TOEFL Strategies 1 - Speaking Section Q1
Hi everyone!
Today’s piece is the first in a 4-part mini-series of blog posts I am putting together for the TOEFL.
In this article I will answer some frequently asked questions about TOEFL Speaking Section and you can watch the video above for a 1-point lesson on how to give a high scoring response to Speaking Question 1!
Question: I am just starting my TOEFL studies, what is tested on the speaking section?
The TOEFL speaking section has 6 questions including 2 independent and 4 integrated speaking tasks and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Students record their responses into a headset microphone they must where for this section of the test.
You only one chance to respond and have no chance to start speaking again or redo responses.
Question: What are the 6 questions types?
Independent Tasks (Questions 1 and 2)
Q1 – Speak about a topic you are familiar with
Q2 – Choose one side of an argument and defend your position
Integrated Tasks (Questions 3-6)
Q3 & Q5 – Listen to a conversation and summarize content
Q4 & Q6 – Listen to part of a lecture and summarize content
Question: Do you have any basic strategy suggestions for the speaking section?
Time management is critical!
You will have either have 45 seconds to answer the first 2 questions, or 60 seconds to answer the final 4 questions, so this is clearly not a lot of time!
Make sure to always practice with a stop watch to make sure you start and finish on time! Any responses that go over the time limit will be cut off and not graded.
Simple is better!
When you are giving your responses and you are choosing between using complex or simple language, use the simple language!
A perfect simple answer will score better than a complex answer that uses high-level grammar or idioms incorrectly!
Structure is 60% of scoring well!
Even though the test maker says this is not true I believe that your spoken responses are first graded by a computer and then by a human grader. This means structure is super important!
Make sure your response includes:
A clear introduction which states your answer or position
A transition that links your introduction sentence to your support reasons
A clear first reason with an explanation and supporting example
A clear second reason with a supporting example if you have time
A good native speaker coach can help a lot!
The best way to get better in the speaking section is to practice with a native speaker TOEFL coach or teacher who can give you feedback to help you improve your responses!
Even if you don’t hire a teacher, practicing with a native English speaker friend is another great way to raise the quality your responses.
No substitute for practice!
Sadly with the TOEFL, practice is 80% of scoring well on the test!
Once you are familiar with the test format and the speaking strategies and templates for each Speaking Section question type, practice giving your responses as much as you can to ensure you are calm and confident when you give your answers on test day!
Question: Ok, tell me about Speaking Section Question 1.
Question 1 is an Independent Question which means that there is no wrong answer and you do not have to read a passage or listen to part of a lecture of conversation to answer the question.
You will be asked to speak about a topic that you are familiar with, oftentimes about something in your past. For example they may ask what was your favorite place to go on holiday as a child? Or what book has had an impact on your life?
Once you hear the question, you will have 15 seconds to prepare your response.
Then you will have 45 seconds to speak.
Question: Do you have any specific strategy tips for Speaking Section Question 1?
Step 1 - In the 15 seconds to prepare, think quickly of a basic response and one reason to support it.
After you read the question, think of the first thing that comes to your mind related to the topic.
For example, the first thing I thought about when asked about my favorite place to go on holiday when I was a child was the beach! I love to swim and read on the beach and have many great memories with my family on beach holidays.
Step 2 - Start strong!
Make sure to start immediately after you hear the beep to start your response. Many students make the mistake of taking a deep breath before they start to speak. Then they start to say things like “Ummm…” “Ahhh….” “Well…” and suddenly they have wasted 5-10 seconds!
You don’t have time to waste; if you are just starting out with your studying for the Speaking Section, you can start your response by reading back the question. For example you can say “My favorite place to go on holiday as a child was “the beach.” This allows you to start mistake free and sound confident at the beginning of your response.
Step 3 - Transition
Make sure to add a sentence that connects your answer to the question to the reasons you will give to support your position.
Remember structure is support important, so the computer or human grader is listening for this transition sentence, make sure you don’t forget it!
Step 4 – State Reason 1 plus story or example
Make sure to always make it clear that you will be introducing your first point by using a signal word or phrase like “To begin,”
This will let the grader know that your first support point is coming
Then make a sentence to explain why this point supports your position and give an example (the best examples are personal examples, so the easiest way is to tell a story about something that really happened to you related to the question)
Step 5 – State Reason 2 (only add a story or example if you have time)
Make sure to also introduce your second point with a clear signal word or phrase as well; I recommend using “Furthermore,”
Check the time, if you only have 2-3 seconds after giving your second reason, stop talking and leave the last few seconds blank; this is better than being cut off
If you have more than 5 seconds give a short explanation or example to support your reason
Watch the clock closely the whole time you are giving your response! Practicing under real time conditions is key
Always practice your responses with a stop watch under real time conditions!
Question: Can we try an example for the Speaking Section Q1?
Sure! Check out a example mini-lecture here:
In mainland China? Click here to view the example mini-lecture on Youku.com
Now that you have an idea of how to tackle the Speaking Section Question 1, practice as many examples as you can! If you put the time in to practice, you will achieve you target scores!
Good luck with your TOEFL preparations and on the exam!
Still have more questions? Interested in detailed explanations for how to prepare for the all the TOEFL Speaking Section Questions? Click here to check out the full On-MBA Education TOEFL course! On-MBA Education TOEFL Online Course
