TOEFL Writing Task 1 Sample: All the theories you just read are flawed, none adequately explains why the human brain started to become smaller 20000 years ago,First, the theory that changes in brain size reflect climate changes doesn't really hold up if we look at the human brain in the period before 20000 years ago.We see that brain size did not correspond closely to temperature changes. Earth's temperature went up and down several times, during this early period.But brain size did not decrease and increases the temperature went up and down. Instead, the brain grew steadily larger and larger.So since brain size was not strongly linked to temperature in an earlier period, there's no reason to believe it's been linked to temperature in the last 20000 years. The idea that smaller brain size is linked to agriculture, the decrease in brain size has occurred all over the world, including those areas where grain based agriculture did not appear until very recently.In Australia and southern Africa, e.g., grain based agriculture was not practiced until almost modern times. Yes, humans living in those areas experience the same decline in brain size at the same time at the rest of the world. The problem with the third theory is that our muscles are only a little bit smaller than they were 20000 years ago, but our brain size has decreased much more than we would predict from this small decrease muscle mass. So while the small loss of muscle may have contributed to the decrease in brain size, it was just a minor factor that cannot fully explain the decrease. There must be other, more important factors that have caused the large decrease in human brain size.
Historical user samples and AI evaluation results from an older TOEFL format.
2 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
For hundreds of thousands of years of human history, the human brain steadily grew in size. However, about 20,000 years ago, the size of the human brain began to decrease. Since then, the size of the average brain has decreased by about 10 percent. Scientists are not sure why the human brain has become smaller, but several theories have emerged to explain the phenomenon. climate changes Some scientists believe that the decrease in human brain size is a result of the decrease in the overall size of the human body, which has been caused by changes in Earth's climate. Over the past 20,000 years, Earth's climate has experienced a warming trend. Generally, warmer climate favors smaller body size; therefore, as Earth's climate warmed, the size of the human body decreased, and the size of the human brain decreased with it. Agriculture Other researchers believe that the change to an agricultura lifestyle contribuied to decreased brain size. Our ancestors' large brains needed large quantities of proteins and vitamins to remain healthy. After the agricultural revolution, people's diets consisted mostly of grains, but grains are lower in proteins and vitamins than non-agricultural diets. People with slightly smaller brains had an advantage: they were not as affected by the low-protein diet. Over time, they became the majority. Decrease in Muscle Mass According to a third theory, the smaller size of the human brain reflects the fact that humans today have smaller muscles than humans did 20,000 years ago. This is important because much of the brain is used to control muscles. As humans became less muscular, the parts of the brain that controlled muscles also became smaller, resulting in an overall reduction in brain size.
Question
All the theories you just read are flawed, none adequately explains why the human brain started to become smaller 20000 years ago,First, the theory that changes in brain size reflect climate changes doesn't really hold up if we look at the human brain in the period before 20000 years ago.We see that brain size did not correspond closely to temperature changes. Earth's temperature went up and down several times, during this early period.But brain size did not decrease and increases the temperature went up and down. Instead, the brain grew steadily larger and larger.So since brain size was not strongly linked to temperature in an earlier period, there's no reason to believe it's been linked to temperature in the last 20000 years. The idea that smaller brain size is linked to agriculture, the decrease in brain size has occurred all over the world, including those areas where grain based agriculture did not appear until very recently.In Australia and southern Africa, e.g., grain based agriculture was not practiced until almost modern times. Yes, humans living in those areas experience the same decline in brain size at the same time at the rest of the world. The problem with the third theory is that our muscles are only a little bit smaller than they were 20000 years ago, but our brain size has decreased much more than we would predict from this small decrease muscle mass. So while the small loss of muscle may have contributed to the decrease in brain size, it was just a minor factor that cannot fully explain the decrease. There must be other, more important factors that have caused the large decrease in human brain size.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
Opens the writing question list in the LingoLeap app, not this exact question. Practising needs a free account. AI scoring uses credits, except 3 free scores a day on Practice Test 1 (PQ26-1) questions.
1User Sample #1
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possibl...
Score24
User Sample #1
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possibl...
User Sample
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not adequately explain this question. First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain. However, the professor argues against it by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbond to the temperature. The temperature went up and down for several times in history, while the brain size steadly got larger. Second, the author claims that the agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of grains, can be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia. Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, the lecturer points out that when the muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. So the component of muscle have to be the minor factor, and there must be other more important factors.
Evaluation Result
1.子项得分 任务完成度：4 组织：4 连贯与衔接：3 语言使用：3
2.预估分数
24. 3.任务完成度
整体来说，你的文章在任务完成度方面表现得相当不错。你成功地总结了阅读和听力材料中的观点，并对它们进行了比较。然而，为了更好地完成任务，建议你在引用听力材料时提供更详细的例子和解释。这将使你的论证更具说服力。
示例1： 原文：“However, the professor argues against it by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbond to the temperature.” 改进：“However, the professor argues against it by providing evidence that during earlier periods of Earth's history, temperature fluctuations did not correspond with changes in brain size. This suggests that there is no strong link between temperature and brain size.”
