EducationUSA TOEFL Course – Speaking – Handout 1
TOEFL Course – Speaking
The Speaking Section
This section of the test includes:
2 independent tasks 4 integrated tasks The whole section lasts only 20 minutes and the tasks are always the same.
But it’s not the types of questions that makes the speaking section of the test so difficult. It’s the
actual speaking. So before we work with any individual kind of speaking assignment, let’s
talk about The Big Five strategies that will help you throughout the speaking section of the test.
THE BIG FIVE
1. Speak evenly and clearly
No matter how good or bad your English is, no matter how strong you accent, your answers will be
clearer and more understandable if you don’t speak too quickly. Speak to be understood, not just to
speak.
2. Speak in paragraphs – English paragraphs This means you should start your answers with clear
topic sentences. Details should come next. And you should end your answers with a conclusive final
statement. Americans love clarity.
3. Be concrete, clear, and specific
Avoid abstract ideas. Avoid generalizations. Your examples
should be concrete events, things, or experiences. This will make your answers stronger and your
language sharper.
4. Learn what :45 or :60 feels like
Time yourself when you speak. See how long 45 or 60 seconds feels like. When you have a better
idea how much time that is, you’ll have a better idea what you can say.
5. Speak in full sentences from fragmented notes Whenever you prepare an answer, it’s best to write
ideas down. This will give your answer structure. But the ideas should be in note form, not full
sentences. So let’s practice making full sentences from some notes.
Okay, let’s start looking at the types of questions you will see on the exam. As we work on each of
these questions, keep The Big
Five in mind.
Speaking Task #1: INDEPENDENT DESCRIPTION
This task will ask you to describe something that is important to you and say why it is important. Or
it can ask you to be more abstract. For instance, it can ask you to describe the qualities of a
good parent/teacher/friend.
This is what your answer should look like. (The example uses a prompt about an important person in
your life.):
1) Topic sentence – answer the question right away: “An
important person in my life is my father.”
2) Detail #1 – describe something concrete and specific: “He taught me the importance of
commitment. Half way through the school baseball season, I wanted to quit the team. It was
too hard. I felt overwhelmed. But he told me to finish what I had started. And I was happy that I
did.”
3) Detail #2 – describe something concrete and specific: “My dad is also very easy to talk to. I can
tell him all my problems.
When I had to make a difficult decision between switching to a special school and staying in my old
school, I talked to him about all the advantages and disadvantages of each. This helped me make the
right decision – to go to the special school.”
4) Conclusion – In one sentence make a final statement: “So, because of these contributions my dad
made to my life, he is very important to me.”
Exercise 1: Read the prompt and use the space below to plan an answer. Then try to say the answer
to yourself in 45 seconds.
Task 1: Choose a teacher you admire and explain why you admire him or her. Please include
specific examples in your answer.
Preparation: 15 seconds
Answer: 45 seconds
Topic: Teacher
Topic sentence:
Detail #1:
Detail #2:
Conclusion:
Here’s a list of possible topics to practice with:
Person Place Thing Event/Activity
Family
member
Teacher
Coach
Friend
Boss
Neighbor
Room
House/bldg
Park
Lake/river
Mountain
City
Country
Class/course
Instrument
Tool
Skill/ability
Hobby
Sport
Festival/holiday
Custom
That should give you plenty of practice. And if you have a good answer planned out for each one of
these, there’s a good chance that you will breeze right through the first task of the Speaking
section.
_________
___________– Speaking – Handout 2
Speaking Task #2: INDEPENDENT OPINION:
The second speaking task will also ask you simply to speak. But here you will need to give your
opinion, not just a description.
Don’t forget The Big Five. They will be your friends throughout the speaking section. Let’s look at
a typical prompt for Speaking
Task #2:
Task 2: Some students prefer to do group projects. Other students prefer to do individual projects.
Which kind of projects do you think produce more learning and why?
Preparation: 15 seconds
Answer: 45 seconds
You should structure your answer on task #2 much the same as on task #1.
1) Topic sentence: Your opinion clearly stated.
2) Reason #1: Concrete and specific.
3) Reason #2: Concrete and specific.
4) Conclusion: Strong, clear restatement of opinion.
Exercise 2: Read the prompt and use the space below to plan an answer. Then try to say the answer
to yourself in 45 seconds.
Task 2: In many countries, the government practices censorship of television programs. Do you
support this practice or not? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Preparation: 15 seconds
Answer: 45 seconds
Topic: TV censorship
Topic sentence:
Reason #1:
Reason #2:
Conclusion:
Speaking Task #3: INTEGRATED TEXT + CONVERSATION:
An integrated task will give you some outside information, and then ask you to answer a prompt
based on that information.
Speaking Task #3 is an integrated task. In this task, you will:
1) Read a notice about something at the university (45 seconds);
2) Hear a conversation between two students about the notice;
3) Summarize the information in the notice and one of the students’ reaction (30 seconds to prepare,
60 seconds to answer).
Of course, The Big Five are still very important here, but you also have to remember some of the
skills you’ve developed from other parts of the exam.
1) Remember English paragraph structure – The first sentence of the notice will be the topic
sentence. Details will follow.
2) Take notes on the conversation – Just like in the listening section of the test, split your notes in
two, pay attention to who says what, details and logical connections.
And there are also a couple of new things to keep in mind here:
3) Focus on the student’s opinion – You will be asked to summarize the notice and speak about one
of the students’ opinions. Spend no more than one sentence summarizing the notice. The rest of your
time, you should focus on the student’s opinion.
