Kaplan's English/TOEFL Edge

In this issue: TOEFL Practice TOEFL Vocabulary		Sponsored by www.kaplanenglish.com. Test-Taking Tips and Strategies By now you are all aware that the TOEFL* iBT includes a completely new section: the Speaking section. This section includes six different tasks, each requiring you to give a spoken response of either 45 or 60 seconds. These six tasks can be divided into two main task types: Independent Speaking: You respond to a prompt that asks about your opinion, personal experience, or general knowledge. Integrated Speaking: You respond by speaking about information presented in a listening passage alone or a listening and reading passage that refer to the same topic. Let's look in more detail at the Independent Speaking task. There is no right or wrong answer to these prompts. You will be asked about your own opinions and knowledge. Some examples of this task type are: Which do you think is more important, having enough free time to enjoy your own hobbies or working hard to attain a luxurious lifestyle? What characteristics make a friendship last? You will have 15 seconds to prepare your response, then 45 seconds to respond to the prompt. The raters will take into account the following when evaluating your response: Topic development Delivery Language use You may wonder how you can prepare for this new section of the TOEFL. One simple way is to become familiar with the time limits. Know how long (or short) 15 seconds lasts when you are thinking about a topic, especially under testing conditions. Also, practice delivering a response within the 45-second time allotment. For an idea of what the questions will be like, you can look online for TOEFL writing prompts. The Independent Speaking prompts will be very similar to the old TOEFL writing topics. Dormitory Life Imagine the following Independent Speaking task: Should freshmen at a university be required to live in dormitories on campus? Give your answer and explain why you think this is so. A good response to this prompt would: 1. Include a statement of your opinion 2. Develop several points that support your opinion 3. Use language structures that you have mastered 4. All of the above delivery (noun) The manner in which a speech is presented to an audience While John's history presentation received a high mark for content, it got a poor mark for delivery because he spoke too softly, halted between phrases, and did not make eye contact with the audience.   Back to Top The Correct Answer to the Question above is: (4) Both stating and developing your opinion is required when responding to an Independent Speaking task like the one above. Using language that is within your capability is important. Don't try to use language structures that are too difficult for you to comfortably express. Back to Top Making Subscription Changes: You are receiving this email newsletter from Kaplan because you are currently a subscriber. To modify or cancel your subscription to the Kaplan Edge, go to http://www.kaptest.com/edge_modify.jhtml. If you need additional help, please visit kaptest.com/contactus. *TOEFL® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service.
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