TOEFL TPO 65 Writing Task 1 Sample: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they present solutions to the specific problems mentioned in the reading passage.

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

229 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

Wild tuna, a species of large ocean fish, have decreased in number because of overfishing Recently, attempts have been made to farm tuna by feeding the fish in ocean cages until they become large enough for sale. However, tuna farming has faced several problems and criticisms. First, female tuna do not lay eggs in captivity, so tuna farmers must capture large quantities of young wild tuna to stock their farms, further reducing wild tuna populations. These young tuna are caged and fed until they are large enough to be sold. Since the captured females in tuna farms cannot lay eggs to replace the tuna that are sold, tuna farmers continue to catch young wild tuna to keep their farms going and so worsen the decline in wild tuna populations. Second, tuna raised on farms are very expensive because they depend on a costly, high-protein food derived from other fish. Tuna feed almost exclusively on small fish, which supply them with the proteins and nutrients they require. A single tuna can grow more than four meters long, weigh close to 700 kilograms, and eat 70 kilograms of food a day! It is unlikely that tuna farms can remain profitable while supplying so much expensive food for the tuna. Third tuna confined to ocean cages are likely to become infested with parasites, organisms that feed on and weaken the animal they attach to. Tuna farmers off the coast of southern Australia have had problems with infestations of blood flukes, a type of parasite that lives within the blood vessels and heart of infected fish. Parasite infestations weaken tuna, slow their growth, and can even cause death, usually by making them susceptible to other diseases. Tuna farms in southern Australia have had 10 percent of their tuna die before they could be sold.

Question

Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they present solutions to the specific problems mentioned in the reading passage.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

Both the reading and the listening talk about tuna farming. The reading proposes some problems with tuna farming. Therefore, the reading suggests three effective schemes to handle the issues mentioned in the reading. First, the author hypothesizes that female tuna cannot lay eggs in captivity, leading the farmers have to catch more young wild tuna to maintain the population. However, the professor disproves that farmer can inject some hormone to incentive these female tuna to breed without catch other young wild tuna. Second, the article proposes that the food raising tuna is expensive, these food contains high nutrients and protein that tuna requiring, whereas the questions could be tickled claimed by the listening. The listening states that not only tuna can obtain nutrient and protein from fish, but also some kinds of plants, which are also rich in nutrients and protein that tuna requiring. Based on that, farmer can cost less on tuna's food. According to the final problems in the reading, tuna confined to ocean cages are likely to become infested with parasites, organisms that feed on and weaken the animal they attach to. But the lecture gives a effective solution. It claims that these parasites cannot live far away from the shore and in deep water, so that it is effective way to set these cages in this places to avoid being infected by these fishes to create a safe environment for tuna.

Evaluation Result

1.Sub Scores

Task fulfillment: 4 Organization: 3 Coherence and Cohesion: 3 Language Use: 3

2.Estimated Scores

22. 3.Task completeness

The essay does a fair job of addressing the specific requirements of the task. It summarizes the points made in the lecture and explains how they present solutions to the problems mentioned in the reading passage. However, there is room for improvement in terms of clarity and elaboration on some points.

Suggestions for improvement:

Provide more detailed explanations of the solutions presented in the lecture.
Make sure to address all three problems mentioned in the reading passage and their corresponding solutions from the lecture.

Examples:

Instead of just mentioning that hormones can be injected into female tuna to encourage egg-laying, explain how this process works and why it is a viable solution to the problem of overfishing.
Elaborate on how plant-based food sources can provide adequate nutrition for tuna while being more cost-effective than fish-based food sources.

4.Essay structure and organization

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it could benefit from clearer organization and transitions between ideas and paragraphs.

Suggestions for improvement:

Improve paragraph structure by starting each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main point.
Use appropriate transition words or phrases to connect ideas within paragraphs and between paragraphs.

