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TOEFL TPO 9 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on environmental science. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

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Task Overview

Doctor Diaz

This week, we’ve discussed how carbon dioxide released by gasoline-powered (petrol-powered) cars pollutes the air and contributes to climate change. Let’s focus now on two proposals that governments can consider as they try to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars. One proposal is to improve and expand public transportation. The other is to provide financial support to companies that make electric cars and to consumers who buy them. Which proposal do you think is better? Why?

Claire

I think improving public transportation would be more beneficial overall than giving tax breaks or rebates to particular companies and consumers. If taking a train or a bus is significantly easier, cheaper, and faster than driving a car, more people will want to use public transportation. With fewer cars on the road, there will be less air pollution.

Paul

I believe that providing financial support to electric-car manufacturers and consumers is the better innovative long-term strategy. Many people live in rural areas, and they need their own vehicles to get around. These people would not benefit from, say, more train lines being built in a far-off city.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

User Sample

The topic of whether to choose to improve public transportation or provide financial support to companies making electric cars has triggered an avalanche of debates not only in real life but also in the network. From my perspective, I believe the former one is better. First and foremost, almost more than half of people can not afford electric cars. The cost of having an electric car does not only consist of the price of the cars but also combines further expenses such as charging. However, Improving and expanding public transportation can be beneficial to most people who take buses or subway to work. Moreover, I wholeheartedly concur with Claire’s assertion that if people become aware that public transportation is easier and cheaper, more people will quit private cars and take subways or buses as substitutes Furthermore, providing financial support to those companies is not the direct way to help people. There are moral risks that several companies may spend the money on personal uses like gaining more extra profits rather than scientific research. From what has been discussed, I firmly support the statement that public transportation should be improved and expanded.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

  • Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 5

  • Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.5

  • Language Use and Grammar: 4

2. 预估分数

27. 3 任务完成度

整体来说,你的文章很好地回答了问题,观点明确且有充分的论据支持。但是,有一些建议可以帮助你进一步提高文章质量。首先,在论证观点时,可以尝试给出更具体的例子或数据来增强说服力。其次,在语言运用方面,虽然整体表达清晰,但仍有部分语法和用词方面的小错误。

改进示例1: Instead of "almost more than half of people can not afford electric cars," you can write "A significant portion of the population cannot afford electric cars due to their high upfront costs and additional expenses such as charging infrastructure."

改进示例2: Instead of "There are moral risks that several companies may spend the money on personal uses like gaining more extra profits rather than scientific research," you can write "There is a risk that some companies may misuse the financial support for personal gains, such as increasing their profits, instead of investing in research and development."

4. 文章结构与组织

你的文章结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。各段落都集中讨论了一个具体观点,并提供了支持细节。然而,在段落之间的过渡方面还有待加强,以使文章更连贯。

改进示例1: 在第一段和第二段之间,可以加入过渡句子,如:"In addition to the affordability issue, the effectiveness of providing financial support to electric car companies is also questionable."

改进示例2: 在最后一段总结观点时,可以使用更明确的过渡词汇,如:"In conclusion, based on the aforementioned reasons, I firmly support the improvement and expansion of public transportation as a more effective solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars."

5. 语法批改

The topic of whether to choose to improve public transportation or provide financial support to companies making electric cars has triggered an avalanche of debates not only in real life but also in the network. From my perspective, I believe the former one is better.

First and foremost, almost more than half of people can not afford electric cars. The cost of having an electric car does not only consist of the price of the cars but also combines further expenses such as charging. However, Improving and expanding public transportation can be beneficial to most people who take buses or subway to work. Moreover, I wholeheartedly concur with Claire’s assertion that if people become aware that public transportation is easier and cheaper, more people will quit private cars and take subways or buses as substitutes

Furthermore, providing financial support to those companies is not the direct way to help people. There are moral risks that several companies may spend the money on personal uses like gaining more extra profits rather than scientific research.

From what has been discussed, I firmly support the statement that public transportation should be improved and expanded.

Title: 6 文章修订

The debate surrounding the choice between improving public transportation and providing financial support to electric car manufacturers has garnered significant attention both in real life and online. In my opinion, the better option is to focus on enhancing public transportation.

Firstly, a considerable number of people cannot afford electric cars due to their high initial costs and additional expenses such as charging. On the other hand, improving and expanding public transportation benefits a wider population who rely on buses or subways for their daily commute. I wholeheartedly agree with Claire's assertion that if public transportation becomes more accessible, affordable, and efficient, more individuals will opt for it over private vehicles.

