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TOEFL TPO 11 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on public policy. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

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Task Overview

Doctor Gupta

This week, we will be discussing a shortage of affordable housing that exists in many countries. In these places, housing—both apartments (flats) and houses—are expensive, because populations are growing faster than new housing is being built. Now, think about places in your country that have a housing shortage. In your post, I would like you to indicate the most effective way for the government to address a housing shortage in your country. Please explain why you think so.

Claire

In my country, there is a lack of affordable housing in the big cities. Low-cost housing exists in areas outside of the cities, but that means workers have long commutes to reach their jobs in the cities. I recommend that my government create initiatives to encourage the construction of large buildings with many affordable apartments in cities.

Paul

Claire’s recommendation is fine, but many people prefer to live in a house rather than an apartment, even if they have longer commutes. Living in a house can be quieter and more private. So, I believe my government should give subsidies or tax relief to construction companies to build small, affordable single-family houses on unused land that surrounds many cities.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In my perspective, I wholeheartedly believe that the most effective solution to the housing shortage problem which are supposed to be implemented by our government is to facilitate the development in the rural areas , as more and more people flood into the cities only to seek for opportunities. To elaborate, due to the delay of construction in the rural areas, people especially the educated ones are unwilling to stay. They try their best to seek jobs in the big cities, intending to avoid the low salaries, inconvenient transportation and uncomfortable living conditions in the rural areas. It is the migration of young people that lead to housing shortage in the urban. While some may claim that constructing more apartment would take effect, however, people's desire for better life could not be satisfied. More accommodations in big cities means more opportunities in young people's eyes, which would lead to more and more people flooding into the cities. To sum up,I truly believe that it is feasible for government to take actions to boost the development in the rural areas in order to solve the housing shortage problem fundamentally.

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

在文章中,你成功地表达了自己的观点,并对讨论做出了贡献。然而,你可以更好地满足任务要求,例如更具体地回应教授的问题和同学们的观点。此外,你可以提供更多具体的例子来支持你的观点。

英文示例1: Instead of just mentioning that people flood into cities for opportunities, you could provide specific examples of job opportunities or better living conditions that attract people to urban areas.

英文示例2: When discussing the development in rural areas, you could address Claire's and Paul's suggestions by explaining how government initiatives in rural areas could lead to more affordable housing options, both in apartments and single-family houses.

4. 文章结构与组织

整体来说,文章结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在段落之间加入过渡句可以使文章更连贯。此外,在正文部分,你可以使用主题句来明确每个段落的重点。

简体中文建议1: 在引言部分,可以简要提及同学们的观点以及你将要讨论的主题。

简体中文建议2: 在正文部分,在讨论城市和农村的问题时,可以使用对比和列举的方法来更清晰地展示你的观点。

英文示例1: In the introduction, you could write: "While Claire and Paul suggest building more affordable apartments and single-family houses in cities, I believe that focusing on rural development is a more effective solution to the housing shortage problem."

英文示例2: In the body paragraph, you could use a topic sentence like: "Developing rural areas can address the housing shortage problem by providing better job opportunities, improved transportation, and comfortable living conditions."

5. 语法批改

In my perspective, I wholeheartedly believe that the most effective solution to the housing shortage problemproblem, which areis supposed to be implemented by our governmentgovernment, is to facilitate the development in the rural areas , asareas. This is because more and more people flood into the cities only to seek forin search of opportunities. To elaborate, due to the delay of construction in the rural areas, peoplepeople, especially the educated onesones, are unwilling to stay. They try their best to seek jobs in the big cities, intending to avoid the low salaries, inconvenient transportationtransportation, and uncomfortable living conditions in the rural areas. It is the migration of young people that leadleads to housing shortage in the urban. urban areas. While some may claim that constructing more apartmentapartments would take effect, however, people's desiredesires for better life could notcannot be satisfied. More accommodations in big cities meansmean more opportunities in young people's eyes, which would lead to more and more people flooding into the cities. To sum up,Iup, I truly believe that it is feasible for government to take actionsaction to boost the development in the rural areas in order to solve the housing shortage problem fundamentally.

Section Title: Addressing Housing Shortages

In my opinion, the most effective approach for the government to tackle the housing shortage issue is by promoting development in rural areas, as an increasing number of people migrate to cities in search of better opportunities. To elaborate, the lag in construction and development in rural regions often discourages individuals, particularly those with higher education, from staying. They strive to find employment in larger cities to escape low wages, inadequate transportation, and subpar living conditions prevalent in rural areas. This migration of young people contributes significantly to housing shortages in urban centers.

