Sorry I haven't posted notifications of new tutorials for TOEFL iBTv here for a while... There are actually three new tutorials there for the speaking section of TOEFL in particular, and the latest one focuses on a simple 5-step process for you to improve your speaking performance fully on your own (no matter which particular question type it is).
Just finished putting together this video covering some of the most common mistakes I encounter in TOEFL test-taker's speaking when they are trying to focus on the right content to include in their answers. Hope it helps and gives you some ideas!
A while ago I did a live Q&A session in a chat room with TOEFL test-takers, where I did my best to answer people's questions about the speaking section in particular. The transcript of that 90 minute session went missing from my own forum for some reason, and then I found it pirated word for word on some other online TOEFL company's website! I re-found the original transcript, and thought it might be helpful here in this forum, where most serious TOEFLers seem to gravitate.
You can find the complete transcript below... Enjoy!
Jasonrenshaw: Good evening everybody! Our topic for tonight’s discussion is iBT Speaking, and the discussion will be open for the next 90 minutes or so. First of all, I recommend clicking on the “Full Size” option below the GED Chat box. It will be much easier to follow the chat with it on a full screen. Next, just as with a real discussion, we need some basic ground rules to ensure the discussion can proceed coherently, and not end up with 20 people all talking over each other. To that end, I would request that you wait until I call on you by name before asking your question. You will have a chance to add up to 2 follow up questions after the main question, and then the turn will pass to somebody else. Also, I can’t call on you for a question if I don’t have your username. Hence, if you’re here in this discussion as “Anon”, don’t expect to be invited to ask a question. Please set an actual name for yourself if you want to participate (though of course you’re free to just watch anonymously if that is what you prefer).
Jasonrenshaw: Chock - go ahead with your question.
Chockulit: I mean if I somewhat got mental blocked on the process while I am speaking, what would be the best thing to do? And if I finished more than the time alloted for me, will that be a deduction on my part?
Jasonrenshaw: Two questions in one! Well, for the first one, with a mental block, the most important thing to do is not panic. It's better to have even a 5-10 second pause to gather your thoughts than to just start babbling aimlessly.
As for the time, you can't go over the time, because the recorder simply stops working at the time limit.
Chockulit: I see. Thanks Jason!
Jasonrenshaw: Obaid, you there? Got a burning question for me?
Obaidmaroof: i got 20 in speaking, and i want to increase it. does the grammer matters while speaking or only the flow of the english makes the difference?
Jasonrenshaw: Grammar does make a difference of course. The three evaluation criteria are DELIVERY, LANGUAGE USE, TOPIC DEVELOPMENT. Small grammar mistakes won't kill your score, but if the grammar is poor in the sense it makes you hard to understand, it will definitely lower your score.
Jasonrenshaw: Great, Yellowflower, you're up!
Yellowflower: Ok. Obviously, we should avoid going over 45 seconds in our answer. If I have a hard time coming up with a (complete) answer, is it bad to end at, say 35 seconds?
Jasonrenshaw: 10 seconds under the speaking limit will probably hurt your score on that question - not because you finished early but because you probably didn't develop your topic fully enough. It's hard to completely cover the questions even with the full time allowance. Five seconds short is okay - anything more and you were probably lacking something.
Follow up question for me?
Yellowflower: But it's better to end 10 seconds early than to end 5 seconds late, right?
Jasonrenshaw: Well, as I said above, technically you can't finish over the time limit, because the recorder simply stops. Personally, I think it would be better to be cut off towards the end of your answer than to finish 10 seconds early. The assessors know the time is tough, and will probably be less harsh on someone who managed to continue speaking all the way through.
Yellowflower: Good point!
Jasonrenshaw: Nasir, you ready with a question?
mhdnasir: Hello Jason, I want to improve my speaking section score. I gave TOEFL just a month ago and I got 24, now I want to score around 29-30. Can you advise me that what specific things I should practice on to acheive that score? Mistakes that I remember were humming and the deviation from the typical answers format taught by the Samples.
Jasonrenshaw: Sort of sounds like you already know what was lacking in your responses. However, I can try to tell you what usually separates scores of 22-24 from 26-28. It is usually one of topic development or delivery. Topic development is the biggest problem I see in all the practice responses. ETS is very specific about what it expects to see in most of the answer formats. If you're lacking in that, you won't go over the magic 26 mark. Those who do have the topic development perfected and still don't score over 26 usually have some definite pronunciation issues.
Which do you think applies to you, Nasir?
mhdnasir: First I think that I didn't follow the format and second of course the topic development.
Jasonrenshaw: Right - so that's where you'll need to focus.
mhdnasir: the format thing can be cured I think but how should I improve the topic developement?