Examples:

Begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence, such as "One solution presented in the lecture addresses the issue of female tuna not laying eggs in captivity."
Use transition words or phrases like "Furthermore" or "In addition" when introducing new points or solutions within paragraphs or between paragraphs.

5. Grammar

Both the reading and the listening talk about tuna farming. The reading proposes some problems with tuna farming. Therefore, the reading suggests three effective schemes to handle the issues mentioned in the reading. First, the author hypothesizes that female tuna cannot lay eggs in captivity, leading the farmers ~~have~~to have(This rule identifies whether the preposition 'to' is missing in a sentence.) to catch more young wild tuna to maintain the population. However, the professor disproves that (Two consecutive spaces)farmer can inject some hormone to incentive these female tuna to breed without catch other young wild tuna. Second, the article proposes that the food raising tuna is expensive, ~~these food~~this food('this' vs. 'these') contains high nutrients and protein that tuna requiring, whereas the questions could be tickled claimed by the listening. The listening states that not only tuna can obtain nutrient and protein from fish, but also some kinds of plants, which are also rich in nutrients and protein that tuna requiring. Based on that, farmer can cost less on tuna's food. According to the final problems in the reading, tuna confined to ocean cages are likely to become infested with parasites, organisms that feed on and weaken the animal they attach to. But the lecture gives aan(Use of 'a' vs. 'an') effective solution. It claims that these parasites cannot live far away from the shore and in deep water, so that it is ~~effective~~a effective(missing article before 'BE + ADJECTIVE + way') way to set these cages in ~~this~~these('this' vs. 'these') places to avoid being infected by these fishes to create a safe environment for tuna.

Section Title: 6. Revised Essay

Both the reading and the listening discuss tuna farming and its associated challenges. The reading outlines three primary problems with tuna farming, while the listening presents potential solutions to these issues.

Firstly, the reading posits that female tuna do not lay eggs in captivity, forcing farmers to catch young wild tuna to sustain their populations. However, the lecture counters this by explaining that injecting hormones into captive female tuna can stimulate egg-laying without needing to capture additional wild specimens.

Secondly, the article contends that feeding farmed tuna is expensive due to their high-protein dietary requirements. In contrast, the listening suggests an alternative approach by using plant-based sources of protein and nutrients for farmed tuna. This cost-effective method would allow farmers to reduce expenses on feeding their stock.

Lastly, the reading highlights the issue of parasite infestations in ocean cages used for tuna farming. The lecture offers a solution by moving these cages farther offshore into deeper waters where parasites cannot thrive. This relocation would significantly decrease parasite infestations among caged tuna and create a safer environment for them to grow.

Overall, while the reading presents several challenges associated with tuna farming, the listening counters each problem with innovative solutions that could potentially revolutionize this industry and make it more sustainable and cost-effective in the long run. (221 words)

Both the reading and the listening ~~talk about tuna farming.~~ discuss tuna farming and its associated challenges (revised for clarity). The reading ~~proposes some~~ outlines three primary problems with tuna ~~farming. Therefore, the reading suggests three effective schemes to handle the~~ farming, while the listening presents potential solutions to these issues ~~mentioned in the reading. ¶ First, the author hypothesizes~~ (revised for better sentence structure).

Firstly, the reading posits that female tuna ~~cannot~~ do not lay eggs in captivity, ~~leading the~~ forcing farmers ~~have~~ to catch ~~more~~ young wild tuna to ~~maintain the population.~~ sustain their populations (revised for clarity). However, the ~~professor disproves that farmer~~ lecture counters this by explaining that injecting hormones into captive female tuna can ~~inject some hormone to incentive these female tuna to breed~~ stimulate egg-laying without ~~catch other young~~ needing to capture additional wild ~~tuna. ¶ Second,~~ specimens (revised for better sentence structure).

