TOEFLIELTS
English
☰
All Samples

TOEFL TPO 12 Academic Discussion Writing Sample: Your professor is teaching a class on education. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

Real user submissions with AI-powered evaluation and feedback

203 user-submitted samples available

Start Free Practice

Task Overview

Doctor Gupta

Let’s discuss how teachers’ job performance is assessed or evaluated. Regular evaluations of teachers help to ensure that students receive high-quality instruction, that good teachers are rewarded, and that struggling teachers receive help to improve. But what is the best way to evaluate teachers? Should teachers be evaluated based on their students’ test scores? Should more-experienced teachers evaluate less-experienced teachers? Should students’ feedback be considered? Which approach is best, and why?

Andrew

I think experienced senior teachers are the best source of information for teacher evaluations. School leaders can assign experienced teachers to observe their fellow teachers periodically during class, and these senior teachers can then provide feedback on their colleagues’ performance. An experienced teacher has the knowledge to determine what other teachers are doing well and what needs improvement.

Kelly

I’m not convinced that any one person’s occasional visits to a classroom would provide accurate information. I’d like a more objective, fairer source of data, so I’d prefer to rely on test scores to inform teacher evaluations. If all students take the same test, and some classes perform better than others, then we know which teachers have been most successful.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

Practise TOEFL writing questions like this one →

Opens the writing question list in the LingoLeap app, not this exact question. Practising needs a free account. AI scoring uses credits, except 3 free scores a day on Practice Test 1 (PQ26-1) questions.

1

User Sample #1

I strongly agree with Andrew's idea that less-experience teachers should be evaluated by more-experience teachers. She argues that an experience teach...

Score
22

User Sample

I strongly agree with Andrew's idea that less-experience teachers should be evaluated by more-experience teachers. She argues that an experience teacher have enough knowledge to determine whether the teacher is good. Moreover, I think that student's feedback should be consideration. Because only the student know themselves. They know their advantages and disadvantages which teachers don't know. For example, one of my friends always can not solve the problem by teacher's method. Then he use himself method to solve successfully. Admittedly, Kelly mentions that the data is more objective. However, he doesn't realize that the score can not mean everything. Above all, I think that the method by more-experience is better.

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

  • Estimated Score: 22

3. 任务完成度

你的文章基本上满足了任务要求,但仍有一些地方需要改进。首先,你需要更详细地阐述和支持你的观点。其次,在使用英语时,应注意避免语法错误和不清晰的表达。

改进建议示例1(英文): Instead of saying "Because only the student know themselves," you could say, "Students have a unique perspective on their own learning experiences, which can provide valuable insights for evaluating teachers."

改进建议示例2(英文): Instead of saying "Then he use himself method to solve successfully," you could say, "He then applied his own method to solve the problem successfully."

4. 文章结构与组织

文章的结构和组织方面还有待提高。首先,你需要在引言部分明确提出自己的观点。其次,在正文部分,每个段落都应该专注于一个具体的论点,并提供支持细节。最后,在结论部分总结自己的观点。

改进建议示例1(英文): Introduction: "In the discussion about evaluating less-experienced teachers, I believe that assessments by more experienced teachers combined with student feedback would be the most effective approach."

改进建议示例2(英文): Body paragraph: "One reason why experienced teachers should evaluate their less-experienced colleagues is that they possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise in teaching methodologies, classroom management, and student engagement."

5. 语法批改

I strongly agree with Andrew's idea that less-experience teachers should be evaluated by more-experience teachers. She argues that an experience teacher have enough knowledge to determine whether the teacher is good. Moreover, I think that student's feedback should be consideration. Because only the student know themselves. They know their advantages and disadvantagesdisadvantages,(This rule identifies whether commas are missing in a sentence.) which teachers don't know. For example, one of my friends always can not solve the problem by teacher's method. Then he useuses(Agreement error: Non-third person/past tense verb with 'he/she/it' or a pronoun) himself method to solve successfully. Admittedly, Kelly mentions that the data is more objective. However, he doesn't realize that (Two consecutive spaces)the score can not mean everything. Above all, I think that the method by more-experience is better.

