Do I have to write about the two students’ opinions when I answer the new TOEFL prompt?
The answer is NO. You do not have to. However, it’s a lot easier. Let me give you an example.
Go to this website. Please read the prompt for test TWO (2)
https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/prepare/practice-tests.html
Here is a response I wrote that was graded 5/5 by the artificial intelligence. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AI does not involve a human rater. A human rater may have scored me lower than 5. When I wrote this, I DID NOT look at the student’s responses, Kelly or Paul. I ignored them and just started writing:
Personally, I think it would be better if grades were only based on homework and assignments, and not on effort. This is because the teacher is not always the best judge of student effort. For instance, when I was in school, I sat in the back of the class because I was very shy. As a result, the teacher often did not even know how much effort I was putting into class. In fact, I took copious notes and paid close attention. Nonetheless, the teacher had no way of knowing what I was doing.
At the end of the semester, I was given a stellar grade for the class because even though I was shy and withdrawn, I performed well on all assignments. This is much more equitable than expecting that the teacher know what each student is doing. For these reasons, I support the idea that grades should be only based on performance and not effort.
–You may notice I used a lot of subjunctive clauses. Please see yesterday’s blog for an explanation of how to use them—-
By now you may be wondering, “Okay, but how do I make my life easier?” Simple. I actually struggled to write this without looking at the two students’ opinions. I had to come up with this completely on my own. I’m not even sure if the human rater would agree it’s a 5 without my addressing the other students. It’s MUCH easier if you use the two students as a way to start your writing. Look again at Prompt Two by clicking on the ETS link above. Then, read my response which also got a five but was MUCH less challenging for me to write:
Personally, I agree with Kelly as it’s completely unfair to look at a student’s effort in the classroom and give them the same grade as someone who does well on assignments. Although some students may appear excited to be in class and raise their hand to participate, that doesn’t mean they have absorbed any information. For instance, there were many students in my college who only wanted attention and therefore joined discussions eagerly. Thus, there needs to be a method to indicate that they have actually learned the material. In contrast, a student who can display their knowledge by performing well on assignments has obviously learned the lessons better than a student who makes an effort in class.
I feel that despite the fact that Paul made a good point about effort and character, he misses the relevant point that building character is not the goal of a university. In my view, a university’s primary role is to educate students. This can only be proven by a teacher observing the quality of a student’s assignments.
—This essay also got a five.—-
This essay was much easier for me to write. I had material I could use — Kelly and Paul’s opinions. It made my writing a lot easier to have material I could use to start my writing and my essay was longer as a result as well.
So, I suggest that you DO address the students’ opinions in your answer, if only because it is an easier method.
Please note my scoring, again, was only done by AI. I do suspect a human rater might grade my first essay lower. Ask for a tutor’s advice rather than relying on AI scoring.
Kathy
