Preparing for TOEFL – Tips for the Independent Speaking Component, Part 2
Submitted by: Kimi
As I mentioned in the previous article, the Speaking component of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test is where most students find the most difficulties, especially students from Asia, such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. In these nations, test results are usually heavily lopsided, with excellent scores in the Reading, Writing, and Listening components of the test, while struggling greatly on the Speaking section. For this reason, many private academies focus the majority of their attention on this part; in fact, there are numerous courses dedicated to only the Speaking section.
In the previous article, the focus of attention was on the first task: Personal Preference.
In this task, students are asked to give a personal preference (for example, your favorite vacation destination, or best place to study); however, the second task requires students to make a choice between two different options. It is similar to the first task in that students must make a choice, but it differs in that there are only two choices to choose from. The options available are usually quite different from one another, whether the question deals with an action or a behavior. As a result, some responses may not be honest, but will still be given a grade based on the accuracy of the answer.
Here are some hints and tips on how to deal with the second task, known as the Choice Task. Keep in mind that these tips are specifically for the iBT (internet-Based Test), which is the most common form of taking the TOEFL test.
Read and listen to the question carefully
Too often, students fail this section of the test because they do not answer the question accurately. Sometimes students misinterpret a question and provide an answer that is not suitable. When this happens, a student will likely receive a Zero for the task, which logically should be avoided.
Use your time wisely
In the second Task, students will have the question both read to them and displayed on the computer monitor. After the question has been read to the student, the student then has 15 seconds to prepare their answers and then 45 seconds are given to provide a suitable answer. As a result, students must be able to manage their time wisely, as answers that are too short or too long will receive penalties for the grade. The best way to know if you are answering the question within the designated time frame is to practice at home. Set a stopwatch for 45 seconds, and then speak in normal conversational tones. When the time expires, you will have a fairly accurate idea of how much speaking is required to fill up a 45 second limit. Do this until you feel confident in your speaking time.
Sample question and answer
The second Task of the iBT version of the TOEFL test, as mentioned earlier, requires students to choose between two different options. However, there are two types of questions that students will likely see come test time:
“Would you prefer to plan your vacations beforehand or wait until you arrive at your destination before making your plans? Use details and examples to support your answer.”
With this question, the wording is straight forward: Which option do you prefer? In your answer, ensure that you answer the question directly. Pay attention to the final sentence of the question (which appears at the end of every question in the first two Tasks). Without details and examples, your grade will greatly suffer. Therefore, you must answer the question in as much detail within the time restraints. As a general rule, the average student can read up to four sentences within 45 seconds, so try to use that as your bench mark.
Suitable answer for the Second Task
Here is an example of a good answer for the above question, which shows each stage of an answer:
“If I had to choose between planning my vacation beforehand or when I arrive, I would choose planning in advance. This is because when you plan your trip in advance, it will be easier to find a hotel, find transportation, and find suitable entertainment. If you don’t plan your trip in advance, your vacation may suffer because you may not get a good hotel room, and you may not know where to have fun.”
Notice that this answer repeated the main focus of the question (“if I had to choose between…”). This should be the first sentence of any answer, as this will show the judge that you perfectly understand the question.
After that, the answer explains why they selected the choice they made. Although no answer is “correct” in terms of choice, grades are determined by how well you answer the question. In this case, the student described in detail why it is good to plan your vacation in advance. But, what’s more is that the student also included why the opposite choice is a bad idea. This will show that the student fully understands the question, and will be graded accordingly.
Your answer should contain three elements: repetition of the question; clear details for why you made your choice; and finally you must explain why your choice is the best way while also explaining why the other option is not a viable choice.
This was Part 2 of TOEFL Independent Speaking Component Prep Article If you missed part 1 you can find it here
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Word Count: 974 Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 Time: 3:19 AM
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