The challenge of speaking and writing

Updated on: Monday, April 20, 2009

Last week we discussed the structure and objective of the TOEFL, along with details pertaining to the reading and listening sections. Let us now examine the tasks in the remaining two sections, methods of preparation, and the formalities for registration and testing.

The Speaking section measures your ability to speak effectively. You should be able to respond freely to questions in the classroom and take part in academic discussions. Integrating textbook material with a classroom lecture and presenting it involves different skills. You should be able to express without hesitation your views on topics that are discussed.

You should also be able to communicate naturally with people in different settings outside the classroom.

In the 20-minute Speaking section, there are six tasks. The first two tasks are independent speaking tasks on familiar topics. You can draw from your own ideas or experience while speaking.

The other four tasks are of an integrated style. You may have to use more than one skill. You first read and listen, and then speak in response. You can take notes and use those notes while speaking.

In Independent Speaking, a single question that appears on the screen is read aloud by the narrator. You get 15 seconds to prepare an answer, and 45 seconds to respond.

In Integrated Speaking, three skills are involved — reading, listening, and speaking. You read a passage on a given topic and then listen to a speaker talk on the topic. A question appears on the screen; the narrator reads it aloud. You get 30 seconds to prepare your response. Then, you get 60 seconds to respond by synthesising and summarising the information you read and heard.

The Speaking section is delivered through a computer. You have to wear noise-cancelling headphones and speak into a microphone. The responses are digitally recorded and sent to ETS for rating by experts.

The Writing section measures your ability to write in an academic setting. You should write in a well-organised manner. You may have to combine the content of a lecture you heard with material you had gathered from the textbooks or other source. Such integrated writing involves skills other than plain writing. You will have to take lecture notes. You should have made notes on what you had read earlier.

Merging and organising information from diverse sources has to be done thoughtfully. Further, you would be asked to compose an essay supporting an opinion.

You may have to express your view on a controversial issue and support your view based on your own knowledge and experience. The TOEFL would assess a variety of your writing skills. Keep in mind the following while writing: the outline of your essay, main idea and points supporting it, convincing arguments, logical organisation of your essay, easy flow of ideas, examples, illustrations, spelling, punctuation, right vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, quotes, layout.

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The challenge of speaking and writing

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