TOEFL iBT
OVERVIEW
The TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) tests all 4 language skills that are
important for effective communication: speaking, listening,
reading, and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that
they are able to use English in an academic setting. There are
4 sections that make up the complete test. The Speaking
section evaluates a person's ability to use spoken English, and
the integrated Writing and Speaking tasks measure the ability
to combine information from more than 1 source and communicate
about it. The integrated tasks will ask test takers to 1) read,
listen, and then speak in response to a question; 2) listen and
then speak in response to a question; or 3) read, listen, and
then write in response to a question.
READING SECTION
In the READING SECTION, you will read 3 to
5 passages (approximately 700 words in length) and answer
12-14 reading comprehension questions per passage. Most
questions are worth 1 point, but the last question in each set
is worth more than 1 point. The directions indicate how many
points you may receive. The TOEFL iBT test includes 3 basic
categories of academic texts. The categories are based on the
author's objectives: exposition (material that provides an
explanation of a topic), argumentation (material that presents a
point of view about a topic and provides evidence to support it),
or historical biographical/event narrative (an account of a past
event or of a person's life, narrated or written by someone
else). You do not need any special background knowledge to
correctly answer the questions in the Reading section; all the
information needed to answer the questions is contained in the
passages. There are 2 new types of questions. Reading to learn
questions test your ability to recognize how the passage is
organized and understand the relationships among facts and ideas
in different parts of the passage. You should sort information
and place the text options provided into a category chart or
summary. The summary questions are worth up to 2 points each. The
chart questions are worth up to 3 points if there are 5
options presented, and are worth up to 4 points if there are
7 options presented. Partial credit is given for this
question format. Paraphrase questions are in multiple-choice
format. They test your ability to select the answer choice that
most accurately paraphrases a sentence from the passage. Some
passages include a word or phrase that is underlined in blue. You
can click on the word or phrase to see a definition or an
explanation. You can skip questions and go back to them later as
long as long as there is time remaining. You can click on Review
at any time and the review screen will show you which questions
you have answered and which you have not. From this review
screen, you may go directly to any question you have already seen
in the reading section.
LISTENING SECTION
The LISTENING SECTION measures the ability to
understand spoken English from North America and other
English-speaking countries. In academic environments students
need to listen to lectures and conversations. The possible
purposes for academic listening include 1) listening for basic
comprehension, which involves the ability to comprehend the main
idea, major points, and important details related to the main
idea; 2) listening for pragmatic understanding, which requires
the listener to recognize a speaker's attitude or degree of
certainty and to recognize a speaker's function or purpose; and
3) connecting and synthesizing information, which involves the
ability to recognize the organization of information presented,
understand the relationships between ideas presented (for
example, compare-and-contrast, cause-and-effect, or steps in a
process), make inferences and draw conclusions based on what is
implied in the listening material, make connections among pieces
of information in a conversation or lecture, recognize topic
changes, examples, digressions, aside statements, in lectures and
conversations, recognize introductions and conclusions in
lectures. Listening materials in the new test include 4-6
academic lectures (3-5 minutes long each, about 500-800 words in
each, with 6 questions per lecture) and 2-3 long conversations
(about 3 minutes long each, about 12-25 exchanges in each, with 5
questions per conversation) in which the speech sounds very
natural. You can take notes on any listening material throughout
the entire test. After testing, notes are collected and shredded
before the test taker leaves the test center. A lecture in the
TOEFL iBT test may be either a monologue by a professor or an
interactive lecture with 1 or 2 students asking questions or
making comments. 1 lecture per test is spoken with a British or
Australian accent. The conversations on the TOEFL iBT test may
take place during an office hour with a professor or teaching
assistant, or it may be with a registrar, housing director,
librarian, bookstore employee, departmental secretary, etc.
Pictures on the computer screen help test takers imagine the
setting and the roles of the speakers. After the listening
material is played, test takers both see and hear each question
before they see the answer choices. This encourages them to
listen for main ideas. There are 4 question formats in the
Listening section: 1) traditional multiple-choice questions with
4 answer choices and a single correct answer, 2)
multiple-choice questions with more than 1 answer (e.g., 2
answers out of 4 or more choices), 3) questions that require
test takers to order events or steps in a process, 4) questions
that require test takers to match objects or text to categories
in a chart.
