32

Integrated Speaking Section

Introduction
The next four integrated tasks are dierent from the rst two independent tasks. In the rst two tasks you are
asked an open-ended question that requires you to speak about your opinion within 45 seconds. In the
integrated section you report information, you dont give your opinion (except for task #5). Also, youre given
60 seconds to speak in each task, not 45 seconds.

Speaking Task #3
Topic: Campus Life (i.e. new parking policy, class syllabi, new food prices)

Structure:
1st - Reading Passage: Its approximately 100 words and you have 45 seconds to read (unlike the
integrated writing task, the passage never returns, so take good notes).

2nd - Listening Passage: Its a conversation between two students (always a man and woman). Itll last
between 60-90 seconds.

3rd - Prepare: You have 30 seconds to prepare your response.

4th - Respond: You have 60 seconds to speak.

Lets just jump right in with an example and see how you do. This example is courtesy of the ETS website:
hRps://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/SampleQuestions.pdf

Directions: Read the following text and the conversation that follows it. Then, answer the question.
You have 45 seconds to read the following text.

The Northfield College Student Association recently decided to make a new purchase. Read the
following announcement in the college newspaper about the decision.

Good News for Movie Fans

The Student Association has just purchased a new sound system for the Old Lincoln Hall
auditorium, the place where movies on campus are currently shown. By installing the new sound
system, the Student Association hopes to attract more students to the movies and increase ticket sales.
Before making the purchase of the new equipment, the Student Association conducted a survey on
campus to see what kind of entertainment students liked best. Going to the movies ranked number one.
Students at Northfield College love going to the movies said the president of the Student Association,
so we decided to make what they already love even better. Were confident that the investment into the
sound system will translate into increased ticket sales.

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Since this is a book, youre going to have to read the conversation, but on the TOEFL, youll have to listen.

Speaking Task #3 Conversation

Male Student: I really think the Student Association made a bad decision.

Female Student: Really? Why? Dont you like going to the movies?

Male Student: Sure I do. But this new purchase is just a waste of money.

Female Student: What do you mean? Its supposed to sound really good.

Male Student: Yeah, well, Im sure it does, but, in Old Lincoln Hall? I mean that building must be 200
years old! It used to be the college gym! The acoustics are terrible.

Female Student: So youre saying therell be no improvement?

Male Student: Thats right. And also, I seriously doubt that going to the movies is the number one social
activity for most students.

Female Student: Yeah, but thats what students said.

Male Student: Well, of course thats what they said. What else is there to do on campus?

Female Student: What do you mean?

Male Student: I mean, there isnt much to do on campus besides go to the movies. If there were other
forms of, uh recreation, or other social activities, you know, I dont think most students would have said
that going to the movies was their first choice.

Question: The man expresses his opinion of the Student Associations recent purchase. State his
opinion and the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.

30 seconds PREPARE

60 seconds SPEAK

How did it go? How was it dierent from the rst two tasks?
Believe it or not, this is a fairly easy question. Usually on the TOEFL this question is
more dicult, but lets talk about it together.

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WAIT
Did you record yourself speaking? If you didnt, do it again and record yourself. I mentioned this all ready in
the independent speaking section, but you should get used to recording yourself every single time you
practice speaking.

T i p
A question thats going to come up over and over again is w h y. To an American, things must
happen for a reason. There are other cultures where why is not a very important question. Things
just are, so theres no need to ask w h y. This idea is hard for an American to fathom. If
something changes, in the case of speaking task #3, there must be a reason w h y. In America, you
cant just change things without explaining the reason for it.
Always ask w h y.

The Reading Section:

The reading is usually an announcement of a change on campus or an explanation of university policy.

-If its an announcement, your job is to:

1. Identify the change
2. List 1-2 reasons why the change is occurring

-If its an explanation of policy, your job is to:

1. Find the main point
2. Identify 1-2 main details

About 80% of the time, it will be announcement of some kind of change.

Reading Notes: On the following page youll nd the note structure for this particular task. Remember, the
reading passage goes away so you need to take very, very good notes.

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C = Change (announcement)

R1= Reason One (detail one)

R2= Reason Two (detail two)

Before we look at my own notes, try it for yourself. Reread the passage on the rst page and identify
the change and the two reasons they provide for the change.

