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TOEFL Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on humanresource management, Write a post respondingto the professor's question.

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Task Overview

Professor

In the past, it was common for people to stay at one job for a long time, possibly for their whole career. This has changed in recent years, though nowadays many people tend to change jobs quite often, Proponents of this job market trend point to the many benefits of regularly changing careers. Today, l would like to know what you think. Do you agree that the benefits of switching often outweigh the disadvantages? Why or why not?

Student A

believe that it can be beneficial for people to change jobs. lf you do the same job for a long time (for example, several years), you might become too comfortable with the job. This could mean the job is no longer challenging for you and it could cause you to be bored and unsatisfied at work.

Student B

I agree with some of what Paul wrote, but we also need to consider the disadvantages of changing jobs often. Switching jobs can make you feel insecure and exhausted, especially if you are changing fields and have to learn new skills. Additionally, you have to adapt to a new environment and new colleagues, which can be overwhelming as well.

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1

User Sample #1

It is my brief that although there are some benefits of switching jobs regularly, there are still serval disadvantages of it. Frist and foremost, the ...

Score
18

User Sample

It is my brief that although there are some benefits of switching jobs regularly, there are still serval disadvantages of it. Frist and foremost, the social environment is unstablity, resulting of switching jobs regularly. People must face new friends or co-workers after switching jobs so that people won’t have prolonged friendship easily. In addition, switching jobs regularly will provide a loss of honest to the hr. This is because the background of people’s job gives the sense of being uncontrolled and unhonest. Therefore, it will lead people more and more diffcuilt to find a new job. In conclusion, given the argues and examplea presentad above, I frimly believe that tha disadvantages of switching jobs regularly are outweigh benefits.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 3.5 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 2.5 Language Use and Grammar: 2.0

2. 预估分数

18. 3 任务完成度

从任务完成度的角度来看,这篇文章基本回答了教授的问题,但还有很多需要改进的地方。首先,文章中有一些语法错误和用词不当,这会影响读者对观点的理解。其次,观点的阐述和论证还不够充分,需要提供更多具体的例子和细节来支持你的观点。最后,在表达观点时尽量使用自己的话,避免重复或模仿他人的表达。

Example 1: Original: "In addition, switching jobs regularly will provide a loss of honest to the hr." Improved: "Furthermore, frequently changing jobs may cause employers to question an individual's loyalty and commitment."

Example 2: Original: "Therefore, it will lead people more and more diffcuilt to find a new job." Improved: "As a result, this may make it increasingly difficult for individuals to secure new job opportunities."

4. 文章结构与组织

从文章结构与组织方面来看,这篇文章虽然包含了引言、正文和结论等部分,但仍有改进空间。首先,在引言部分可以更明确地陈述自己的观点,并简要概括文章的主要论点。其次,正文部分需要有更明确的段落划分,每个段落都应该围绕一个具体的论点展开,并提供相应的支持细节。最后,结论部分可以更加简洁明了地总结文章的主要观点,并指出自己的立场。

Example 1: Original: "It is my brief that although there are some benefits of switching jobs regularly, there are still serval disadvantages of it." Improved: "In my opinion, despite the potential benefits of frequently changing jobs, the disadvantages often outweigh these advantages."

Example 2: Original: "In conclusion, given the argues and examplea presentad above, I frimly believe that tha disadvantages of switching jobs regularly are outweigh benefits." Improved: "In conclusion, considering the arguments and examples presented above, I firmly believe that the drawbacks of frequently changing jobs outweigh the benefits."