4) DON’T give your own opinion – The question will be about the student’s opinion. Answer the
question.
Exercise 3: Read the short passage, listen to the conversation, and then answer the prompt below.
Reading time: 45 seconds
Bus Service Elimination Planned
The university has decided to discontinue its free bus service for students. The reason given for this
decision is that few students ride the buses and the buses are expensive to operate.
Currently, the buses run from the center of campus past university buildings and through some of
the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. The money saved by eliminating the bus service will be
used to expand the overcrowded student parking lots.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
Man Woman
Task 3: The man expresses his opinion of the university’s plan to eliminate the bus service. State his
opinion and explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
Preparation: 30 seconds
Answer: 60 seconds
Topic: Bus cancellation
Topic sentence:
Opinion statement:
Reason #1:
Reason #2:
Conclusion:
_________ ___________– Speaking – Handout 3
Instead of a four-part paragraph, on this task, think about a fivepart paragraph:
1) Topic sentence – Clearly state what the notice is about.
Give important details.
2) Opinion statement – Clearly state the student’s opinion about the issue.
3) Reason #1 – Give the student’s first major reason for his/her position.
4) Reason #2 – Give the student’s second major reason for his/her position.
5) Conclusion – Optional. Restate the student’s opinion. Do NOT state your own opinion.
Now turn back to page 2 where you saw the prompt.
Speaking Task #4: INTEGRATED ACADEMIC TEXT + LECTURE:
In this next task, you’ll once again have the opportunity to use those skills developed in the first
sections of this course. You will:
1) Read a short academic text (45 seconds);
2) Hear a short lecture on the same topic;
3) Summarize and synthesize the information in the text and in the lecture (30 seconds to prepare,
60 seconds to answer).
For this task, here are some new tips:
Reading:
- The reading will have a main concept and a definition
- It will usually also contain a term and definition
Listening:
- Treat this like a listening comp lecture (take notes!)
- Make connections with the reading
- Listen for: main idea, terms, and connections
Notice that these tips aren’t really new at all. They’re the same tips that we covered last week and
the week before. This is important to recognize. Your skills on one part of the test can be
used throughout!
Now, when you respond to these questions here are some things to keep in mind:
1) Respond in a paragraph: 1) topic sentence; 2) detail #1;
3) detail #2; 4) conclusion.
2) Use specific details from the reading and the lecture.
3) Answer the question. Nothing more; nothing less.
Exercise 4: Read the short passage, listen to the lecture, and then answer the prompt below.
Reading time: 45 seconds
Social Interaction
People deal with each other every day. This interaction is at the heart of social life. The study of
social interaction is concerned with the influence people have over one another’s behavior.
People take each other into account in their daily behavior and in fact, the very presence of others
can affect behavior. For example, one principle of social interaction, audience effects,
suggests that individuals’ work is affected by their knowledge that they are visible to others, that the
presence of others tends to alter the way people behave or perform an activity.
Now listen to part of a talk in a sociology class.
Subject: Sociology
Task 4: Explain how the examples of tying shoes and learning to type demonstrate the principle of
audience effects.
Preparation: 30 seconds
Answer: 60 seconds
Topic: Social interaction
Topic sentence:
Detail #1:
Detail #2:
Conclusion:
Speaking Task #5: INTEGRATED CONVERSATION + OPINION:
Here, you don’t have to read anything, just listen and speak. You will:
1) Hear a conversation about a topic on campus;
2) Give your own opinion about what one of the speakers should do.
This conversation is almost exactly like the conversation you heard on the listening comprehension
part of the test. So you should approach it the same way:
1) Split your notes down the middle
2) Problem + reasons
3) Solution + details
On this part of the test, though, you’ll need to pay close attention to
1) the speaker with the problem and 2) any final
solutions.
These will be the subjects of the question.
Your answer should be structured this way:
1) Topic sentence: State the problem clearly and fully. Include important reasons for the problem.
2) Possible solutions: List the possible solutions that either of the speakers gives.
3) Your own opinion: Clearly state your own opinion about what the speaker with the problem
should do.
4) Reason for your opinion: Give one clear and concrete reason for your opinion. If you have time,
you can give a second reason.
_________ ___________– Speaking – Handout 4
Exercise 5: Listen to a conversation and then answer the question.
Man Woman
Solution 1:
OR
Solution 2:
Problem:
Task 5: The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Describe the problem
and the two solutions.
Then explain what you think the woman should do and why.
Preparation: 20 seconds
Answer: 60 seconds
Topic: Spring break options
Topic sentence:
Possible solutions:
Own opinion:
Reason(s):
Speaking Task #6: INTEGRATED LECTURE + SUMMARY:
This is actually a very easy task. You just need to take good notes.
And you know how to take great notes on a lecture from last time. You will:
1) Hear a lecture about an academic topic;
2) Summarize that lecture including the main idea and
examples/details that the professor gives.
What you need to do is take a lecture that is several minutes long with several paragraphs, and
condense it into one paragraph in one minute.
Listen for:
- Main idea - Examples
- Terms – Conclusion
Exercise 6: Listen to the lecture and then answer the question.
Subject: Economics
Main idea:
1:
2:
Task 6: Using points and examples from the talk, explain the two definitions of money presented by
the professor.
Preparation: 20 seconds
Answer: 60 seconds
Now you know everything there is to know about the TOEFL
Speaking section. There are a lot of different tasks, so keep your notes. You can practice at home.
Remember The Big Five and come into the center to get even better!
See you next week for the writing section!