a society/生活水平/Economic growth can help improve living standards.
scenario/sɪˈnærioʊ/nouna description of possible actions or events情景In this scenario, the environment is filled with industrial pollution.
environmentally-friendly/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntli ˈfrɛndli/adjective/not harmful to the environment/环保的/The company has adopted environmentally-friendly business practices.
operating costs/ˈɒpəreɪtɪŋ kɒsts/nounthe expenses related to running a business运营成本Reducing operating costs can help companies increase profits.
eco-friendly/ˌikoʊˈfrɛndli/adjectivenot harmful to the environment环保的Many consumers prefer eco-friendly products and services.
environmentally-conscious/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntli ˈkənʃəs/adjective/aware of and concerned about environmental issues/关心环境问题的/Environmentally-conscious consumers are more likely to support businesses that prioritize sustainability.

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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