示例2： 原文：“According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia.” 改进：“According to the lecture, this viewpoint is challenged by citing evidence from regions such as Australia and southern Africa where grain-based agriculture was not practiced until modern times. Despite this fact, humans in these areas experienced a similar decline in brain size as those in other parts of the world.”
4.文章结构与组织 从结构和组织的角度来看，你的文章基本上是合理的。然而，在连贯性和衔接方面还有待提高。为了使文章更加流畅，建议你在段落之间使用更多的过渡词和短语。此外，确保每个段落都有一个明确的主题句，以便读者更容易理解你的观点。
示例1： 原文：“First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain.” 改进：“Firstly, the reading passage posits that the decrease in human brain size is due to a warmer climate leading to a reduction in overall body size.”
示例2： 原文：“Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle.” 改进：“Lastly, the reading passage suggests that the decrease in brain size is a result of humans having smaller muscles today compared to 20,000 years ago.”
5. 语法批改
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not adequately explain this question.
First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain. However, the professor argues against it by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbondcores bond(misspelling) to the temperature. The temperature went up and down for several times in history, while the brain size steadlysteadily(misspelling) got larger.
Second, the author claims that the agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of grains, can be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia.
Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, the lecturer points out that when the muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. So the component of muscle have to be the minor factor, and there must be other more important factors.
Section Title: 6.文章修订
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons for the decrease in human brain size. The reading suggests three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed and cannot adequately explain this occurrence.
First, the writer claims that a warmer climate led to a decrease in human body size, which in turn affected the size of the human brain. However, the professor argues against this by stating that there is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes. The Earth's temperature fluctuated several times throughout history, but the brain size continued to grow steadily larger.
Second, the author proposes that a shift to an agricultural lifestyle, characterized by a diet rich in grains, could be one reason for the decrease in brain size. Contrary to this viewpoint, the lecturer cites evidence that this trend occurred globally, even in societies where grain-based agriculture was adopted relatively recently, such as Australia and southern Africa.
Lastly, the writer posits that smaller human brains evolved to control smaller muscles. However, the lecturer points out that while muscle mass decreased slightly over time, brain size decreased significantly more than would be expected based on muscle mass alone. Thus, muscle mass must be considered a minor factor at best; other more important factors must have contributed to this substantial decrease in human brain size. (232 words)
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. for the decrease in human brain size. The reading puts forward suggests three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not flawed and cannot adequately explain this question. occurrence (Changed "question" to "occurrence" for better word choice).
First, the writer claims that the a warmer climate leaded to the decrease of led (Changed "leaded" to "led" for correct verb form) to a decrease in human body size, and so do which in turn affected the size of the human brain. However, the professor argues against it this by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbond to the temperature. stating that there is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes (Rephrased for clarity). The Earth's temperature went up and down for fluctuated several times in throughout history, while the brain size steadly got larger. but the brain size continued to grow steadily larger (Rephrased for clarity).
Second, the author claims that the proposes that a shift to an agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of characterized by a diet rich in grains, can could be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the reason for the decrease in brain size. Contrary to this viewpoint, the lecturer cites evidence that this trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those globally, even in societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very where grain-based agriculture was adopted relatively recently, like Australia. such as Australia and southern Africa (Rephrased for clarity).
Third, Lastly, the writer believes that posits that smaller human brains got evolved to control smaller to control the smaller muscle. muscles. However, the lecturer points out that when the while muscle mass decreased a little, the slightly over time, brain size decreased significantly. So the component of significantly more than would be expected based on muscle have to be the minor factor, and there mass alone (Rephrased for clarity). Thus, muscle mass must be considered a minor factor at best; other more important factors.factors must have contributed to this substantial decrease in human brain size (Rephrased for clarity).
8. Mind Map
- Introduction
- Contrasting views on reasons for decrease in human brain size
- Reading: three possible theories
- Listening: counterarguments to these theories
- Theory 1: Warmer Climate
- Reading: warmer climate led to smaller body size, affecting brain size
- Listening: no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes
- Theory 2: Agricultural Lifestyle
- Reading: shift to agriculture and grain-rich diet as a reason for decrease in brain size
- Listening: trend occurred globally, even in societies with recent adoption of grain-based agriculture
- Theory 3: Smaller Muscles
- Reading: smaller brains evolved to control smaller muscles
- Listening: muscle mass decreased slightly, but not enough to account for significant decrease in brain size
- Conclusion
- Counterarguments presented by the lecturer undermine the reading's theories on the decrease in human brain size.