Jasonrenshaw: Run through the points I make in the iBT speaking tips and tricks online. Are you doing all of those things? I mean, really doing them, perfectly?
mhdnasir: Infact I really didn't prepare well for my first attempt because I have to met the university deadlines. And I gave TOEFL during my semester exams.
Jasonrenshaw: Right, well, let's see how you do after you practice using my tips! Have you accessed those mini lectures on my other site?
Okay, Amj - go ahead with your question.
Amj: I have the same problem as Nasir i can't over go the 24, but I need 26. Could you give us more detailed examples that could get us tha magic score?
Jasonrenshaw: There are tons of example answers around the Internet and in preparation textbooks. Soon I will be looking to add more examples of myself doing some tasks to try and show you stronger examples that will get you beyond the 24-26 mark.
Amj: the problem is that even if at home i'll do good at the exam w the stress i forget to stay focust on the practice tips.
Jasonrenshaw: That's a very good point. Practicing at home is not stressful, and taking the actual test is VERY stressful. So, simply put, you need to create a practice environment or procedure that IS stressful, to replicate the feeling when taking the test. For example, speaking in groups face to face, or setting a goal to record 20 answers (even general) in say 20 minutes on something like Chinswing (Voxopop).
Chock - you ready?
Chockulit: Okay. If ever, but I hope not, I will fail the speaking section of TOEFL-IBT, do I need to take the whole exam again, such as the writing, reading, listening parts?
Jasonrenshaw: Yes, unfortunately, you do. If a speaking score is what you need, that is.
Chockulit: I am not worried about the other parts. It's only the speaking part that I am really worried about.
Jasonrenshaw: One of the ridiculous parts of the TOEFL is the requirement to take the whole thing over again if you don't get the score you require in one particular part. It is hurting a lot of test takers, especially people who need a speaking score of 26 for pharmacy or something.
Chockulit: I am doing those sample exercises you had in Chinswing and as you said, if we are in the actual TOEFL examination, the pressure will be different.
I usually stop in the middle if I am lost for words. Jason, if the examinee usually says, "uhhmmmm," would that affect the score too?
Jasonrenshaw: It depends. You know, I did my own speaking responses for test items with 0 preparation time, and I was saying "ah" and "um" quite regularly.
Chockulit: Yeah, I've noticed that as well.
Jasonrenshaw: It's a natural part of spoken discourse, and I don't think you get penalized for it - so long as it doesn't happen after every second word, or the ums are very long and very hesitant sounding. We are not giving dinner speeches in the British Embassy here - it is natural speaking without any preparation or scripting.
Chockulit: Hahaha...nice one Jason!
Some are also saying that we should use the words, "moreover, however, in addition, etc." But I don't use those words too often.
Jasonrenshaw: Sure, those linking words can be useful. Moreover gets overused, tho, and sounds a bit strange to me when it is used too much.
Chockulit: I see then. Thanks. You're site is really helpful. I hope you could also grade our recent responses in Chinswing (Voxopop).
Jasonrenshaw: Mmm, grading Chinswing (Voxopop) responses in the free test section areas. That brings up a very important point I want to make for all people wanting to practice their speaking online (for free, that is). People are way too reliant on me. I don't see anyone offering feedback or encouragement to other test takers. People are not helping themselves/each other. They are coming to my sites looking for charity basically. That worries me - really worries me.
Chockulit: I myself haven't given feedbacks yet. I have only used the website for my responses. How can we give feedbacks to other Chinswing (Voxopop) users?
Jasonrenshaw: Just refer to the number of the recording and state that it is feedback. Simple.
However, on another point - Chinswing (Voxopop) has literally hundreds of different topics and threads to communicate in. Have you recorded in any of them besides just my TOEFL topics?
Chockulit: No, I haven't.
Jasonrenshaw: Technically, there are opportunities to practice your communicative fluency for hundreds of topics in Chinswing (Voxopop). (I'm not just talking to you Chock - this is for everyone).
Chockulit: I think I should explore them too. I am most of the time a lurker, but you're right Jason, we should start giving feedbacks to each other!
Jasonrenshaw: Here's the biggest tip of the evening... The key is to improve your spoken fluency and familiarity with recording online under time limits with many different kinds of topics. This is much more important than getting grades/ratings from one teacher (like myself). If you speak about 10 different topics every day for a couple of weeks leading up to your test, you will improve your score immensely.
Yellowflower - ready with a new question?
Yellowflower: how many points should we put in our delivery?
