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TOEFL TPO 17 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on education. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

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Task Overview

Doctor Achebe

Next, we’ll be discussing the future of higher education, focusing on proposals for making postsecondary education (education after high school) more efficient and more accessible. One such proposal is to make class attendance optional. For instance, under an optional-attendance policy, university students could choose not to attend classes but instead study the course materials and acquire the knowledge on their own time. Their grade would then be based entirely on exams or papers. What are your thoughts on this approach?

Claire

I like the idea of optional attendance. University students have a lot going on, and sometimes it’s difficult to make it to class. As long as students are held accountable for the information they’re supposed to learn, I don’t see why they should have to attend every class session, especially for classes that meet multiple times a week.

Andrew

I have to disagree with Claire. I think that class attendance policies foster another important kind of accountability. They teach discipline and responsibility. Many of the jobs that university or trade school students will pursue after graduation have their own attendance policies, so students should see class attendance as good preparation for entering the workforce.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

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1

User Sample #1

Though Claire raises a valid argument concerning the merits of optional attendance, Andrew, however, contradicts with Claire's idea by highlighting th...

Score
25

User Sample

Though Claire raises a valid argument concerning the merits of optional attendance, Andrew, however, contradicts with Claire's idea by highlighting the importance of discipline and responsibility. From my perspective, nothing is more comprehensive and fair to take regular attendances into account when it comes to students' evaluation. Besides Andrew' rational, one of the merits of necessary class attendance is that it recognize and reward self-disciplined students who form the good habit of attending the class on time. In the fiercely competing job market, only can highly disciplined candidates win out and they also get promoted easily in the workplace. Therefore, attendance should be considered as a significant indicator of evaluating students.

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

  • 25

3. 任务完成度

你的文章在任务完成度方面表现良好,但仍有一些改进空间。首先,在表达观点时,可以提供更多具体的例子和细节来支持你的论点。此外,尝试使用更多的论证手段来增强你的观点,例如对比、举例等。

改进示例1:

  • 在论述课堂出勤对于培养纪律性和责任感的重要性时,可以提供一些实际案例来证明这一观点。

改进示例2:

  • 可以对比强制出勤和自愿出勤的学生在学术成绩和职业发展方面的差异,以支持你认为考勤应作为评价学生的重要指标。

4. 文章结构与组织

文章结构方面整体不错,但可以在段落划分和过渡句子上做得更好。尝试在每个段落中明确阐述一个主题,并使用过渡句子连接各个段落,使文章更加流畅。

改进示例1:

  • 在第二段开头明确指出这一段将讨论强制出勤的优点,例如:“除了安德鲁提到的纪律性和责任感外,强制出勤还有其他优点。”

改进示例2:

  • 在段落之间添加过渡句子,例如在第二段和第三段之间加入:“然而,克莱尔的观点也有一定道理,我们需要权衡两者的利弊。”

5. 语法批改

Though Claire raises a valid argument concerning the merits of optional attendance, Andrew, however, contradicts with Claire's idea by highlighting the importance of discipline and responsibility. From my perspective, nothing is more comprehensive and fair to take regular attendances into account when it comes to students' evaluation. Besides Andrew'(Unpaired braces, brackets, quotation marks and similar symbols) rational, one of the merits of (Two consecutive spaces)necessary class attendance is that it recognize and reward self-disciplined students who form the good habit of attending the class on time. In the fiercely competing job market, only can highly disciplineddiscipline(Non-infinitive verb after modal verbs) candidates win out and, and(comma between independent clauses) they also get promoted easily in the workplace. Therefore, attendance should be considered as a significant indicator of evaluating students.

