What exactly happens on D-day – Speaking?

The TOEFL is an international test written by prospective students of foreign universities that use English as a first language. The test seeks to measure the level of an individual’s comprehension and understanding of the English language. The test is a four-hour test with 4 separate sections namely; the writing section, speaking section, listening section and the reading section

The Speaking section

Unlike what the section’s name implies, the speaking section of the TOEFL does not only test a candidate’s ability to speak the English language. Rather, the section also takes a concise look on the candidate’s ability to read and listen to the English language. The speaking section of the TOEFL is, by a large margin, the shortest section of the TOEFL, but it can be the most strenuous. The section uses the microphone provided to convey answers.

Speaking into a microphone a language that is foreign to you can be quite a task and nerves might kick in. Hence, before tackling the exam, it is important to first understand what is required by the section. It is also important to try a few speaking section questions before the actual TOEFL exams to help you familiarize with the type of questions you will come across.

The speaking section of the TOEFL test is approximately 17 minutes long, the shortest of the four TOEFL test sections. The section requires a candidate to answer 4 questions. The questions are answered verbally by speaking your answers into a microphone that is provided at the start of the exam. The section involves two categories of questions namely; the independent speaking questions and the integrated speaking questions.

The independent questions aim to expose your ability to use the English language to concisely bring forth your personal thoughts. The integrated speaking questions test other skills rather than your ability to speak the English language only.

·         Task 1 :-

The task is an independent speaking task. The task asks mainly about the candidate's opinions on various topics and the candidate has to respond into a microphone. The topics are broad. The candidate is given 15 seconds to prepare their response and 45 seconds to respond to the questions. When answering questions in this section, your answers need not be necessarily true as they are no factual checks on your answers. It is, therefore, allowed to be innovative in any way if it helps you answer the question better and in time.

·         Task 2 and 3 :-

Both these tasks are integrated tasks that require you to demonstrate knowledge of a certain subject. You are given a passage to read and 2 recordings to listen to. The first recording is of students that are discussing opinions on the topic from the passage that you have to read. The second recording is of an expert or professor in most cases. You are then given 30 seconds to prepare before you have to explain what you have read and heard.

·         Task 4 :-

Candidates are required to listen to a recording from an expert without accompanying text and are required to answer questions after. The candidates are given 20 seconds to prepare and have a minute to respond to a question relating to the recording they listened to.