Lesson 1: ngày 12/1/2021

Common situation
Corporate Development – reseach, product, development

Dining Out – Business lunches, banquets, receptions, reservations

Entertainment – cinema, music, art, exhibitions, museums, media

Finance and Budgeting – banking, investments, taxes, accounting, billing

General Business – contracts, negotiations, mergers, marketing, sales, invoicing, warranties, business
planning, conferences, labor relations

Health care – medical insurance, visits to doctors/dentists, clinics, hospitals

Housing/Corporate Property – construction, specifications, buying and renting, electric and gas services

Human Resources – recruiting, hiring, retiring, promoting, job applications, job advertisements, salaries,
pensions, awards

Manufacturing - assembly lines, plant management, quality control

Office – procedures, board meetings, committees, letters, memos, telephone, fax and email messages,
equipment

Purchasing – shopping, shipping

Technical Areas – electronics, technology, computers, laboratories and related equipment, technical
specifications

Travel – trains, airplanes, taxis, buses, ships, ferries, tickets, schedules, station and airport
announcements, car rentals, hotels, reservations, delays and cancellations

TOEIC Test format

    Old Version Current version

Part Stand-alone Questions Photographs 10 questions Photographs 6 questions

1

Part Stand-alone Questions Question-Response: 30 questions Question-Response: 25

2 questions

Part Set-based Questions Conversation 30 questions. Conversation 39 questions.

3 = 10 conversations, 3 questions per = 13 conversations, 3 questions
     Old Version Current version

conversation. per conversation.

Part Set-based Questions Talks: 30 questions Talks: 30 questions

4 = 10 talks, 3 questions per talk. = 10 talks, 3 questions per talk.

Listening comprehension 100 Listening comprehension 100

questions questions

    Old Version Current version

Part 5 Stand-alone Incomplete Sentence: 40 Incomplete Sentence: 30 questions

Questions questions

Part 6 Stand-alone Text Completion: 12 questions Text Completion: 16 questions

Questions

Stand-alone Single Passage 28 questions Single Passage 29 questions

Questions = 9 single passage, 2-5 = 10 single passage, 2-4 questions per
questions per passage passage

Part 7 Stand-alone Double Passage: 20 questions Multiple Passage: 25 questions

Questions = 4 double passages, =2 set-based double passages,
5 questions per set 3 set-based triple passages,
5 questions per set.

Reading Comprehension 100 Reading Comprehension 100 questions

questions

Listening section

 A lower number of Photograph and Question Response questions

 To increased number of Conversation questions
 Conversations that include shorter turns and more exchanges
  More speakers in some conversations
 Conversations that include elisions (going to à gonna) and incomplete sentences/fragments (Yes,
in a minute; Down the hall; Could you?)
 New question types testing the connection of what is heard in a conversation or talk and what is
seen in a graphic
 New question types testing a speaker’s implied meaning in the context of a conversation or talk

Reading section

 A lower number of Incomplete Sentence questions

 Two new question-types testing understanding of the overall organization of passages:
 Text completion questions that ask test takers to choose which new sentence fits best in the
context of the overall passage
 Set-based questions that ask test takers to understand where in the passage a sentence belongs
 Text messages, instant messages or online chat conversations with multiple writers
 Questions testing the understanding of three related texts
 A small increase in the number of single- and multiple-passage questions
 New questions about understating the writer’s words in context

Part 1:
Test point

1. Photographs of people: most photographs are of ordinary situations. Some of the photographed
involve one or more than one person, the others involve an object or a scene with people.

2. Photographs off a general description: The most likely correct answer choices usually contain general
words instead of specific description.

3. Photographs of objects/ scenes: in this type of photographs, the statements focusing on the state or
location of an object or a scene are also frequently given. The passive voice is usually used in these
descriptive statements.

Test- taking strategies

1. Previewing the photographs and predicting some possible descriptions

2. Choosing the statement that best describes the photograph
3. Listening and marking both correct and incorrect answers
Directions

Part 1 is composed of 6 pictures. You are going to listen to 4 sentences per picture and must select the
one that corresponds to the associated picture. No description will be written. Only the letters A, B, C,
and D will be written.

