TOEFL
Speaking
About the TOEFL
The TOEFL test was originally designed to determine
whether or not you are prepared to enter an American
college classroom. The passages and questions in each
section are a reflection of the type of material you
would encounter in your first year of university.
Most of the speaking questions are either
academic topics or something to do with
campus life.
academic: of or relating to a college
campus: a college or university
Speaking Section Overview
4 questions, 1 independent and 3 integrated questions
01. 3.
Question 1 15 seconds to prepare, 45 seconds to speak
Question 2 30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak
Question 3 30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak
Question 4 20 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak
Question 1
Independent Speaking
Ask about your opinion on a wide range of issues.
4 Common Question Styles on the
TOEFL Speaking Task 1
Generally speaking, we can categorize speaking task 1 questions into 4 styles.
We categorize them as follows:
• Agree
01. or Disagree 3.
• Preference
• Three Choices
• Advantage and Disadvantage.
01. 3.
All of these question styles are all asking you to give your main
opinion on something and provide 1 or 2 main ideas to support
your opinion. So you can use the same structure to answer all of
them. Basically, it follows this structure:
01. 3.
Question Style 1
1. Do you agree or disagree that daily homework is necessary for
students? Use details and examples to support your explanation.
2. Do you agree or disagree that a higher education means a better
career?
01. Use details and examples to support your explanation. 3.
two possible speaking templates that follow this structure
1.
I agree or disagree with the idea that ______ for two main reasons.
The first reason is that ______
The second reason is that ______
Overall, I think ______
01. 3.
2.
To me, I think ______, and there are two reasons for this …
First of all, ______
Secondly, ______
To sum up, I believe that ______
question 1 response
Simplified version 简化版
Personally I disagree that daily homework is necessary for students for two main reasons.
The first reason is that people usually resist what they are made to do. So if we give
students homework everyday, they are likely to resist doing that. It would be much better
if students actually studied the subject they were interested in, so they actually wanted to
be studying. The second reason is that there are plenty of scientific studies that show too
much homework actually harms learning. If a teacher gives students too much homework,
they will learn less. So, I think there’s a balance between too much and too little
homework, but daily homework is definitely too much.
For these two reasons, i really disagree that daily homework is necessary for students.
question 2 response
I absolutely disagree with the idea that people with higher education
usually have a better career. First of all, there are plenty of people who
have a bachelor’s or master’s degree but cannot find a job. Or if they do,
it’s a minimum wage job. Meanwhile, there are people who go to a trade
school with a clear path to a fulfilling career. They learn a useful, hands-on
skill and build a life around it. Secondly, a lot of what people learn in
college is not useful. It may be interesting, but that doesn’t mean that
someone is going to pay you for that skill. My brother studied art history.
Now, he works in sales. To sum up, I think a higher education doesn’t
always equate to a better career.
Question Style 2
• “There are many different approaches to academic studies, and all of
them have specific benefits. Do you prefer to study for tests in a
group, or to study alone? Include details and examples to support
your explanation.”
01. 3.
• Do you prefer indoor activities or outdoor activities? Use details and
examples to support your explanation.
To answer this question, you can use the following expressions to begin
your response
I prefer to ___ (V + O).
I prefer ____(V+ing)
01. 3.
Template
I prefer to _____________
First of all____________________________
Secondly_____________________________
To sum
01. up______ 3.
Question 1 response
I prefer studying for my tests all by myself. I feel this way for two reasons.
First of all, I can focus entirely on what I need to learn. When we study in a group
everyone has different weak spots, and they all deserve to be touched on, even if some
members of the group are really strong in those areas. In contrast, when we work alone
we can focus entirely on our own weak spots and therefore get the best possible test score.
01. 3.
Secondly, I’m easily distracted which can have disastrous effects when I study in a group.
For instance, last year I was preparing for a midterm exam with a bunch of classmates but
we ended up chatting a lot about music and sports instead of studying. And, therefore, my
test score was quite bad.
To sum up, studying for test alone is a better option.
Simplified version 简化版
I prefer studying for my tests all by myself. I feel this way for two reasons.
First of all, I can focus entirely on what I need to learn. When we work alone
we can focus entirely on our own weak spots and therefore get the best
possible test score.
Secondly, I’m easily distracted which can have bad effects when I study in a
group. For instance, last year I was preparing for a midterm exam with a
bunch of classmates but we ended up chatting a lot about music and sports
instead of studying. And, therefore, my test score was quite bad.
To sum up, studying for test alone is a better option.
Question 2 response
Personally, I prefer outdoor activities to indoor activities. For me, it’s really
important to get outside, to breathe some fresh air, to feel the sun on my skin.
It’s also really healthy for the mind and body. After even a short time outside, I
feel very connected to the natural world. Secondly, in the modern world, we
spend way too much time inside. We’re inside reading a book, surfing the net, or
scrolling
01. on our phones. This is bad for our posture, our eyes, and our 3. mental
health. So, in a nutshell, indoor activities are more preferable to me because I
value my health more than my comfort.
Question Style 3
Which one would you like to choose for your final project? (1)
giving a presentation (2) writing a paper (3) creating a video.
01. 3.
To answer this question, you can use the following expressions to begin
your response
1. This is a good/great question. I love this question. If I had to choose, I
would choose ______
2. While all the options sound great, I would choose ______
01. 3.
Response:
This is a great question. If I had to choose, I would choose to write a paper for my
final project. First of all, I think that writing a paper would give me plenty of time
to gather my thoughts. If I gave a presentation, I might freeze up and not be able
to give all the information that I had planned. Secondly, I really like to write, and I
have taken several writing courses. So I believe that I would get the best score by
writing01.a paper. Likewise, I have never created a video, so I wouldn’t feel
3.
confident doing so in order to get my final grade. So, because I want to gather my
thoughts and give the best presentation possible, I would choose to write a
paper for my final project.
Simplified version 简化版
This is a great question. If I had to choose, I would choose to
write a paper for my final project. First of all, I think that
writing a paper would give me plenty of time to gather my
thoughts. Secondly, I really like to write, and I have taken
several writing courses. So I believe that I would get the best
score by writing a paper. Therefore, I would choose to write a
paper for my final project.
Question Style 4
Some students take extra private lessons outside school hours. What are
the advantages and disadvantages of private lessons?
01. 3.
So this style of question requires you to know various ways of talking about
advantages and disadvantages.
To answer this question, you can use the following expressions
There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to ______. One advantage is
that ______. On the flip side (However), a major disadvantage is that ______.
01. 3.
Response
There are certainly benefits and drawbacks of private lessons. One advantage is
that students may learn at their own pace. If taught after class, a student may
take their time with problems which can enhance their performance at school.
On the flip side, a major disadvantage is that private lessons add substantially to
a student’s
01. workload. Students already have a lot of homework and tests 3. to
prepare for at school. Private classes would almost certainly add to that, which
would increase stress on a student. And that’s not good.
Grading Rubric
Assignment
I Speaking Questions
1. “Do you agree or disagree with the following sentence? We can learn a
lot from making mistakes.”
2. “Some teachers encourage their students to work alone on projects and
compete with each other. Other teachers encourage them to collaborate and
work in groups. Which approach do you think is better?”
due on wednesay at noon
send your answer via Wechat
II Imitation exercise
III. Summarize the words and phrases you learned today
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