5. 语法批改

It is my briefbelief that although there are some benefits ofto switching jobs regularly, there are still servalseveral disadvantages ofto it. FristFirst and foremost, thethere is a social environment is unstablity, resulting ofinstability that results from switching jobs regularly. People must face new friends or co-workerscoworkers after switching jobsjobs, so that people won't have prolonged friendshipfriendships easily. In addition,Additionally, switching jobs regularly will provideresult in a loss of honest totrust from the hr.human resources department. This is because the backgroundjob history of people's jobpeople gives the senseimpression of being uncontrolledunstable and unhonest.dishonest. Therefore, it will lead people more and more diffcuilt to finddifficulty finding a new job. In conclusion, given the arguesarguments and examplea presentadexamples presented above, I frimlyfirmly believe that thathe disadvantages of switching jobs regularly are outweigh benefits.

Title: 6 文章修订

While there are some advantages to frequently changing jobs, such as gaining diverse experiences and preventing stagnation, I believe the drawbacks often outweigh the benefits. One significant disadvantage is the instability of social connections, as individuals must continually adapt to new coworkers and environments, making it challenging to establish long-lasting friendships. Furthermore, a history of frequent job changes may raise concerns for potential employers regarding an applicant's loyalty and reliability. This perception of being unreliable could make it increasingly difficult for individuals to secure future employment opportunities. Thus, considering these factors, I maintain that the disadvantages of regularly switching jobs often surpass the potential benefits. (108 words)

Revised essay: Title: 7 文章批改

It is my brief belief (changed "brief" to "belief" for correct word usage) that although there are some benefits of switching jobs regularly, there are still serval several (corrected "serval" to "several" for proper spelling) disadvantages of it. Frist First (corrected "Frist" to "First" for proper spelling) and foremost, the social environment is unstablity, unstable (changed "unstablity" to "unstable" for correct word form), resulting of from (changed "of" to "from" for proper preposition usage) switching jobs regularly. People must face new friends or co-workers after switching jobs jobs, so that people won’t won't have prolonged friendship easily. friendships easily (rephrased for clarity). In addition, switching jobs regularly will provide a loss of honest to the hr. trust (changed "honest" to "trust" for appropriate word choice) to the HR. This is because the background of people’s people's job gives the sense of being uncontrolled and unhonest. dishonest (changed "unhonest" to "dishonest"). Therefore, it will lead people more and more diffcuilt difficult (added 'to' between 'lead' and 'people') to find a new job. In conclusion, given the argues and examplea presentad arguments (corrected 'argues' to 'arguments') and examples presented ('presentad' corrected to 'presented') above, I frimly firmly ('frimly' corrected to 'firmly') believe that tha the disadvantages of switching jobs regularly are outweigh ('are outweigh benefits' changed to 'outweigh') benefits.

Display title: 8 思维导图

Mindmap:

1. Introduction
   - Advantages and disadvantages of changing jobs

2. Advantages
   a. Gaining diverse experiences
   b. Preventing stagnation

3. Disadvantages
   a. Instability of social connections
      i. Adapting to new coworkers and environments
      ii. Difficulty establishing long-lasting friendships
   b. Concerns for potential employers
      i. Loyalty and reliability issues
      ii. Difficulty securing future employment opportunities

4. Conclusion
   - Disadvantages outweigh the benefits 

Display title: 9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
diverse/daɪˈvɜrs/adjectiveshowing a great deal of variety多样的Gaining diverse experiences can be beneficial for personal growth.
stagnation/stæɡˈneɪʃən/nounlack of activity, growth, or development停滞Preventing stagnation is essential for career advancement.
instability/ˌɪnstəˈbɪləti/noun/the quality or state of being unstable/不稳定性/The instability of social connections can be challenging when changing jobs frequently./
loyalty/ˈlɔɪəlti//noun/a strong feeling of support or allegiance/忠诚/Employers value loyalty in their employees./
reliability/rɪˌlaɪəˈbɪləti//noun/the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well/可靠性/Reliability is a crucial trait for job applicants./
perception/pərˈsɛpʃən//noun/the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted/认知/The perception of being unreliable can hinder one's career./
surpass/sərˈpæs//verb/to exceed; be greater than/超过/The disadvantages often surpass the benefits when it comes to frequently changing jobs./
adapt/əˈdæpt/verbto adjust oneself to new conditions适应Individuals must adapt to new coworkers and environments when changing jobs.
potential/pəˈtɛnʃəl/adjectivehaving or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future潜在的A history of frequent job changes may raise concerns for potential employers.
2

User Sample #2

Nowdays, diverse industries develop so fast which means Claire's opinion holds merits. In this situation, it seems that some companies such as the tec...

