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

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Task Overview

Professor

This week's course materials will focus on scientific discoveries. While scientific researchers usually prefer to share what they learn with other scientists, many businesses and governments keep certain scientific discoveries secret. Some people believe that all scientific discoveries should be shared freely among scientists all around the world and that governments and businesses should not keep any discoveries secret. What do you believe and why?

Kelly

I don't think all discoveries should be shared. Businesses, for example, often spend a lot of money on scientific research in order to make a discovery that can lead to profit. Even if that discovery benefits everyone, the business has a right to keep the discovery secret so that it can develop a profitable product from the research.

Paul

Sharing knowledge is crucially important to most scientists. Scientists usually publish the details of their discoveries in scientific journals, which means that everyone can see what the scientists have accomplished. Being recognized as the person who made a discovery is the biggest reward for any scientist. When scientists keep their discoveries secret, they lose that recognition. That is very

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

While both Kelly and Paul share their points regarding the share of new scientific discoveries, and I believe the they should be shared since it helps human-being in many ways. Currently, numerous individuals have been suffered from the infectious diseases caused by virus or germs. Without sufficient medical resources to prevent themselves from infection and cure the patients, they are forced to pay much to cure, even lose their lives, therefore, living in a low standard. As all countries are in a human community, if some countries make a big leap in the medical areas, such as inventing new vaccines to prevent some serious disease, for the sake of morality and humanity, they should take the responsibility to help other countries in need. In this way, not only the developing countries can benefit by solving the health problems, but also those countries could gain worldwide reputation for their kindness, increasing their competitiveness around the world.

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

  • 27

3. 任务完成度

整体来说,你的文章回答了教授的问题,并表达了自己的观点。但是,你可以在以下方面进行改进:

  1. 在论述中加入更多具体的例子和细节,以支持你的观点。

  2. 对Kelly和Paul的观点进行更详细的讨论,以便更好地展示你对话题的理解。

改进示例:

  • 在论述中加入具体例子:例如,在疫苗研发方面,如果一个国家成功研发出新冠病毒疫苗并与其他国家分享,将有助于全球抗击疫情。

  • 对Kelly和Paul观点进行详细讨论:尽管Kelly认为企业有权保密科学发现以获取利润,但Paul强调科学家之间分享知识对于科学进步至关重要。我认为,在某些情况下,政府和企业应该允许科学家分享他们的发现。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在以下方面仍有改进空间:

  1. 在段落之间加入过渡性词语,使文章更连贯。

  2. 在正文部分对Kelly和Paul的观点进行更详细的讨论。

改进示例:

  • 加入过渡性词语:例如,在引言部分,你可以使用“然而”或“尽管如此”来引出自己的观点。

  • 对Kelly和Paul观点进行详细讨论:在正文部分,你可以先讨论Kelly的观点,然后用过渡词语(如“另一方面”)引出Paul的观点,并对两者进行比较。

5. 语法批改

While both Kelly and Paul share their points regarding the share of new scientific discoveries, and I believe the theythe(The you (you)) should be shared since it helps human-being in many ways. Currently, numerous individuals have been suffered from the infectious diseases caused by virus or germs. Without sufficient medical resources to prevent themselves from infection and cure the patients, they are forced to pay much to cure, even lose their lives, therefore, living in a low standard. As all countries are in a human community, if some countries make a big leap in the medical areas, such as inventing new vaccines to prevent some serious disease, for the sake of morality and humanity, they should take the responsibility to help other countries in need. In this way, not only the developing countries can benefit by solving the health problems, but also those countries could gain worldwide reputation for their kindness, increasing their competitiveness around the world.

