Introduction to the TOEFL iBT®️ Speaking

Introduction to the TOEFL iBT®️ Speaking


In the Speaking Lessons, you will be listening to audio recordings and recording your response. Before you begin, ensure your microphone is set up correctly.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for the test, many of which you will work on as you complete the lessons that follow:

  • Listen to English-language podcasts, watch television programs, read academic articles in English on the Internet to help build your vocabulary.
  • After you’ve read or listened to something, practice speaking about it in English and try to summarize for someone else what you learned.
  • Record yourself talking about these topics and have a teacher or someone else who speaks English give you feedback on things like your pronunciation and language use.
  • Do time-reduction activities, in which you try to talk about a given topic in 90 seconds, then 70 seconds, then 60 seconds, to help you gain fluidity and confidence in your speaking.
  • Take sample test questions to familiarize yourself with the structure of the questions and to practice your pacing.
  • Make sure you understand what the questions on the test are like and the sequence in which they will appear.
  • Familiarize yourself with the test directions so you don’t need to spend too much time going over them on test day.

Speak in English as often as you can with whomever you can! In the end, the TOEFL iBT test measures your English speaking proficiency, and real-life practice is the best way to develop it.

The Tasks   

The Independent Speaking Task 

Question 1 requires you to give your own opinion on a familiar topic and use your knowledge and life experiences to explain your opinion.

You have 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to respond.

The Integrated Speaking Tasks

There are three integrated speaking tasks—Tasks 2, 3, and 4.

The Integrated Tasks 2 and 3 combine reading, listening, and speaking. These tasks contain:

  • one of two types of reading passages, a university-related announcement or an excerpt from an academic textbook
  • one of two types of listening passages, a conversation between two students or a short classroom lecture

The questions for Tasks 2 and 3 require you to link together information from the reading and listening passages to give an effective response. For these tasks, you have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond.

The Integrated Task 4 combines listening and speaking. This task contains:

  • a listening passage, which is a longer classroom lecture

The question for Task 4 asks you to summarize the main points of the lecture. For this task, you have 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond.

Taking Notes and Preparing Your Response  

Notes are allowed—and in fact encouraged—when you take the TOEFL iBT Speaking test. The lessons in this course provide note-taking suggestions specific to each speaking task, but generally you should try to do the following:

For the independent speaking task:

  • Read and listen to the question carefully. Then, during the 15-second preparation period, write down brief notes that will help you organize and deliver your response.

For the integrated speaking tasks:

  • Read and listen to the passages.
  • Write down notes on the main idea, terms, and important details that you read and/or hear.
  • Read and listen to the question carefully when it appears on screen to make sure you understand what you are being asked to talk about. 
  • Use the preparation time to review your notes and organize your thoughts.

For all speaking tasks, do NOT try to write out your response word-for-word and then read it back during the response time. Use your notes as a guide to help you deliver a natural spoken response. 

 Delivering your Response  

  • Speak directly into the microphone at a normal tone. Don’t whisper or yell.
  • It’s natural to be a bit nervous, but try to relax and breathe!
  • It may help to imagine you are speaking to a friend or explaining something you learned in class to a classmate.
  • Speak as clearly as possible, pronouncing every word and maintaining a steady pace.
  • The use of pauses and filler words such as “um” to gather your thoughts is acceptable, but you should try to limit them and not leave too many large gaps between words as you speak.
  • Try to use a variety of vocabulary.
  • Keep an eye on the clock on the screen and pace yourself so that you can include all the key information in your response within the time limit.

Sometimes you may realize that time is running out and you haven’t yet covered all the key information. You may want to move on to the next point to try to cover as much as you can before your response time ends.