By Ela Britchkow, Speech and Language Pathologist, Certified American Accent Specialist
I am very concerned about the plight that you, as a English second language speaker, can have, passing the TOEFL speaking section. It can hurt when you realize that no matter how great your ideas and thoughts are presented, you risk failing when:
I am very concerned about the plight that you, as a English second language speaker, can have, passing the TOEFL speaking section. It can hurt when you realize that no matter how great your ideas and thoughts are presented, you risk failing when:
- Your speech is unintelligible.
- Your answers are not heard and understood the first time
Are you at risk of failing the exam due to speech issues?
TOEFL Speaking Section Guidelines for Failure:
TOEFL Speaking Section Guidelines for Failure:
- Consistent pronunciation and intonation problems that frequently obscure meaning and cause the listener effort.
- Delivery that is choppy, fragmented, or telegraphic, with frequent pauses and hesitations.
The speaking section of the TOEFL takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. You will be asked 6 speaking questions.
- The first two are about familiar topics, and the other four are about short readings, lectures, and conversations.
- You will have a short amount of time after you read each question to prepare your response.
- Then you will be given a short amount of time to speak into a microphone. You will be evaluated on "delivery, language use and topic development".
7 TIPS for PASSING the SPEAKING SECTION of the TOEFL
. Real time: You are now taking the test. How do I begin?
ALERT!
Please contact me with questions and concerns about your speech.
- Listen for the beep and go. Always begin by repeating the question you are asked. This will make sure that you’re on topic, the grammar will be correct and you’ll start strong. For example, the question is: “What is your favorite holiday?” Your answer: “My favorite holiday is……….”
- For each question, you have 15 seconds to write yourself notes and 45 seconds to speak your answer. This is a great deal of pressure to say what you want to express in the allotted time of 45 seconds. Many people start to speed up their speech and in the process are harder to understand. Rapid speech rate will decrease your intelligibility significantly. Don’t fall into this trap. In order to slow down your speech, stretch out the vowel in the word and take a breath at the end of a thought group. If you are reading, stop and take a breath whenever you see a comma or period.
- When people become nervous under pressure and don’t feel confident, sometimes they speak very softly and they will not be audible in the recording. There is no human there to say, I can’t hear you, speak up, and you will just end up losing points. In order to be audible enough to be heard, be sure to take a new breath at the beginning of every sentence. If you are saying a long sentence, stop after a thought group or when it makes sense to stop for a breath. Be sure to maintain your breath support and not speak with a softer voice towards the end of your sentence. Project your voice across the room. At the same time, you don’t want to be too loud, as it will disturb the other test takers.
- When a person doesn’t feel confident, he will occasionally speak in what is called “uptalk.” The word at the end of the sentence goes up in pitch instead of down. This results in making the person sound like he doesn't know what he is talking about and seem less intelligent. You will need to record yourself to monitor if you are speaking with this “uptalk” pattern. For the test, you want to sound strong and confident – it makes a big difference to get that 26+ score.
- People often try to speak extra clearly with each word, resulting in choppy speech. In American English we link words that end with a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel. This results in smooth, flowing speech.
- Practice in the same environment as the TOEFL is given. So… when you practice, do it on Skype on your computer and use a timer to start and stop. Practicing with another person, will not be as helpful because that is not how the test proceeds. It is recorded entirely, so you need to feel comfortable with that process.
- Listen to your answers by recording your practice sessions and correct yourself. Share your recordings with a native American speaker.
- If there are any words or sounds you’re struggling to pronounce, be sure to practice enunciating these sounds prior to test day.
- Practicing your English pronunciation, makes it better but only if you if you are practicing the right way.
- Take a few seconds to think about what you’re going to say, before giving your response.
- Sum things up in the end with a short conclusion.
- Try to only use words that you feel comfortable pronouncing- you will lose points for poor pronunciation.
- Do not use vocabulary or idioms that you do not fully understand as you will lose points if they are not used properly.
ALERT!
- There are many programs out there that help people prepare for the TOEFL exam.
- They usually claim that they can prepare you for all aspects of the exam.
- If your problem is primarily being able to speak English clearly, fluently and being understood the first time, then get this training from a real expert.
Please contact me with questions and concerns about your speech.