On Exam Day: You will see 6 photos in your test booklet. For each question, you will hear four
statements. When you hear the statements, you must select the one statement that best describes
what you see in the picture. Then find the number of the question on your answer sheet and mark your
answer. The statements will not be printed in your test book and will be spoken only one time. Writing
in the test book is strictly forbidden.
Tip: Anticipate what you are going to hear by imagining how the pictures could be described (who,
what, when, where, how...).
Associated Skills "Question #1"
Present continuous - I am doing
Describing experiences and
events 1
Food & drink
Associated Skills "Question #2"
Present continuous - I am doing
Describing experiences and
events 1
Music
Associated Skills "Question #3"
In, at, on
Describing experiences and
events 1
1. A. The woman is drinking a coffee.
B. The man is making coffee.
C. The woman is enjoying her meal.
D. The glasses are sparkling clean.
Explanation
A woman is sitting beside a man, drinking a cup of coffee.
(B) - The man is sitting, not making coffee.
(C) - We do not know if the woman is eating. There is no
food in the picture.
(D) - We cannot see if the glasses are clean or dirty
2. A. The artists are speaking about guitars.
B. The woman is doing two things at once.
C. The woman is smoking in her room.
D. Her room is filled with posters.
Explanation
A young woman is both playing a guitar and singing along.
(A) - There is only one person and the artist appears to be
singing, not speaking.
(C) - We cannot be sure that the woman is smoking.
(D) - We cannot tell if the room is filled with posters.
3. A. The boat is at sea.
B. The woman is on the boat.
C. The ferry is leaving.
D. The woman is sailing away.
Explanation
A woman is sitting at the front of a boat.
Travelling by sea
Associated Skills "Question #4"
Present continuous - I am doing
Describing experiences and
events 1
Holidays
Associated Skills "Question #5"
Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed
(boring/bored)
Describing experiences and
events 1
Tourism & Sightseeing
Associated Skills "Question #6"
Present simple - am/is/are
(affirmative & negative)
(A) - The boat is docked, not at sea.
(C) - The boat is not a ferry and is docked and not leaving.
(D) - The woman is sitting on the boat and not sailing away.
4. A. The family is sitting in a restaurant.
B. Some friends are soaking up some sun.
C. The group is enjoying the beach.
D. The colleagues are discussing business.
Explanation
A group of people is sitting at a table in the sunshine.
(A) - We cannot be certain that this is a family or a
restaurant.
(C) - The people are not on a beach.
(D) - We do not know what the people are discussing.
5. A. The sea is clear.
B. The pot is boiling hot.
C. The view is amazing.
D. The lake is small.
Explanation
The picture shows a very large volcanic lake with an
amazing view.
(A) - The picture is of a lake and not the sea. The water is
also not clear.
(B) - This is a picture of a lake, not a pot. We don’t know the
temperature of the water.
(D) - The lake is large, not small.
6. A. The person is very agile.
B. The man is weightlifting.
C. The man is resting.
D. The boy is jumping on one leg.
Explanation
A man is standing on his arms with his legs pointed
 Describing people upwards in the air, so we can say that he is agile.
(B) - The man is doing a handstand, not weightlifting.
Sports (C) - The man is not resting.
(D) - The man is doing a handstand, not jumping on one leg,
and he is a man, not a boy.

Part 2
Directions

Part 2 is composed of 25 questions or statements that will appear 5 at a time. You are going to hear 3
options per question or statement. You will have to select the one that best corresponds to the question
or statement. Nothing will be written except the letters A, B, and C.

On Exam Day: You will have to answer 25 questions. Each question or statement will be followed by 3
options spoken only one time. Select the best response to the question or statement and mark the letter
(A), (B), or (C) on your answer sheet. Writing anything in the test book is strictly forbidden.

Tip: Look out for any question words and keep in mind the main topic of the statement.