Jasonrenshaw: Good question. Delivery is all about pronunciation, intonation and fluency. Technically it is of equal value to the criteria of topic development and language use. However, I think it comes after topic development as the second most important issue. This, in particular (delivery) is what hurts many people, particularly people who already think their delivery is fine.
Yellowflower: Also, When we answer a question, how many supporting points should be given?
Jasonrenshaw: That depends on the particular question. Question 1 and 2 should ideally have 2 supporting reasons expressed. Question 3 requires 2 reasons for a speaker's feeling about a notice. Question 4 usually explores 3-4 issues that correlate across a reading passage and lecture. Question 5 would require 2 supporting reasons for your preferred course of action based on the conversation.
Yellowflower: Great info. Thanks!
Jasonrenshaw: Okay - back to you Pharn, Shoot!
pham179: ya, which type of question requires conclusion?
Jasonrenshaw: Technically, none of them do. It's hard enough to get main ideas out and support them in the time limits involved. HOWEVER, a quick conclusion is ideal if you finish up a little early. Let's say you have 5-10 seconds left on your time limit. Rather than just going blank/quiet, you could wind things up with "... and that's basically why ...." Make sense?
pham179: thats great. give me one strategy to improve on the 4 question
Jasonrenshaw: Question 4 is a bit of a killer. A lot of it comes down to good note-taking. Draw a line down the middle of the notepaper. On the left, script main ideas from the reading passage. On the right, take down your listening notes. Then, in the 30 seconds prep time, link up the ideas you can see from your reading and listening notes. With the key ideas and details from each source linked up like this on paper in front of you, it will be a lot easier to speak and a lot easier to cover all the important information.
Okay Sunit - you're up!
Sunithasiva: i gave toefl 4times. but not able to get score in speaking (24)
Jasonrenshaw: 24 each time you take the test... As I mentioned above, the difference between 23-24 and 26-28 is usually one of these two things: topic development or delivery.
Sunithasiva: iprepared for the topics given by you for one minute and practised in home
Jasonrenshaw: You either just aren't covering the topics properly, or you have a pronunciation/delivery issue that is holding you back. That's what I usually find, anyway.
Sunithasiva: so how to improve. can i record and send it to u?
Jasonrenshaw: That is your first problem. You think without a teacher you can't progress. Let me ask you - how many online recordings do you make, every day, about various topics?
Sunithasiva: 5-6 topics
Jasonrenshaw: AND, how many other people's recordings do you listen to - every day?
Sunithasiva: i hve not done that
Jasonrenshaw: EXACTLY. You are caught in your very own Twilight Zone. You ave no external input or models to learn from or compare your speaking to - just yourself. Progress won't happen that way. There are dozens of well scored speaking submissions in my forum and the Chinswing (Voxopop) links already. You should listen to all of them (the scores of 3 or higher). Take notes about each one, then compare to your own recording. You may be very surprised what you learn from that experience.
Sunithasiva: k. iwill listen. can usuggest me. ihve done already but no reply.
Jasonrenshaw: Sunit - work to help yourself, and then eventually it will help to make your speaking work.
Sunithasiva: k thanks
Jasonrenshaw: Right, Song
Songthanh: how can I take notes while I'm listening??? Sometime I forgot what I heard or write.
Jasonrenshaw: Yes - did you see what I wrote above as notetaking tips for question 4?
Songthanh: sr im late so i didnt see that. could u please tell me again
Jasonrenshaw: Scroll up or look back through the transcript. However, it sounds to me like you're not taking enough notes, or not writing down the most useful information. Or just panicking! It's easy to do under that test pressure. So, how often per day or week do you listen to lectures in English and do note-taking?
Songthanh: 3 times/week
Jasonrenshaw: If it's a weakness, you should be listening to 1-3 hours of listening material every day and doing note-taking every time. Eventually, you will find your own strategies for getting down the most important information - and more importantly, you will develop more confidence. 3 times a week is good, but will not result in dramatic improvements. Daily is better.
Songthanh: thanks for your advice
Jasonrenshaw: Let me know how you get on. You could start with all the Reuters news articles I have in my World News section in the forum. There is enough to keep you busy listening for many hours in there!
Okay Angels - you there? Waiting patiently? This will be our last question for the session, unfortunately. I've been typing like a maniac for the past 90 minutes!
Angels67: It's okey. I will be taking my 3rd iBtT on Dec. 21.. for both I got 23.. I need 26. I felt that I was not focused because I got panicked in specially in the 2nd.
Jasonrenshaw: Right. Same as above for other students with the same issue. It is either topic development or delivery that is pinning back your score. It's easy to panic in this test. Have you been practicing under stressful/pushy circumstances? Like really pushing yourself to perform?
