Speaking tips

TOEFL iBT Speaking tips

The best way to practice is speaking with native speakers of English as much as possible. For those not living in English-speaking countries, finding native speakers of English to speak with can be quite challenging. In some countries, there are English-speaking tutors or assistants who can help students with their conversation and overall communication skills. Another way you can practice speaking is to join a club that involves speaking in English about movies, music, travel and so on. If no such club exists in your area, try starting your own club and invite native speakers you know to join, too.

Here are a few suggestions for ways to build your speaking skills:

Practice stating an opinion or preference within a 1-minute time limit.
Read a short article (100–200 words), and make an outline that only includes the major points of the article. Use the outline to summarize the information orally.
Find listening and reading material on the same topic. The material can provide similar or different views. (The Internet and the library are good places to find information.) Take notes or create outlines on the listening and reading material and do the following:

Orally summarize the information in both, and then orally synthesize by combining the information from the reading and listening materials and explain how they relate.
State an opinion about the ideas and information presented in the reading and listening material.

Record yourself as you practice, and ask yourself questions such as:

Did I complete the task?
Did I speak clearly?
Did I make grammatical errors?
Did I use words correctly?
Did I organize my ideas clearly and appropriately?
Did I use the time effectively?
Did I speak too fast? Or too slowly?
Did I pause too often?

Monitor your own progress by keeping an audio journal of your speaking practice. You can also ask for feedback from friends, tutors or teachers. Teachers can use the TOEFL iBT Speaking Scoring Guide to evaluate your practice.

Practice your speaking skills on TOEFL Practice Online at www.ets.org/toeflpractice81.html and receive a score within five business days from certified ETS raters to help prepare you for test day.