TOEFL integrated writing: The sea otter

The reading passage explains that sea otters have declined in the Alaskan beaches because of the pollution, giving reasons to support this theory. However, the speaker in the listening passage refutes the pollution theory, referring the decline of the sea otters to the predation rather than the pollution.

First of all, the reading passage states that sea otters have declined, due to an increase in the levels of chemicals. However, the speaker explains that, if pollution is the reason then dead sea otters should have been found on the Alaskin beaches, and because there aren't any, then sea otters must have been eaten by their predetars

Secondly,the reading passage also mentions that the decline of other sea mammals such as the the sea lions and the seals is another proof that such a decline is due to pollution, adding to this, that the Orca( a big whale) could not be the reason, because it prefers larger preys. On the otherhand, the speaker does not agree with this argument, explaining that larger preys could have been caught by hunters, the fact that promoted the whales to change their diet to smaller mammals instead.

Finally, according to the reading passage, the increase in the decline of sea otters at certain locations is due the variation of pollutants along the cost. Nevertheless, the speaker clarifies that this point is better explained by the Orca predation, as the whales can not really reach the shallow locations where the sea otters have not actually declined.

Votes
Average: 7.8 (4 votes)
Essay Categories

Sentence: Secondly,the reading passage also mentions that the decline of other sea mammals such as the the sea lions and the seals is another proof that such a decline is due to pollution, adding to this, that the Orca a big whale could not be the reason, because it prefers larger preys.
Description: The token the is not usually followed by an article
Suggestion: Refer to the and the

Sentence: However, the speaker explains that, if pollution is the reason then dead sea otters should have been found on the Alaskin beaches, and because there aren't any, then sea otters must have been eaten by their predetars
Error: predetars Suggestion: No alternate word

Sentence: On the otherhand, the speaker does not agree with this argument, explaining that larger preys could have been caught by hunters, the fact that promoted the whales to change their diet to smaller mammals instead.
Error: otherhand Suggestion: No alternate word

The structure is great. The language can be more polished.

Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 25 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 1 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 2 2
No. of Sentences: 8 9
No. of Words: 252 250
No. of Characters: 1214 900
No. of Different Words: 118 100
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 3.984 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.817 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.28 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 97 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 72 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 33 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 21 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 31.5 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.552 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.75 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.506 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.755 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.126 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 5