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Englishraven · 2009 October 27th, 10:32 AM

It appears question 4 in the speaking section of TOEFL causes the most consternation for test takers...

To try and give you some free help and guidance, the following video tutorial has been uploaded to YouTube for full public access (most of my material is filed away for members only, but I've made an exception in this case!):

Speaking Question 4 - Essential Strategies

Hope it proves helpful!

Best wishes,

~ Jason

nicks1772 · 2009 October 30th, 01:55 AM

thanks a lot for the post
nicks

green_bear · 2009 October 30th, 07:13 PM

Thanks a lot Jason!
Well I wish I had known about your website earlier. I thought only the independent tasks require my attention, so didn't really care about the rest. Now after taking several practice tests have I realized that I was totally wrong

Qstn 4 and 6 are really hard

I'm taking the test this Sunday (just one more day to prepare). Jason, could you tell me whether there is a general pattern for the answers of these two qstns? I mean, say in the qstn 4, the number of main points that the prof is supposed to support/refute. (or like in qstn 6, the number of main points in the lecture).
Also, in qstn 5, I wonder whether I should give more time to express my opinion, or to state the problem and the suggestions from the other student

Englishraven · 2009 October 31st, 01:23 AM

Hi green_bear,

Glad you found the video helpful.

As a very general rule, you'll have between 2-3 main ideas to cover in both question 4 and question 6 (usually two, and if three, probably a little shorter for each idea).

For question 5, you'll need about 15-20 seconds to explain the problem, 15-20 seconds to relate the two suggestions, then the rest (20-30 seconds) should be dedicated to your opinion and the reasons for your opinion.

Don't overdo your description of the problem and suggestions, as you won't have enough time to support your own opinion in the matter. Watch your time - if you get to 40 seconds (20 seconds left), make sure you move on and express your own preference and try to support it.

On the other hand, don't over-summarize the problem and suggestions. If it only takes you 15-20 seconds to explain the problem and the two suggestions, you probably haven't given enough detail, and - this being an integrated task - the test assessor may assume you haven't listened all that well!

Most importantly, when you give your own opinion, don't just repeat reasons that were already expressed in the dialogue. Use your own reasons - be original!

Hope that helps - and very best of luck to you for test day!

~ Jason

green_bear · 2009 October 31st, 06:03 AM

Thanks a lot for your advices, and your wish, Jason!
Well in fact I find that qstn 4 is even more challenging than qstn 6, which is perceived by some people as the hardest.
By the way, for qstn 3, do you think it's necessary to state the policy in the reading passage? Or can I just simply include it through explaining the speaker's opinion?
Oh, for qstn 5, do you mean I should come up with a completely new suggestion? I mean, could I just choose one of the two suggestions and explain in my own words?

Thanks a lot Jason!
green_bear

Englishraven · 2009 October 31st, 07:28 AM

- Yes, question 4 is (in my opinion) somewhat harder than question 6

- Yes, for question 3 it is a good idea to summarize the content of the notice, or refer to details in it as you present the person's opinions about it

- NO - you're not supposed to come up with a new suggestion! What I meant was that you shouldn't just repeat the *reasons* you heard the speakers mention alongside the suggestions. Incorporate them into your own reasons for your preference, but stick to a preference of the two suggestions given

:-)

green_bear · 2009 October 31st, 09:56 AM

Again, thanks a lot Jason!

Think i'll just ask a couple more of questions before the test tomorrow :P Well, not related to Speaking though, but i think it's not necessary to put up a new thread in the other section.
For reading part, I normally got no problem except for the last question, about choosing 3 main sentences best describing the introductory sentence. I always got only 2 right out of 3.. My question is, whether I would get 2/3 marks of that question, or nothing at all.

Also, I've just taken the practice test by ETS. There's only 1 reading section there with 20 mins allotted. I wonder, in the real test, whether three 20-mins-section would be assigned, or a 60-mins timing is present for all 3 reading passages. I mean, is it ok if I spend 25 mins for 1 passage, 15 mins for another, and 20 mins for the remaining ? The same questions for listening part as well, as there are only 2 listening sections in the practice test.

Cheers,
green_bear

green_bear · 2009 November 1st, 05:51 AM

I've just been back from the test. Well think it all went well (hope the graders think so as well XD ) Could have done better though. Anw..
Just that I got freaked out by three reading passages of unfamiliar topics so could not spare anytime for review

Then got an additional reading as well..This time did better thanks to the earplug. Hope they will score the latter..
I think I quite messed up Independent Writing. Too overconfident, i think...Then even thought about switching side in the middle of the test :| I ran out of time in the last 10 minutes. Think I typed over 100 words in the last 5 mins, without careful re-structuring

Anyway, hope I can pass the 100 barrier for some grad schools :P

Thanks Jason, for your advice.

Next comes GRE!!

