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TOEFL TPO 27 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on transportation. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

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Task Overview

Doctor Diaz

Starting this week, we will discuss how public transportation is funded. Public transportation gives people from all social groups access to their homes, workplaces, and shopping. Some argue that public transportation should be supported by tax revenue so that all people could have free access to it. What do you think? Should public transportation be free to all? Why or why not?

Kelly

People already pay so much in taxes for things like schools, roads, and law enforcement. I don’t think that adding one more tax—especially when some people don’t even use public transportation—would be a good idea. People need money for other essentials for their families.

Paul

Free public transportation would result in having fewer cars on the roads. Also, it would mean cleaner air for the cities, and there are many health conditions that could be improved with cleaner air. I think the savings in health-care costs and less pollution would make it worth it.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

In my opinion, it is unreasonable to force people pay taxes on public trasprotation even in the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out. To be more specific, there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs ,like taking them to their destination in the shortest time, thus disturbing people from their plan. For instance, people may go out in a hurry when getting up late in the morning, and in such circumstance, driving private cars enables them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop at every station by bus or railway. Still, a voice rises that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, the majority of polllution is caused by other industries such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behaviours are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.

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

整体而言,你的文章在完成任务方面做得很好。你明确表达了自己的观点,并提供了一些支持论据。然而,为了更好地回应讨论问题,你可以尝试在论述中加入更多与问题相关的细节和例子。此外,在语法和词汇使用方面还有一些小错误,需要加以改进。

英文示例1:Instead of saying "the majority of pollution is caused by other industries," you could provide specific examples or statistics to support your claim, such as "According to a study, transportation only accounts for 20% of air pollution, while industrial activities contribute to 60%."

英文示例2:To improve grammar and vocabulary usage, you can revise the sentence "there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs" to "there are emergency situations where public transportation cannot meet people's needs."

4. 文章结构与组织

从结构和组织的角度来看,你的文章整体上是合理的。然而,在某些地方缺乏清晰的过渡句子或连接词,这可能会影响到读者对文章内容的理解。为了改进这一点,你可以在段落之间添加适当的过渡句子或连接词,以便更好地引导读者理解你的观点。

英文示例1:在第一段和第二段之间,你可以添加一个过渡句子,如 "While some people argue that free public transportation can reduce pollution, I believe there are more effective ways to address this issue."

英文示例2:在文章中使用连接词来增强逻辑性,例如将 "However, the majority of pollution is caused by other industries" 改为 "Nevertheless, the majority of pollution is caused by other industries."

5. 语法批改

In my opinion, it is unreasonable to force people pay taxes onfor public trasprotationtransportation, even inwith the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out. To be more specific, there exist emergentemergency situations that public transportations can nottransportation cannot satisfy prople's needs ,likepeople's needs, such as taking them to their destination in the shortest time, thus disturbing people from their plan.plans. For instance, people may go out in a hurry when getting up late in the morning, and in such circumstance,circumstances, driving private cars enables them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop at every station by bus or railway. Still, a voice rises that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, the majority of polllutionpollution is caused by other industriesindustries, such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behavioursbehaviors are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.

Title: 6 文章修订

In my opinion, it is unjustifiable to impose taxes on individuals for the sake of providing free public transportation, as not everyone requires this mode of travel for their daily needs.

To elaborate, there are urgent situations where public transportation cannot meet people's demands, such as reaching their destination in the shortest time possible. This can disrupt their plans and cause inconvenience. For example, when someone wakes up late in the morning and needs to get to work quickly, driving a private car allows them to reach their workplace without having to wait at multiple stops or stations like they would on a bus or train.

While some argue that public transportation helps reduce pollution, it is essential to note that the majority of pollution stems from other industries, such as burning environmentally-unfriendly fuels. Implementing government regulations on these harmful practices is a more efficient method for reducing pollution. Additionally, overcrowding on public transportation during peak hours can also contribute to congestion and delays. (167 words)

In my opinion, it is unjustifiable (unreasonable to -> unjustifiable for a more accurate term) to impose taxes on individuals for the sake of providing free public transportation (force people pay taxes on public trasprotation even in the purpose of acquiring free public transportation, transportation -> rephrased for clarity and proper grammar), as not everyone requires this mode of travel for their daily needs (since the utilization of transportation does not fit all needs of going out. out -> rephrased for clarity).

To be more specific, elaborate, there are urgent situations where public transportation cannot meet people's demands (there exist emergent situations that public transportations can not satisfy prople's needs ,like taking them to -> corrected grammar and phrasing), such as reaching their destination in the shortest time, time possible. This can disrupt their plans and cause inconvenience (thus disturbing people from their plan. plan -> rephrased for clarity). For instance, people may go out in a hurry example, when getting someone wakes up late in the morning, and in such circumstance, morning and needs to get to work quickly, driving a private cars enables car allows them to quickly reach their workplace instead of waiting for every stop without having to wait at every station by multiple stops or stations like they would on a bus or railway. train (rephrased sentence for better flow and clarity).

Still, a voice rises While some argue that public transportation helps reduce pollution. However, pollution, it is essential to note that the majority of polllution is caused by pollution stems from other industries industries, such as the burning of environmentally-unfriendly fuels, and fuels (rephrased sentence for better flow and clarity). Implementing government regulations on these harmful practices is a more efficient method for reducing pollution (regulations issued by the government on regulating such kind of harmful behaviours are the most efficient method to reduce pollution. What's more, pollution -> rephrased for proper grammar and clarity). Additionally, overcrowding on public transportation during peak hours can also contribute to congestion and delays (too many people taking public transportation, especially during rush hours, may also lead to jams.jams -> rephrased for better word choice and clarity).

Title: 8 思维导图


1. Introduction
   - Unjustifiable taxes
   - Free public transportation

2. Inconvenience of public transportation
   - Urgent situations
   - Example: late for work

3. Pollution reduction argument
   - Majority from other industries
   - Government regulations needed

4. Overcrowding and congestion issues
   - Peak hours
   - Delays and inefficiency 

Title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
unjustifiable/ʌnˈdʒʌstɪfaɪəbl/adjectivenot able to be shown to be right or reasonable无法证明为正确或合理的Imposing taxes for free public transportation is unjustifiable.
inconvenience/ˌɪnkənˈviːniəns/nountrouble or difficulty caused to one's personal requirements or comfort不便Public transportation can cause inconvenience in urgent situations.
destination/ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/nounthe place to which someone is going or being sent目的地They need to reach their destination quickly.
pollution/pəˈluːʃ(ə)n/nounthe presence in or introduction into the environment of contaminants or substances that cause damage, disorder, harm, or discomfort to living organisms or the environment污染Public transportation helps reduce pollution.
environmentally/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəli/adverbin a way that relates to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition环境上They are burning environmentally-unfriendly fuels.
regulations/ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/nounrules or directives made and maintained by an authority规定Implementing government regulations is more efficient.
overcrowding/ˌəʊvəˈkraʊdɪŋ/nountoo many people in a confined space拥挤Overcrowding on public transportation can cause congestion.
congestion/kənˈdʒɛstʃ(ə)n/nounthe state of being overcrowded, especially with traffic or people堵塞Overcrowding can contribute to congestion and delays.
peak hours/pi:k ˈaʊərz/noun phrasethe busiest hours, especially of traffic or business高峰时段During peak hours, public transportation can be inefficient.
delays/dɪˈleɪz/nouna period of time by which something is late or postponed延误Overcrowding can lead to delays in public transportation.

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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