9. Keywords
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation (if needed) | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| phenomenon | /fəˈnɒmɪnən/ | noun | A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question. | 现象 | The decrease in human brain size is an intriguing phenomenon. |
| correlation | /kɒrɪˈleɪʃən/ | noun | A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. | 相关性 | There is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes. |
| fluctuate | /ˈflʌktʃʊeɪt/ | verb | To rise and fall irregularly in number or amount. | 波动 | The Earth's temperature fluctuated several times throughout history. |
| agriculture | /ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃər/ | noun | The science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products. | 农业 | A shift to an agricultural lifestyle may have impacted human brain size. |
| grain-based | /ɡreɪn beɪst/ | adjective | Made primarily from grains or cereals. | 谷物为基础的 | Grain-based agriculture was adopted relatively recently in some societies. |
| evolve | /ɪˈvɒlv/ | verb | To develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form. | 进化 | Smaller human brains evolved to control smaller muscles. |
| muscle mass | /ˈmʌsəl mæs/ | noun | The total weight of all the muscles in a person's body. | 肌肉质量 | Muscle mass decreased slightly over time, but not enough to account for the decrease in brain size. |
| substantial | /səbˈstænʃəl/ | adjective 1) Of considerable importance, size, or worth; 2) Strongly built or made. | 大量的；坚固的 1) The decrease in human brain size is substantial; 2) Other more substantial factors must have contributed to this decrease. |
2User Sample #2
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possibl...
Score25
User Sample #2
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possibl...
User Sample
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not adequately explain this question. First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain. However, the professor argues against it by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbond to the temperature. The temperature went up and down for several times in history, while the brain size steadly got larger. Second, the author claims that the agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of grains, can be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia. Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, the lecturer points out that when the muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. So the component of muscle have to be the minor factor, and there must be other more important factors.
Evaluation Result
1.子项得分 任务完成度：4 组织：4 连贯性和衔接：4 语言使用：3
2.预估分数
25. 3.任务完成度
你的文章在任务完成度方面表现不错，基本上涵盖了阅读和听力材料中的关键信息。但是，有一些地方可以改进。首先，在引用听力材料时，尽量使用更准确的词汇和表达。此外，注意在解释听力观点时提供足够的细节和例子。
示例1： 原文：The temperature went up and down for several times in history, while the brain size steadly got larger. 修改后：Throughout history, Earth's temperature fluctuated several times, yet the brain size consistently increased despite these changes.
示例2： 原文：According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia. 修改后：The lecturer casts doubt on this viewpoint by stating that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred globally, even in societies that adopted an agricultural lifestyle relatively recently, such as Australia and southern Africa.
4.文章结构与组织 你的文章结构清晰，包括引言、主体和结论。每个段落都集中讨论一个特定的观点，并提供支持细节。然而，在组织方面还有一些改进空间。首先，确保每个段落之间有明确的过渡，以帮助读者更好地理解你的观点。此外，尝试使用更多的连接词和短语来增强文章的连贯性。
示例1： 原文：First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain. 修改后：Firstly, the author posits that a warmer climate led to a decrease in human body size, which in turn caused a reduction in brain size.
示例2： 原文：Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, the lecturer points out that when the muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. 修改后：Lastly, the author suggests that human brains became smaller to control reduced muscle mass. On the contrary, the lecturer highlights that although muscle mass experienced only a slight decrease, brain size diminished considerably.
5. 语法批改
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. The reading puts forward three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not adequately explain this question.
First, the writer claims that the warmer climate leaded to the decrease of human body size, and so do the size of human brain. However, the professor argues against it by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbondcores bond(misspelling) to the temperature. The temperature went up and down for several times in history, while the brain size steadlysteadily(misspelling) got larger.
Second, the author claims that the agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of grains, can be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts this viewpoint by giving the fact that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle very recently, like Australia.
Third, the writer believes that human brains got smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, the lecturer points out that when the muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. So the component of muscle have to be the minor factor, and there must be other more important factors.
Section Title: 6.文章修订
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons for the decrease in human brain size. The reading suggests three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed and cannot adequately explain this occurrence.
First, the writer claims that a warmer climate led to a decrease in human body size, which in turn caused a reduction in brain size. However, the professor counters this by stating that there is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes. Earth's temperature fluctuated several times throughout history, yet the brain size steadily increased rather than following these fluctuations.
Second, the author posits that the shift to an agricultural lifestyle, characterized by a grain-based diet, contributed to smaller brain sizes. The lecturer disputes this viewpoint by highlighting that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred globally, even in societies where grain-based agriculture was not practiced until very recently, such as Australia and southern Africa.