1. The future president is in this room right now. Explanation

A. He doesn't vote?
B. You have got to be joking.
C. He will never believe you.
What do the researchers say about this
experiment?
(B) expresses incredulity at an unlikely
situation.
(A) is incorrect because being in a room is
not equivalent to whether or not one
votes.
(C) is incorrect because it is unclear who
“he” refers to.

A. They aren't invited.

B. They haven't said anything yet.

C. We should wait a little.

3. Why don't we ask David for help?

A. I'm not very hungry.

B. He's a wonderful singer.

C. Are you sure he's available?

 4. I'm looking forward to seeing him next week,
aren't you?

A. I watch them all the time.

B. Watch your step!

C. I can hardly wait.

5. Do you have any tables for three?

A. I'm sorry, we only have double rooms.

B. Do you have a reservation?

C. The stables are occupied.

Part 5
Directions

Part 5 is composed of 30 fill-in-the-blank sentences that will appear 5 at a time. There will be 4 possible
responses for each fill-in-the-blank sentence. You need to choose the best answer.

On the Exam Day: A word or phrase is missing in each of the 30 sentences written in the test book. Four
answer choices are given below each sentence. Select the best answer to complete the sentence. Then
mark the letter (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet. Writing in the test book is strictly forbidden.

Tip: You are supposed to take 30 seconds per fill-in-the-blank sentence. Thus, you should ideally spend
no more than 15 minutes on this part.

1. She is very keen ________ dangerous sports. 2. ___________ elaborate on possible language
She is a true adrenaline junkie. uses, one has to answer questions as to what
language is.
A. of A. In order to
B. into B. Firstly
C. in C. However
D. on D. Provided that

Explanation
The adjective ‘keen’ means to be very interested
or eager and it always works with either to or on,
so answer D is correct.
(A) The collocation ‘keen of’ does not exist.
(B) One can be into sports, but not keen into
sports.
Explanation
‘In order to’ is used to express a purpose, so
answer A is correct.
(B) If we use ‘firstly’, there are some elements in
the sentence that are missing and it does not
make sense grammatically.
(C) No contrast or opposition needs to be
(C) One may be interested in sports, but not keen
in sports.
3. This object is completely _______. There are
no marks nor scratches on the wood, it must be
brand-new!
A. unused
B. useful
C. useless
D. used
Explanation
For this object to be brand-new, no one could
have used it before, so answer A is correct.
(B) Usefulness of this item is not discussed.
(C) We do not know whether the item is useful or
useful.
(D) If the object is brand-new, it could not have
been used by anyone.
5. _________ many leading experts on languages
divide them into groups such as Indo-European
ones.
A. Actual
B. Nowadays
C. Whenever
D. In due time
Explanation
At present, in comparison to the past, many
experts do the said action, so answer B is correct.
(A) We need an adverb in this sentence, not an
adjective.
(C) ‘Whenever’ means any time and it does not
make sense in this sentence.
(D) ‘In due time’ describes an action which is
expected to happen and here, it is happening
nowadays.
7. ________ did we know, I would regret this
decision forever. Our company would soon throw
in the towel and lag behind.
expressed.
(D) ‘Provided that’ expresses a condition, but it is
not correctly used here.
4. She told me yesterday that she _________ the
manager the other day about lay-offs to come.
A. tell this to
B. speaks to
C. have spoken to
D. had spoken to
Explanation
When reporting in the past, the sentence ‘I
spoke’ will change into ‘She had spoken’, so
answer D is correct.
(A) We do not have any reference to what ‘this’ is
and the verb is in the present tense, which is not
correct when reporting in the past.
(B) ‘She speaks to’ is in the incorrect grammatical
tense, present simple.
(C) No sentence in reported speech transforms
into Present Perfect when reported in the past.
6. It is a true bargain, it must have been very
_______ before this Black Friday deal. I love it!
A. cheap
B. expensive
C. cashless
D. complex
Explanation
If it is a bargain, it must be cheaper than usual, so
answer B is correct.
(A) Before it was a bargain, it must have been
expensive.
(C) The adjective ‘cashless’ has no use here.
(D) The complexity of the item on sale is not in
question.
8. Mathew likes playing squash ________ I prefer
playing tennis.
 A. whereas
A. Rarely B. even if
B. Little C. through
C. Not D. because
D. None
Explanation
Explanation Whereas expresses contrast and opposition, so
They knew very little at that time that they would answer A is correct.
regret this decision, so answer B is correct.
(B) ‘Even if’ is used to talk about an unreal
(A) It was a one-time situation, so it does not situation, which is not the case here.
happen with a given frequency. (C) ‘Through’ can have many meanings, but none
(C) Not did we know is not correct grammatically. of them is applicable here.
We can’t ‘know not’. (D) ‘Because’ expresses cause and effect, not
(D) None did we know is not correct contrast.
grammatically. We can’t ‘ know none’.

