Getting to Know the TOEFL iBT Test

The Speaking Section

As mentioned before, the test?starts with the independent task.?

There are two possible choices or opinions?or situations or actions to choose from.?

The preparation time for this question will be 15 seconds?and then you will have 45 seconds to record your answer,?there is no right or wrong answer to this task.

Good responses are those in which?the speech is clear with good pronunciation,?natural pacing, and natural sounding intonation patterns.?

Language use depends on how effectively you use?grammar and vocabulary to convey your ideas.

Readers will be listening for how well you can control?both basic and more complex language structures?and use appropriate vocabulary.?

Topic development is about how fully you answer?the question and how coherently you present your ideas.?

Good answers generally use all or most of?the time allotted and the relationship?between ideas and the progression from?one idea to the next is clear and easy to follow.

With that being said,?in order to get a high score you need to,?one, clearly state your opinion.

For example, you can start with,?in my opinion and then follow that with your answer.?

Number 2, present your reasons and?details in order to explain your main idea.?

Number 3, organize your thoughts.?

Number 4, avoid repeating?the same vocabulary too many times.?

Number 5, use a variety of words and structures.?

Numbers 6, focus on clear pronunciation.?

Finally, number 7, don't speak too fast or too slow.

We are going to continue?to look at the independent speaking task:

This time we're?going to look at the integrated tasks, specifically campus questions.

For this second question or the first integrated task,?you'll read a short campus announcement, an article in the campus newspaper or?a letter published in the campus newspaper.?

Then there will be two reasons that explain why the change or?decision will be made or should be made.?And you'll have 45 seconds to read that passage.

After your reading time is over, the text will disappear.?

Then you will hear two students talking about what you just read.?

One of the students will either agree or disagree with the change.?

Or very rarely, that person might have a mixed opinion.?

He or she will give two reasons for their support or opposition.?

These reasons will address the reasons for the change mentioned in the reading.

After hearing the conversation,?you will be asked to summarize what you have read and listened to.?You'll have 30 seconds to prepare your answer and?60 seconds to speak.

As mentioned, the task starts with a short reading.?

The reading part is about 100 words long.?

And again as mentioned, you're given 45 seconds to read it and take notes.?

The changes are usually related to buildings on the university campus or?classes and majors at the university.?

Transportation on a university campus or?extracurricular activities at the university, sports, clubs, etc.

In the 3rd question, you will first see a short reading that comes from a textbook or an article in an academic field. The reading gives two or three important characteristics or categories. You will have 45 seconds to read it. Then you'll hear part of the classroom lecture on this same topic as the reading. The professor presents two or three applications of the theory or agrees or disagrees with some of the ideas in the passage.

Then you'll see a question that asks you about the relationship between the reading and the lecture. You will have 30 seconds to prepare your response, and 60 seconds to speak.

The passages that are used in this question are academic texts. For example, they can be about life science, social science, physical science, humanities, and so on. The passages are about 80 to 110 words in length. The passage will treat the topic in general terms, but the lecture is more about a specific topic. The lecture is about two minutes long.

That's all.