While some may argue that constructing more apartments would be effective, I contend that simply providing additional accommodations in big cities cannot fully satisfy people's desire for a better life. More housing options in urban areas may be perceived as increased opportunities by young individuals, which could result in even greater migration towards these cities.

Therefore, I firmly believe that it is crucial for the government to take action by stimulating development and growth in rural areas to address the housing shortage issue at its core. By improving living conditions and creating job opportunities outside of urban centers, we can reduce the pressure on city housing markets and achieve a more balanced distribution of population and resources across the country. (218 words)

In my perspective, I wholeheartedly believe that opinion, the most effective solution to approach for the government to tackle the housing shortage problem which are supposed to be implemented issue is by our government is to facilitate the promoting development in the rural areas rural areas (I changed "perspective" to "opinion" and "solution" to "approach" for a more natural tone), as more and more an increasing number of people flood into the migrate to cities only to seek for in search of better opportunities.

To elaborate, due to the delay of the lag in construction in the rural areas, people especially the educated ones are unwilling to stay. and development in rural regions often discourages individuals, particularly those with higher education, from staying (I revised this sentence for clarity and conciseness). They try their best to seek jobs in the big cities, intending to avoid the strive to find employment in larger cities to escape low salaries, inconvenient transportation and uncomfortable wages, inadequate transportation, and subpar living conditions in the prevalent in rural areas. It is the This migration of young young people that lead to housing shortage in the urban. contributes significantly to housing shortages in urban centers.

While some may claim argue that constructing more apartment apartments would take effect, however, be effective, I contend that simply providing additional accommodations in big cities cannot fully satisfy people's desire for a better life (I rephrased this sentence for clarity and coherence). More housing options in urban areas may be perceived as increased opportunities by young individuals, which could not be satisfied. More accommodations in big cities means more opportunities in young people's eyes, which would lead to more and more people flooding into the result in even greater migration towards these cities.

To sum up,I truly Therefore, I firmly believe that it is feasible for crucial for the government to take actions to boost the action by stimulating development in the and growth in rural areas in order to solve (I changed "feasible" to "crucial" for emphasis) to address the housing shortage problem fundamentally.issue at its core. By improving living conditions and creating job opportunities outside of urban centers, we can reduce the pressure on city housing markets and achieve a more balanced distribution of population and resources across the country (I rephrased this sentence for clarity and added some context).

Display title: 8 思维导图


1. Addressing Housing Shortages
   1.1 Promoting development in rural areas
       1.1.1 Lag in construction and development
       1.1.2 Discouraging higher-educated individuals
   1.2 Migration to cities
       1.2.1 Low wages in rural areas
       1.2.2 Inadequate transportation
       1.2.3 Subpar living conditions
   1.3 Housing shortages in urban centers
   1.4 Constructing more apartments - not effective enough
   1.5 Government action needed
       1.5.1 Stimulating development and growth in rural areas
       1.5.2 Improving living conditions and creating job opportunities outside urban centers
   1.6 Balanced distribution of population and resources across the country

Display title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
housing shortage/ˈhaʊzɪŋ 'ʃɔrtɪdʒ/nouna lack of available homes for people to live in房屋短缺The migration of young people contributes significantly to housing shortages in urban centers.
rural/'rʊrəl/adjectiverelating to the countryside农村的Promoting development in rural areas is an effective approach to tackle the housing shortage issue.
urban/ˈɜrbən/adjective/relating to cities or towns城市的This migration of young people contributes significantly to housing shortages in urban centers.
migration/maɪˈgreɪʃən/nounthe movement of people from one place to another迁移An increasing number of people migrate to cities in search of better opportunities.
construction/kənˈstrʌkʃən/noun/the process of building something建设The lag in construction and development in rural regions often discourages individuals from staying.
living conditions/ˈlɪvɪŋ kənˈdɪʃənz/noun/the quality and circumstances of daily life生活条件By improving living conditions and creating job opportunities outside urban centers, we can reduce the pressure on city housing markets.
development/dɪˈvɛləpmənt/noun/the process of growing or changing and becoming more advanced/发展/It is crucial for the government to take action by stimulating development and growth in rural areas.
job opportunities/dʒɒb ˌopərˈtunətiz/noun/chances for employment/就业机会/Creating job opportunities outside urban centers can help address the housing shortage issue at its core.
balanced distribution/ˈbælənst dɪs.trɪ.bju.ʃən/noun/an equal or fair arrangement of resources or population across different areas /平衡分布 /By improving living conditions and creating job opportunities outside urban centers, we can achieve a more balanced distribution of population and resources across the country.

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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