TOEFL TPO -1 Writing Task 1 Sample: We have recently read in our textbook that local or regional governments often need to reduce the amount of money budgeted in some areas in response to economic short falls. For instance, a city council may make the difficult decision to spend less on a certain public service for its residents. In your view, in what one or two areas should local or regional governments reduce spending when budget cuts are necessary? Why? My city has a lot of parks that require a lot of upkeep. If there's a need to reduce expenses, the city could make changes to the parks that make them less expensive to maintain. For example, grass lawns, which need to be cut weekly, could be replaced with other plant species that do not need to be cut frequently. Last time I went to City Hall to take care of some business. I saw a lot of employees standing around and doing nothing. I think the local government may be employing too many workers. It was just an impression I had, but l wonder if this is something that should be reviewed.
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Older TOEFL Format
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Task Overview
Question
We have recently read in our textbook that local or regional governments often need to reduce the amount of money budgeted in some areas in response to economic short falls. For instance, a city council may make the difficult decision to spend less on a certain public service for its residents. In your view, in what one or two areas should local or regional governments reduce spending when budget cuts are necessary? Why? My city has a lot of parks that require a lot of upkeep. If there's a need to reduce expenses, the city could make changes to the parks that make them less expensive to maintain. For example, grass lawns, which need to be cut weekly, could be replaced with other plant species that do not need to be cut frequently. Last time I went to City Hall to take care of some business. I saw a lot of employees standing around and doing nothing. I think the local government may be employing too many workers. It was just an impression I had, but l wonder if this is something that should be reviewed.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
People takes public transportation for free in my city, but they are all earning money. So in my opinion, local government should reduce spending in providing free public transportation like bus or subway for peopel when budget cuts are necessary. That is because people who take subway are most of the young for their jobs. Besides, the cost of transportating is low like one dollars at most. Therefore, these people are able to offer these expends for themselves. Although the costs is affordable to the young, these expends that cover the cost of the whole city's transportation are too high for the local governments. As a result, if the local government cuts the costs, they can save lots of money.
Evaluation Result
1.子项得分 Task fulfillment: 2 Organization: 3 Coherence and Cohesion: 3 Language Use: 2
2.预估分数 Estimated Score: 17 (2.5)
3.任务完成度 你的文章没有充分回答问题。题目要求讨论地方政府在预算削减时应该减少哪些方面的支出,但你的文章主要集中在公共交通方面。为了提高任务完成度,请确保你的文章涵盖了至少两个需要削减支出的领域,并解释为什么这些领域是合适的选择。
示例1(英文): Instead of focusing solely on public transportation, you could discuss both public transportation and park maintenance as areas for potential budget cuts, explaining the reasons for each choice.
示例2(英文): You could mention that local governments could reduce spending on public events or festivals, in addition to cutting costs in public transportation, and explain the rationale behind these choices.
4.文章结构与组织 Your essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the organization could be improved by providing a clearer focus on each paragraph and ensuring that your ideas are logically connected. Transitions between ideas and paragraphs should also be more evident.
Suggestions for improvement:
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Clearly state the two areas you will discuss in your introduction.
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Dedicate one paragraph to each area where spending should be reduced, providing reasons and examples.
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Use clear transitions between paragraphs to guide the reader through your essay.
Example 1 (English): In the introduction, you could write: "In my view, local governments should consider reducing spending on public transportation and park maintenance when budget cuts are necessary."
Example 2 (English): When transitioning between paragraphs, you could use phrases like "In addition to public transportation, another area where local governments could reduce spending is park maintenance."
5. 语法批改
People takestake public transportation for free in my city, but they are all earning money. So in my opinion, local government should reduce spending inon providing free public transportationtransportation, like busbuses or subwaysubways, for peopelpeople when budget cuts are necessary. ThatThis is because people who take subway are most of themostly young for their jobs. Besides,and working. Furthermore, the cost of transportatingtransportation is low likelow, usually no more than one dollars at most.dollar. Therefore, these people are able to offercover these expends forexpenses themselves. Although the costs isare affordable tofor the young, these expendsexpenses that cover the cost of the whole city's transportation are too high for the local governments. As a result, if the local government cuts thethese costs, they can save lotsa lot of money.
Section Title: 6.文章修订
Revised Essay:
In times of economic shortfalls, local or regional governments must make difficult decisions regarding budget cuts. In my opinion, one area where spending could be reduced is in providing free public transportation, such as buses and subways. This is because the majority of individuals utilizing these services are employed and capable of covering their own transportation expenses.
Most users of public transportation in my city are young professionals commuting to their jobs. The cost of a single ride is relatively low, usually no more than one dollar. As such, these individuals should be able to afford their own transportation costs without significant financial strain. While the expense may seem minimal for each person, the cumulative cost for the local government to provide free transportation for the entire city is substantial.
