TOEFL TPO -1 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Do you think the negligence of parents is the main cause of childhood obesity?
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2 user-submitted samples available
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Professor
The number of overweight children in many places has doubled in recent years. Causes of obesity in children include unhealthy food choices, lack of physical activity and family eating habits. This rise in the number of overweight children is disturbing, because it causes health problems and can lead to social problems. Overweight children are more likely to be teased by their peers or to develop low self-esteem or body image problems. What do you think of this phenomenon? Do you think the negligence of parents is the main cause of childhood obesity?
Zoe
For me, there are other reasons that contribute to the obesity rate in children. School-age children spend most of their time at school without their parents around. They eat three meals a day at school, so the school should be primarily responsible. I heard that some schools collaborate with McDonald's to provide children with lunches such as hamburgers and fried chicken. Therefore, children have developed the habit of eating foods containing high calorie since childhood, which is likely to leads to weight issues.
Kelly
Well, parents should take primary responsibility for their children's physical problems. A lot of children develop obesity because their parents don’t know how to choose or prepare healthy foods. There are also parents buying whatever their kids like. Thus, children eat fattening foods on a daily basis and develop unhealthy eating habits from a young age.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
While Zoe contends that school is the primary reason for childhood obesity due to children eat most of the food in school, I concur with Kelly's assertion that parents contribute to the obesity rate in children. I firmly believe that parents have less patience and carefulness to their children contribute their children don not know which kind of food is healthy. To be specific, if parents more care about their children, they may have some suggestions to avoid them being fat and unhealthy. For example, my parents really care about me, and they give me suggestion how to eat heathier food in school when I was a child. And they prepared fresh fruit for me every day to make sure I get enough nutrition. What's more, although children eat three miles at school, there is an obligation for their parents to remind them eating heathier food.
Evaluation Result
1. 子项得分
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Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.5
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Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 4.0
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Language Use and Grammar: 3.5
2. 预估分数
25. 3 任务完成度
这篇文章在回答问题方面做得很好,但仍有一些地方需要改进。首先,你可以在论证观点时提供更多具体的例子和细节。此外,尽量避免使用重复的词汇和表达。最后,在语法和用词方面要更加注意,避免出现错误。
改进建议示例:
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在论证观点时,可以举一个具体的例子说明父母如何通过教育孩子选择健康食物来帮助他们减肥。
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尝试使用不同的词汇和表达来替换重复出现的词汇,例如将“care about”替换为“pay attention to”。
4. 文章结构与组织
文章整体结构清晰,包括引言、正文和结论。然而,在组织上还有一些改进空间。首先,在段落中要明确主题句,并确保每个段落都集中讨论一个特定的观点。其次,在段落之间使用过渡词或短语来连接不同的想法。
改进建议示例:
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在正文段落的开头,可以明确提出本段的主题句,例如:“父母在孩子饮食习惯的培养中起着关键作用。”
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在段落之间使用过渡词或短语,如“此外”、“然而”等,使文章更连贯。
5. 语法批改
While Zoe contends that school is the primary reason for childhood obesity due toas(This rule identifies wrong preposition usage.) children eat most of the food in school, I concur with Kelly's assertion that parents contribute to the obesity rate in children. I firmly believe that parents have less patience and carefulness to their children contribute their children don notdo not(they don (don't)) know which kind of food is healthy. To be specific, if parents more care about their children, they may have some suggestions to avoid them being fat and unhealthy. For example, my parents really care about me, and they give me suggestion how to eat heathierHeather(misspelling) food in school when I was a child. And they prepared fresh fruit for me every day to make sure I get enough nutrition. What's more, although children eat three miles at school, there is an obligation for their parents to remind them eatingto eat('advise', 'help' and 'remind' used with gerund instead of infinitive) heathierHeather(misspelling) food.