Secondly, the article ~~proposes that the food raising~~ contends that feeding farmed tuna is ~~expensive, these food contains high~~ expensive due to their high-protein dietary requirements (revised for clarity). In contrast, the listening suggests an alternative approach by using plant-based sources of protein and nutrients ~~and protein that tuna requiring, whereas the questions could be tickled claimed by the listening. The listening states that not only tuna can obtain nutrient and protein from fish, but also some kinds~~ for farmed tuna (revised for better sentence structure). This cost-effective method would allow farmers to reduce expenses on feeding their stock (revised for clarity).

Lastly, the reading highlights the issue of ~~plants, which are also rich~~ parasite infestations in ~~nutrients and protein that tuna requiring. Based on that, farmer can cost less on tuna's food. ¶ According to the final problems in the reading, tuna confined to~~ ocean cages ~~are likely to become infested with parasites, organisms that feed on and weaken the animal they attach to. But the~~ used for tuna farming (revised for clarity). The lecture ~~gives~~ offers a ~~effective solution. It claims that~~ solution by moving these cages farther offshore into deeper waters where parasites cannot ~~live far away from the shore and in deep water, so that it is effective way to set these cages in this places to avoid being infected by these fishes to~~ thrive (revised for better sentence structure). This relocation would significantly decrease parasite infestations among caged tuna and create a ~~safe~~ safer environment for ~~tuna.~~them to grow (revised for clarity).

8. Mind Map


- Introduction
    - Reading: Tuna farming challenges
    - Listening: Potential solutions

- Problem 1: Female tuna not laying eggs in captivity
    - Reading: Catching young wild tuna needed
    - Listening: Hormone injections stimulate egg-laying

- Problem 2: Expensive feeding costs
    - Reading: High-protein diet required
    - Listening: Plant-based protein sources as alternative

- Problem 3: Parasite infestations in ocean cages
    - Reading: Infestations in current cages
    - Listening: Moving cages to deeper waters reduces parasites

- Conclusion
    - Innovative solutions counter challenges
    - More sustainable and cost-effective industry possible

9. Key Words

Word	Phonetic Symbol	Part of Speech	English Definition	English Translation	Sample Sentence
aquaculture	/ˈakwəˌkʌltʃər/	noun	The cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine environments.	N/A	Aquaculture has the potential to produce sustainable seafood for the growing global population.
captivity	/kəpˈtɪvɪti/	noun	The state of being confined or held prisoner, especially in a controlled environment such as a zoo or farm.	N/A	The animals were bred in captivity to ensure their survival.
infestation	/ˌɪnfɛˈsteɪʃ(ə)n/	noun	The presence of an unusually large number of insects or animals in a place, typically causing damage or disease.	N/A	The crops were destroyed by a severe infestation of pests.
hormone	/ˈhɔrmoʊn/	noun	A regulatory substance produced in an organism and transported in tissue fluids to stimulate specific cells or tissues into action.	N/A	Hormone injections can be used to stimulate growth in certain plants.
parasite	/ˈpærəsaɪt/	noun	An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense.	N/A	The tick is a common parasite that feeds on the blood of its host.
offshore	/ˌɒfˈʃɔr/	adjective	Situated at sea some distance from the shore; away from the shore, especially when referring to businesses or investments abroad.	N/A	Offshore wind farms can generate large amounts of electricity for coastal communities.
sustainable	/səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/	adjective	Capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage.	N/A	Sustainable agriculture practices can help protect the environment and ensure food security.
cost-effective	/kɒst ɪˈfektɪv/	adjective	Economical in terms of tangible benefits produced by money spent.	N/A	Using solar energy is a cost-effective way to reduce electricity bills and protect the environment.
revolutionize	/ˌrɛvəˈluʃ(ə)nʌɪz/	verb	Change (something) radically or fundamentally.	N/A	The invention of the internet has revolutionized the way we communicate and access information.
industry	/ˈɪndəstri/	noun	Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories.	N/A	The automobile industry has seen significant advancements in technology over the past few decades.