Preparing for TOEFL – Tips for the Integrated Speaking Tasks, Part 4
Submitted by: Kimi
The final question of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam is arguably the most difficult of the six Speaking Tasks. The four-hour exam can really exhaust a student and by the time they make it through the three and a half hours before the final question, they may not have enough in the tank to actually give a proper answer. The TOEFL exam is internationally renowned for its accuracy to prove that someone can speak and understand English accurately. This is in part due to the sheer length of the exam; four hours of listening, reading, writing, and speaking in your second language can be grueling. It is akin to playing four football matches in one day. Even if you are an excellent player, by the time the fourth game begins, you are too tired to show that you are a talented player. The first game you played, you were fresh and ready to go, but as the games raged on, you began to wear out; you cannot keep up like you used to. This is the same as the
TOEFL exam: you start off fresh and are able to complete the listening, reading, and writing components of the test. But after those three are complete, and you are beginning to lose your brain power, you then have to deal with the most difficult part of the exam: speaking. Here are some tips on how to get through the sixth and final question within the Speaking Component of the TOEFL exam.
TOEFL Integrated Speaking Task question 4 – an overview
The fourth and final Integrated Speaking Task deals with academic course, similar to the second Integrated Speaking Task. However, unlike the second question when you are expected to summarize a lecture and how it pertains to a reading passage, the fourth Integrated Speaking Task does not have a reading passage. Students must illustrate an understanding of the lecture topic and how it relates to the professor’s point of view or opinion. This is also the longest listening passage in the Speaking section of the test: the lecture recording is approximately 90 seconds to two minutes in length. This is a long time for ESL students to listen to a lecture, which in all likelihood is on a academic subject that students will not be familiar with.
Taking notes
Notes should be seen as a compulsory study aid; they will help you organize your thoughts while ensuring that you stay on topic and remain within the allotted time frame. Remember, you only have 20 seconds to prepare your answer once the question has been read to you, and then you have to express your answer in only one minute. This is a difficult feat since 60 seconds is a deceptively long time to speak, even for a native English speaker. Break down your notes into two sections: one section should be dedicated to what the lecture is about, while the second section of your notes should be your own personal opinion. This is the difficult part of the test since you may not know anything about the subject and therefore you will not have an opinion about it in the first place. You have limited time to prepare your answer, and you shouldn’t waste your time thinking about your opinion. 20 seconds is a short amount of time; you need to focus and get your ideas down on paper quickly and succinctly.
If you don’t have an opinion, lie!
Many students have expressed their concerns about this section because they have to provide an opinion on a subject that is completely foreign to them. They try their best to answer the question honestly and therefore struggle to get their opinion across. If you do not have a background in the subject of the lecture, or if you are unable to develop a real honest answer, make one up instead! You are not graded on what you say, but rather HOW you say it. Use your imagination and answer the question accurately, even if it isn’t honest!
Necessary elements in your answer
I have heard from native English speakers that the Speaking component of the TOEFL test caused them problems. This is not because they spoke poorly with bad grammar and poor pronunciation but rather because they did not answer the question accurately enough. Sure, they may have answered the question within the 60 second time limit, but they did not give enough information or illustrated a clear understanding of what was said in the lecture. As a result, here are the mandatory elements you must include in your answer:
- Start by illustrating that you understand what was said in the lecture. Consider the following in your answer: “The professor explained in his lecture….” Provide clear examples from his lecture, such as, “this was supported by the professor’s idea that…” these will show the judge that you fully understand the lecture and what is expected from you in your answer.
- Express your point of view on the subject. You should relate your opinion to the opinion of the professor as well as showing the relationship between your answer and the subject of the lecture.
- Each of these two sections should be equal; therefore 30 seconds of speaking for each. Also remember to use Key Phrases in your answer to show judge that you are moving from one idea to another. There are plenty of practice exams both online and in English schools around the world. Before taking the TOEFL iBT exam, you should realistically complete 10-20 practice exams to ensure that you are prepared for the big day!
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4: Preparing for TOEFL – Explaining the Speaking Rubrics
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Word Count: 987 Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 Time: 9:12 AM
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