Angels67: Right now, I want to focus in your tips and wish to stay calm during the exam. I got distracted when my husband is around I can't record well. Actually I am not confident when he's around so I can't speak well.. However, I was able to try harder today.
Jasonrenshaw: That's GREAT! Your husband is helping you more than you can guess. Once you can record answers well even with your husband walking around, looking for his socks, or asking when his dinner will be ready, or asking why he is so silly, you are likely to be able to do well on the actual test as well.
Angels67: I will continue browsing the topic you posted and will follow your tips. . Thank you very much for your advices. Tomorrow, I might stay in the mall's foodcourt and will try my speaking there.
Jasonrenshaw: EXCELLENT idea!! You will feel silly, but practicing in public is excellent for your actual test prep. What is more important - getting that 26 score or looking slightly insane in the middle of a food court?
Angels67: Yes!!! You're right. I saw it in posted here. Thank you again and I pray and wish that this would be my last iBT. Getting 26!!! I need it badly..
Jasonrenshaw: Well, that's all I have time for this evening, everyone. Thanks for your questions and patience. You've been very polite. Let's do this again someday.
Stay active in the forum, help each other as much as you can, and let's all catch up again soon. Good night to all of you, and very best wishes!
I've just added four new sample topics and model answers to my free TOEFL Speaking Topics page. Find out about:
a good place in my town to have fun;
my favorite subject at school;
why I prefer going on a long trip by train instead of car;
why I prefer a job I really enjoy even if it has a moderate salary!
The topic mega lists available exclusively to TOEFL Speaking Mentor subscribers feature these plus another four example topics and model answers, describing:
who I feel close to in my family;
an experience in my life that made me feel embarrassed;
why I prefer to combine study and part-time work;
why I prefer to stick to tasks I know I can do well!
There are of course many MANY more topics and example answers available to TOEFL Speaking Mentor subscribers, but these are just some of the latest updates!
Good luck to you all in your TOEFL speaking preparation!
It's really important in Question 2 in the iBT TOEFL Speaking Section that you are able to indicate your personal preference quickly, clearly, but also a little elegantly - with good language use and emphasis/intonation.
Find out how it can be done with my latest addition to Jason's TOEFL iBTv:
Just a quick update to let blog visitors know that 4 new questions for the TOEFL iBT Independent speaking topics have been added to my site, along with my recorded example answers.
I recently came across a whole stash of free TOEFL test practice materials at this link.
I only really had time to check out some of the speaking tests. The positive is that the creator of this site has managed to very accurately replicate the actual TOEFL test browser format, including the automatic timer function (so it will be good for you in terms of getting a great feel for the actual test experience.
On the negative side, many of the actual recordings for the listening sections come out quite muted and difficult to hear without turning your volume settings up ultra high. Even then, it's distracting because the narration sections are clear and set at a higher volume - so one minute you'll be straining to hear the speakers in a dialogue, and then the narrator will come on and blast your eardrums out! Also, despite the great timing functions, you can't actually record your performance or listen to yourself afterwards.
Still, as I said, it can still be great practice, on account of the close resemblance to the actual TOEFL browser and automatic timing functions. There are also a lot of tests and practice items to go through, including all the other parts of the test (reading, listening and writing as well as speaking).
One note of caution: I don't know how long these materials can/will stay available up on the web. The site maker has not documented where the original materials came from - so there is a good chance they have been burned, copied and uploaded illegally using some other source. Maybe (hopefully) I'm wrong there, but generally speaking I would expect to see rights/copyright asserted if the site owner had made or organized the making of all these materials privately...
There are a lot of ways you can improve your chances of performing well in the TOEFL speaking section. It depends a lot on your personal learning style, self-discipline, and the time available to you before you take the actual test.
If you aren’t making a lot of progress, it could be time to consider getting a professional tutor to help you.
It isn’t cheap, but it is infinitely less expensive than paying the US$150 to take the TOEFL iBT time after time in the vague hope you’ll get that magical score. I’ve heard from students who took the TOEFL test more than 10 times looking for a specific score of 26 or more in the speaking section. 10 times! That’s US$1500! What was more staggering to me was hearing that some of these same students weren’t willing to pay for a professional tutor or pay for good quality test preparation materials… So, some people are willing to pay more than a thousand dollars to keep taking the test again and again, but not willing to pay less than one hundred dollars to get some professional tuition and some decent materials. Unbelievable! It just doesn’t make sense.
Considering even $100-$200 in top quality tuition could make all the difference in getting the score you need on your next test, you actually stand to SAVE a huge amount of money by not needing to keep take the test.
