TOEFL Preparation

The speaking section evaluates your abilities to use English language in an academic formal/ informal environment. For all speaking tasks students use a headset with a microphone. They record their responses into the microphone. The response is evaluated for the following:

• DELIVERY OF SPEECH. This should be clear and natural sounding with correct pronunciation, sustained (without too many pauses), natural sounding (not deliberately affected), not unduly fast or slow so as to be clearly understood.
• LANGUAGE STRUCTURE (grammar and vocabulary)
• LOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. Presentation of ideas should be coherent and in logical progression.
• COMPLETION. The response should be complete and self-contained without any repetition of ideas.

It takes about 20 minutes to complete the section, inclusive of the time taken to read and listen to the tasks, as well as to prepare and record your answers on the system. A clock records preparation time and a beep at the end of preparation time signals commencement of your speaking time. Again a clock records time taken / left to record your speech.

• The first two speaking tasks are independent questions These are about familiar topics and test your ability to
  • state, explain and support an opinion
  • develop the topic and explain ideas coherently
  • deliver those ideas in a clear, concise and sustained speech
  • demonstrate use of language including grammar and word-choice
• It is important to note that the independent speaking section is not likely to be evaluated on the basis of your opinion on a subject i.e., the position taken by you for or against an argument, but on the basis of your ability to express an opinion in a clear/coherent manner and to support it logically.
• The next two speaking tasks involve language skills of reading, listening and speaking. Here you are not required to give own opinion, but to describe, explain or summarize an opinion given in the reading passage and/or a conversation/ lecture. These two tasks based on Reading and Listening material test your ability to
  • correlate information taken from varied sources
  • convey the information so acquired in a clear, concise, coherent and sustained speech
• Reading and listening will not proceed concurrently but sequentially ,i.e, the passage will not be available for reading when once the listening commences. Of course you can take notes for which a paper will be provided to you. The listening part will not repeat the contents of the reading passage, but may elaborate on, contradict, or state a different opinion connected with the topic. You are not required to give your opinion while you speak, but to present your answer on the basis of what you have read or heard.
• The last two speaking topics involve integrated skills in listening and speaking. These two tasks involving Listening-Speaking only, include (first) a short conversation and then a short lecture (shorter than those in the Reading and Listening sections). What is on test is your ability to
  • comprehend spoken text, and
  • summarize key ideas from the text(whether class-room or campus-related) in a clear, concise, coherent and sustained speech.
• You will answer all the speaking section questions by speaking into a microphone. You have 45 - 60 seconds to speak the response. Once the time is over, the computer will display the next question.

• Do a lot of Reading and Listening to broaden your mental perspective and increase your general awareness.
• Practice taking notes when you listen.
• Practice summarizing information, that you read or listen, in your own words
• Do a lot of speaking practice in the company of your friends, classmates or members of your family and ask them to point out your weaknesses/errors.
• Record your own voice and listen to your recorded voice so that you could detect errors in your diction, pronunciation etc.

• Read the topic carefully (independent task) and be sure not to miss out on any aspect that you have been asked to speak on.
• Plan out your speech. Although you are allowed to make notes, probably you would not have time to do the same in respect of independent speaking. However, note taking is advisable during reading and listening in respect of integrated speaking tasks.
• You can keep looking at your notes while you speak, but you are advised not to pause. The important thing is to maintain the continuity and flow of your speech.
• While doing the Reading and/or Listening concentrate on key points, not on details or examples.
• Make optimum use of your preparation time but do not lose time after hearing the beep which is a signal for you to start speaking.
• Keep a watch over time spent and time left, both during preparation and during speech.
• Record your speech in a clear, concise manner.
• Unless you are very confident about your ability to maintain accuracy while using hi-fi language and long sentences, stick to a format of simple and short sentences. Choose the words and usages that you are familiar with.
• Do not try to be too fast. Fluency is important, but accuracy and continuity are more important.
• Keep a watch on your volume and ensure that your mouth is at a little distance from the mouth-piece. Do not be too loud. At the same time do not whisper. You should be clearly audible.
• Try to pace your answer as per the number of points that need to be discussed as well as the time available. For example if you have three points to discuss and you have 60 seconds to speak, try to apportion 15-20 seconds for every point.
• Try to cover all the important points within the time available and conclude your discussion just in the nick of time, so that your discussion does not meet an abrupt, inconclusive end. Do not try to speak unnaturally fast to meet the deadline of time.
• Time your response well so that you do not end up speaking much before the allotted time. If that does happen do not try to repeat the points that you have already covered. Think of something that you may have omitted to cover in your earlier speech.
• TOEFL tests your pronunciation but not your accent, unless the same hinders the coherence and comprehension of your speech. Let not your accent be artificially accented. You should not sound unnatural.
• Do not be unduly concerned about an occasional error of pronunciation or diction. This is natural and should not affect your score unless it interferes with intelligibility.