Lastly, the writer suggests that smaller human brains evolved to control smaller muscles. Nevertheless, the lecturer points out that while muscle mass decreased slightly over time, brain size reduced significantly more than what would be expected from this minor change in muscle mass. Therefore, muscle loss must be considered a minor factor and other more important factors must exist to explain the substantial decrease in human brain size. (231 words)
The reading and listening passages present contrasting views on the reasons of why human brains became smaller. for the decrease in human brain size. The reading puts forward suggests three possible theories to explain this phenomenon, while the speaker asserts that these arguments are flawed, which can not flawed and cannot adequately explain this question. occurrence (Changed "question" to "occurrence" for better word choice).
First, the writer claims that the a warmer climate leaded to the led (Changed "leaded" to "led" for correct verb tense) to a decrease of in human body size, and so do the size of human brain. which in turn caused a reduction in brain size. However, the professor argues against it counters this by saying that this possibility does not really hold up, because the size of human brain does not coresbond to the temperature. The stating that there is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature went up and down for changes (Rephrased for clarity). Earth's temperature fluctuated several times in throughout history, while the brain size steadly got larger. yet the brain size steadily increased rather than following these fluctuations (Rephrased for clarity).
Second, the author claims that the posits that the shift to an agricultural lifestyle, which contains a lot of grains, can be one of the reason. According to the lecture, the listening passage doubts characterized by a grain-based diet, contributed to smaller brain sizes. The lecturer disputes this viewpoint by giving the fact highlighting that the trend of decreasing brain size occurred all over the world, including those globally, even in societies which reached the agricultural lifestyle where grain-based agriculture was not practiced until very recently, like Australia. such as Australia and southern Africa (Rephrased for clarity).
Third, Lastly, the writer believes that suggests that smaller human brains got evolved to control smaller to control the smaller muscle. However, muscles. Nevertheless, the lecturer points out that when the while muscle mass decreased a little, the brain size decreased significantly. So the component of slightly over time, brain size reduced significantly more than what would be expected from this minor change in muscle have to be the minor factor, and there mass (Rephrased for clarity). Therefore, muscle loss must be considered a minor factor and other more important factors.factors must exist to explain the substantial decrease in human brain size (Rephrased for clarity).
8. Mind Map
- Introduction
- Contrasting views on reasons for decrease in human brain size
- Reading: three possible theories
- Listening: counterarguments
- Theory 1: Warmer climate
- Reading: smaller body and brain size due to warmer climate
- Listening: no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes
- Theory 2: Agricultural lifestyle
- Reading: grain-based diet contributed to smaller brain sizes
- Listening: decreasing brain size trend occurred globally, even in societies without grain-based agriculture
- Theory 3: Smaller muscles
- Reading: smaller brains evolved to control smaller muscles
- Listening: muscle mass decreased slightly, but not enough to explain significant decrease in brain size
- Conclusion
- Counterarguments show that reading's theories are flawed and cannot adequately explain the decrease in human brain size.
9. Keywords
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| phenomenon | /fəˈnɒmɪnən/ | noun | A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause is in question. | 现象 | The decrease in human brain size is a puzzling phenomenon. |
| correlation | /kəˌrɛlˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ | noun | A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. | 相关性 | There is no strong correlation between brain size and temperature changes. |
| fluctuation | /flʌkʧʊˈeɪʃən/ | noun | An irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation. | 波动 | Earth's temperature experienced several fluctuations throughout history. |
| agriculture | /ˈægrɪˌkʌltʃər/ | noun | The science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for growing crops. | 农业 | The shift to an agricultural lifestyle contributed to smaller brain sizes. |
| grain-based | /ɡreɪn beɪst/ | adjective | Made from or containing grains, such as wheat, rice, or corn. | 以谷物为基础的 | A grain-based diet was common in early agricultural societies. |
| globally | /ˈɡloʊbəli/ | adverb | In a way that relates to the whole world; worldwide. | 全球地 | The trend of decreasing brain size occurred globally. |
| evolve | /ɪˈvɒlv/ | verb | Develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form. | _进化 | _ Human brains evolved to control smaller muscles over time. |
| muscle mass | /ˈmʌsəl mæs/ | _noun | The total weight of all the muscles in a person's body. | _肌肉质量 | _ Muscle mass decreased slightly over time, but not enough to explain the decrease in brain size._ |
| substantial | /səbˈstænʃəl/ | _adjective | Of considerable importance, size, or worth. | _实质性的，重大的 | _ There must be other more important factors to explain the substantial decrease in human brain size._ |
| counterargument | /ˈkaʊntərˌɑrɡjəmənt/ | _noun | An argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory developed in another argument. | _反驳论点 | _ The lecturer provides counterarguments to the theories presented in the reading passage._ |
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