MASTERING TOEFL SPEAKING AND WRITING: TIPS AND EFFECTIVE PRACTICES
Edited by: Grisel Bennett
The speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL exam can be pretty intimidating for students. That is because they are the only sections where you are required to actually produce material, rather than just receive input and answer multiple choice questions. In fact, it can be nerve-racking to be asked to come up with opinions and explanations on the spot, especially in a non-native language! However, if we dive a little deeper in the test, I am sure you will realize that it is not such a hard task after all. You just have to understand what is expected of you: to provide the right answer. I will tell you some tips you need to know to prepare for these sections more efficiently.
In reality, the writing and speaking sections of the test have a similar structure. Both sections are designed to test your ability to express your opinions and support them with good arguments. Contrary to common belief, you do not have to show an incredibly wide and sophisticated vocabulary and/or grammar knowledge. As long as you can clearly and coherently express your thoughts and support them with good arguments, you will get high scores!
Therefore, the first thing you have to keep in mind when preparing for the speaking and writing sections of the test is: don't worry about using "unfathomable" instead of "unbelievable"! What I mean is that you don't have to stress about learning and using the fanciest vocabulary you possibly can. Of course you need to know a wide vocabulary to express yourself, but it doesn't have to be Austen or Shakespeare level.
Even when it comes to grammar, if you make some common mistakes, you will not necessarily get penalized for that. In fact, if you make common mistakes that are clearly due to the time pressure or stress of the test, but you still express yourself clearly and answer all the points that are asked in the question, the graders can still give you full points for the answer.
Don't take me wrong, I am not trying to convince you to forget about vocabulary and grammar altogether. My intention here is simply to help you avoid spending valuable energy and time on things that are not as important as you may think, such as completely flawless grammar or outstanding vocabulary. Even native speakers make mistakes sometimes, and the graders know that!
Instead of studying only grammar or memorizing vocabulary in itself, you will benefit infinitely more if you practice your grammar and vocabulary knowledge as a secondary aspect of your overall practice. And here's how you can do that:
Practice coming up with opinions and ideas on the spot
Both the speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL test will ask you to express your opinion about a subject. The test is timed and, as such, if you take too long to decide on your opinion or idea of the topic, it will only cause you to be more stressed and to lose important working time.
In the speaking section, there will be a portion called “independent speaking question” where you will be asked to give your thoughts regarding a specific subject. It is usually a simple question about your individual experience relating to some aspect of life, such as "Do you prefer to go out or have your friends come over?" or "What is an unforgettable experience you've had?" (refer to this article for more examples of questions).
In the writing section, you will be asked to give your opinion on an idea that relates to the academic field. This will ask you to state and support your opinion in an online discussion board. Generally, the topics given are related to some issue commonly discussed in university lessons. There will be a message from a professor who will give some minor context about the subject and ask the participants to choose between two possible scenarios and to support their claims, such as "Are marketing strategies to influence consumer behavior unethical or not?" or "Would you prioritize economic growth or environmental protection?" (click here to check more examples).
In both types of questions, you have to spontaneously think of an idea or opinion, which can be hard to do if you don't practice. Some people are already talkative and have more practice debating various topics with friends and/or family, but if that is not your case, you should absolutely practice coming up with opinions and ideas quickly.
The important element to keep in mind is that the graders do not care about the opinion or story you come up with, as long as you can clearly state and support it with good arguments and examples. Therefore, do not worry if you genuinely do not have an opinion about the subject, it is not a problem if your answer is not your own personal opinion, or if the story about something that happened in your life is true, it can be made up!
To practice this you simply need to go over similar questions and come up with ideas and/or opinions fast!
Here's some tips on how to do that:
Google questions that were already asked on TOEFL in the past (both about your personal experiences and about opinions regarding academic issues) and try to come up with two possible answers for each. Don't worry about formulating a complete answer yet, just write down the ideas. If the question is "Do you prefer to work from home or in the office? Why?" make a quick choice (regardless of what you truly feel) and come up with two reasons that support that choice.
