FAQ - frequently asked questions

FAQ

Frequently

Asked

Questions

1. When was the TOEFL started?
   
2. Who runs the TOEFL?
   
3. Who should take the TOEFL?
   
4. What kinds of TOEFL tests are there?
   
5. What's new about the iBT?
   
6. What are some of the new features of the iBT?
   
7. How many hours does it take?
   
8. How is the iBT structured?
   
9. Describe the reading section...
   
10. Describe the listening section...
    
11. Describe the speaking section...
    
12. Describe the writing section...
    
13. Will there be any unexpected surprises?
    
14. What's scoring and evaluation like?
    
15. Do you recommend any specific iBT textbook?
    
16. What about...???

When was the TOEFL started?

In 1964.

Who runs the TOEFL?

ETS - ETS stands for Education Testing Service. ETS is a non-profit organization that develops and administers TOEFL, TOEIC, the GRE, and many other tests. Their test directory contains 36 different tests.

Who should take the TOEFL?

Mostly non-native speakers of English who need to demonstrate their English proficiencies for admission into university.

What kinds of TOEFL tests are there?

Paper-based (PBT), computer-based (CBT) and Internet-based (iBT).

What's new about the iBT?

It was made to give a more realistic assessment. Before the iBT, many students got very high scores on the CBT or PBT, but had difficulty keeping up with lectures and integrating into university life.

What are some of the new features of the iBT?

• The speaking section is new and it includes independent and integrated tasks.
• The old structure section is gone. Grammar is now an integral part of each section.
• Lectures and conversations in the listening section are longer, but note-taking is allowed.
• Note-taking is allowed throughout the entire test.
• Speech in the listening material is more natural. Some of the new questions measure understanding of a speaker's attitude, degree of certainty, and purpose.
• The Reading section has new questions that ask test takers to categorize information and fill in a chart or complete a summary.
• The Writing section requires typing. There is an integrated task in addition to the current independent task, and the scoring guides (rubrics) used for rating are different from the current test.

How many hours does it take?

The approximate total time is just between 3 and 4hours. A typical test day schedule might look like this:

How is the iBT structured?

The test consists of four sections --- reading, listening, speaking and writing.

Describe the reading section...

Time:...................................................... 60 to 100 minutes
Number of reading passages:............. only 3, but they are long (600 to 700 words each)
Number of questions:.......................... 36 - 70

The passages are based on academic topics --- similar to those found in undergraduate university textbooks. Answering the questions will test your skills in determining...

• main ideas
• details
• inferences
• sentence restatements
• sentence insertion
• vocabulary
• function
• overall ideas.

Describe the listening section...

Time:...................................................... 60 - 90 minutes
Number of listening passages:............ 6 (long) passages
Number of questions:.......................... 34 - 51

There are two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. The questions may ask for

• main ideas
• details
• the speaker's function
• the speaker's stance
• inferences
• overall organization of ideas

Describe the speaking section...

Time:...................................................... 20 minutes
Number of speaking taks:................... 6 (2 independent tasks and 4 integrated tasks)
Number of questions:.......................... 6

There are actually three types of tasks ---

1. independent tasks where you have to give your opinion about some aspect of academic life
2. integrated tasks where you read, listen, and talk about how the ideas in the two passages are related
3. integrated tasks where you listen to long passages, summarize the content and express your opinion

Describe the writing section...

Time:................................................... 55 minutes
Number of writing taks:................... 2
Number of questions:....................... 2

There are two types of tasks ---

1. an independent task where you have write a personal essay
2. an integrated task where you have to read an academic passage, listen to an academic passage, and then write about how the ideas in both passages are related

Will there be any unexpected surprises?

Yes. ETS can include some extra trial material for future tests in one or more sections. This means you will have to work harder to cover the extra material in the same time period.

What's scoring and evaluation like?

The total maximum score is 120 (30 for each section).
Human scorers rate the responses for speaking and writing.

Each of the speaking responses is initially graded from 0 to 4 and then the average is converted to a scale of 30. They evaluate the test-taker's ability in topic development, delivery, and language use.
Each of the answers for writing is initially graded from 0 to 5 and then the average is converted to a scale of 30.

Scorers evaluate the integrated writing task on

• the overall quality of the writing
  - development
  - organization
  - appropriate and precise use of grammar and vocabulary
• completeness of the content
• accuracy of the content

Scorers rate the independent writing essay on

• the overall quality of the writing
  - development
  - organization
  - appropriate and precise use of grammar and vocabulary

Adapted sample evaluation criteria tables are posted in another entry on this blog.

For comparison tables between the iBT and other tests see seperate entries on this blog.

Do you recommend any specific iBT textbook?

I usually don't endorse any particular book, but just between you and me my advice is to look no further than Deborah Phillips "Preparation for the TOEFL iBT" by Longman Pearson. The book and accompanying CDROM are clearly of a superior quality.

The TOEFL section on the ETS Web site is also a rich collection of resources.

What about...???
All questions are welcome. Just send me an email.

Dave