Improving TOEFL Score

By Alice Huang
黃士嘉
英文四B
TOEFL (Test of English as a
Foreign Language)
Full score: 120

My score: 114 and 117

ibt and pbt

Rome was not built in a day

 TOEFL Format
Ets.org
Section Points Time Limit Questions Tasks
Reading 30 60-80 minutes 36-56 questions Read 3 or 4 passages from
academic texts and answer
questions
Listening 30 60-90 minutes 34-51 questions Listen to lectures, classroom
discussions and conversations,
then answer questions
Break 10 minutes
Speaking 30 20 minutes 6 tasks Express an opinion on a
familiar topic; speak based on
reading and listening tasks
Writing 30 50 minutes 2 tasks Write essay responses based on
reading and listening tasks;
support an opinion in writing
 Reading
Reading Comprehension

Vocabulary

Picking out the main ideas

 Tips
Read broad ranges (many topics)

Increase vocabulary (amateur level)

Read question first

Use the sentence to guess the word’s meaning

Practice finding a passage’s key points

Can read again and read the previous questions

 Sample: Agriculture, Iron, and the Bantu People
There is evidence of agriculture in Africa prior to 3000 b.c. It may have
developed independently, but many scholars believe that the spread of
agriculture and iron throughout Africa linked it to the major centers of
the Near East and Mediterranean world. The drying up of what is now
the Sahara desert had pushed many peoples to the south into sub-
Saharan Africa. These peoples settled at first in scattered hunting- and-
gathering bands, although in some places near lakes and rivers, people
who fished, with a more secure food supply, lived in larger population
concentrations. Agriculture seems to have reached these people from the
Near East, since the first domesticated crops were millets and sorghums
whose origins are not African but West Asian. Once the idea of planting
diffused, Africans began to develop their own crops, such as certain
varieties of rice, and they demonstrated a continued receptiveness to
new imports. The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops
lie in a band that extends from Ethiopia across southern Sudan to West
Africa. Subsequently, other crops, such as bananas, were introduced
from Southeast Asia.
 Sample Questions
1. The word “diffused” in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) emerged
(B) was understood
(C) spread
(D) developed
2. According to paragraph 1, why do researchers doubt that
agriculture developed independently in africa?
(A) African lakes and rivers already provided enough
food for people to survive without agriculture.
(B) The earliest examples of cultivated plants discovered
in Africa are native to Asia.
(C) Africa’s native plants are very difficult to
domesticate.
(D) African communities were not large enough to
support agriculture.
2 pts Complete the summary by selecting the THREE
answer choices that express the most important ideas in
the passage. Write your answer choices in the spaces
where they belong.
Agriculture and iron working probably spread to Africa from neighboring regions.

(A)Once Africans developed their own native crops, they no longer borrowed
from other regions.

(B) The harshness of the African climate meant that agriculture could not
develop until after the introduction of iron tools.

(C) The use of livestock improved transportation and trade and allowed for
new forms of political control.

(D) As the Sahara expanded, the camel gained in importance, eventually

coming to have religious significance.

(E) The spread of iron working had far-reaching effects on social, economic,
and political organization in Africa.

(F) Today’s Bantu-speaking peoples are descended from a technologically

advanced people who spread throughout Africa.
 Listening
Can’t go back to the previous questions

Typically ask about the main idea and supporting

details

Some questions ask about a speaker’s purpose or

attitude
 Sample Notes
Drop off graduation form for diploma

Warning flag

Familiar? Yes; 48 total, 24 intermediate or higher, department chair outline

2 years ago meet chair, 8 more courses

Computers reliable

2 basic + field

Only Intro; no intermediate available

Independent field -> count as intermediate

Classmate did so

Depth, enjoyment

Contact chair and call to verify

No deadline soon but might be bad if too late

 Sample Questions
1. Why does the man go to see the registrar?

(A) To find out why he is not on the list of graduating

students
(B) To explain why he has not fulfilled his graduation
requirements

(C) To find out the exact requirements for graduation

(D) To submit a document required for graduation

2. According to the registrar, what step is currently taken to ensure that

students fulfill their graduation requirements?

(A) Academic records are regularly checked by the registrar’s

office.
(B) Students meet with a department chairperson to plan
their course work.
(C) Students receive letters listing the courses that they still
need to take.
(D) Warning letters are sent to students who have fallen
behind in their course work.
 Attitude or Purpose Question
(A) She is uncertain about the reliability of the
computer.
(B) She will approve the man’s form despite her
doubts about it.

(C) She needs more information about the man’s

credits.
(D) She needs to call someone to help her fix
computer errors.
 Tips
Take good notes

English subtitles or none (NO Chinese!)

Watch English TV shows/movies

Listen to English radio channels

Listen to online videos

VOA/空中英語 -> TED -> ICRT -> BBC and CNN news

Listen to different accents!!