Section Title: 6 文章修订

While Claire presents a compelling case for optional attendance, Andrew counters her argument by emphasizing the significance of discipline and responsibility. In my opinion, factoring in regular attendance when evaluating students offers a more comprehensive and equitable approach. In addition to Andrew's rationale, mandatory class attendance rewards self-disciplined students who consistently attend classes punctually. In today's highly competitive job market, it is these disciplined individuals who often excel and secure promotions within their respective workplaces. Consequently, attendance should be regarded as a crucial component in assessing students' performance. (92 words)

Though Revised essay: Section Title: 7 文章批改

While Claire raises presents a valid argument concerning the merits of compelling case (revised for clarity and natural tone) for optional attendance, Andrew, however, contradicts with Claire's idea Andrew counters (revised for natural tone) her argument by highlighting emphasizing the importance significance (revised for clarity) of discipline and responsibility. From In my perspective, nothing is opinion, factoring in (revised for natural tone) regular attendance when evaluating students offers a more comprehensive and fair equitable approach (revised for clarity). In addition to take regular attendances into account when it comes to students' evaluation. Besides Andrew' rational, one of the merits of necessary Andrew's rationale, mandatory class attendance is that it recognize and reward rewards self-disciplined students who form the good habit of attending the class on time. consistently attend classes punctually (revised for clarity and natural tone). In the fiercely competing today's highly competitive job market, only can highly it is these disciplined candidates win out individuals who often excel and they also get promoted easily in the workplace. Therefore, secure promotions within their respective workplaces (revised for clarity). Consequently, attendance should be considered regarded as a significant indicator of evaluating students.crucial component in assessing students' performance (revised for clarity and natural tone).

8 思维导图


- Essay Structure
    - Introduction
        - Optional attendance debate
    - Claire's Argument
        - Compelling case for optional attendance
    - Andrew's Counterargument
        - Emphasizes discipline and responsibility
    - Personal Opinion
        - Comprehensive and equitable approach with mandatory attendance
    - Benefits of Mandatory Attendance
        - Rewards self-disciplined students
        - Prepares students for competitive job market
    - Conclusion
        - Attendance as a crucial component in assessment

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish DefinitionSimplified Chinese TranslationSample Sentence
attendance/əˈtendəns/nounthe act of being present at a place, such as school or work出席,参加;出勤率Mandatory class attendance rewards self-disciplined students.
discipline/ˈdɪsəplɪn/nounthe practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience纪律,自制力;训练,惩戒措施;学科,领域;训诫,惩戒(动词)In today's highly competitive job market, it is these disciplined individuals who often excel.
responsibility/rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ |noun|the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or having control over someone|责任,义务|Andrew counters her argument by emphasizing the significance of discipline and responsibility.|
comprehensive/ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪv/adjectivecomplete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something全面的,综合的;理解的,包容的;有广泛知识的Factoring in regular attendance when evaluating students offers a more comprehensive and equitable approach.
equitable/ˈekwətəbəl/ |adjective|fair and impartial|公平的,公正的|In my opinion, factoring in regular attendance when evaluating students offers a more comprehensive and equitable approach.|
punctual/ˈpʌŋktʃuəl/ |adjective|happening or doing something at the agreed or proper time; on time|准时的,守时的;及时的;严密精确的(用于描述人或行为)|Mandatory class attendance rewards self-disciplined students who consistently attend classes punctually.|
competitive/kəmˈpetɪtɪv/ |adjective|relating to or characterized by competition; having a strong desire to be more successful than others; as good as or better than others of a comparable nature|竞争性质的;好胜心强的;具有竞争力的(产品或服务);优于同类产品或服务水平或质量 的(价格);有利可图 的(投资) |In today's highly competitive job market, it is these disciplined individuals who often excel and secure promotions within their respective workplaces. |
promotion/prəˈməʊʃən/ |noun|activity that supports or provides active encouragement for the furtherance of a cause, venture, or aim; the publicization of a product, organization, or venture so as to increase sales or public awareness; advancement in rank or position|促进,推动;提升,晋升;宣传,推广;促销活动 |In today's highly competitive job market, it is these disciplined individuals who often excel and secure promotions within their respective workplaces. |
component/kəmˈpəʊnənt/ |noun|a part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle; an ingredient; one of several parts that together make up a whole system, structure, etc. (in computing)|部分,组成部分;成分;元件(尤指机器或汽车的一部分);组件(计算机) |Consequently, attendance should be regarded as a crucial component in assessing students' performance. |
assessment/əˈsesmənt/nounthe evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something评估,评价;估价Attendance should be regarded as a crucial component in assessing students' performance.
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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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