- +79055367864
- США, Штат Нью Йорк.
- tcb1786@yahoo.com
- info@englishyou.ru
- What's up: +13157511678. , Telegram: Marianna Bradley. +13157511678.
Learn English with confidence
TOEFL Speaking Section - Independent speaking Tasks
There are two tasks in TOEFL Independent Speaking Part. The first independent speaking task question is a free-choice question. In other words, you have to choose one of many possible choices.
In speaking task 2, there are only two choices and you have to pick one. There’s no use trying to prepare for the subject because the question could be about anything.
T h e Q u e s t i o n s :
Qualities/Characteristics
What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (teacher/neighbor/roommate/friend)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.
Compare/Contrast
When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support you answer with supporting details.
Agree/Disagree
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Telephones and email have made communication between people less personal. Use specific examples to support your opinion.
Advantages/Disadvantages
The city council of your hometown has decided to add a new tax on plastics to reduce pollution. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this and whether you believe it’s a good decision.
General Opinion
What do you consider to be the most important room in the house where you grew up? Why was this room more important to you than any other room? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
How to present examples
The one-example response is better for the independent speaking because:
1. When you tell a personal example you tell a story. Every good story should have a beginning, middle and end. It’s hard to tell two well-developed stories in less than 45 seconds.
2. If you have just one example you can add more details, which will make your story more interesting.
3. You don’t have to rush through the speaking part if you just give one reason and one personal example. It’s easier to give a clear and natural introduction which will lead you into a personal example with a beginning, middle and end.
Make sure you finish your response somewhere between the 40-45 second mark.
How can I make my examples
- So to answer the question, you can make your personal examples both better and longer by thinking of more details to add.
- If you’re not sure how to add details, consider the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Structure
Introduction
- Restate the topic/Present your opinion
Body
- Reason 1 - Example/Specific detail
- Reasin 2 - Example/Specific detail
Conclusion
- Restate what you've said.
EXAMPLE
What do you consider to be the most important room in the house where you grew up? Why was this room more important than any other room? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Introduction.
“To me, the living room was the most important room in the house where I grew up because it had a big, comfortable sofa.”
Body Paragraphs
Example
When/Where/Who. I remember growing up in our house on Long Island. I had two brothers and we each had our own room.
Preblem. We were all very protective of our space. I wouldn’t let my brothers into my room and they wouldn’t let me into theirs.
Why/Opinion. However, the one thing we didn’t argue about was the sofa. We each had our own designated spot.
How. Greg would sit on the left, Chris in the middle and me on the right.
Connection to topic. The living room was the only room in the house that brought us together.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Useful expressions
Giving opinion/ Expressing Opinion:
- In my opinion/ In my view…
- My view is that/ My point of view is that…
- I reckon/ I feel/ Personally speaking…
- As far as I am concerned…
- It seems to me that…
- Well, I would say...
- I would like to point out...
- If you want my opinion…
- The way I look it…
- As I see it…
- The point I am trying to make is…
- I think/believe that…
- I suppose/ presume/ would say…
- I think most people would agree that…
- I believe it is hard to deny that…
- I strongly believe that…
- I think none would deny that…
Examples:
1. In my opinion, we should encourage children to have more outdoor activities than playing computer games.
2. Personally speaking, the trend has changed to a great extent than that of our forefathers’ era.
3. I would like to point out that having a part-time job is advantageous from various aspects.
4. The way I look it is a waste of time and resource which could have been better utilized in academic fields.
5. The point I am trying to make is that it is not entirely our fault
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Giving an explanation:
- Well, the reason is…
- Well, the thing is…
- What I mean is…
- The reason for this is…
Examples:
1. Well, the reason is technology that has revolutionised the way we contact others.
2. Well, the thing is I have observed some of these people closely and they all have something in common- hard work and passion.
3. What I mean is healthcare is a basic human right and the government must allocate proper budget to establish sufficient healthcare centres and employ experienced doctors and nurses.
Exercise: Give your opinion and explanation for the following topics
- When a man takes a woman to dinner, should he pay or should they go "dutch"? (Each pays for him/herself.)
- Should cell phones be prohibited in schools?
- Should you give money to people begging in the street or on the subway?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Giving an Example:
- Take ………., for example…
- A good example of this is…
- To give an example…
- I can give a relevant example here…
- Look at…….., for instance.
- I rememeber......
Examples:
1. Take my country, for example, where most of the people still believe in strong family ties and support each other no matter what.
2. A good example of this is cricket fans who not only follow every single tournament of their favourite team, their own country in this case, but many of them appear on the stadium to cheer up and support the entire team.
3. To give an example, such professionals not only makes an extensive amount of money but also have a great influence on their fans.