Your Notes

C:

R1:

R2:

T i p
When you take notes, its better to misspell words than it is to abbreviate. When you
abbreviate youre more likely to get confused. For example, if I wanted to abbreviate the
word uninterested Id write uni, but that could easily be confused with a lot of
different words that begin the same way. However, if I misspell untrsd its more likely
that Ill remember the word.

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Here are my notes

1. I wrote C and R instead of change and reason

because its easier and quicker.

2. I used arrows pointing up to show increase.

3. I purposely misspelled words like system (systm),

ticket (tkt) and survey (survy)

4. Besides arrows and other symbols I only wrote 10

words down. 50 seconds is not a lot of time, so take
notes quickly and purposefully.

I cant understand your notes. Why did you write so messy?

Good question. I write messy because I dont have a lot of time. When you write notes you have to
write them quickly. Its a good idea to start to create your own system for writing notes shorthand. For
example, whenever I hear the word because I usually write b/c. If you read my notes you might not understand
what b/c means, but I understand and thats what maRers. Theyre my notes! I also use symbols; if I hear the
word increase or more Ill have an arrow pointing up . It saves time and when you take notes, time is crucial.

I have more questions.

How did you know what was the
change and the two reasons for
the change? How did you know
what was important? Why didnt
you write down the title?

Let me start by saying that you can never be 100% certain of whats important. Over time, as you
continue to practice on dierent questions, youll get used to the structure and naturally get beRer at taking
notes. Lets look at the reading in more detail and Ill explain my process.

Josh MacPherson
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-They actually give you a clue in the directions with the

phrase new purchase. A change is something new. The Northfield College Student Association recently
decided to make a new purchase. Read the
following announcement in the college newspaper
-The title doesnt tell me any information. This title is about the decision. (Reading time in an actual test
meant to attract more readers instead of inform. would be 45-50 seconds.)

Good News for Movie Fans

- Again you see the word new and sound system so I
wrote that down. I didnt write Old Lincoln Hall
auditorium because of time constraints but if I had
time at the end, I would have added that information.
-I wrote down the first reason, to attract more
students to increase ticket sales because the sentence
begins with the phrase By installing the new sound
system I know from that structure that the next
part of the sentence will be the reason why.
-Again, for the second reason, the sentence begins
Before making the purchase of the new equipment I
know the rest of the sentence will be related to the
reason why they felt the purchase was necessary.
The Student Association has just purchased a new
sound system for the Old Lincoln Hall
auditorium, the place where movies on campus are
currently shown. By installing the new sound
system, the Student Association hopes to attract
more students to the movies and increase ticket
sales. Before making the purchase of the new
equipment, the Student Association conducted a
survey on campus to see what kind of
entertainment students liked best. Going to the
movies ranked number one. Students at
Northfield College love going to the movies said
the president of the Student Association, so we
decided to make what they already love even better.
Were confident that the investment into the sound
system will translate into increased ticket sales.

Should I skim when I read?

As I always say, do what makes you feel comfortable. However, in my experience, I dont
think you should skim for this particular question. Its beRer to focus on understanding what you
read than to try to read everything. If you dont understand what you read than its pointless.
Understanding and reading are two very dierent things. Focus on understanding.

Your notes will prepare you for the listening. After taking notes on the reading, ask
yourself: Whats the listening going to be about?

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The LISTENING Section:
The listening passage is a conversation between two students. Here are some points to consider:

1. Its always a conversation between a man and a woman thatll last between 60-90 seconds.
2. Somebody is going to support or oppose (usually oppose) every point made in the reading
passage.
3. Usually one speaker will do most of the talking and the other will simply egg him or her on
by saying things like: Really or Why do you say that?

O = Opinion (of the reading)

R1= Reason One

R2= Reason Two

***The other person usually wont do much

talking, so only one side of the column will
most likely be lled.

This is how your notes should look before the listening because you dont know who is going to do
most of the talking; it could be the man or it could be the woman. As I already mentioned, one person will
most likely do most of the talking, but sometimes both individuals in the listening passage do a great deal of
talking. If youre not sure who theyll ask the question about, take notes for both the man and the woman. The
most important thing is to identify the opinion of each speaker. Once you identify each speakers opinion, the
conversation becomes much easier to follow. But for the most part, one person will do the majority of the
talking.
Dont forget to write this structure out on a piece of paper before the listening begins. My advice is to
study and memorize the note structure for every single speaking task. On exam day, while the computer reads
the directions before the start of the speaking section, you should be able to write out the note structure for all
six speaking tasks.

Josh MacPherson
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Quiz Time
Weve talked a lot about integrated speaking task #3. Actually, let me rephrase that, Ive talked a lot
about integrated speaking task #3. But youre the person whos going to have to take the exam, so its much
more important to gure out what you know and what you dont know. As you read this book, you should be
actively participating in the material. Instead of underlining, circling and rereading, the information will sink
into your head at a much deeper level if you constantly quiz yourself.

And dont look back for the answers! On the TOEFL all
you have to rely on is your mind, so do the same here.
1. How long is the reading passage? How long is the listening passage?

2. How should you prepare your notes for task #3s reading passage? Whats the note structure?

3. How should you prepare your notes for task #3s listening passage? Whats the note structure?

4. How long do you have to prepare for your response? How long do you have to speak? What information
should you include in your speaking response?

5. Whats the reading passage usually about? How does the listening section relate to the reading passage?

6. List two things you learned about taking notes (besides speaking task #3s structure).

The future

Another way to be actively involved in the learning process is to predict the future. So, what do you
think the rest of this chapter will be about? What do you think the question will be about? How will your
speaking response dier from the independent tasks? Are you going to give a personal example like you did
in the independent tasks? How should you structure your response? Do you think youll use more information
from the reading passage or the listening passage?

Josh MacPherson
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Back to the listening. Read the conversation again and take down notes
on the important information.

Speaking Task #3 Conversation

Male Student: I really think the Student Association made a bad decision.

Female Student: Really? Why? Dont you like going to the movies?

Male Student: Sure I do. But this new purchase is just a waste of money.

Female Student: What do you mean? Its supposed to sound really good.

Male Student: Yeah, well, Im sure it does, but, in Old Lincoln Hall? I mean that building must be 200
years old! It used to be the college gym! The acoustics are terrible.

Female Student: So youre saying therell be no improvement?

Male Student: Thats right. And also, I seriously doubt that going to the movies is the number one social
activity for most students.

Female Student: Yeah, but thats what students said.

Male Student: Well, of course thats what they said. What else is there to do on campus?

Female Student: What do you mean?

Male Student: I mean, there isnt much to do on campus besides go to the movies. If there were other
forms of, uh recreation, or other social activities, you know, I dont think most students would have said
that going to the movies was their first choice.

Your Notes
Man
Woman

O: O:

R1: R1:

R2: R2:

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Here are my notes

-I wrote nothing in the womans side because she never

offers her opinion, she just eggs on the man.

-When I write the speakers opinion, I only jot down a

shortened version of agree or disagree. For frequently
used words, find misspellings and symbols that youll use
every time.

-I hear the phrase this purchase so I know hes referring

to the sound system.

-The woman asks, what do you mean? SO I know his

response will elaborate his opinion.

-She asks, What do you mean? twice.

The QUESTION:
After the reading and the listening passage, the test will read the question. The question almost always
follows the same structure. Describe the man/womans opinion on (topic) and the reason he/she gives for
holding that opinion.

WAIT
Did you notice anything interesting about the question?
They tell you the change. So if you read the passage and listened to the conversation, but still didnt
understand what the change was, dont worry, theyll tell you in the question.

Question: The man expresses his opinion of the Student Associations recent purchase. State his
opinion and the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.

As you prepare, remember the information that you need to include in your response. You have to:

1. Describe the CHANGE from the reading

2. Say the OPINION OF THE STUDENT and the TWO REASONS he or she has for his or her
opinion.

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In 30 seconds you have to look at your notes and gure out what youre
going to say.

Reading Notes Listening Notes

Are you ready?

SPEAK
60 seconds

STOP
How did it go? Did you state the change, the
students opinion and the two reasons the
student provided to support his opinion of the
change? Turn to the next page to see my own
response.