 Speaking
Independent Questions 1 & 2

Integrated Questions 3 – 6
Campus situations
Academic courses
 Question 1 & 2 Format
Topic to speak about with no additional material

15 seconds to prepare

45 seconds to speak
Question 1
speak about a person, place, object or event that is familiar to
you

Question 2
presented with two situations or opinions, you'll choose which
you prefer and explain your choice

Opinion then support

 Campus Situations
Question 3
Read a passage
Listen to a response
30 seconds to prepare
60 seconds to speak

Question 5
Listen to conversation
20 seconds to prepare
60 seconds to speak

Summarize the speaker’s point (Question 3), then give your

opinion (Question 5)
 Academic Courses
Question 4
Read a passage
Listen to lecture
30 seconds to prepare
60 seconds to speak

Question 6
Listen to lecture
20 seconds to prepare
60 seconds to speak
 Tips
Take notes of key points, not full responses
Don’t read or memorize
Speak naturally (not an essay) using connections
Because, then, after that …

Clear and fluid speech at a natural pace

Good pronunciation and good intonation
Grammar
Full answer
Don’t repeat (try clarifying or elaborating, think of wording the topic in
different ways)
Simple sentences
Practice recording your voice with a timer
 Writing
2 Questions

Question 1
20 minutes
150-225 words

Question 2
30 minutes
300+ words
 Question 1
Reading
3 minutes reading for a writing
Look for the main idea (first paragraph)
Notice the relating key points (usually 3)
Don’t memorize

Listening (same topic, different perspective)

2 minutes listening
Take notes (opinion usually first)
Look for corresponding details
 Question 1
Summarize the reading

Answer how the lecture corresponds to the reading

 Question 2
Your opinion on the subject
ie which do you prefer, do you agree or disagree, what
do you think

Outline

Specific examples supporting your stance

 Tips
Read the question carefully

Answer the question (answer only what the question

asks, using what the question provides)

Topic sentence – usually first sentence, answering the

question

Examples and details for support

Conclude - summary
Points in the Reading
In the memoir, the Chevalier claims that
he was wealthy while living in Switzerland, but
since the Chevalier is known to have borrowed
money there, he cannot have been very rich.
The memoir claims to recount accurate
conversations between the Chevalier and the
famous writer Voltaire; this cannot be true,
since it was written so many years after the
conversations occurred.
The memoir states that the Chevalier escaped
from a Venetian prison by making a hole in the
ceiling and climbing through the roof; this is
unlikely, since the Chevalier could have asked
politically well-connected friends to offer his
jailers a bribe to free him.
Ets.org
Counterpoints in the Lecture
The Chevalier’s wealth was in the form of
property that had to be sold in order to
generate cash. So he wasn’t poor; he just had to
borrow money for a few days while he waited
for his property to be sold.
Each night after the conversations took place,
the Chevalier wrote down everything he could
remember from them. Witnesses confirm
that when writing his memoir years later, the
Chevalier regularly consulted these notes.
Other prisoners who had even more powerful
political connections were never able to
bribe their way to freedom, so the Chevalier
probably couldn’t either. Also, prison records
indicate that soon after the Chevalier’s escape,
the ceiling of his room in the prison had to be
repaired.
 Tips
• Relevance
• Organization
Use transitions (first, second, third, finally, in
conclusion … )
Avoid redundancy
Write in PARAGRAPHS
• Language
Grammar
Word choice/vocabulary
 Tips
• For Q1, Listen/read to two lectures,
write down their main points,
summarize them, compare and
contrast them
• Timed practice
• Learn to recognize your grammar
mistakes and correct them
 Concluding Tips
Reviewing for one, is reviewing for all of them

Read broad range of topics

Practice concentration

Double check your stuff the night before

Get a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast

Don’t panic
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)
For applying for college
Format (3 hours and 45 minutes + 3 short breaks)
Writing
25 minute Essay question
Grammar questions
Reading
Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary
Math
Basic to algebra, statistics etc
 Min Total Content
Time
Writing (essay) 25 60 The essay measures a student's ability to develop and
express a point of view on an issue.
Writing (multiple choice) 25 The multiple-choice questions ask students to:
• Recognize sentence errors
Writing (multiple choice) 10 • Choose the best version of a piece of writing
• Improve paragraphs

Critical reading (multiple
choice)
Critical reading (multiple
choice)
Critical reading (multiple
choice)
Mathematics (multiple choice
and student-produced
response)
Mathematics (multiple choice)
Mathematics (multiple choice)
25 70 The questions assess students' reading skills, such as:
• Identifying main and supporting ideas
25 • Determining the meaning of words in context
• Understanding authors' purposes
• Understanding the structure and function of
20 sentences
25 70 The questions require students to apply mathematical
concepts and to use data literacy skills in interpreting
tables, charts and graphs. They cover skills in four major
25 areas:
• Number and operations
• Algebra and functions
20 • Geometry and measurement
• Data analysis, statistics and probability

Variable (unscored, multiple 25 25 from CollegeBoard.org

choice)
 Credits
All samples are taken from ets.org

The TOEFL testing formats are also from ETS

SAT testing formats are from CollegeBoard

Many tips are also stated at ETS (TOEFL video library

etc)
Thank you for Coming! 