You hear and see a question, you have 15 seconds to prepare your answer and you speak for 45 seconds.
1. The first independent task presents you with two actions, options, situations or opinions and asks you to choose. You must:
- state which one you prefer
- explain why
It doesn't matter which position you choose to support, but how clearly and how well you do so.
An example of the second independent question type is:
"Do you prefer to take essay exams or multiple choice exams? Use reasons to support your response."(Longman)
These tasks test your ability to integrate information from different sources.
Two of the integrated tasks require you to read, listen, and speak. The other two integrated tasks ask you to only listen and speak.
2. In the second TOEFL speaking task, you are first given 40–45 seconds to read a short passage – an announcement, a bulletin, a letter, etc. – describing a campus-related issue. You then hear one or two students expressing their opinion about the issue. The question then asks you to integrate what you have read and heard by synthesizing or summarizing what the speaker said. It does not ask you for your opinion.
- explain why
It doesn't matter which position you choose to support, but how clearly and how well you do so.
An example of the second independent question type is:
"Do you prefer to take essay exams or multiple choice exams? Use reasons to support your response."(Longman)
These tasks test your ability to integrate information from different sources.
Two of the integrated tasks require you to read, listen, and speak. The other two integrated tasks ask you to only listen and speak.
2. In the second TOEFL speaking task, you are first given 40–45 seconds to read a short passage – an announcement, a bulletin, a letter, etc. – describing a campus-related issue. You then hear one or two students expressing their opinion about the issue. The question then asks you to integrate what you have read and heard by synthesizing or summarizing what the speaker said. It does not ask you for your opinion.
3. In the third speaking task, you are given 40-45 seconds to read a short passage about an academic subject. You then listen to a professor lecturing briefly about the same subject. Next, you are asked a question based on what you read and heard.
4. The fourth speaking task is based on academic content. You listen to a brief excerpt from a professor’s lecture and are then asked to explain a point, giving examples from the lecture. It will be important for you to take notes here so that you can speak easily, confidently and comprehensively.
It is best to prepare for each of the TOEFL iBT speaking tasks separately by doing as many practice sessions as possible, ideally with an experienced teacher at hand to give you valuable feedback.