Score
22

User Sample

Nowdays, diverse industries develop so fast which means Claire's opinion holds merits. In this situation, it seems that some companies such as the technology ones have special reqirements for employees, however, which not mean that guiding senior colleagues can be a good idea. Being good at working not only need newest knowledge for employees, having more experience can overweigh that because only with practice experience, employees can have better understanding on how to use the knowledge well. just imagine a young person major in computer who graduated from school, although he know so much skills and knowledge he still doesn't know how to combine the knowledge with the clients' real meet and use it into practice. In fact, he doesn't know how to communicate with the clients well. So this is why he cannot guide the senior ones.

Evaluation Result

1. 子项得分

Relevance and Contribution to Discussion: 4.0 Clarity and Elaboration of Viewpoint: 3.5 Language Use and Grammar: 3.0

2. 预估分数

22. 3 任务完成度

在本篇文章中,你对问题的回应基本上是相关的,但在表达观点和论据方面还有待加强。首先,你需要更明确地表达自己的观点,并给出具体的例子来支持你的看法。此外,在语言运用和语法方面也需要加强。尽量避免使用不清晰或不规范的表达,并注意使用正确的词汇。

改进建议示例1(英文): Instead of "Nowdays, diverse industries develop so fast which means Claire's opinion holds merits.", you can write "In today's rapidly developing industries, Claire's opinion has some merit."

改进建议示例2(英文): Instead of "just imagine a young person major in computer who graduated from school", you can write "Consider a recent graduate with a degree in computer science."

4. 文章结构与组织

在文章结构和组织方面,你需要更清晰地划分段落以突出每个观点及其支持细节。同时,确保每个段落之间有明确的过渡,并逻辑上紧密相连。此外,可以考虑在文章开头引入主题,并在结尾部分总结观点。

改进建议示例1(英文): Add an introduction: "In the debate on whether younger employees should mentor senior colleagues, both Claire and Kelly present valid arguments. However, I believe that experience plays a crucial role in effective mentoring."

改进建议示例2(英文): Improve transitions between paragraphs: "While Claire's argument about the importance of technological skills is valid, Kelly's point about the value of experience should not be overlooked. In fact, experience often outweighs technological knowledge in workplace situations."

5. 语法批改

NowdaysNowadays(misspelling), diverse industries develop so fastfast,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) which means Claire's opinion holds merits. In this situation, it seems that some companies such as the technology ones have special reqirementsrequirements(misspelling) for employees, however, which not mean that guiding senior colleagues can be a good idea. Being good at working not only need newestthe newest(Zero or indefinite article ('a'/'an') before superlatives) knowledge for employees, having more experience can overweigh thatoverweight hat(misspelling) because only with practice experience,experience(misspelling) employees can have better understanding on how to use the knowledge well. justJust(Checks that a sentence starts with an uppercase letter) imagine a young person major in computer who graduated from school, although he knowknows(Agreement error: Non-third person/past tense verb with 'he/she/it' or a pronoun) so muchmany('much' + countable noun, e.g. 'much (many) children') skills and knowledge he still doesn't know how to combine the knowledge with the clients' real meet and use it into practice. In fact, he doesn't know how to communicate with the clients well. So this is why he cannot guide the senior ones.