Section Title: 6 文章修订

In response to the professor's question, I firmly support the notion that less-experienced teachers should be evaluated by their more-experienced counterparts. Experienced educators possess a wealth of knowledge and insight, enabling them to effectively assess the performance of their peers. Additionally, incorporating student feedback into evaluations is crucial, as students possess unique perspectives on their own learning experiences. For instance, a friend of mine struggled with a teacher's prescribed problem-solving method but found success through an alternative approach. While Kelly contends that data-driven evaluations offer objectivity, it is important to recognize that test scores do not encapsulate the entirety of a teacher's effectiveness. Ultimately, I believe that evaluations conducted by experienced educators provide a more comprehensive assessment of teaching quality. (124 words)

In response to the professor's question, I strongly agree with Andrew's idea firmly support the notion that less-experience less-experienced teachers should be evaluated by more-experience teachers. She argues their more-experienced counterparts (revised for clarity and conciseness). Experienced educators possess a wealth of knowledge and insight (rephrased for better flow), enabling them to effectively assess the performance of their peers. Additionally, incorporating student feedback into evaluations is crucial (changed "consideration" to "crucial" for emphasis), as students possess unique perspectives on their own learning experiences (rephrased for clarity). For instance, a friend of mine struggled with a teacher's prescribed problem-solving method but found success through an alternative approach (revised for better flow). While Kelly contends that an experience teacher have enough knowledge data-driven evaluations offer objectivity, it is important to determine whether recognize that test scores do not encapsulate the teacher is good. Moreover, entirety of a teacher's effectiveness (rephrased for clarity). Ultimately, I think believe that student's feedback should be consideration. Because only the student know themselves. They know their advantages evaluations conducted by experienced educators provide a more comprehensive assessment of teaching quality (revised for conciseness and disadvantages which teachers don't know. For example, one of my friends always can not solve the problem by teacher's method. Then he use himself method to solve successfully. Admittedly, Kelly mentions that the data is more objective. However, he doesn't realize that the score can not mean everything. Above all, I think that the method by more-experience is better.emphasis).

8 思维导图


- 一级节点:教师评估
  - 二级节点:经验丰富的教师
    - 三级节点:知识和洞察力
    - 三级节点:有效评估同行
  - 二级节点:学生反馈
    - 三级节点:独特的学习体验视角
    - 三级节点:不同解决问题方法的成功案例
  - 二级节点:数据驱动评估的局限性
    - 三级节点:考试成绩无法涵盖教师全部效果
    - 三级节点:更全面的教学质量评估方法

9 关键词

WordPhonetic SymbolPart of SpeechEnglish definitionSimplified Chinese translationSample sentences
evaluation/ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃən/nounthe act of judging the quality or value of sth评估Experienced educators are able to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of teaching quality.
counterpart/ˈkaʊntərpɑrt/nouna person or thing that has the same job as sb/sth else in a different place or situation对应者Less-experienced teachers should be evaluated by their more-experienced counterparts.
insight/ˈɪnsaɪt/nounthe ability to see and understand the inner nature of things clearly洞察力Experienced educators possess a wealth of knowledge and insight.
perspective/pərˈspektɪv/nouna way of thinking about sth, especially one which is influenced by the type of person you are or by your experiences视角Students possess unique perspectives on their own learning experiences.
prescribed/prɪˈskraɪbd/adjectiveset by an authority as a rule or guide规定的My friend struggled with a teacher's prescribed problem-solving method.
alternative/ɔlˈtɜrnətɪv/adjective/noundifferent from sth else and able to be used instead of it可替代的,替代方案My friend found success through an alternative approach.
contend/kənˈtend/verbto say that sth is true, especially in an argument声称,主张Kelly contends that data-driven evaluations offer objectivity.
encapsulate/ɪnˈkæpsjuleɪt/verbto express or show the most important facts about sth │概括,包含 │Test scores do not encapsulate the entirety of a teacher's effectiveness.
comprehensive/ˌkəmprəˈhensiv/ │adjective │including all, or almost all, the items, details, facts, information, etc., that may be involved │全面的 │Evaluations conducted by experienced educators provide a more comprehensive assessment of teaching quality.
effectiveness/ɪˈfektɪvnəs/nounthe degree to which sth is successful in producing the desired result效果,有效性Test scores do not encapsulate the entirety of a teacher's effectiveness.
Practise TOEFL writing questions like this one →

Opens the writing question list in the LingoLeap app, not this exact question. Practising needs a free account. AI scoring uses credits, except 3 free scores a day on Practice Test 1 (PQ26-1) questions.

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.

Rooting for Your Goal Score Today!

With LingoLeap, an expert in English exams

Get to Your Dream Score Faster

Try for free now