Example:
Working from home: you don't have to lose time commuting and you don't have to spend so much money with clothes
Working in the office: you become closer to your coworkers, which helps to make the job more fun, and you are more productive and focused.
Think of controversial topics and try to come up with arguments to support the different sides of it. For example, the topic of uniforms in school, you have to come up with arguments for wearing uniforms in school (you don't have to worry about what to wear everyday and you get ready faster), and with arguments against wearing uniforms in school (every student's clothing style and preferences are respected).
Practice quickly and objectively summarizing
Furthermore, the speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL test have portions that ask you to read a text, watch a lecture, and summarize the ideas exposed in them. Those are called integrated speaking/writing questions.
In the speaking section, you will have little time to prepare (20-30 seconds) and to answer (about 60 seconds). Similarly, in the writing section you have 20 minutes to write your answer, which gives you only 10 minutes to organize your ideas and 10 minutes to write them down. That requires you to come up with very short and objective summaries and comparisons quickly.
Therefore, it is important that you practice being objective and straight to the point when coming up with an answer about various topics. Here's some ways you can practice that:
Listen to TED talks about various subjects. As soon as you are done watching a talk, set a 60 minute timer and summarize the ideas exposed by the speaker. This will also be a great practice for the listening section of the test!
Read articles from blogs, scientific journals and magazines and give yourself 20 minutes to write down a one paragraph summary of the article explaining its main points and one example used to support the main idea. This will also be great practice for the reading section of the test!
Record yourself summarizing the talks and keep your written summaries saved as well. Once you are done with your spoken or written summary go over them once more and check if there is any information you have mentioned that could have been excluded from your summary. For every sentence you said/wrote, ask yourself: "is this absolutely necessary for the overall message of the text/talk I have read/watched?". This will teach you to focus only on the main points, helping you to become more objective in your following summaries.
These practice exercises proposed are a great way to prepare for the specific required skills to excel the speaking and writing sections. But they are also great ways to develop your vocabulary and to practice your grammar knowledge, because you will be actively working on these language skills!
Be it listening to a TED talk or thinking of possible arguments to support an opinion, you are actively engaging with vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Just make sure you do all these practices with English materials and, even when you are doing purely thought exercises, do it in English!
It also helps to do some research whenever you can't think of a word or if you are not sure of which verb tense to use. If you are writing a summary paragraph and you cannot think of a specific word, finish writing the text with another word or try writing a different sentence and, once you are done with the practice, look up the word you didn't know. That is when you will learn vocabulary and grammar best. This is because you are actively learning and the information is context driven, rather than just passively reading a list of words or reading grammar rules. Your brain will absorb information a lot more easily if the information you are learning comes from a real need/situation and if you actively looked for it.
In conclusion, the TOEFL speaking and writing sections may initially seem daunting, especially for non-native speakers. However, a deeper examination reveals that success in these sections does not require an extravagant vocabulary or flawless grammar. Rather, what matters most is your ability to express clear opinions and support them with sound and coherent arguments. So, instead of fixating on intricate language nuances, focus on honing your skills to generate opinions and ideas promptly. Practice summarizing texts and lectures concisely, and remember that it's perfectly acceptable to make up stories or opinions if it aids in articulating your thoughts effectively.
These strategies will not only help you excel in the TOEFL but also improve your overall language proficiency. By engaging actively with English materials, seeking out unfamiliar words or grammar rules, and incorporating them into your practice, you'll build a strong foundation for success in these challenging sections. So, relax, embrace the process, and remember that perfection is not the key to triumph; clear expression and solid reasoning are. With dedication and practice, you'll be well on your way to achieving excellent scores in the TOEFL speaking and writing sections.
If you want to learn more about the TOEFL test and/or you want to do effective practice exercises to excel in it, Unbounded Education has your back! We offer 1-on-1 classes to help you with your specific needs. Moreover, in December 2023, we will launch an online course with all you need to know about the TOEFL test and with top-of-the-line practice material!