Display title: 6 文章修订
While Zoe argues that schools are primarily responsible for childhood obesity due to children consuming most of their meals there, I concur with Kelly's assertion that parental negligence plays a significant role in the prevalence of obesity among children. I firmly believe that when parents exhibit a lack of attentiveness and diligence towards their children's dietary habits, it results in the youngsters being unaware of healthy food choices. Specifically, conscientious parents can offer guidance to help their children avoid excessive weight gain and maintain good health. For instance, my own parents were highly attentive to my well-being and provided advice on selecting nutritious options at school during my childhood. Additionally, they ensured I received adequate nourishment by preparing fresh fruit for me daily. Furthermore, although children may consume three meals at school, it remains the responsibility of parents to emphasize the importance of making healthier food choices. (151 words)
While Zoe contends argues that school is the primary reason schools are primarily responsible for childhood obesity due to children eat consuming most of the food in school, their meals there (changed "contends" to "argues" for a more natural tone, and revised the phrase to clarify the point), I concur with Kelly's assertion that parents contribute to the parental negligence plays a significant role in the prevalence of obesity rate in children. among children (rephrased to emphasize the role of parents). I firmly believe that parents have less patience and carefulness to when parents exhibit a lack of attentiveness and diligence towards their children contribute children's dietary habits (revised for clarity and readability), it results in the youngsters being unaware of healthy food choices. Specifically, conscientious parents can offer guidance to help their children don not know which kind of food is healthy. To be specific, if parents more care about their children, avoid excessive weight gain and maintain good health (rephrased for better flow). For instance, my own parents were highly attentive to my well-being and provided advice on selecting nutritious options at school during my childhood (revised for clarity). Additionally, they may have some suggestions to avoid them being fat and unhealthy. For example, my parents really care about me, and they give me suggestion how to eat heathier food in school when ensured I was a child. And they prepared received adequate nourishment by preparing fresh fruit for me every day to make sure I get enough nutrition. What's more, daily (improved sentence structure). Furthermore, although children eat may consume three miles meals at school, there is an obligation for their parents to remind them eating heathier food.it remains the responsibility of parents to emphasize the importance of making healthier food choices (clarified the point and improved readability).
Display title: 8 思维导图
1. Introduction
- Schools vs. parental responsibility
- Agree with Kelly's assertion
2. Parental negligence
- Lack of attentiveness and diligence
- Children unaware of healthy food choices
3. Conscientious parents
- Guidance to avoid excessive weight gain
- Maintain good health
4. Personal experience
- Parents' attentiveness and advice on nutrition
5. Adequate nourishment at home
- Preparing fresh fruit daily
6. Meals at school
- Three meals consumed at school
7. Parental responsibility
- Emphasize importance of healthier food choices
8. Conclusion
Display title: 9 关键词
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English definition | Simplified Chinese translation | Sample sentences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| obesity | /əˈbiːsɪti/ | noun | the condition of being very overweight | 肥胖症 | Childhood obesity is a growing concern in many countries. |
| negligence | /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns/ | noun | failure to take proper care or attention | 疏忽 | Parental negligence can lead to children making poor dietary choices. |
| attentiveness | /əˈtɛntɪvnəs/ | noun | the quality of being attentive | 注意力 | My parents' attentiveness helped me make healthier food choices during my childhood. |
| diligence | /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/ | noun | careful and persistent work or effort | 勤奋 | Diligence in monitoring children's diets can prevent obesity. |
| conscientious | /ˌkɒnʃiˈɛnʃəs/ | adjective | wishing to do what is right | 认真负责的 | Conscientious parents can guide their children towards healthier food choices. |
| nourishment | /ˈnʌrɪʃmənt/ | noun | the food necessary for growth and health | 营养 | Adequate nourishment is essential for a child's development. |
| emphasize | /ˈɛmfəsaɪz/ | verb | give special importance to | 强调 | Parents should emphasize the importance of making healthier food choices at school. |
| responsibility | /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlɪti/ | noun | having control over and being accountable | 责任 | It is the parents' responsibility to ensure their children maintain a healthy diet. |
| nutritious | /njuːˈtrɪʃəs/ | adjective | providing nourishment, especially to a high degree; nourishing; healthful | 有营养的 | My parents advised me on selecting nutritious options at school during my childhood. |
Display title: 6 文章修订
While Zoe argues that schools are primarily responsible for childhood obesity due to children consuming most of their meals there, I concur with Kelly's assertion that parental negligence plays a significant role in the prevalence of obesity among children. I firmly believe that when parents exhibit a lack of attentiveness and diligence towards their children's dietary habits, it results in the youngsters being unaware of healthy food choices. Specifically, conscientious parents can offer guidance to help their children avoid excessive weight gain and maintain good health. For instance, my own parents were highly attentive to my well-being and provided advice on selecting nutritious options at school during my childhood. Additionally, they ensured I received adequate nourishment by preparing fresh fruit for me daily. Furthermore, although children may consume three meals at school, it remains the responsibility of parents to emphasize the importance of making healthier food choices.
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
Read the prompt carefully and identify all parts of the question before writing.
Reference the reading passage and the other students' opinions in your response.
Use specific examples to support your main point — avoid generic statements.
Aim for 120-150 words. Longer responses are not always better; clarity and focus matter more.
Practice timed responses (10 minutes) to build fluency under exam conditions.
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