TOEFL Speaking Section

Explained by Iftikhar Ahmad

Author:
Iftikhar Ahmad Mukhtar

Kandahar 2023
 TOEFL Speaking Section
TOEFL Speaking Questions:

1. Personal Opinion Question

2. Campus Announcement Question
3. Academic Text + Lecture Question
4. Academic Lecture Question
Speaking Challenge: Give a summarized response with great Delivery, Language Use & Topic
Development in time. Speaking section is to evaluate these three skills in its four questions.
* Delivery (ex: Great Pronunciation) Language Use (ex: Great Vocabulary & Grammar) & Topic Development
(ex: Logical connection in the structure of speaking).

Note: Use synonyms in your notes to speak and paraphrase in a nonverbatim natural way. Using
compound, Complex, Conditional, Passive, Models, Gerunds and irregular verbs’ language use can get
you high score. On the other hand, a heavy reliance on simple sentences, the basic tenses and heavy
be verb use can eliminate ones scores.
The templates for each of the above questions is provided in the following four pages respectively.
Speaking Personal Opinion Question Template
Choice
1st Reason
2nd Reason/Example
Conclude
*Cation: Section your notes by writing them in 3 boxes/lines but don’t write headlines when starting
a section like Choice, R1 or R2, otherwise taking notes from reading or listening may take time.
Note: Question being read - Prepare 15 seconds - Speaking 45 seconds

Personal Opinion Question Expressions

Stating your Opinion Giving Reasons Clarifying Details

As far as I am concerned, ____.
I definitely oppose this
proposition that ____.
I think____.
Based on my experience,____.
To me, ____.
I consider, ____.
According to ___.
What I like about____.
____. That was because ____.
There are several reasons,____.
One Reason that ____.
Another reason why is, ____.
____. For example,____.
____. To be more specific,
____.
____. In other words, ____.
____. I mean, ____.

Stating Preference Compare & Contrasting

I’d rather ____ than ____. ____. In contrast, ____.
____ more than ____. Some people think ____, but ____.
I prefer ____ to ____. ____. On the other hand, ____.
____, I would choose ____.
____ better than ____.
Alternative to ____, ____.
Vocabulary to use: Hustle & Bustle: Noise & Activity/‫ګډوډي‬
Ex. Daily hustle & bustle of the city.

Speaking Campus Announcement Question Example:

Some people believe it is important for universities to provide funding for student entertainment,
such as movies or concert on campus. Others believe that university money should only be used for
academic purposes. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.
Reading Note:
Choice- Fund Extras
1st Reason- Relaxation
2nd Reason – Connections with Other Students
Conclude – 3 second wait before speaking

Speaking Response
Universities should definitely go ahead and fund the extras when it comes to things like movies and
entertainment. College life can be very, very stressful, very stressful. And so, students need to be
able to relax. So that's part of the university's responsibility to help the students to be able to relax
while they're there studying and paying their good money. In addition to relaxation, these answers
will also help students make connections is not just about schoolwork. When you're at university
you have to make connections and network so that you'll be able to take your career to the next
level with after you finish graduating. So, I definitely think they should go ahead and give them
money to fund these extra things that students really really need.
 Speaking Campus Announcement Question Template
Reading: Listening:
What Opinion
Why #1 Reason #1
Why #2 Reason #2

Note: Opinion will support/oppose What. If supports, Reason #1 & Reason #2 will contain Positive
detail of Why #1 & Why #2 respectively, If Opposes, Vise versa.
*Cation: Section your notes by writing them in 3 boxes/lines & don’t write headlines like What, Why
#1 or R1 etc. otherwise taking notes from reading or listening may take time.
Note: Reading 45-50 seconds - Listening - Prepare 30 seconds - Speaking 60 seconds

Speaking Campus Announcement Question Expressions

The Announcement Proposes that ____(Future).

They're doing this because ____.
Another reason provided is that ____.
The woman in the conversation (Supports/Opposes)____.
She first addresses (the issue in regards to) ____.
Next, she tells (informs) us that ____.
In addition, She lets us know that ____.
Thats why, ____.

She is fully behind it & equally important she believes ____.

The university has announced that it's going to (its plan to) ____.
According to the ____.
Speaking Campus Announcement Question Example:
Passage Audio

Listening Note:
Opinion- Excellent opinion
R1-
- 1st years need it, not just help
- Get info on notes, studying
- Most learn own, own makes it
difficult
R2-
- Advantage, info on classes from
someone took it
- Find best professors, advisors
Reading Note:
What- Future tutoring for incoming students - Other viewpoints
W1- Halt academic shortcomings, Support course load
W2- Have tutor same major

