TOEFL TPO -1 Speaking Task 2 Sample: The woman expresses her opinion about the announcement. State her opinion and explain the reasons that she gives for holding that opinion.

Historical user samples and AI evaluation results from an older TOEFL format.

1 archived user samples

Older TOEFL Format

This task is from a previous version of the TOEFL exam. The current TOEFL has a different structure. These archived samples remain available as a reference for practice.

Task Overview

Reading Passage

The Chemistry Department is planning to award scholarships to students who have received an average grade of 90% or above. We have found there to be a serious need for well-educated chemistry students and the current pool of chemists is highly lacking. By awarding these scholarships, it will allow future chemists to get a better handle on their tuition costs as well as encourage students to study harder in class. After the recent audit, we have found there to be plenty of funds for this department and we feel this is the best place to use them. Considering this school spends most of its funds on the Sports Department, we want to get students more interested in chemistry and we feel this is the best place to start.

Question

The woman expresses her opinion about the announcement. State her opinion and explain the reasons that she gives for holding that opinion.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

Evaluation Result

1.Sub Scores

Delivery: 3
Topic Development: 3
Language Use: 3

2.Estimated Scores

Total Score: 23

3.Delivery The speaker's delivery is generally clear and fluid, but there are some occasional pauses that could be improved. To enhance the delivery, the speaker should practice speaking at a consistent pace and work on reducing unnecessary pauses. Additionally, focusing on accurate pronunciation will help eliminate any spelling errors that may arise from mispronunciation.

4.Topic Development The response is coherent and well-organized, with clear connections between ideas. However, there is room for improvement in providing more specific examples or support for the points made. To strengthen topic development, the speaker should consider elaborating on the reasons given by the woman in the conversation and provide more detailed explanations to support her opinion. This will help create a more persuasive and comprehensive response.

5.Language Use

The university plans to award the students with better grades for ~~scholarship~~ scholarships(Changed to plural form for consistency). This can reduce their financial burden and also encourage students to study harder. However, the woman in the conversation disagrees with the following reasons. First, the woman believes that the equipment in the chemistry building is outdated. In this way, students cannot be ~~competitive~~ competent(Changed to better fit the context) to conduct the advanced experiments. So she thinks that the university should invest more money on equipment ~~renewing~~ upgrades(Changed for better word choice). In addition, the woman points out that the school should spend money on current students. This is to say, they should offer money to students ~~have improved~~ who have shown improvement(Changed for clarity) in their chemistry course to encourage students to study harder, but not spend money to lure students to coming to study.

Revised Answer (140 words):

The university plans to award scholarships to students with higher grades, aiming to reduce their financial burden and encourage them to study harder. However, the woman in the conversation disagrees for several reasons. Firstly, she believes that outdated equipment in the chemistry department hinders students from becoming competent in conducting advanced experiments. She suggests that the university should prioritize investing in equipment upgrades before offering scholarships. Additionally, she emphasizes that funds should be allocated towards supporting current students who have shown improvement in their chemistry courses rather than luring potential students with scholarships. By addressing these concerns and focusing on enhancing learning experiences for existing students, the university can create a more effective and supportive environment for chemistry students to excel in their studies.

6.Mind Map


- University scholarships
  - Reduce financial burden
  - Encourage studying harder

- Woman's disagreement
  - Outdated equipment
    - Hindered competence in advanced experiments
  - Prioritize equipment upgrades
  - Support current students
    - Allocate funds for improvement in chemistry courses

- Revised Answer
  - Address concerns
  - Enhance learning experiences for existing students

7.Key Words

Word	Phonetic Symbols	Parts of Speech	English Definition	Sample Sentence
Competent	/ˈkɒm.pɪ.tənt/	Adjective	Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully	To become competent in chemistry, students need access to modern equipment and resources.
Allocate	/ˈæl.ə.keɪt/	Verb	To give something to someone as their share of a total amount, to use in a particular way	The university should allocate more funds to support current students who have shown improvement in their chemistry courses.
Hinder	/ˈhɪn.dər/	Verb	To limit the ability of someone to do something, or to limit the development of something	Outdated equipment hinders students' ability to conduct advanced experiments and excel in their studies.
Prioritize	/praɪˈɔr.ə.taɪz/	Verb	To decide which of a group of things are the most important so that you can deal with them first	The university should prioritize upgrading the chemistry department's equipment before offering scholarships to potential students.
Lure	/lʊr/	Verb	To persuade someone to do something or go somewhere by offering them something pleasant or attractive	Instead of luring potential students with scholarships, the university should focus on enhancing the learning experience for current students.