The TOEFL iBT® Test: Improving Your Speaking Skills

Advice for Speaking
Skill: Speaking about Campus Situations
Performance Level: Good
Score Range: 26–30

1. Look for opportunities to build your fluency in English.
   • Take risks and engage others in conversation in English whenever possible.
   • Join an Internet chat room.
2. Listen to the radio, and watch TV and movies. Pay attention to idiomatic usage of the language and different accents or speech patterns that are used.
   • Write down new expressions you hear. Try to use the expressions in your everyday English conversations.
   • Choose a character from a film or TV show. Repeat the character's words, following the intonation patterns, as he or she speaks. Include the gestures or other body language of the character you are imitating.
3. Practice speaking for a limited time on different topics without a lot of preparation. Time your responses to questions.
   • Make a list of questions on topics that interest you (for example, hypothetical situations or academic topics). Answer each of the questions aloud. Try to speak for at least one minute.
4. Use books that come with audio recordings to study pronunciation, stress, and intonation in English.