By reducing spending on free public transportation, local governments can allocate funds to other essential services or programs that may have a more significant impact on residents' lives. It is important to strike a balance between providing necessary support and ensuring fiscal responsibility in times of economic challenges.
Additionally, local governments could consider revising park maintenance practices to reduce expenses further. For instance, replacing grass lawns with low-maintenance plant species could significantly decrease upkeep costs without compromising the parks' aesthetic appeal or functionality.
In conclusion, when faced with budget cuts, local governments should prioritize reducing spending on non-essential services such as free public transportation and park maintenance modifications while still maintaining quality support for their residents. (251 words)
People takes public transportation for free in my city, but they are all earning money. So in In times of economic shortfalls, local or regional governments must make difficult decisions regarding budget cuts (rephrased for clarity). In my opinion, local government should reduce one area where spending could be reduced is in providing free public transportation like bus (corrected spelling), such as buses and subways (clarified examples). This is because the majority of individuals utilizing these services are employed and capable of covering their own transportation expenses (rephrased for better flow).
Most users of public transportation in my city are young professionals commuting to their jobs (clarified subject). The cost of a single ride is relatively low, usually no more than one dollar (corrected spelling and added context). As such, these individuals should be able to afford their own transportation costs without significant financial strain (rephrased for clarity). While the expense may seem minimal for each person, the cumulative cost for the local government to provide free transportation for the entire city is substantial (rephrased for better flow).
By reducing spending on free public transportation, local governments can allocate funds to other essential services or subway for peopel programs that may have a more significant impact on residents' lives (added context and rephrased for clarity). It is important to strike a balance between providing necessary support and ensuring fiscal responsibility in times of economic challenges (added context).
Additionally, local governments could consider revising park maintenance practices to reduce expenses further (added new idea). For instance, replacing grass lawns with low-maintenance plant species could significantly decrease upkeep costs without compromising the parks' aesthetic appeal or functionality (provided example).
In conclusion, when faced with budget cuts are necessary. That is because people who take subway are most of the young cuts, local governments should prioritize reducing spending on non-essential services such as free public transportation and park maintenance modifications while still maintaining quality support for their jobs. Besides, the cost of transportating is low like one dollars at most. Therefore, these people are able to offer these expends for themselves. Although the costs is affordable to the young, these expends that cover the cost of the whole city's transportation are too high for the local governments. As a result, if the local government cuts the costs, they can save lots of money.residents (summarized main points and provided clear conclusion).
Section Title: 8. Mind Map
Mind Map (in English) for Essay Structure and Lecture Points:
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Introduction
- Economic shortfalls
- Budget cuts
- Reducing spending on free public transportation
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Main Point 1: Users of public transportation
- Young professionals
- Employed individuals
- Capable of covering own transportation costs
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Main Point 2: Cost of providing free transportation
- Cumulative cost for local government
- Allocate funds to other essential services
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Main Point 3: Striking a balance
- Necessary support vs fiscal responsibility
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Additional Suggestion: Park maintenance revisions
- Low-maintenance plant species
- Decrease upkeep costs
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Conclusion:
- Prioritize reducing non-essential services spending
- Maintain quality support for residents
Section Title: 9. Keywords
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| shortfall | /ˈʃɔːrtfɔːl/ | noun | a deficit or failure to meet a target or requirement | 缺口 | The company faced a significant shortfall in revenue this quarter. |
| cumulative | /ˈkjuːmjələtɪv/ | adjective | increasing by successive additions | 累积的 | The cumulative effect of these policies led to economic growth. |
| fiscal | /ˈfɪskəl/ | adjective | /relating to government revenue, especially taxes | /财政的 | /The fiscal policy was designed to reduce the budget deficit. |
| aesthetic | /ɛsˈθɛtɪk/ | adjective | concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty | 美学的 | The building's aesthetic appeal is an important aspect of its design. |
| upkeep | /ˈʌpkiːp/ | noun | the process of keeping something in good condition | 维护 | The upkeep of the park requires regular maintenance and funding. |
| allocate | /ˈæləkeɪt/ | verb | /distribute (resources or duties) for a particular purpose | /分配 | /The government decided to allocate more funds to education. |
| essential | /ɪˈsɛnʃəl/ | adjective | /absolutely necessary; extremely important | /必要的 | /Access to clean water is essential for human survival. |
| compromise | /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/ | verb, noun | /settle a dispute by mutual concession; an agreement reached by mutual concession | /妥协 | /They reached a compromise after hours of negotiation. |
| prioritize | /praɪˈɒrətaɪz/ | verb | /determine the order for dealing with (a series of items or tasks) according to their relative importance | /优先考虑 | /The manager decided to prioritize the most urgent tasks first. |
| non-essential | /nɒn ɪˈsɛnʃəl/ | adjective | /not absolutely necessary | /非必要的 | /During the lockdown, only essential businesses were allowed to remain open. |
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