TOEFL Speaking: Four Tasks, One Clear Message
The four tasks
Speaking lasts about 17 minutes. Task 1 is independent (15 seconds prep, 45 seconds speaking) and asks for an opinion. Tasks 2 and 3 are integrated: read a short text, hear a related conversation or lecture, then speak for 60 seconds. Task 4 asks you to summarize a lecture after 20 seconds of prep and 60 seconds of speech. Responses are scored on delivery, language use, and topic development.
Concepts to master
- Topic development: one clear main idea, two supporting details, and an explicit connection between them.
- Delivery: an intelligible pace and controlled pauses; accents are acceptable, but unclear pronunciation is not.
- Language use: accurate basic grammar and varied vocabulary beat ambitious sentences full of errors.
- Note structure: use prep time to write five to seven keywords, not full sentences.
Traps
- Memorized templates that ignore the prompt's specifics.
- In Tasks 2 and 3, summarizing the reading instead of the conversation or lecture.
- Running out of time, so the response has no conclusion or trails off mid-sentence.
- Long silences while perfecting grammar; self-correct briefly and keep going.
- In Task 4, omitting the professor's examples, which carry most of the score.
Worked example: Task 1
Prompt: Should universities require community service? Prep notes: Yes. 1) practical skills. 2) civic ties. Ex: food bank. Response: I think universities should require community service. First, students gain practical skills they cannot learn in a classroom. For example, volunteering at a food bank taught me to coordinate a team under time pressure. Second, it builds lasting ties between students and the local community.
Rule of thumb: state your position in the first sentence, signal each reason with first and second, and spend the final seconds on one concrete example.
Practice loop
Record 45 seconds, transcribe it, and mark every backtrack and filler. Fix one habit per week.