2019-12-04 TOEFL: overview

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Oxford p. 404-407 - Placebo Effect reading
- On the old test, you would have 20 minutes to read and answer these questions.
- Now, you only have 18 minutes per reading, but there are only 9-10 questions instead of 13-14.
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TOEFL: test of your ability to use English for academic and other college campus situations
- 3.5-4 hours, 4 sections, total score can be from 0 to 120 (each section is worth 30 points)
http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/search-who-accepts-toefl - gives some information about school requirements (but in general, it’s best to check the school website or contact admissions)

1 reading: 54-72 minutes, 3 or 4 passages, 9-10 questions about each passage
2 listening: 40-60 minutes, 2-3 conversations (5Q each) and 3-4 lectures (6Q each)
	(10-minute break)
3 speaking: 17 minutes, 4 tasks, 3m45s of speaking time (recorded on the computer)
4 writing: 55 minutes, 2 tasks, 20+30 minutes of writing time (typed on the computer)
(Exactly one of reading or listening will be long, and the other will be short. The long section will have one reading or 2 listenings that don’t count for your score. They are experimental for ETS. However, you don’t know which questions they are.)
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Timing for each section:
1 one timer with the total time (54 or 72 minutes) - You can manage your time as you like.
2 timer for each set, which only counts while you’re choosing answers
	1 long set (1 conversation, 2 lectures, 10 minutes), 1 or 2 short sets (1 convo, 1 lecture, 6.5 min)
3 timer for reading (if any), timer for preparation, timer for speaking
4 timer for reading (3m) , timers for each writing task (20m and 30m)
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Reading Section
- At first, just skim the passage to catch the main ideas and organization.
- When you answer questions, scan for key words or phrases and then read more carefully for context.
- If you’re not sure of the correct answer, you should at least try to eliminate 1 or 2 wrong answers.
- If you have no idea at all, guess randomly and move on to the next question.
	(You can make a note of questions you guessed, to come back and spend more time later, if you finish early.)
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BREAK
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Reading Question Types:
- fact/detail (1, 5, and 10 on p. 406-407)
- negative fact (3)
- vocabulary (2, 8, 12)
- inference (4, 7) (The reader infers things, the author implies things.)
- purpose (9)
- reference (11) (This is probably not on the test any more, but it’s still a useful skill.)
- paraphrase (question 20 on p. 414)
- sentence insertion (6) - This is the question before the last question.
- summarize (13) - This is always the last question.
- organize/categorize (24 on p. 415) (This is also probably not on the test any more.)
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On reading and listening, questions with 3-4 choices are worth 2 points, questions with 5-6 choices are worth 3, questions with 7-8 are worth 4.
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Listening Question Types:
- main idea (question 1 on p. 427; question 7 on p. 428 is main idea - purpose)
- detail (2)
- purpose (3)
- function/replay (4, 5)
- inference (similar to reading inference questions)
- attitude (9)
- prediction (11)
- complete a chart (17)
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Listening General Advice
- Take notes while you listen. Even if you don’t need them for answering questions, this will help force you to pay attention to the full passage.
- Give yourself about 30 seconds to answer each question. If you can’t decide on one answer in that time, guess and move on.
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Speaking Section - There are now 4 questions, but there used to be 6. Questions 1 and 5 were cut.
1 (old 2) independent, choice-question - 15 seconds to prepare / 45 seconds to speak
2 (old 3) integrated reading/listening/speaking, campus announcement and conversation - 30/60
3 (old 4) integrated R/L/S, academic text and lecture - 30/60
4 (old 6) integrated L/S, academic lecture - 20/60
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Writing Section - This is exactly the same now as it was before August.
1 integrated - read a text, listen to a lecture about the same topic, write about how they relate
	(You will see the text again while you write.)
2 independent - read a choice question prompt, write and support your opinion
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Homework: finish the questions on p. 406-407 about the placebo effect