9. If we want to ensure greater energy ________, 10. The authorities told us that we _______
we need to focus on eliminating energy waste. cooperate and provide them with any useful
information that we have.
A. efficiency
B. efficient A. could have
C. efficiently B. don’t need to
D. effectively C. have to
D. don’t have to
Explanation
Energy efficiency is a concept which means using Explanation
less energy to do different tasks, so answer A is ‘Have to’ expresses external obligation, so
correct. answer C is correct.

(B) ‘Efficient’ is an adjective, not a noun.
(C) ‘Efficiently’ is an adverb, not a noun.
(D) ‘Effectively’ is an adverb, not a noun.
(A) ‘Could have’ expresses a past possibility.
(B) ‘Don’t need to’ expresses a lack of obligation,
which is not the case here.
(D) ‘Don’t have to’, similarly to ‘don’t need to’
expresses a lack of obligation.

Part 6
Directions

Part 6 is made up of 16 fill-in-the blanks spread throughout 4 different texts. Each text will appear
independently with 4 blanks per text. To help you, there will be 4 possible responses per blank. Select
the correct response.

On Exam Day: Read the 4 texts with the 16 blanks. A word or phrase is missing in some of the sentences.
In each text there are 4 blanks and for each blank 4 answer choices are given to you. Select the best
answer on your answer sheet. Writing in the test book is strictly forbidden.
Tip: You are supposed to take 30 seconds to one minute per blank. Thus, this part should take you
between 8 and 15 minutes.

Text

To: Jeremy Wilkinson

From: Emily Ruffin

Subject: Next Week’s Meeting

Dear Jeremy,

Thanks for your __________(1) to my email. I am __________(2) my travel itinerary today and I will be
sure to send you the final details by the end of the day. My flight arrives on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. so I
will take a taxi directly to my hotel. We can discuss the final details of the presentation over dinner. My
hotel will take care of my __________(3) to your office the next morning. For the presentation, I plan on
bringing the product samples and marketing materials we discussed. __________(4).

Sincerely,

Emily Ruffin

1. A. responding 3. A. movement
B. response B. displacement
C. responsive C. delivery
D. responder D. transportation
Explanation Explanation
This sentence requires a noun and in the This sentence requires a noun, but (D) is
context, (B) is the only option. the only word that is used to refer to the
(A) - This cannot be the correct answer movement of a person in a vehicle.
because the sentence includes the word (A) - Movement is too vague of a
‘your’. concept to fit the sentence.
(B) - In English, this word typically refers
to the act of forcing people or animals
to leave the area where they live.
(C) - This word typically refers to the act
of taking something to a person or
place.
2. A. finalized A. First of all, we have a lot to discuss.
B. finalizes B. I am looking forward to meeting you
C. finalizing and your team.
D. finalize C. That is all I have to say.
Explanation D. In the end, the project was a success.
This sentence requires the present Explanation
continuous tense so (C) is the only This sentence requires a noun, so (B) is
option. the only option.
(A) - This is the past tense. (A) - The last sentence of an email would
(B) - This is the present simple tense in
the third person.
(D) - This is the present simple tense in
the first person.
not end with ‘first of all’.
(C) - This is a very abrupt and impolite
way to end an email.
(D) - This sentence is not relevant to the
rest of the email.