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

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Task Overview

Professor

The number of overweight children in many places has doubled in recent years. Causes of obesity in children include unhealthy food choices, lack of physical activity and family eating habits. This rise in the number of overweight children is disturbing, because it causes health problems and can lead to social problems. Overweight children are more likely to be teased by their peers or to develop low self-esteem or body image problems. What do you think of this phenomenon? Do you think the negligence of parents is the main cause of childhood obesity?

Student A

For me, there are other reasons that contribute to the obesity rate in children. School-age children spend most of their time at school without their parents around. They eat three meals a day at school, so the school should be primarily responsible. I heard that some schools collaborate with McDonald's to provide children with lunches such as hamburgers and fried chicken. Therefore, children have developed the habit of eating foods containing high calorie since childhood, which is likely to leads to weight issues.

Student B

Well, parents should take primary responsibility for their children's physical problems. A lot of children develop obesity because their parents don’t know how to choose or prepare healthy foods. There are also parents buying whatever their kids like. Thus, children eat fattening foods on a daily basis and develop unhealthy eating habits from a young age.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

I believe that parents is the main cause of childhood obesity. The main reason is that the parents are the people who most should care about their child. They should teach their child how to maintain their weight and design a better meal for their children. For example, my mom alway told me that I should eat vegetables every day when I was a child. And she eat vegetables with me when I don't want to eat them, her behavior encorage me to eat with her and I have a health lifestyle now. It's true that some school collaborate with McDonald's to provide children with lunches, but this phenomenon also reflect that some parents are neglict their children's health. If those parents are response to their children, they should care their children's daily life but not just put children in school and do not care what food that school provide to their children.

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

26. 3 任务完成度

这篇文章在回答问题方面做得很好,但仍有改进的空间。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,注意避免语法错误和用词不当。

示例1: 原文:I believe that parents is the main cause of childhood obesity. 修改:I believe that parents are the main cause of childhood obesity.

示例2: 原文:If those parents are response to their children, they should care their children's daily life but not just put children in school and do not care what food that school provide to their children. 修改:If those parents are responsible for their children, they should pay attention to their children's daily life, not just send them to school without caring about the food provided by the school.

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面还有待加强。建议在开头部分简要介绍主题,并在结尾部分总结论点。此外,确保每个段落都有明确的主题句,并使用恰当的过渡词来连接不同的观点。

示例1: 添加引言:In recent years, childhood obesity has become a significant concern worldwide. Many factors contribute to this issue, including unhealthy food choices, lack of physical activity, and family eating habits. In my opinion, parents play a crucial role in preventing childhood obesity.

示例2: 添加结论:In conclusion, although schools may contribute to the problem of childhood obesity, I believe that parents have the primary responsibility to ensure their children's health by teaching them proper eating habits and monitoring their daily activities.

5. 语法批改

I believe that parents isare(Detects potentially wrong usage of "is") the main cause of childhood obesity. The main reason is that the parents are the people who most should care about their child. They should teach their child how to maintain their weight and design a better meal for their children. For example, my mom alwayaway(misspelling) told me that I should eat vegetables every day when I was a child. And she eateats(Subject-verb agreement error after conjunction) vegetables with me when I don't want to eat them, her behavior encorageencourage(misspelling) me to eat with her and I have a health lifestyle now. It's true that some school collaborateschools collaborate('some' + sing. noun + verb) with McDonald's to provide children with lunches, but this phenomenon also reflectreflects(punctuation + singular noun + plural verb) that some parents are neglictneglect(misspelling) their children's health. If those parents are response to their children, they should care their children's daily life but not just put children in school and do not care what food that school provide to their children.

Display title: 6 文章修订

In my opinion, parents play a significant role in the prevalence of childhood obesity. The primary reason is that parents are chiefly responsible for their child's well-being and should guide them in maintaining a healthy weight by providing balanced meals. For instance, my mother always emphasized the importance of consuming vegetables daily during my childhood. When I was reluctant to eat them, she would join me, encouraging me to adopt healthier eating habits. Although it is true that some schools collaborate with fast-food chains like McDonald's to provide lunches, this issue also highlights parental negligence regarding their children's health. If parents were genuinely attentive to their children's needs, they would be more involved in their daily lives and not solely rely on schools for nourishment without considering the quality of food provided. (136 words)

In my opinion (I believe that parents that), parents play a significant role (is the main cause cause) in the prevalence of childhood obesity. The main primary reason is that the parents are chiefly responsible for (the people who most should care about their child. They about) their child's well-being and should guide them in maintaining a healthy weight by providing balanced meals (teach their child how to maintain their weight and design a better meal for their children. children). For example, instance, my mother always emphasized (my mom alway told me that I should eat me) the importance of consuming vegetables every day when daily during my childhood. When I was a child. And she eat vegetables with me when I don't want reluctant to eat them, she would join me, encouraging me to adopt healthier eating habits (her behavior encorage me to eat with her and I have a health lifestyle now. It's now). Although it is true that some school schools collaborate with fast-food chains like McDonald's to provide children with lunches, but this issue also highlights parental negligence regarding their children's health (this phenomenon also reflect that some parents are neglict their children's health. health). If parents were genuinely attentive to their children's needs, they would be more involved in their daily lives and not solely rely on schools for nourishment without considering the quality of food provided (If those parents are response to their children, they should care their children's daily life but not just put children in school and do not care what food that school provide to their children.children).

8 思维导图


1. 引言
   - 家长在儿童肥胖中的重要作用

2. 家长的责任
   - 关注孩子的健康
   - 提供均衡的饮食

3. 健康饮食习惯的培养
   - 母亲的示范和鼓励
   - 蔬菜摄入的重要性

4. 学校与快餐业合作问题
   - 快餐对孩子健康的影响

5. 家长在孩子日常生活中的参与度
   - 关注孩子饮食质量,而非仅依赖学校提供营养

6. 结论 
   - 家长应更加关注孩子健康,引导他们养成良好饮食习惯。

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
prevalence/ˈprɛvələns/nounwidespread in a particular area or at a time流行;盛行The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically in recent years.
significant/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/adjectivesufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy重要的;显著的Parents play a significant role in the prevalence of childhood obesity.
well-being/ˈwɛlbiːɪŋ/nounthe state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy健康;幸福Parents are chiefly responsible for their child's well-being.
balanced/ˈbælənst/adjectivearranged in good proportions or having the correct amount of different things均衡的Parents should guide their children in maintaining a healthy weight by providing balanced meals.
negligence/ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns/nounfailure to take proper care over something疏忽;忽视This issue highlights parental negligence regarding their children's health.
nourishment/ˈnʌrɪʃmənt/nounthe food necessary for growth, health, and good condition营养;滋养Parents should not solely rely on schools for nourishment without considering the quality of food provided.
attentive/əˈtɛntɪv/adjectivepaying close attention to something注意的;关心的- If parents were genuinely attentive to their children's needs, they would be more involved in their daily lives.
collaborate/kəˈlæbəreɪt/verb_work jointly on an activity or project_合作;协作_Some schools collaborate with fast-food chains like McDonald's to provide lunches.
reluctance/rɪˈlʌktəns/noun_unwillingness or disinclination to do something_不情愿;勉强_When I was reluctant to eat vegetables, my mother would join me, encouraging me to adopt healthier eating habits.
consumption/kənˈsʌm(p)ʃ(ə)n/noun_the using up of a resource_消耗;消费_My mother always emphasized the importance of daily vegetable consumption during my childhood.

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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