Free iBT speaking test tour with examples, scores, feedback, etc.

[afaf]

hello jason,
I'm taking the toeft ibt on the 17th of august, i really need to score 116, which is something impossible, my problem is with this speaking section, although i can talk freely about different topics in my daily life, but in the test i end up not knowing what to say, I'm not concerened about the intergrated tasks because the answer is from the question itself and with the valuable tips in your website,I'm sure it's gonna be ok, but the first 2 questions are what I'm afraid of, because i always say everything i want to say before the time's up, what's irritating is that i always speak english with my friends and all i watch in tv is english programmes, i don't know maybe I talk quickly, maybe I don't include much details, so I need some evaluation, if i sign up for the free trial in the preceding website can I get dependable evaluation?
but, you know I'm only 17 years old, not that I think I'm too youg or something, but i still have a whole year to take the test again and again, but i really wanna achieve this score from the first time just to finish off with this problem and because I still need to take the sat, anyways please tell me where can i get the evaluation, even if it was not free, thank you and goodbye..
afaf

[Englishraven]

Hi there - this is just an update about the free iBT speaking application we're providing on our site.

The free resource has received a phenomenal response and number of visitors, so the sample speaking/recording room we provided ended up extremely crowded and difficult to navigate.

We've replaced the old facility with a new (also free) one from our friends at Chinswing, which is smoother and allows test takers to record speaking very easily - and it also allows visitors to navigate through other test-takers' samples with more ease.

I hope you all find this upgrade useful!

Best of luck with your iBT speaking preparation.

Jason

[nen25]

Hello ,Jason Renshaw your website is really good. But i would like to know how to record and send my response to you. As i have had face some problem during recording. please i need to improve my speaking and get to score high in speaking section.
Nensi

[knok]

Hi Jason,

I did not know that you are the same person as Jason Renshaw I referred to in TOEFL and NABP complaint. I did Google search and found your site. It is true that IELTS has a better speaking format than the iBT.

I also shocked to see the comparison chart between iBT and IELTS, produced by ETS. It is a very biased presentation. How come does ETS present that iBT is integrated but IELTS isn't? Another one is that ETS doesn't give a real interview because ETS is afraid that interviewers may bias toward candidates. This reason doesn't make sense for me.

In real world, we use face-to-face communication. 60% of our communication comes from reading lip, facial expressions, and body language incorporating with verbal communication. Also, in face to face communication, we can have interactive communication. If we don't understand the question, we can ask to clarify the meaning immediately. We don't have to worry that raters may not hear us because recorder may not recorded our voice clearly. The system told my friend that microphone was adjusted properly after the test taker who sat next to her shouted loudly. She did not say anything but the system confirmed that microphone was working properly. I have doubt if the voice recorded in the system after testing microphone when she answered her questions, would be her voice or her neighbor. We are not robotic.

[itzm]

Hi guys
I couldn`t realy understand on which icon I should press to recored my answer
Tahnks

[Halking]

you guys' writing is excellent!

[Englishraven]

Hi there.

We've made some updates, so now people can go directly to each sample speaking section and get the oral guidelines, tips and tricks, as well as the genuine sample responses and then the feedback and scores from raters:

General Page with menu

iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 1
iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 2
iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 3
iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 4
iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 5
iBT TOEFL Speaking Part 6

Prior to the update, people needed to navigate the actual test in order to reach the guidelines and tips, so I hope the new format with direct links is more convenient for those who basically want to educate themselves about the questions, hear examples, scores and feedback.

Good luck with your prep!

[malamamama]

Jason,

I think you are on the right track with your website and are doing a wonderful service for the community of TOEFLiBT students. However, I must say that the two scores you rated as "high" would not rate more than a 2. Please trust me on this. I would hate to see you do your fans a disservice by giving them false encouragement!

That said, congratulations on a wonderful service.

[Englishraven]

Hi there knok,

Sorry - I didn't notice your reply. It seems sometimes this forum sends me a notification when a reply is posted, and sometimes it doesn't.

I think what you are saying is so very true (about the comparison of IELTS and iBT, and the problems with getting a "fair hearing" with the Internet-based asynchronous recording). The more I compare the two tests, the more I think IELTS is both fairer, and truer to real life. I noticed that IELTS has launched a CB IELTS (Computer-based IELTS) in some countries now, but the speaking section is not included and must still be taken as a face-to-face interview. I think that is a very good thing. If you're going to test speaking skills, I think you have to replicate as much as possible the real act, and unless you're in a crazy hospital and like talking to yourself, speaking is a form of communication that involves at least two people - real people, together in one place looking at and reacting to each other.

I think computers and Internet can be used to facilitate a speaking test, but it should absolutely be live, and involve video as well as audio. Very soon this is going to be the way a lot of people talk to each other over long distances anyway, so I think it would have some validity. Goodness, even a live telephone interview would be much closer to the real world than what ETS is going with at the moment. Then again, they're setting out to see what students can report about academic matters mostly, rather than real interaction between people - I'm sure that would be their argument for this format.

They have a long way to go yet, and I have the deepest sympathy for all these test takers struggling mightily to handle this speaking test.

Cheers,

Jason

[Englishraven]

Hi malamamama,

Regarding the scoring - you could be right. Those assessments were made quite a long time ago, and I have heard that the criteria/fussiness of the scorers has gotten a lot stricter since then. But a few people who took the iBT also told us that our practice test tasks were actually harder than the ones they experienced on the test - especially the integrated tasks, so perhaps overall there is a bit of balance.

I think it might be safer to listen to the actual samples and scores we've given in the Chinswing threads attached to each speaking task - not the ones on the initial pages.

In any case, it is not easy to teach and write iBT items and get the scoring perfect each time - just the same way as the real iBT raters can't be completely relied upon. I have heard, though, that people appreciate hearing how we quantify and qualify our scores with rich feedback, rationales and comments on performance and errors at both global and local levels. We may not get the scores perfect every time, but at least our test takers get some explanations, corrections and suggestions!

We have been hard at work producing our next full online test - just editing and doing some road-testing now before we release to the public.

Thanks for both the compliments and the criticism - it's all a part of professionalism in education. Just wondering, do you have some speaking efforts and scores/feedback on a site somewhere that you have been involved with? I think the more the better, so if you can please do share!

Best,

Jason