In any case, I have a speaking tuition program available that can really help you improve your performance – it’s called TOEFL Speaking Mentor and it’s available at this link:
The basic program is available for as little as US$12 per subscription. Doing the math, you could actually practice taking the speaking test 12 times with professional support and feedback for the price it costs you to take one official TOEFL test. Using the PLUS program (at US$27 per subscription), which gives much more detailed feedback and advice, you could still do this sort of practice 5-6 times at the same cost as the official test.
I've just completed a brand new iBT TOEFL speaking test, fully browser-based, with all-new question items covering all 6 parts of the speaking test. (Please note: this is a new test and different to the full test referenced in this blog earlier)
Now you can try a full TOEFL speaking practice test entirely for free, record your answers online, and compare them to the hundreds of example answers already submitted:
I'm happy to say that finally (FINALLY!) I have found the time to re-record the TOEFL iBT Speaking Tips and Tricks that were featured previously on this blog and on the main OnlinEnglish site - the ones that disappeared into the Internet ether when the audio players went cuckoo and wouldn't function anymore...
As per the previous versions, the tips and explanations cover all six of the TOEFL iBT speaking questions, but now they are recorded in video lecture format, and they are easier to navigate, with supporting summarized points in written form.
Yes, you read it correctly! I've actually managed to come up with two iBT TOEFL speaking topics based on some recent news about the "fiery-tempered" Naomi Campbell!
Watch the video and answer the iBT questions related to it at this link:
Just to let you know, we've uploaded additional online recording slots for people who have the Pearson Longman NorthStar Building Skills for TOEFL iBT series. If you have one or more of these books (they come in Intermediate, High Intermediate and Advanced levels), you can access an easy interface and practice recording responses to the iBT speaking tasks in each unit.
Just a quick update: I've done a little editing over at www.onlinEnglish.net, and now it is possible to access special live video rooms for EACH of the iBT TOEFL speaking tasks on our free sample test. You don't need any software, special memberships, sign-ins or downloads - the live video rooms are available directly in your Internet browser, and linked up to each iBT TOEFL speaking task page. You'll need a web-cam, of course, as well as a microphone, but it's super easy to use.
This is great if you want to meet up with other iBT TOEFL test takers and do some live practice and exchange.
Just a quick apology to site visitors who have found that the recorded tips I made for each of the iBT TOEFL questions are no longer accessible... Unfortunately, the tech provider for those recordings (despite assurances that recordings would be available "forever") appears to have dumped the files, meaning that all those valuable tips I recorded have vanished into the ether of the Internet trash can.
However, I figure this will be a chance to re-do the tips and tricks sections for each of the iBT TOEFL speaking tasks, and do them even better than before! I'm in the process of recording a series of video lectures for each of the TOEFL speaking questions, and they should be ready relatively soon. They'll be more personal and more thorough than the previous versions, so I hope they turn out useful.
I'll post a notification here the moment the new lectures are available.
In the meantime, sincere apologies to anyone who has come along here and found the files dead. They'll be back soon, and they'll be better!
I was happy to notice recently that the fastest growing (in terms of visitation, that is) section of OnlinEnglish.Net is the Speaking Self-Trainer category.
This part of the site allows visitors to look at iBT speaking questions and then go through a series of developmental self-training stages, to improve everything from fluency, handling the preparation and speaking time limits, organizing a response effectively, pronunciation and language use. There are mini recorder applets provided for the test-takers to record themselves and compare production at each step in the process.
We were so happy to see that this is growing in popularity. One of the key ingredients for iBT TOEFL success is independent preparation. Based on the visitation and time spent on these pages, it appears clear a lot of visitors to our site are doing just that. In response, and to reward the efforts of these proactive test-takers, we've decided to develop and expand the Speaking Self-Trainer section!
Whereas before there was just the one task to practice, we now have a total of SIX tasks to work on. There are three topics for iBT speaking question 1, and another three topics for iBT speaking question 2 - each with its own set of specific tips to help formulate and practice appropriate responses.
We've also set the stage to add more tasks for questions 3-6, but for the moment we're looking at working with an established publisher in terms of getting the readings and listening scripts. As capable as Dean, Yannick and myself are when it comes to writing speaking test items, the integrated tasks in particular require a lot of care and there are a lot of complications arranging top-quality audio recordings. In any case, we're pretty confident we'll have some great tasks for those sections up there soon.
So, if you're feeling independent and motivated, get along to the site and try out these self-help training tasks for yourself!
Click here to see a sample of iBT speaking question 2.
The screens load automatically to tour you through the question the way it will look and be timed on the actual iBT test. Follow it through until you get four options, and click on "Guidelines/Samples" - this will show you tips, real sample answers, scores and tutor feedback.
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