TOEFL : Test of English as a Foreign Language
Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities and other institutions in over 190 countries and territories.
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TOEFL iBT® Speaking Section
Academic Speaking Skills
The TOEFL speaking section takes 17 minutes to complete and contains 4 sections. It is done on a computer. Your answers are recorded and sent to ETS for marking.
The TOEFL speaking tests contain academic situations set both inside and outside the classroom
In classrooms, there are situations where you must:
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respond to questions
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contribute to class discussions
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read or listen to something and then summarize it
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give your opinion of topics under discussion
In situations outside the classroom, you need to:
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take part in conversations with administrative staff, such as at the library
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take part in casual conversations with other students
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give your opinion about something
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Description of the speaking tasks
Independent Task
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Choice - Preparation time: 15 seconds Response time: 45 seconds
You will be presented with two situations or opinions. You'll be asked which you prefer and you need to explain your choice.
Integrated Tasks
Read/Listen/Speak
2. Campus Situation Topic: Fit and Explain. Preparation time: 30 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
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A reading passage (75–100 words) presents a campus-related issue.
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A listening passage (60–80 seconds, 150–180 words) comments on the issue in the reading passage.
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The question asks the test taker to summarize the speaker’s opinion within the context of the reading passage.
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3. Academic Course Topic: General/ Specific. Preparation time: 30 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
A reading passage (75–100 words) broadly defines a term, process, or idea from an academic subject.
An excerpt from a lecture (60–90 seconds; 150–220 words) provides examples and specific information to illustrate the term, process, or idea from the reading passage.
The question asks the test taker to combine and convey important information from the reading passage and the lecture excerpt.
Listen/Speak
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4. Academic Course Topic: Summary. Preparation time: 20 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
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The listening passage is an excerpt from a lecture (90–120 seconds; 230–280 words) that explains a term or concept and gives concrete examples to illustrate that term or concept.
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The question asks the test taker to summarize the lecture and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the examples and the overall topic.
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Read this article:
Study secrets of students who get 26+ on TOEFL speaking
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External Links :
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​https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/toefl
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https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_speaking.html
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https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_reading.html#google_vignette
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TOEFL Reading
TOEFL® Reading
Academic Reading Skills
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The Reading section measures test takers’ ability to understand university-level academic texts and passages. In English-speaking academic environments students are expected to read and understand information from textbooks and other types of academic material. Below are three possible purposes for academic reading.
Reading Purposes Include
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Reading to find information
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Basic comprehension
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Reading to learn
Reading Section Format
The TOEFL iBT test includes three basic categories of academic texts.
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Exposition of a subject
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Argumentation
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Historical or biographical narrative
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Test takers do not need any special background knowledge to correctly answer the questions in the Reading section; all the information needed to answer the questions is contained in the passages.
Test takers must read through or scroll to the end of each passage before receiving questions on that passage.
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Length of each passage
Approximately 700 words
3-4 passages
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Number of passages and questions
10 questions per passage
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Timing
54-72 minutes
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External Link:
https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_reading.html
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TOEFL Listening
TOEFL® Listening
Academic Listening Skills
The Listening section measures test takers’ ability to understand spoken English from North America and other English-speaking countries. In academic environments students need to listen to lectures and conversations. Below are three possible purposes for academic listening.
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Listening Purposes Include
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Listening for basic comprehension
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Listening for pragmatic understanding
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Connecting and synthesizing information
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Listening Section Format
Listening materials in the new test include academic lectures and long conversations in which the speech sounds very natural. Test takers can take notes on any listening material throughout the entire test.
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Listening Material ​
a. 3-4 lectures, 3–5 minutes long each
About 500 words each
b. 2 - 3 conversations with 2 speakers, each 3 minutes long
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Number of Questions
a. 6 questions per lecture
b. 5 questions per conversation
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Timing
41-57 minutes
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External Links:
https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_listening.html
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TOEFL Speaking
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TOEFL iBT® Speaking Section
Academic Speaking Skills
The TOEFL speaking section takes 17 minutes to complete and contains 4 sections. It is done on a computer. Your answers are recorded and sent to ETS for marking.
The TOEFL speaking tests contain academic situations set both inside and outside the classroom
In classrooms, there are situations where you must:
-
respond to questions
-
contribute to class discussions
-
read or listen to something and then summarize it
-
give your opinion of topics under discussion
In situations outside the classroom, you need to:
-
take part in conversations with administrative staff, such as at the library
-
take part in casual conversations with other students
-
give your opinion about something
​
Description of the speaking tasks
Independent Task
-
Choice - Preparation time: 15 seconds Response time: 45 seconds
You will be presented with two situations or opinions. You'll be asked which you prefer and you need to explain your choice.
Integrated Tasks
Read/Listen/Speak
2. Campus Situation Topic: Fit and Explain. Preparation time: 30 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
-
A reading passage (75–100 words) presents a campus-related issue.