4. Look at famous artefacts, for example in London that attracts a great number of tourists each year.
Exercise: Give an example for the following topics
- When a man takes a woman to dinner, should he pay or should they go "dutch"? (Each pays for him/herself.)
- Should cell phones be prohibited in schools?
- Should you give money to people begging in the street or on the subway?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Agreeing with an opinion:
- I quite agree…
- I completely agree that…
- I could not agree more…
- I entirely/totally agree
Examples:
1. I quite agree that music choice by the young generation is often considered tasteless by the senior citizens.
2. I completely agree that it is our responsibility to save the endangered species.
5. I entirely/totally agree that the way we are treating them is a shame.
Disagreeing with an opinion:
- I possess a different view…
- I must disagree with the view that…
- I believe/ see it otherwise…
- I am inclined to oppose the view that…
- I don’t quite agree that…
- Well, that’s one way to look at that, but…
- I am not quite so sure that…
Examples:
1.I possess a different view and feel that ordinary citizens like us have a much greater role here.
2. That’s one way to look at that,but my experience has taught me that I should plan beforehand rather than ruing it.
3. Well, it depends, and from my personal experience, I can say that such activities are really helpful.
4. I am not quite so sure that I would contradict my parents on issues like that.
Exercise: Agree or disagree with the following statements:
- The best way to get to know a culture is through its food.” Do you agree or disagree?
- The internet has made cheating much easier for students, and students of today actually learn less than students who learned before the internet.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Expressing certainty:
- I am absolutely convinced that…
- There is no denying that…
- Nobody will deny that…
- It is a fact that…
- Undeniably
Examples:
1. I am absolutely convinced that money may be important to purchase things but not to buy happiness.
2. It is a fact that many countries are struggling to fight corruption and citizens have a great role to play here.
3. Undeniably, education makes the difference and that’s why the government has to increase its budget allocation for this sector.
Exercise: Express certainty
- Should marijuana be legalized?
- In Mexico there are "pink" taxis, only for women driven by women. Is this good or bad?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Introducing other ideas/contrasting ideas:
- On the other hand…
- On the contrary…
- To look at it another way…
- From a different perspective…
- From a different point of view…
Examples:
1. On the contrary, youngsters have fresh ideas and a much better understanding of the technology.
2. On the other hand, some people oppose this view.
3. From a different perspective, those tourists contribute a lot to the national economy.
Exercise. Introduce another idea:
1. When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support you answer with supporting details.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Advantages statements
Lead-in Phrase:
- Well I suppose that there are quite a few clear benefits.
- Clearly there are a number of obvious merits.
- Sure there are few favorable aspects.
- Obviously there are a number of positive features.
Advantage Phrase:
- But I would probably say that for the most part —
- However, I guess that the most evident point would be that ——
- It goes without saying that the most apparent feature would be that —-
- Although I guess that the most visible benefit would be that —–
Second Advantage Phrase:
- Besides this, the second plus point could be that —-
- At the same time the second bonus might be that —–
- As well as this, a further favorable aspect would be that —–
Example:
1. I suppose that there are quite a few clear benefits. But I would probably say that for the most part it is very comfortable. Besides this, the second plus point could be that it is safe.
2. Obviously there are a number of positive features.But it goes without saying that the most apparent point would be that it is very rewarding. This is undoubtedly positive for the simple reason that it brings a success. . Besides this, the second plus point could be that career developement .
Exercise. Discuss the advantages
The city council of your hometown has decided to add a new tax on plastics to reduce pollution. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this and whether you believe it’s a good decision.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Disadvantages statements
Basic Structure: 1
I think it’s fair to say that there are few negative aspects. Unquestionably, the most adverse feature would be ———–. Most people would agree that this is problematic since ———-.
Example
1. I think it’s fair to say that there are a few negative aspects. Unquestionably, the most adverse feature would be that travelling by air is not cost effective. Most people would agree that this is problematic since not everybody could afford that.
Basic Structure: 2
I think it’s fair to say that there are a few negative aspects. I suppose the most unfavorable feature might be that ———. This is a clear limitation. At the same time, another stumbling block might be that ———-.
Example
I think it’s fair to say that there are a few negative aspects. I suppose the most unfavorable feature might be that it is pretty expensive. This is a clear limitation, since only the rich have access to good quality machines. At the same time, another stumbling block might be that it might cause some health disorders.
Exercise. Discuss the advantages
The city council of your hometown has decided to add a new tax on plastics to reduce pollution. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this and whether you believe it’s a good decision.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Полезный материал на все разделы TOEFL
В данном разделе представлен полезный материал по всем разделам экзамена TOEFL: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing,