Scoring higher than 26/30 points on the speaking section of the TOEFL exam can be difficult. However, if you practice and get accurate feedback from a TOEFL iBT speaking specialist, you will be able to see what you are doing wrong; to review appropriate vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, listening, speaking, or reading lessons to help you improve; to complete additional speaking practice, all the while making adjustments; and to eventually get a high score on the official TOEFL test.
Watch the following video of one of my Online TOEFL Course students who has been completing speaking practice tests at my web site for about three months. As you watch the video, think about what makes his speaking practice test score high:
Obviously, the student excels in three areas: delivery, language use, and topic development, which is why he scored 4.0/4.0 or 30/30 points.
1. Delivery: As you listen to his speaking practice test, notice how the student speaks fluently without a lot of frequent pauses and hesitations. Moreover, notice how he varies his intonation being careful not to use a monotone voice throughout his response.
2. Language use: In this case, the speaker has good control of both his basic and advanced vocabulary and grammar. As far as I can tell he has no grammatical or vocabulary errors throughout his response.
3. Topic development: Lastly, by creating a topic statement in the introduction focused around two support points, by repeating those two points as he moves through his speech, and by using appropriate supporting details to illustrate those ideas, the student has strong topic development. Especially promising is the student’s use of transition words in order to connect old and new information so that he has a coherently organized speech.
It is not a mystery how to score high on the speaking section of the TOEFL exam. In other words, you will need to be able to speak clearly and fluently, to have good control over your vocabulary and grammar, and to be able present you ideas in an organized manner with appropriate specific supporting details.
Good luck!
Michael Buckhoff, mbuckhoff@aol.com