Speaking Response
The university has announced that it's going to provide a free tutoring program for incoming students. They're doing
this because they want to help the academic shortcomings of students, which will help them to support their course.
Another reason provided is that the student will have a tutor within his or her same major. The woman in the
conversation really loves this idea. She first addresses the academic shortcoming’s reason, she tells us that the
incoming students really need this program. Not only will it help get them more intimate information on notes, but
also will help them with their studying in general. She tells us that most students learn on their own which really
makes University live very difficult. Next, she addressed the tutor issue by telling us that it's a real advantage for
the students, because they'll have somebody that can advise them on the best advisors, professors and give other
viewpoints. Thats why, she is (fully behind it) in support of this new program of free tutoring.
 Speaking Academic Text + Lecture Question Template
Reading: Listening:
Subject Topic Example
Definition Specific #1
Detail Specific #2

Reading Paragraph: Subject is always the heading of the Paragraph. Its Definition will often be in one
sentence that comes after the subject name is mentioned in the middle of the paragraph. Details are
in the sentences written after the sentence of Definition.
Listening Audio: Topic further explains the Subject of the reading with an example. Specific #1 & #2
gives specific details to the topic’s example like cause & effect or before & after etc. Sometimes
Specific #1 & #2 will be two specific examples of the general topic’s Example like two ways mentioned
in the topic for understanding the subject.
*Cation: Section notes by writing them in 3 boxes/lines & don’t write headlines like Subject, Definition
or S1 etc. otherwise taking notes from reading or listening may take time.
Note: Reading 45-50 seconds - Listening - Prepare 30 seconds - Speaking 60 seconds
Speaking Academic Text + Lecture Question Expressions
The reading defines the concept of ____(Future).
This lets us know that ____.
The speaker gives us more specifics about ____.
So, This is a great description of ____.
The author describes the concept of ____.
According to the ____.

Speaking Academic Text + Lecture Question Example:

Listening Note:
Topic Ex.- Student middle school assignment
plants
S1-
- Need memorize name & plant
character
- Morning, instructor provided class
time to work…memorize in
classroom…classmates there
- Later bf presentation…met at house
to study…parents there…seemed
different than classroom setting
Reading Note: S2-
Subject- State Dependent Memory - At house was challenging to recall
Def- Aware environment. (time, place, surrounding). names & facts.
- Recall learned info affected environment - Following morning presentation
Det- If environment & surrounding match, recall increases. easier to remember info to present
Speaking Response
The author describes the concept of state dependent memory. This lets us know that remembering is affected by the
environment in which the information is learned. So, the precision of remembering is related to the learned
environment. The more similar they are the easier it is to recall the information. The speaker lets us know about a
project, he had a middle school where they had to memorize some plants. So, he and his group were given some time
in class where they had to memorize the plants and they practice doing that later on before they had to do a
presentation. They got together at his house to study. The parents were there but the setting was different than the
classroom setting and what they found was when they were trying to recall the information about the plants. They
just couldn't do it. They got very very worried and concerned. However, the very next day, the presentation went just
fine. The reason why is because the setting was the same and they had no problem recollecting the information. So,
this is a great description of state dependent memory.
 Speaking Academic Lecture Question Template
Listening: Speaking:
Main Idea Summarize Main Idea
Example #1 (Background info than Ex.1 or vice versa) Summarize Example #1
Example #2 (Background info than Ex.2 or vice versa) Summarize Example #2

Note: Before/After stating the two examples, The professor always gives some background
information about them, write them down too in the Example #1 & #2 sections in order.
*Cation: Section your notes by writing them in 3 boxes/lines & don’t write headlines like What, Why
#1 or R1 etc. otherwise taking notes from reading or listening may take time.
Note: Listening - Prepare 20 seconds - Speaking 60 seconds

Speaking Academic Lecture Question Expressions

The Lecture is mainly about ____.
With this definition in mind, the professor proceeds with two examples.
One involves ____ and the other relates to ____.
The professor talks about the ____ as an example of ____.

Speaking Lecture Question Example:

Listening Note:
Mian Idea- Animals in groups benefits BUT also disadvantages. Talk about D
Dis 1: Easy detectable predators
- Easy to see a large group than on own, more vulnerable
- Ex: sardines group swim… whales eat them… not see one… but see group easy
Dis 2: Raise Young
- Hard to identify young in group, accidently care for other young & ignore own
- Ex: Bats… millions in one cave… mother cannot find babies… she might fee. Wrong babies & her
babies don’t eat

Speaking Response
The Lecture lets us know that animals in a group have benefits but also disadvantages. In this specific
lecture she's discussing the two main disadvantages. The first one relates to animals in a group being
easily detectable by a predator which makes them very vulnerable. The Predator can see them in a
group, much, much better than he could see the animals when they're on their own. She used the
example of the sardines which group swim. She lets us know that whales can see just one small sardine
by itself, but the large group he can see very, very easily to eat. In the next disadvantage, she talks
about with groups, A problem is when they're trying to raise their young and the young are very hard
to identify in a large large group setting. They may possibly feed the wrong young and ignore their own.
She used the example of the bats where there are millions in one cave. The mother can't find her
specific baby, and she might feed the wrong men, and they are and therefore her baby will not.

*These notes & response are given after Listening to an audio which is not provided here.