Additionally, offering financial support to electric car manufacturers may not directly benefit the general public. There is a potential moral hazard in which some companies might misuse the funds for personal gain or increased profits rather than investing in research and development.

Based on these considerations, I strongly advocate for the improvement and expansion of public transportation as a more effective approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from cars. (182 words)

The topic of whether to choose to improve public transportation or provide debate surrounding the choice between improving public transportation and providing financial support to companies making electric cars car manufacturers has triggered an avalanche of debates not only garnered significant attention (clarification: changed "avalanche of debates" to "garnered significant attention" for a more natural expression) both in real life but also in the network. From and online. In my perspective, I believe the former one opinion, the better option is better. to focus on enhancing public transportation.

First and foremost, almost Firstly, a considerable number of people cannot afford electric cars (clarification: changed "almost more than half of people can not afford electric cars. The cost of having an electric car does not only consist of the price of the cars but also combines further people" to "a considerable number of people" for a more accurate representation) due to their high initial costs and additional expenses such as charging. However, Improving On the other hand, improving and expanding public transportation can be beneficial to most people benefits a wider population who take rely on buses or subway to work. Moreover, subways for their daily commute. I wholeheartedly concur agree with Claire’s Claire's assertion that if people become aware that public transportation is easier and cheaper, more people public transportation becomes more accessible, affordable, and efficient (clarification: added "accessible, affordable, and efficient" to emphasize the benefits), more individuals will quit opt for it over private cars and take subways or buses as substitutes vehicles.

Furthermore, providing Additionally, offering financial support to electric car manufacturers may not directly benefit the general public (clarification: changed "providing financial support to those companies is not the direct way to help people. people" to make it clearer). There are is a potential moral risks that several hazard in which some companies may spend the money on might misuse the funds for personal uses like gaining more extra gain or increased profits rather than scientific research. investing in research and development (clarification: changed "moral risks" to "moral hazard" for proper terminology).

From what has been discussed, Based on these considerations, I firmly support the statement that public transportation should be improved and expanded.strongly advocate for the improvement and expansion of public transportation as a more effective approach (clarification: added "more effective approach" to emphasize preference) to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from cars.

8 思维导图


- 主题: 改善公共交通与支持电动汽车制造商之间的选择
  - 支持公共交通
    - 更广泛的受益人群
      - 高昂的电动汽车成本
      - 充电等额外费用
    - 提高可及性、负担能力和效率
      - 减少私家车使用
  - 对电动汽车制造商的财政支持可能无法直接惠及普通民众
    - 道德风险问题
      - 资金滥用或追求利润最大化而非研发投入
  - 结论: 改善和扩大公共交通是更有效地减少汽车碳排放的方法。

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
debate/dɪˈbeɪt/nouna discussion or argument about a particular topic辩论The debate surrounding the choice between improving public transportation and providing financial support to electric car manufacturers has garnered significant attention.
initial/ɪˈnɪʃəl/adjectiveoccurring at the beginning最初的A considerable number of people cannot afford electric cars due to their high initial costs.
accessible/əkˈsesəbl/adjectiveeasy to approach or reach易接近的,可进入的If public transportation becomes more accessible, more individuals will opt for it over private vehicles.
moral hazard/ˈmɔrəl ˈhæzərd/nounlack of incentive to guard against risk道德风险There is a potential moral hazard in which some companies might misuse the funds for personal gain or increased profits.
advocate/ˈædvəkət/verbto publicly support or recommend a particular cause or policy提倡,主张Based on these considerations, I strongly advocate for the improvement and expansion of public transportation.
carbon dioxide emissions/ˈkɑrbən daɪˈɒksaɪd ɪˈmɪʃənz/nounthe release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere碳排放I advocate for the improvement and expansion of public transportation as a more effective approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from cars.
commute/kəˈmju:t/verb- travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis- 通勤- Improving and expanding public transportation benefits a wider population who rely on buses or subways for their daily commute.
efficient/ɪˈfɪʃənt/- adjective- achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense- 高效的- I wholeheartedly agree with Claire's assertion that if public transportation becomes more affordable and efficient, more individuals will opt for it over private vehicles.
research and development/rɪˈsɜrtʃ ənd dɪˈvɛləpmənt/- noun- work directed towards the innovation, introduction, and improvement of products and processes- 研究和开发- Offering financial support to electric car manufacturers may not directly benefit the general public if companies do not invest in research and development.

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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