In each of the following episodes, I have included two TOEFL Independent Question One responses. There are many ways you could practice with these recordings in order to develop your speaking without a partner:
Read the question and try your answer by recording yourself on your smartphone’s voice recorder app. Listen back and make note of any slips and long pauses. Then, record again and compare the second recording to the first.
You could also listen to the model answer from the podcast and mimic the phrasing, intonation and pronunciation.
If you want to challenge yourself to copy the accent, you might decide if you want to adopt an accent when you speak English, or if you prefer not to.
Thank you for listening! Please subscribe on Apple Podcast or Spotify where you can download the episodes and listen while you’re on the go 🙂
I’ve published model answers to TOEFL Independent Speaking Questions every Monday in this month. Each episode features two model answers. I’ve also published video transcriptions to my Instagram.
Question 1: Which do you think is more helpful to the students: internet materials or textbook materials? Why do you think so?
Question 2: Some people like to do indoor activities in their free time, and others prefer to enjoy outdoor activities; which do you prefer and why?
Question 1: Some people believe it’s essential for a person’s education to learn to play a musical instrument. Others don’t believe music education is important. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.
Question 2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All children should be required to learn a second language in school.
Question 1: When some people visit a city or country for the first time, they prefer to take an organized tour. Other people prefer to explore new places on their own. Which do you prefer and why?
Question 2: When looking for information for a research project, some students prefer to get their information mainly form the Internet. Others prefer to mainly use printed materials such as books and academic journals. Which do you prefer, and why?
Get used to the computer-based test, especially the 10 question types for reading and listening.
Use TEDtalks for listening practice. TED.com is a great resource for three reasons:
It’s got lots, and lots of materials.
It’s free.
There’s an interactive transcript.
These three reasons make it the single best resource for learning in English on the Internet.
Speaking
Practice audio-recording your speaking with the strict time limit.
And learn to maximize the time in speaking.
Writing
Practice writing essays that follow the standard format for each type of writing.
And learn to touch-type so that you can write faster on the laptop, and thereby write a long and more accurate essay.
Grammar
For higher scores in writing and speaking, learn how to use complex sentence structures including dependent clauses, adjective clauses, and prepositional phrases.
Learn how to show the connections between your ideas by using linking and reference words.
Sleep quality and well-being
Understand that anxiety is normal when taking tests.
Sleep well every night of the week before your test.
This will be easier if you make time for 30-minutes of intense exercise every day.
Essay writing…hmm. I’ve gotten stuck. The brainstorming time was supposed to help me focus my thoughts but it didn’t. Now what?
Time to start a body paragraph. Skip the topic sentence and just go for a reason. I need to pass this test. And, for my example… a high score is going to help me get into a better school. But, that’s not enough. I actually need to learn English!
How am I ever going to do that? TED.com … On the other hand, perhaps this paragraph should be about money. Scholarships! Sure… just write another perfect essay. But, that’s got to be about me, and what have I got to say that is going to really make my application stand out?
I’ve been writing a standard five-paragraph essay, and the best part is yet to come! The easy thing about writing an application essay is that it’s all about myself… j/k. What can I say about me? OMG, as if this essay hasn’t been challenging enough already!
Practice! I probably should stick to what I know. I could do a little research if I get stuck. But, the most important thing is just to get started. I’ll check my work when I’ve finished. All the spelling and punctuation has to be perfect. Is it long enough? Are my ideas well-connected? Have I used paragraphing adequately?
Yes! That means this is my last paragraph. And it only took me twenty-five minutes. So, just get started and let it flow!
The reading provides three reasons why online encyclopedias are not as good as traditional encyclopedias. However, the professor in the lecture disagrees with the points in the reading for several reasons.
To begin, while the errors in online encyclopedias may number more than traditional encyclopedias, they are more easily corrected than published encyclopedias. Online documents are, in a sense, living documents. Editors can make revisions when new information comes out and incorporate these changes in real time.
Changes to online encyclopedias by hackers can happen. While this is a concern put forward in the reading, the lecturer handily counters by stating that editors monitor changes, and that crucial facts are protected within the website through read-only formatting. Whereas researchers may come upon altered information in online encyclopedias, these malicious attacks are prevented and corrected for by the editorial staff of the online encyclopedias.
Finally, the significance of information is questioned in the reading, but the lecturer again debunks the claim by explaining that traditional print encyclopedias have limited space, over which an editorial board judges what ought to be included. However, there is no limit to the space of online encyclopedias, and the diversity of views and information is the greatest advantage that the online version offers as it reflects the much broader interests of the public than published encyclopedias ever could.
In the past month or so, I have begun recording sample answers to TOEFL iBT Speaking Question 1. This series of podcasts contains 2 or 3 sample answers each episode. I am continuing to publish more every Monday to Apple Podcast and Spotify. I have also created videos which I have published to my Instagram.
Some people think that family members are the most important influence on young adults. Others believe that friends are the most important influence. Which do you agree with?
Some students would prefer to live with roommates. Others would prefer to live alone. Which option would you prefer?