SPEAKING SECTION
In the SPEAKING SECTION, you will be able to
demonstrate your ability to speak about a variety of topics. You
will answer 6 questions by speaking into the microphone. The
duration of the section is around 20 minutes. In questions 1
and 2 (independent speaking tasks; preparation time: 15
seconds; response time: 45 seconds), you will speak about
familiar topics. Your response will be scored on your ability to
speak clearly and coherently about the topics. In questions 3
and 4 (integrated speaking tasks; preparation time: 30
seconds, response time: 60 seconds), you will first read a short
text. The text will go away and you will then listen to a talk on
the same topic. You will then be asked a question about what you
have read and heard. You will need to combine appropriate
information from the test and the talk to provide a complete
answer to the question. Your response will be scored on your
ability to speak clearly and coherently and on your ability to
accurately convey information about what you read and heard. In
questions 5 and 6 (integrated speaking tasks; preparation
time: 20 seconds; response time: 60 seconds), you will listen to
part of a conversation or a lecture. You will then be asked a
question about what you heard. Your response will be scored on
your ability to speak clearly and coherently and on your ability
to accurately convey information about what you heard. You may
take notes while you read and while you listen to the
conversations and lectures. You may use your notes to help
prepare your response. You should listen carefully to the
directions for each question. The directions will not be written
on the screen. For each question you will be given a short time
to prepare your response. A clock will show how much preparation
time is remaining. When the preparation time is up, you will be
told to begin your response. A clock will show how much response
time is remaining. A message will appear on the screen when the
response time has ended. For all speaking tasks, test takers use
headsets with a microphone. Test takers speak into the microphone
to record their responses. All responses will be digitally
recorded and transmitted to ETS's Online Scoring Network where
human scorers will rate them. The scorers are carefully monitored
for accuracy, so test takers and score recipients can be assured
of the reliability of the Speaking scores. The responses from
each test taker are scored by at least 3 different human
raters. In addition, some of the tasks are scored by 2 raters
in order to check the reliability of the ratings. The response
for each task is rated on a scale of 0 to 4 according to the
standards (rubrics). The average of all six ratings is converted
to a scaled score of 0 to 30. Raters evaluate the test taker's
ability in topic development, delivery, and language use. For
topic development, raters consider whether the test taker has
addressed the task and conveyed relevant information. They also
consider whether the test taker has effectively synthesized and
summarized the information in the integrated tasks. Raters
evaluate if the delivery of the response is clear and smooth, and
whether the delivery is consistent throughout the response for
overall intelligibility. Lastly, raters evaluate the range and
accuracy of the test taker's vocabulary and grammar.
WRITING SECTION
The WRITING SECTION measures test takers'
ability to write in an academic environment. In English-speaking
academic situations, students need to present their ideas through
clear, well-organized writing. The total time for the Writing
section is 50 minutes. At the beginning of the section, make sure
your headset is on. Test takers write their responses to 2
writing tasks. For the first, integrated, writing task, you will
read a short passage of about 230-300 words (3 minutes' reading
time) on an academic topic and listen to a speaker discussing the
same topic from a different perspective. The listening passage is
about 230-300 words long (or about 2 minutes' listening time).
The listening passage provides additional information that
relates to points made in the reading passage; test takers may
take notes on the listening passage. Then you will be asked to
write a summary in connected English prose of important points
made in the listening passage and explain how these relate to the
points made in the reading passage. Suggested response length is
150-225 words; however, there is no penalty for writing more, as
long as it is in response to the task presented. For the second,
independent, writing task, you will be asked to write an essay
about a topic of general interest based on your own knowledge and
experience. This is the same type of task on the computer-based
TOEFL and the Test of Written English (TWE). An effective essay
will usually contain a minimum of 300 words; however, test takers
may write more if they wish. Test takers need to develop support
for their opinions or choices, rather than simply listing
personal preferences or choices. Typical essay questions begin
with statements such as: "Do you agree or disagree with the
following statement? Use reasons and specific details to support
your answer." or "Some people believe X. Other people believe Y.
Which of these 2 positions do you prefer/agree with? Give
reasons and specific details."
The responses to all Writing tasks are sent to ETS's Online
Scoring Network. Each task is rated by 2 human raters on a
score scale of 0 to 5 according to the standards (rubrics). If
the 2 ratings differ by more than 1 point, a third rater
evaluates the response and resolves the score. The average of the
scores on the 2 writing tasks is converted to a scaled score of
0 to 30. The response to the integrated writing task is scored on
the quality of writing (organization, appropriate and precise use
of grammar and vocabulary) and the completeness and accuracy of
the content. The independent writing essay is scored on the
overall quality of the writing: development, organization, and
appropriate and precise use of grammar and vocabulary.
BREAK / OTHER INFORMATION
A mandatory 10-minute BREAK is scheduled between the Listening and the Speaking
sections. If you exceed the time allotted, you may be dismissed or your score may be canceled.
To leave your seat at any time other than the break, raise your hand. Timing of the test section
will not stop. If you must leave the testing room, you are required to show the administrator your
identification document(s) before you leave the room and when you return. You cannot have access to your
cellphone during the test or during breaks.
There will be directions for each section which explain how to
answer the questions in that section. The directions can be
dismissed by clicking on the Dismiss Directions icon.
You should work quickly but carefully on the
Listening and Reading
questions. Some questions are more difficult than others, but try
to answer each of them to the best of your ability. If you are not
sure of the answer to a question, make the best guess that you
can. The questions that you answer by speaking and writing are
each separately timed. Try to answer each of these questions
as completely as possible in the time allowed.