Section Title: The Sharing of Scientific Discoveries

In the debate between Kelly and Paul on whether scientific discoveries should be shared, I believe that sharing such knowledge is crucial for the betterment of humanity. Numerous individuals suffer from infectious diseases caused by viruses or germs, and without adequate medical resources to prevent infection and treat patients, they face significant financial burdens or even loss of life. As all nations belong to a global community, it is imperative that countries making significant advancements in medical fields, such as developing new vaccines for serious diseases, take responsibility in assisting others in need. By doing so, not only do developing nations benefit from improved health outcomes, but the contributing countries also gain international recognition for their altruism, thereby enhancing their global competitiveness. (129 words)

While both Section Title: The Sharing of Scientific Discoveries (Changed "7 文章批改" to a more relevant and descriptive title)

In the debate between Kelly and Paul share their points regarding the share of new on whether scientific discoveries, and discoveries should be shared, I believe that sharing such knowledge is crucial for the they should be shared since betterment of humanity (Clarified the sentence to make it helps human-being in many ways. Currently, numerous more concise). Numerous individuals have been suffered suffer from the infectious diseases caused by virus viruses or germs. Without sufficient germs, and without adequate medical resources to prevent themselves from infection and cure the treat patients, they are forced to pay much to cure, face significant financial burdens or even lose their lives, therefore, living in a low standard. loss of life (Rephrased for clarity and fluency). As all nations belong to a global community, it is imperative that countries are making significant advancements in a human community, if some countries make a big leap in the medical areas, fields, such as inventing developing new vaccines to prevent some for serious disease, diseases, take responsibility in assisting others in need (Revised for the sake of morality coherence and humanity, they should take the responsibility to help other countries in need. In this way, clarity). By doing so, not only do developing nations benefit from improved health outcomes, but the developing contributing countries can benefit by solving the health problems, but also those countries could gain worldwide reputation international recognition for their kindness, increasing altruism, thereby enhancing their global competitiveness around the world.(Reworded to improve flow and readability).

8 思维导图


- The Sharing of Scientific Discoveries
    - Debate between Kelly and Paul
    - Importance of sharing knowledge
        - Betterment of humanity
        - Infectious diseases
            - Viruses and germs
            - Medical resources
                - Prevention and treatment
                - Financial burdens and loss of life
    - Global community responsibility
        - Assisting others in need
        - Developing new vaccines for serious diseases
    - Benefits for all parties involved
        - Improved health outcomes for developing nations
        - International recognition and global competitiveness for contributing countries 

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
debate/dɪˈbeɪt/nouna formal discussion on a particular topic in which opposing arguments are put forward辩论The debate between Kelly and Paul focused on whether scientific discoveries should be shared.
betterment/ˈbɛtərmənt/nounthe act or process of improving something or becoming better改善Sharing scientific discoveries is crucial for the betterment of humanity.
infectious/ɪnˈfɛkʃəs/adjectivelikely to be transmitted to people, organisms, etc., through the environment传染的Numerous individuals suffer from infectious diseases caused by viruses or germs.
imperative/ɪmˈpɛrətɪv/adjectiveof vital importance; crucial重要的It is imperative that countries making significant advancements in medical fields take responsibility in assisting others in need.
altruism/ˈæltruɪzəm/nounthe belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others利他主义Contributing countries gain international recognition for their altruism, thereby enhancing their global competitiveness.
global community/ˈɡloʊbəl kəˈmjunɪti/nouna group of people or nations who share common interests, values, or goals and interact with one another全球社群As all nations belong to a global community, it is important to share scientific discoveries.
vaccine/vækˈsiːn/nouna substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases疫苗Countries should develop new vaccines for serious diseases and share them with others in need.
health outcomes/hɛlθ ˈaʊtkʌmz/nounthe changes in health status that result from the provision of health care健康结果Developing nations benefit from improved health outcomes when scientific discoveries are shared.
global competitiveness/ˈɡloʊbəl kəmˌpɛtətɪvnəs/nounthe ability of a country's businesses, industries, and economy to compete successfully on an international level全球竞争力Sharing scientific discoveries can enhance a country's global competitiveness by gaining international recognition for their altruistic actions.

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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