TOEFL is a test of English as a Foreign Language developed by a US-based organisation called Educational Testing Service.
Reasons for taking TOEFL
Immigration
TOEFL is a test of English as a Foreign Language and sometimes the results of this test are required by immigration departments of Australia, the US, Canada or some other English-speaking countries. For example, if you need to apply for a student visa, temporary resident visa or permanent visa, an immigration department of the country you are applying to might ask you to submit a TOEFL score.
That’s because the government of an English-speaking country wants to make sure that newly arrived immigrants possess English language skills needed to become part of their community.
Studying
Another reason for taking TOEFL is if you want to study in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Educational providers such as colleges and universities might ask you to submit your TOEFL score. Based on your previous educational and professional history and your TOEFL score, an educational provider will make a decision about whether to enrol you into the course you’re interested in or not.
Medical professionals
Sometimes TOEFL results are required for medical professionals who were trained as doctors in a non-English speaking country, such as Poland and would like to practise medicine in the US or Canada.
Exam unique features
Academic concepts
What makes TOEFL stand out from other exams is that all four sections: listening, reading, speaking and writing are based on academic concepts.
In TOEFL you won’t be asked to write a captivating story like in Cambridge English B2 First exam or listen to quite an informal conversation between a librarian and a library volunteer like in IELTS General listening section.
In TOEFL what you should expect to see are topics from fields such as psychology, sociology, education and management. You might also encounter topics from sciences such as geology, chemistry, medicine and engineering.
Speaking integrative task
For example, in the speaking section, you will read a short passage about cognitive dissonance and listen to a professor giving an example of cognitive dissonance. You will then be asked to synthesise information from both sources in a short verbal response that you will record in a microphone.
This speaking task is called an integrative task, and one might say that it’s the most exciting and perhaps the most challenging task in TOEFL. Actually TOEFL integrative tasks are very useful because the skills that are needed to successfully complete these tasks are also essential for everyday interaction with friends, colleagues and university peers. When we talk to someone, we need to follow their train of thought and we need to be able to contribute to the conversation by combining their information with what we know.
Integrative speaking tasks examples
Read a short paragraph about social loafing, listen to a professor who explains a research experiment where social loafing was demonstrated. Then synthesise information from both sources and record your analysis in a microphone.
Read about internal and external locus of control and listen to a professor illustrating this concept. Explain this concept orally while recording yourself in a microphone.
Writing integrative task
Integrative writing tasks are similar to integrative speaking tasks, but your output needs to be written rather than oral. For example, you will read a passage that outlines advantages of online education. Then you will hear someone talk about the disadvantages of online education for 2 minutes. Your task is to write a structured response where you clearly describe how each point that the speaker made challenges what was written in the passage. Remember that your personal opinion is not welcomed in TOEFL integrative tasks. You are required to demonstrate that you understood what was written in the passage and what was said by the speaker. This section of the test checks your ability to write argumentatively.
Arina teaches TOEFL preparation courses in Cambridge, UK and online. She can assess your current skill set and create a learning programme that will target the areas that you need to improve.
Contact Arina if you are preparing for TOEFL.
In her TOEFL preparation course, you will do a lot of practice tests and you will receive feedback on specific skills that you need to work on.
Essential skills to get a desired TOEFL score
- argumentative writing and speaking
- grammatical accuracy
- communicating ideas clearly and objectively
- listening skills
- analysing and synthesising information from a written and listening text
- a range of specialised and general vocabulary