TOEFL Speaking Topics: Updated Sample Topics, Tips and Books
Content Curator | Updated On - Jan 19, 2024
TOEFL Speaking Section is arguably the most intimidating part of this English proficiency test. The TOEFL Speaking section can be quite intimidating, and you might have a lot of questions regarding the speaking section. There is nothing to worry because with correct TOEFL Speaking practice, you can ace the exam. The duration of the TOEFL Speaking section is 20 minutes and includes six tasks. Candidates will be able to take notes during this entire section.
The TOEFL topics include personal life, general topics and updates, campus Issue, lecture, campus life problem and so on. Yo can find the TOEFL speaking topics online and in the official website. The other TOEFL Speaking topics include childhood memories, hobbies, Country, Sports, Video Games, Entertainment, Fast Food, Travel, Work, Internet etc.
In TOEFL Speaking, there are two independent speaking tasks and four integrated tasks. Candidates will hear recorded conversations and respond by speaking into a microphone. The response will be recorder and checked by the examiner. You'll get 15–30 seconds of preparation time before each response, and your response will be 45 or 60 seconds long. The total time taken to complete the speaking section is 16 minutes.
TOEFL Speaking Topics
The TOEFL Exam Speaking section has a total of 4 tasks. It includes
- 1 independent task (Task I)
- 3 integrated tasks (Tasks II, III, and IV).
In task I, candidates need to answer questions as per their opinion on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their speaking ability and also the ability to clearly convey their ideas. In tasks II and IV, candidates need to read a passage and listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation regarding campus life. After both these things, they have to answer a question by combining information from both the activities. In task III, candidates listen to an academic course lecture and then answer a question about what they heard in the audio.
List of TOEFL Speaking Topics
There are multiple topics that candidates might get in TOEFL Speaking Exam. The popular TOEFL speaking topics to help candidates get an idea of the types of TOEFL Speaking sample questions are.
- Who is the closest family member? Describe them and explain why you feel close to them.
- Talk about your family and describe what sort of activities you all enjoy doing together and why.
- Talk about an important national holiday in your country.
- Describe some significant features of a restaurant or cafe that you like.
- Specify your favourite tourism attraction in your city or country.
- Do you agree that male and female students should have separate residence halls?
- What TV programs do you like watching? Entertainment or education?
- Talk about a teacher or guide who had the most positive influence on your life.
- Describe a moment in your life where you experienced success. Also, talk about why was it a success for you
- Describe any one of the best moments of your life.
- Describe a place in your city that you often like to visit.
- Childhood is the happiest time in one’s life. Do you agree?
- Describe any of the work experiences you have had before.
- Which mode would you like to prepare for your final project? (1) presentation (2) creating a video (3) writing a paper.
- Would you work in a profession where you are required to work in a group?
- Which is that one event from your life you would like to revisit once? Describe what was so special in that.
- Describe your favourite recreational activity and talk about why you love it.
- Which of the smartphone functions are most useful to the students? (1) recording lectures (2) listening to
- Your friend from another country is coming to visit you. Which tourist attraction would you take them to?
- Do you agree that students should spend more time learning outside the classroom than learning inside the classrooms?
- “It is never too late to get a degree.” Do you agree with this statement?
- Recall one such difficulty that you overcame in your life. Describe your experience.
- Some people prefer buying a used book while some people prefer buying new books. Which one would you prefer?
- If you are going to purchase an expensive product, will you borrow the money to buy it, save the money and then purchase the item?
- Who is the most intelligent person you know in your life? Describe them and explain why you think they are intelligent.
TOEFL Independent Speaking Topics
In TOEFl speaking question 1, candidates are given situations or options and are asked to choose only one of them. The candidates are then asked to explain why they chose one option over the other. Candidates must prepare their responses in the first 15 seconds and then explain the choice they made in the next 45 seconds. Their answer’s score doesn't depend on their chosen option, instead, it depends on the way the candidates' can explain their choices in a small time period.
Some sample topics of the TOEFL independent speaking task are:
- Your life
- Family/People/Friends
- Food
- Country
- Sports
- Video Games
- Entertainment
- Fast Food
- Travel
- Work
- Internet
- Studies.
Moreover, the TOEFL Independent Speaking topics can also be categorised on the basis of question types. Examples of the type are;
- Agree or disagree
- Choosing one over the other
- Three-choice questions
The samples about all these types are provided below.
TOEFL Speaking Topics: Agree/Disagree Question Type
Some TOEFL speaking samples of the Agree or Disagree section are provided here. TOEFL Speaking questions type have been mentioned below:
- Do you agree or disagree that it is important for young people to learn domestically important skills like cooking, cleaning and sewing?
- Due to technological advancement, some people think that libraries will disappear? Do you agree or disagree with this?
- Some people think that students should have a job while they are studying in school? Do you agree or disagree?
TOEFL Speaking Topics: Three Choice Question Type
Some examples of the Three Choice Question type of TOEFL Speaking Topics have been mentioned below. Candidates need to select one TOEFl speaking answer among the three.
- Three kinds of activities will be available on a special day organised by the International Student office. Which one would you prefer?
(1) International book fair
(2) International music festival
(3) International food fair.
- Which of the following do you think has the highest amount of impact on environmental protection?
(1) Individual effort
(2) Awareness NGOs or groups
(3) Governmental regulations.
- A TV show is going to be started that relates to students. Which show would you prefer to watch?
(1) School life comedy
(2) Interview school leaders
(3) Debates on political and social topics among students.