Section Title: 6 文章修订

In today's rapidly evolving industries, Claire's perspective carries significant weight. While it is true that companies, particularly those in the technology sector, may have unique requirements for their employees, this does not necessarily imply that younger individuals should mentor senior colleagues. Proficiency in one's profession entails more than just possessing the latest knowledge; experience often holds greater value as it enables employees to apply their knowledge effectively. Consider a recent computer science graduate who, despite having extensive technical skills and knowledge, may struggle to integrate this expertise with clients' real needs and apply it in practical situations. Furthermore, they may lack the necessary communication skills to engage with clients effectively. Consequently, their ability to guide senior colleagues could be limited. (124 words)

Nowdays, diverse In today's rapidly evolving industries develop so fast which means (revised for clarity and conciseness), Claire's opinion holds merits. In this situation, perspective carries significant weight (revised for better word choice). While it seems is true that some companies such as companies, particularly those in the technology ones sector, may have special reqirements unique requirements for employees, however, which their employees (revised for better word choice), this does not mean necessarily imply (revised for better word choice) that guiding younger individuals should mentor senior colleagues can be colleagues. Proficiency in one's profession entails more than just possessing the latest knowledge (revised for clarity); experience often holds greater value as it enables employees to apply their knowledge effectively (revised for better word choice and clarity). Consider a good idea. Being good at working not only need newest knowledge for employees, recent computer science graduate who, despite having more experience can overweigh that because only with practice experience, employees can have better understanding on how to use the knowledge well. just imagine a young person major in computer who graduated from school, although he know so much extensive technical skills and knowledge he still doesn't know how (revised for better word choice), may struggle to combine the knowledge integrate this expertise with the clients' real meet needs and use apply it into practice. In fact, he doesn't know how in practical situations (revised for clarity). Furthermore, they may lack the necessary communication skills to communicate engage with the clients well. So this is why he cannot effectively (revised for clarity). Consequently, their ability to guide the senior ones.colleagues could be limited (revised for conciseness).

8 思维导图


1. Introduction
   - Rapidly evolving industries
   - Claire's perspective

2. Unique requirements for employees
   - Technology sector

3. Proficiency in profession
   - Latest knowledge vs experience

4. Recent computer science graduate example
   - Technical skills and knowledge
   - Struggle to integrate expertise with clients' needs

5. Communication skills and client engagement

6. Limited ability to guide senior colleagues

7. Conclusion 

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
rapidly/ˈræpɪdli/adverbvery quickly and suddenly快速地Industries are evolving rapidly in today's world.
proficiency/prəˈfɪʃənsi/nouna high degree of skill or ability in something熟练Her proficiency in programming languages made her an asset to the team.
entail/ɪnˈteɪl/verbto make something necessary, or to involve something需要,牵涉Being a manager entails more than just having technical skills.
integrate/ˈɪntɪgreɪt/verb-to combine two or more things so that they work together or become whole; -to mix with and join society-使结合;-融入社会-The new software was difficult to integrate with our existing systems. -He tried to integrate into the local community.
expertise/ˌekspərˈtiːz/nouna high level of knowledge or skill in a particular subject专业知识,专长Her expertise in marketing helped the company grow its customer base.
practical/ˈpræktɪkəl/adjective-connected with real situations rather than ideas; -suitable for use; -good at making things-实际的;-实用的;-擅长制作的-We need to find a practical solution to the problem. -She has lots of practical experience.
communication/kəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən/nounthe act of sharing information with others by speaking, writing, etc沟通Good communication skills are essential for success in business.
engage/ɪnˈgeɪdʒ/verb-to interest someone in something and keep them thinking about it; -to become involved with and try to understand-使感兴趣;-参与,从事-The movie failed to engage my attention. -She likes to engage with her customers on social media.
mentor/ˈmentɔr/noun, verb-an experienced person who advises and helps somebody with less experience; -to act as a mentor to somebody-导师;-担任导师指导-He acted as a mentor to many young professionals. -She was mentored by a successful entrepreneur.
limited/ˈlɪmɪtɪd/adjectivenot very great in amount or extent有限的The new employee's limited experience made it difficult for him to lead the project.
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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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