-
A listening passage (60–80 seconds, 150–180 words) comments on the issue in the reading passage.
-
The question asks the test taker to summarize the speaker’s opinion within the context of the reading passage.
3. Academic Course Topic: General/ Specific. Preparation time: 30 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
A reading passage (75–100 words) broadly defines a term, process, or idea from an academic subject.
An excerpt from a lecture (60–90 seconds; 150–220 words) provides examples and specific information to illustrate the term, process, or idea from the reading passage.
The question asks the test taker to combine and convey important information from the reading passage and the lecture excerpt.
Listen/Speak
4. Academic Course Topic: Summary. Preparation time: 20 seconds Response time: 60 seconds
-
The listening passage is an excerpt from a lecture (90–120 seconds; 230–280 words) that explains a term or concept and gives concrete examples to illustrate that term or concept.
-
The question asks the test taker to summarize the lecture and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the examples and the overall topic.
Read this article:
Study secrets of students who get 26+ on TOEFL speaking
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External Links:
https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_speaking.html#google_vignette
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TOEFL Vocabulary
TOEFL® Vocabulary
There is no specific vocabulary section in the TOEFL test but you will need to understand and be able to use a large number of words to do well in all sections of the exam.
As TOEFL is an academic test you should study the words in the Academic word list.
Vocabulary learning tips
Read as much as possible. If you come across a word you don't know, write it down or look it up.
Use a dictionary. Many browsers include dictionaries.If you are reading online, you may be able to right-clcik on a word to look it up.
Sign up for a 'word a day' email.
Think of ways of remembering words. Do they sound like a word in your own language?
Remember words are often used together with other words. Try to learn these 'collocations'.
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External Links:
​https://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toeflvocabulary.htm
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TOEFL Writing
The TOEFL® Integrated Essay
The first writing question is the Integrated Essay Task. For this task, you’ll first read a short article on an academic topic. Next, you will listen to a short lecture on the same topic. Finally, you’ll have 20 minutes to write an essay that includes details from both sources. You should write about 280 to 300 words (ignore the suggestion on the screen of 180 words).
The Reading
The article will be about 300 words long. It can be about any academic topic, but topics related to history and plants/animals seem to be most common. You’ll be given three minutes to read it and then it will disappear (don’t worry, you’ll be able to see it again when you write the essay). Remember that the article will always have a clear main argument and three supporting points.
The Lecture
Next, you will listen to a lecture on the same topic. It will be about two or three minutes long. You can only listen once, so try to take detailed notes. Remember that the lecture will always challenge the article. This means, for instance, that if the article claims that it is advantageous to explore Mars, the lecture will explain that it is not a good idea to explore Mars. If the article mentions three problems with using bacteria to clean up oil spills, the lecturer will mention three solutions to these problems.
Writing Your Essay
Finally, you will be given twenty minutes to write an essay that compares the reading and the lecture. The question will look something like this:
“Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.”
You can see the article as you write, but you cannot hear the lecture again (or look at a transcript). I recommend that you write between 280 and 300 words in total. Ignore the “suggested length” mentioned in the instructions. You should write more than is suggested!
Master Guide
For more help with this task, check out my master guide to the integrated writing task. It’s got a complete sample question, a sample essay, and a template you can use.
Practice Questions
I’ve created a bunch of practice questions. They are all free!
The TOEFL® Writing for an Academic Discussion Task
The second writing question is the Writing for an Academic Discussion Task.
Right away, you’ll see four things on your test screen – instructions for the task, a question written by a university professor about a specific subject, and two student responses to the question.
The question could be about any subject a student might study at university (sociology, business, political science, education) but subjects in the liberal arts seem most common. The questions don’t require any background knowledge, however, and can be answered by any test-taker.
You will have ten minutes to read the instructions, read the question, read the responses and write your own response to the question. There is just one clock for all of this!
A word counter will be displayed as you write. You should write at least 100 words. I recommend writing a bit more than that.
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Master Guide
For more help with this task, check out my master guide. It contains a detailed description of the task and an answer template.
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Practice Questions
I’ve created a bunch of practice questions. They are all free!
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How are you Graded?
Your grades come from two sources:
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First, a human rater checks each response based on the official ETS rubrics. They give you a score from 0 to 5. The rater’s score is based on your content, organization and language use.
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Next, the ETS “e-rater” AI checks each response. It mostly focuses on structure, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
The scores from the humans and the AI are combined. Then they are converted into a number from 0 to 30, which is included on your score report.
Each essay has equal weight.
Get Help – TOEFL Essay Evaluation
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Sign up today to have your practice essays evaluated by a TOEFL writing expert (that’s me). I’ll check your answers line by line and comment on your grammar, development, argument and vocabulary. I’ll even guess your score. More importantly, I’ll tell you what you need to do better next time. Check it out.
Video Guide
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External Links :
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