Some people prefer to go to the movie theatre; others prefer to stream a movie online. Which do you think is better?
Some think the college experience is essential; others think it is not. What is your opinion?
Some people like to watch action movies; others prefer to watch comedies. Which type of movie do you prefer?
In the following two episodes, I have shared a first try and a second try. I always try to improve my recordings after a first try. I will rerecord my speeches until the flow is logical and there are no long, awkward pauses.
Many universities now offer academic courses over the internet. However, some people still prefer learning in traditional classrooms. Which do you think is better? Why?
What do you miss most about your home when you are away?
Remember that the time for TOEFL iBT Independent Speaking is 15 seconds for preparation and 45 seconds for speaking. If you go over the time limit, the recording will be cut off in the test.
We read about the large stone structures, or “great houses,” in the Chaco Canyon and the three theories on which their existence is based. The professor in the lecture presents three reasons, one for each theory, as to why the origin of the large houses remains unknown.
The professor begins with the first theory on the structures as apartment buildings. The main flaw in this theory is that while there are indeed many rooms for a large number of inhabitants, there are relatively few fireplaces. If there had been residents, there would have had to have been enough fireplaces for each family.
The second theory proposes that the buildings stored corn. The lecturer explains that there were very few containers among the remains and little corn. Therefore, if these structures were for storage of maize, excavators would have found much more corn and many more ceramic containers.
Third and finally, the professor rebuts the proposal that this had been a ceremonial center. There are many remnants in addition to any possible religious artifacts, and the random distribution of the remains suggests just as likely that this was simply a trash heap.
Beginning in 2019, the new TOEFL iBT is shorter than before. Instead of six questions on the speaking test, there are four questions. The total time is about 20 minutes. Whereas there were two independent tasks before, there is now only one. This is question number one. The other three of the four questions are integrated skills: spoken summaries of reading and/or listening.
In question one, the independent question, the preparation time is 15 seconds, and the response time is 45 seconds. Below are my examples of the basic question types: compare two or three options, agree/disagree and advantages/disadvantages.
Some people enjoy taking risks and trying new things. Others are not adventurous; they are cautious and prefer to avoid danger. Which behavior do you think is better?
Some people think it is more fun to spend time with friends in restaurants or cafes. Others think it is more fun to spend time with friends at home. Which do you think is better?
Imagine that you have just begun studying at a new university. Which of the following do you think would be the best way for you to learn about the new campus?
A. a second-year student gives you a personal tour of the whole campus
B. you are given a detailed map of the campus designed by the student services department
C. you join a group tour of the campus together with all the other new students
If you were going to choose a roommate, which of the following characteristics would be the most important to you?
A. cleanliness
B. friendliness
C. quietness
What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving smartphones to teenagers?
The following video is my live composition of the 30-minute timed essay. The text below the video is the essay I wrote.
The study in this trial of the use of lavender pillows as a remedy for insomnia lasted a period of three weeks, and claims terrific results within that time period; however, the findings do not include any discussion of the limitations of the study, of which there are several.
As all clinical trails do, this study was conducted in a controlled setting where the volunteers were monitored at night time. Controlling the room’s temperature and having standardized accommodations for all the participants would be a minimal expectation. However, lighting and darkness for set times would be one aspect of the study that could significantly improve sleep conditions compared to the participants’ bedrooms at their homes. These situational aspects stand apart from the one modification that was targeted, the lavender pillow. Bringing us to the pillow itself–apart from the scent, how might the pillow be different from standard pillows in size or firmness?
Another major detail that is not presented in the synopsis of the study is whether or not there was a control group in addition to the 30 participants who received the sleep modification of the lavender pillow. Any scientific study of merit would make a point of comparing the targeted modification against a placebo, which in this case would be a substitute for lavender. Perhaps this could be a pillow with a different scent, no scent or an imitation lavender. The aim of testing alternatives and/or an imitation could potentially strengthen the findings of this study significantly if the results support the claim of the researchers.
The three-week time period is a third detail that calls into question the claim that the lavender pillow “cured” the participants’ insomnia. Insomnia, the condition of chronic sleeplessness, is on-going over periods of time much longer than three weeks. Extending this study to a period of several months could greatly support this claim if the results are sustained.
Finally, as sleep enhancers are many in type, the fact that all the participants had already been taking a medication to improve sleep does not make for a good case either. While the three week time period includes gradual adjustments to take the participants off their medications, the fact that the medications continued to be administered at the same time as the introduction of the lavender pillow makes for a weakened argument. Perhaps, commencing environmental changes at the same time prior medications are stopped would strengthen the findings. Combining medications and a secondary aid, like the lavender pillow, present a completely different solution to treating sleeplessness that could be valid. However, it would make a much better argument for this particular study by beginning with the claim that eliminating the need for medication was the main aim of testing the effect of the lavender pillow.
In conclusion, the findings of the study could be strengthened by including in the report exactly how the room was controlled, other details regarding the pillow and by comparing the results to those of a control group that had been given a placebo.