Josh MacPherson
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Task #3: My Answer

The reading passage announces a change on campus. In particular, the school has bought a
new sound system for the movie theater in Lincoln Hall. The man in the conversation feels that
the school shouldnt have purchased the sound system and provides two reasons for support.
To start, the student explains that the acoustics in Lincoln Hall, where the movie theater is
located, are terrible. The building is over 200 years old and was originally designed as a
gymnasium.
Second, he goes on to say that going to the movies is not the number one activity on
campus, regardless of what the campus survey found. He explains that theres nothing else to do
on campus. There are no other social activities, so, going to the movies is really the only choice
students have.
These are the reasons why the man disagrees with the schools decision to buy a new sound
system. -150 words

The words in black are part of a script. You can use these words, phrases and sentences in almost any
situation. The words and phrases highlighted in blue are taken from the reading and the words and phrases
highlighted in yellow are taken from the conversation.

In this book, youll be provided sample scripts for all integrated speaking and writing questions.
However, these scripts are here to guide you. When you start to study for the TOEFL, it can be very daunting
because theres so much to learn. To help you start, I think its best for you to use a sample script so you can
get used to the structure and how the TOEFL graders expect you to answer each question.
Eventually, you should try to deviate from the script and start answering in a way that makes you feel
both comfortable and condent. You can get a high score while using the script, but you can get an even beRer
score by answering in a more natural way.

Task #3 Script
The reading passage (announces a change on campus/explains a class policy). In particular,
________________. The man/woman in the conversation feels that ___________________ and
provides two reasons for support.
(35-40 seconds left) To start, he/she/the student explains that _____________________ (2x
sentences, one to introduce the reason and another detail that expands it).
Second, he/she goes on to say __________________. He/she explains that _________________.
(5 seconds left) These are the reasons why the man/woman ___________________________.

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T i p Also, if youre frustrated, thats okay. Most of my students get

Its been scientifically proven
that you learn less when youre
stressed. If youre frustrated
thats okay, just take a break.
Go out for a walk or surf the
Internet for a few minutes. Come
back to studying when youre in a
relaxed and open frame of mind.
very depressed when they start practicing speaking because theyre
not used to taking an exam where speaking is required. Look in the
Appendix for the Growth vs. Fixed Mindset handout and answer the
questions. Which mindset do you have? If you enter the growth
mindset youll stop seeing diculties as obstacles, but instead as
necessary steps in the process of learning. This is a process so take
a deep breath and stay focused.

Last Minute ADVICE:

1. As you can see from the script, the only thing you have to state from the reading is the
announcement or change in policy. Everything else should come from the listening. Your
notes from the reading are to help you prepare for the listening.
2. You should be able to say about 150 words, or a liRle more, in 60 seconds. If not, refer to the
homework assignment at the end of the Independent Speaking F.A.Q. handout located in
the Appendix.
3. Some books go into great detail teaching you how to paraphrase. Dont worry about
paraphrasing, youll naturally paraphrase as you speak. If you say the exact words from the
reading or listening passage it means that you took good notes and understood what was
important.
4. This particular example is tricky because its short and simple. You need to write down as
much as possible as you listen. When you write your notes, make sure you understand
everything you write down. If you dont understand your notes, theyre useless.
5. Keep doing one task until you perfect it. Its more helpful than doing a bunch of dierent
tasks. Perfecting one task will help in all future tasks.

After you complete any integrated speaking practice task #3, before you move on, be
sure to ask yourself the questions on the next page:

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Self - Assessment

Directions: After you nish each practice task, ask yourself the questions listed below. Be honest with
yourself and identify your weaknesses. After that, look through the Independent and Integrated Speaking
Appendix for helpful strategies and exercises thatll assist in targeting those weaknesses.

Questions Your Answers

(explain and score yourself on a scale from 1-10)

1. Did I write down the announcement of the

reading and the two reasons for support?

2. Did my notes from the reading prepare me

for the listening?

3. Did I understand most of the listening

conversation and note all important points?

4. Did I use my notes to help me prepare and

speak?

5. Did I answer the question completely in

time? Did I look at the clock 3-4 times to
monitor my progress?

6. Did I speak mostly about the listening

passage and one persons opinion?

7. Did I speak without too many pauses,

vocal fillers or repetitions?

8. Whats something I did well?

9. Whats something I didnt do well?

10. Try to think of a plan. How can I improve?

Also, it may help if you to reconceptualize the way you think of the question. Look at
integrated speaking task #3 in the Analogies handout located in the Integrated Speaking Appendix,
this may help you rethink the question and make it easier to answer.

Josh MacPherson