TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on social science. Write a post responding to the professor's question.
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3 user-submitted samples available
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Professor
University tuition (money you pay to receive university education) in the United States more than doubled over the 20 years between 1990 and 2010. Tuition increases have caused students to take out more loans (debt) to be able to afford a university education. Some people argue that universities should not be able to increase tuition costs so much because it puts a burden on students when they have to pay off the loans. In your view, should universities be able to increase tuition as much as they wish, or should there be limits on tuition increases? Why?
juan
I don't think college tuition should go up. Because everyone has the right to receive education, this is the government should guarantee to the citizens of the obligation. If some students are excellent, but can't afford the tuition, then they can't go to college. The society will eventually lose the talent. In addition, the government can subsidize universities through taxes and other means.
stephen
I think college tuition should go up. Nowadays, the income of everyone in the society is higher, for example, the price of food is also higher. University operation also needs cost, tuition is an important source, if the tuition does not rise, it will affect the income of the university, so that the university will not have enough budget to improve the campus environment and teaching laboratory, hire professors and employees, and finally students will suffer losses.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
I wholeheartedly concur with Juan’s perspective that college tuition shouldn’t increase. I would like to emphasize that the goals universities should actualize is to foster excellent individuals who can make positive contribution to societies. Earning money by increase tuition is not sensible for the prolonged development of universities. It is not beneficial to a country by losing too much future experts. While Stephen contends that the tuition which is used to improve universities’ environment should go up, it is crucial to recognize that the additional finical supports could be given by the government who has the responsibility to maintain the regular operation of universities. For students with poverty conditions, it is a regretful thing that they can’t reach the high level education because of high financial pressure.
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
这篇文章在完成任务方面做得相当不错,但仍有一些改进的空间。首先,在表达观点时,可以更具体地说明为什么大学不应该提高学费,例如可以提到高昂的学费可能导致社会不平等现象加剧。其次,在论述过程中,可以尝试使用更多的例子和细节来支持观点,使文章更具说服力。
示例1:对于贫困家庭的学生来说,由于无法承担高昂的学费,他们可能无法获得高等教育机会,从而加剧社会阶层间的差距。 示例2:政府可以通过提供奖学金、助学金等方式来帮助贫困家庭的孩子接受高等教育,而不是让大学随意提高学费。
4. 文章结构与组织
文章整体结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在组织方面还有一些需要改进的地方。首先,在引言部分可以更明确地陈述自己的观点,以便让读者更容易理解文章的主题。其次,在正文部分,可以尝试使用更多的过渡词和短语来连接不同的观点和段落,使文章更加流畅。
示例1:在引言部分,可以这样表达:“我坚决支持大学不应该提高学费的观点,因为这会影响到许多优秀学生接受高等教育的机会。” 示例2:在正文部分,可以使用过渡词如“此外”、“然而”等来连接不同的观点和段落。例如:“此外,政府可以通过税收等方式为大学提供补贴。”
5. 语法批改
I wholeheartedly concur with Juan’s perspective that college tuition shouldn’t increase. I would like to emphasize that the goals universities should actualize is to foster excellent individuals who can make positive contribution to societies. Earning money by increase tuition is not sensible for the prolonged development of universities. It is not beneficial to a country by losing too muchmany('much' + countable noun, e.g. 'much (many) children') future experts.
While Stephen contends that the tuition which is used to improve universities’ environment should go up, it is crucial to recognize that the additional finical supports could be given by the government who has the responsibility to maintain the regular operation of universities. For students with poverty conditions, it is a regretful thing that they can’t reach the high level education because of high financial pressure.
Title: 6 文章修订
I wholeheartedly concur with Juan's perspective that college tuition should not increase. I would like to emphasize that the primary goal of universities should be to foster exceptional individuals who can make positive contributions to society. Relying on tuition increases for the long-term development of universities is not a sensible approach, as it may result in a country losing many potential future experts.
While Stephen argues that tuition should increase to improve university environments, it is crucial to recognize that additional financial support could be provided by the government, which has the responsibility to maintain the regular operation of universities. For students facing financial difficulties, it is regrettable that they may be unable to access higher education due to increased financial pressure. (125 words)
I wholeheartedly concur with Juan’s Juan's perspective that college tuition shouldn’t should not("shouldn't" changed to "should not" for a more formal tone) increase. I would like to emphasize that the goals primary(goal changed to "primary" for clarity and emphasis) goal of universities should actualize is be to foster excellent exceptional individuals who can make positive contribution contributions to societies. Earning money by increase society(singular "societies" changed to plural "society" for consistency). Relying on tuition increases for the long-term development of universities is not a sensible for the prolonged development of universities. It is not beneficial to approach, as it may result in a country by losing too many potential future experts(changed "too much future experts. experts" to "many potential future experts" for better phrasing).
While Stephen contends argues that the tuition which is used should increase to improve universities’ environment should go up, university environments, it is crucial to recognize that the additional finical supports financial support could be given provided by the government who government, which has the responsibility to maintain the regular operation of universities. For students facing financial difficulties, it is regrettable that they may be unable to access higher education due to increased financial pressure(changed "students with poverty conditions, it is a regretful thing that they can’t reach conditions" and rephrased the high level education because of high financial pressure.sentence for clarity and better phrasing).
Title: 8 思维导图
- Main Idea: College tuition should not increase
- Goal of universities: Foster exceptional individuals
- Long-term development: Relying on tuition increases is not sensible
- Loss of potential future experts
- Alternative financial support: Government responsibility
- Maintain regular operation of universities
- Impact on students: Financial difficulties and access to higher education
Title: 9 关键词
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| concur | /kənˈkɜr/ | verb | agree; be of the same opinion | 同意 | I wholeheartedly concur with Juan's perspective. |
| emphasize | /ˈɛmfəˌsaɪz/ | verb | give special importance or prominence to something in speaking or writing. | 强调 | I would like to emphasize that the primary goal of universities should be to foster exceptional individuals. |
| sensible | /ˈsensəb(ə)l/ | adjective | /having, using, or showing good sense or sound judgment./ | /明智的,合理的/ | /Relying on tuition increases for the long-term development of universities is not a sensible approach./ |
| potential | /pəˈtenʃ(ə)l/ | /adjective/ | /having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future./ | /潜在的,有可能的/ | /It may result in a country losing many potential future experts./ |
| financial | /fəˈnanʃ(ə)l, fīˈnanʃ(ə)l/ | /adjective/ | /relating to money or how money is managed./ | /财务的,金融的/ | /For students facing financial difficulties, it is regrettable that they may be unable to access higher education./ |
| responsibility | /rəˌspänsəˈbilədē/ | noun | the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. | 责任 | The government has the responsibility to maintain the regular operation of universities. |
| operation | /ˌäpəˈrāSH(ə)n/ | noun | the action of functioning or the fact of being active or in effect. | 运行,操作 | The government should maintain the regular operation of universities. |
| access | /ˈakˌses/ | noun | a means of approaching or entering a place; the right or opportunity to use or benefit from something. | 接近,进入,使用权利 | They may be unable to access higher education due to increased financial pressure. |
| pressure | /ˈpreSHər/ | noun | /the continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it./ | /压力,紧迫感/ | /Increased financial pressure may prevent students from accessing higher education./ |
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
Read the prompt carefully and identify all parts of the question before writing.
Reference the reading passage and the other students' opinions in your response.
Use specific examples to support your main point — avoid generic statements.
Aim for 120-150 words. Longer responses are not always better; clarity and focus matter more.
Practice timed responses (10 minutes) to build fluency under exam conditions.
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