2009 October 27th, 10:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
Englishraven Within my grasp! Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 103	TOEFL Speaking Question 4 - Free video tutorial/advice from Jason Renshaw It appears question 4 in the speaking section of TOEFL causes the most consternation for test takers... To try and give you some free help and guidance, the following video tutorial has been uploaded to YouTube for full public access (most of my material is filed away for members only, but I've made an exception in this case!): Speaking Question 4 - Essential Strategies Hope it proves helpful! Best wishes, ~ Jason _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ Jason Renshaw TOEFL Mentor: http://www.english-itutor.com/TOEFL_iBT.html Blog: http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/ibt_speaking_writing/

2009 October 31st, 01:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
Englishraven Within my grasp! Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 103	Hi green_bear, Glad you found the video helpful. As a very general rule, you'll have between 2-3 main ideas to cover in both question 4 and question 6 (usually two, and if three, probably a little shorter for each idea). For question 5, you'll need about 15-20 seconds to explain the problem, 15-20 seconds to relate the two suggestions, then the rest (20-30 seconds) should be dedicated to your opinion and the reasons for your opinion. Don't overdo your description of the problem and suggestions, as you won't have enough time to support your own opinion in the matter. Watch your time - if you get to 40 seconds (20 seconds left), make sure you move on and express your own preference and try to support it. On the other hand, don't over-summarize the problem and suggestions. If it only takes you 15-20 seconds to explain the problem and the two suggestions, you probably haven't given enough detail, and - this being an integrated task - the test assessor may assume you haven't listened all that well! Most importantly, when you give your own opinion, don't just repeat reasons that were already expressed in the dialogue. Use your own reasons - be original! Hope that helps - and very best of luck to you for test day! ~ Jason _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ Jason Renshaw TOEFL Mentor: http://www.english-itutor.com/TOEFL_iBT.html Blog: http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/ibt_speaking_writing/

2009 October 31st, 07:28 AM	#6 (permalink)
Englishraven Within my grasp! Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 103	- Yes, question 4 is (in my opinion) somewhat harder than question 6 - Yes, for question 3 it is a good idea to summarize the content of the notice, or refer to details in it as you present the person's opinions about it - NO - you're not supposed to come up with a new suggestion! What I meant was that you shouldn't just repeat the reasons you heard the speakers mention alongside the suggestions. Incorporate them into your own reasons for your preference, but stick to a preference of the two suggestions given :-) _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ Jason Renshaw TOEFL Mentor: http://www.english-itutor.com/TOEFL_iBT.html Blog: http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/ibt_speaking_writing/

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2009 October 30th, 01:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
nicks1772 Eager! Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 49	thanks a lot for the post nicks

2009 October 30th, 07:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
green_bear I JUST got here. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 26	Thanks a lot Jason! Well I wish I had known about your website earlier. I thought only the independent tasks require my attention, so didn't really care about the rest. Now after taking several practice tests have I realized that I was totally wrong Qstn 4 and 6 are really hard I'm taking the test this Sunday (just one more day to prepare). Jason, could you tell me whether there is a general pattern for the answers of these two qstns? I mean, say in the qstn 4, the number of main points that the prof is supposed to support/refute. (or like in qstn 6, the number of main points in the lecture). Also, in qstn 5, I wonder whether I should give more time to express my opinion, or to state the problem and the suggestions from the other student

2009 October 31st, 06:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
green_bear I JUST got here. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 26	Thanks a lot for your advices, and your wish, Jason! Well in fact I find that qstn 4 is even more challenging than qstn 6, which is perceived by some people as the hardest. By the way, for qstn 3, do you think it's necessary to state the policy in the reading passage? Or can I just simply include it through explaining the speaker's opinion? Oh, for qstn 5, do you mean I should come up with a completely new suggestion? I mean, could I just choose one of the two suggestions and explain in my own words? Thanks a lot Jason! green_bear

2009 October 31st, 09:56 AM	#7 (permalink)
green_bear I JUST got here. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 26	Again, thanks a lot Jason! Think i'll just ask a couple more of questions before the test tomorrow :P Well, not related to Speaking though, but i think it's not necessary to put up a new thread in the other section. For reading part, I normally got no problem except for the last question, about choosing 3 main sentences best describing the introductory sentence. I always got only 2 right out of 3.. My question is, whether I would get 2/3 marks of that question, or nothing at all. Also, I've just taken the practice test by ETS. There's only 1 reading section there with 20 mins allotted. I wonder, in the real test, whether three 20-mins-section would be assigned, or a 60-mins timing is present for all 3 reading passages. I mean, is it ok if I spend 25 mins for 1 passage, 15 mins for another, and 20 mins for the remaining ? The same questions for listening part as well, as there are only 2 listening sections in the practice test. Cheers, green_bear

2009 November 1st, 05:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
green_bear I JUST got here. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 26	I've just been back from the test. Well think it all went well (hope the graders think so as well XD ) Could have done better though. Anw.. Just that I got freaked out by three reading passages of unfamiliar topics so could not spare anytime for review Then got an additional reading as well..This time did better thanks to the earplug. Hope they will score the latter.. I think I quite messed up Independent Writing. Too overconfident, i think...Then even thought about switching side in the middle of the test :\| I ran out of time in the last 10 minutes. Think I typed over 100 words in the last 5 mins, without careful re-structuring Anyway, hope I can pass the 100 barrier for some grad schools :P Thanks Jason, for your advice. Next comes GRE!!

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