Tips To Prepare For TOEFL Speaking

 

The Speaking Test is one of the four core skills which are assessed in the Test for English as aForeign Language examination. It is intended to evaluate the candidates' oral communication abilities. The Speaking Test contributes 25 percent to the candidate's final TOEFL score therefore one must enhance his or her readiness on it to deliver outstanding overall performance.

Exam Structure :- An understanding of the structure of the test is a key aspect of ensuring that a candidate is adequately prepared for the test. The test is made up of six tasks which are divided into two classes namely; two independent tasks and four integrated tasks.

Independent Tasks (Tasks 1 and 2) :- In these, one is expected to display his or her oratory abilities on any given topic. One may be asked to talk about his or her experience, to give an opinion, or to summarize a particular topic. For each task, a candidate is granted 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to speak.

Integrated Tasks (Tasks 3, 4, 5 and 6) :- These assess the candidate's ability to undertake multi-linguistic tasks namely reading, listening, and speaking.

·        Task 3 and 4 :-  

In these tasks, students are required to read, listen then speak. One is given 45 seconds to read through a passage then listen to an about a minute-long lecture. Afterward, one is given 30 seconds to prepare then finally undergo a speaking exercise for 60 seconds.

·         Task 5 and 6 :- 

These two final questions involve listening and speaking. A candidate is made to listen to a short audio clip, given 20 seconds to prepare, then 60 seconds to speak highlighting the main ideas presented in the audios. To tackle these questions, it is important to write down key points during the listening exercise so that you don't forget them when you are now required to speak. 

 Test key points :-

To excel in the Speaking Test, a candidate must have an understanding of the key speaking criteria under which marks are awarded.

·        Answering questions precisely

A candidate must ensure that he or she has fully understood the question before attempting to answer it. More marks are awarded to candidates who give responses that are relevant to what has been asked.

·     Fluency :- Candidates' responses must be delivered in a facile manner of speech. This can be achieved by practicing to speak in English regularly. This must not be limited to past TOEFL questions practice but must also extend to include casual chit chat with colleagues. One is also advised to speak at his or her comfortable pace. This is important as it eliminates one's tendency to stumble over words or punctuate them with embarrassingly long gaps.

·     Vocabulary :- One must also have a well-developed vocabulary. This can be attained by being an avid reader of magazines, newspapers, novels, and other works of English literature. A candidate must regularly invoke words which are in rare usage as a way of demonstrating his or her lexical competence

·    Chronology of ideas :- One's ideas in his or her answers must be logical and orderly. There must be coherence as one goes from one sentence to the next.

·  Pronunciation and grammar :- Students must display their ability to use advanced grammatical structures with a high level of accuracy and to pronounce individual words correctly.