TOEFL Integrated Speaking Topics
There are a total of three integrated tasks in the TOEFL Exam Speaking Section. The individual explanation about all three integrated tasks of TOEFL Speaking test are mentioned below:
First Integrated Task Topics:
The topic for the TOEFL First Integrated task is campus life, which is further divided into three parts.
- Candidates need to read a short passage on campus life
- Listen to a conversation between two people about the same topic
Candidates have to summarise the opinion shared by the main speaker in 90 seconds. Hence, the task enables the usage of candidates' reading, listening, and speaking skills in this task. Candidates get 30 seconds to prepare their response and 60 seconds to complete it, in this task.
Second Integrated Task Topics:
The Second Integrated task of TOEFL Exam Speaking section is not on the same topic as the first task, as it is based on an academic topic. Examples of TOEFL exam speaking topics used in this integrated task are
- Social science
- Arts
- Physical science
- Life science
- Humanities.
The Second Integrated task is also divided into three parts. Firstly, the candidates need to
- read a short passage on an academic topic
- listen to a lecture on the topic
After both these things, candidates have to summarise the passage and lecture. Like the first integrated one, this task also checks candidates’ reading, speaking, and listening skills in 90 seconds. Candidates get 30 seconds to prepare their response and 60 seconds to complete it, in this task.
Third Integrated Task Topics:
The Third Integrated Task is also based on TOEFl exam speaking topics such as
- life science
- physical science
- social science.
However, the difference in this task is that it is divided into two parts only. In this integrated task, candidates must listen to a lecture and summarise it.
In the Third Integrated task, the listening and speaking skills of candidates' are used. Candidates get 20 seconds for the TOEFL preparation of their response and 60 seconds for completion of their response.
TOEFL Speaking Tips And Tricks
Some important TOEFL Speaking Tips And Tricks to use for TOEFL Exam Speaking section are:
- Candidates appearing for the TOEFL Exam must practise well for the exam. Using TOEFL Speaking sample answers and sharpening English skills are the key points to prepare well for the examination.
- Candidates must remain relaxed and confident during the exam by having faith in their abilities. This would really help the candidate to focus on what you’re speaking and concentrate better on the answers.
- Candidates must make the best use of their imagination while giving answers during the TOEFL Exam Speaking Test.
Books for TOEFL Speaking Topics
The preparation books candidates use is a major factor influencing the TOEFL Speaking Section performance. These books provide TOEFL Speaking topics with answers. Thus, it is important to choose the best preparation books as per your individual preferences. Some of the top TOEFL Preparation books are;
- Kaplan TOEFL iBT Premier 2016-2017 with 4 TOEFL Practice Tests
- ETS Official Guide to the TOEFL Test (4th Edition
- Practice Exercises for the TOEFL with MP3 CD
- 240 Speaking Topics: With Sample Answers (Volume 2)
- 240 Writing Topics: with Sample Essays
- Cracking the TOEFL iBT (2016-2017) Edition
TOEFL Speaking Topics includes various genres. Candidates should be aware of all the genres and the topics that they might hear during the exam. They also need to think fast and speak on the topics with correct grammar and pronunciation. There are multiple resources available online for the candidates to practice TOEFL Speaking topics.
FAQs
Ques: What are the 4 question types in the TOEFL Speaking section?
Ques: How long does each question type last?
Ques: What are the main scoring criteria?
Ans:The main scoring criteria in TOEFL Speaking are Fluency, Grammar & Vocabulary, Delivery, Content & Development. You will be judged on all these aspects to make sure that you get the proper score.
Ques: How can I show a range of vocabulary in TOEFL Speaking?
Ques: What examples can I use in TOEFL Speaking?
Ques: How should I organize my response in TOEFL Speaking?
Ques: How important is taking notes in IELTS Speaking?
Ques: Do I need to repeat everything from the lecture and reading?
Ques: How can I connect the lecture and reading?
Ques: Should I memorize the details in the reading and speaking section passage?
Ques: Can I disagree with the passage?
Ques: How important is speaking speed in TOEFL Speaking section?
Ques: What about pronunciation in TOEFL Speaking?
Ques: Should I use pauses and silence while speaking in TOEFL?
Ques: How can I show strong points in my Independent Speaking response?
Ans: To show your strong points and skills, you must use transition words, signal phrases. You must also have a clear beginning, middle, and end. This will impress the listener as the points and the speaking will be clear.
Ques: What kind of reading passage will I see in Integrated Speaking?
Ans: The types of reading passages that you will see in Integrated speaking tasks include academic texts, short articles, graphs, charts etc. You must practice all types of passages since the question is randomly selected.
Ques: What types of conversations will I hear in Listening-based Speaking?
Ans:In the Listening based speaking sections of the TOEFL Exam, you will hear student discussions, academic presentations, phone calls, conversations between people etc. You must improve your capability to listen since these conversations might be of any accent.
Ques: What are some good ways to practice speaking English for the TOEFL?
Ans:Some good ways to practice TOEFL speaking english are talking to native speakers, record yourself speaking, and practice answering actual TOEFL sample questions. You can practice infront of the mirror which will boost your confidence.
Ques: Can I speak softly in the TOEFL Speaking test?
Ans:You should not speak softly during the TOEFL speaking test. Tou should speak clearly and loud enough for the microphone to pick up your voice. This will help the examiner score you properly. if any part of your speech is missing or cant be heared, your scores can be deducted.
Ques: What happens if I make a mistake during the test?
Ans:There is nothing to worry if you make a mistake during the test. Everyone makes mistakes. You must keep speaking and try to rephrase if needed. Stopping in between the speech can harm your overall TOEFL scores.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.