TOEIC Preparation

Ivette Franco
Email: ivette.franco@unice.fr
 What is the TOEIC?
• Test of English for International Communication
• Test of everyday English: workplace, business, leisure,
travel, health…
• Listening and Reading Comprehension
• Multiple choice
• Recently updated in June 2018
– Practice books published no later than 2017
• 200 questions, 2 sections (Reading + Listening: 100 ?
s/section)
• 2 hour test
 Scores
• Combined score: a scale from 10 to 990 points
– Raw Score  scaled score  combined score
– Ex: (L) 75 400; (R) 50  205 = 705
• 600: minimum “good” score
• 750: good target
• 900: “international” proficiency
 Interpreting Scores
805 – 990 High Advanced
655 – 800 Advanced
555-650 High Intermediate
405 – 550 Intermediate
305 – 400 High Beginner
205 – 300 Beginner 2
10 – 200 Beginner 1
 Listening Section (45 min.)
• Part 1: Picture identification (10 questions)
• Part 2: Question/Response (25 questions)*
• Part 3: Short conversations (30 questions)
• Part 4: Short talks (30 questions)
 Reading section (75 min.)
• Part 5: Incomplete sentences (30 questions)*
• Part 6: Text completion (16 questions)
• Part 7: Reading comprehension [Single and
Double Passage] (25 questions)
 Class Overview
• Week 1: Presentation of test/class organization
• Week 2: Listening: Photographs
• Week 3: Listening: Question-Response
• Week 4: Listening: Conversations
• Week 5: Listening: Short Talks
• Week 6: Reading: Incomplete sentences
• Week 7: Reading: Text Completion
• Week 8: Reading comprehension
• Week 9: Review/Practice
• Week 10: Final Evaluation
 Class session organization
Weeks 2-9:
• 5-minute vocab quiz
• Strategies for that day’s TOEIC section
• Grammar and Vocabulary review
One vocabulary list to learn every week!
• Practice questions for that day’s TOEIC section
10 questions
 Class Evaluation
• 100% final practice TOEIC exam
 Eight Keys to Higher Scores
1. Increase your general knowledge of English
2. Learn your strengths and weaknesses and work on areas
needing improvement
3. Make the most of your preparation time
4. Be familiar with the TOEIC format and the directions for each
section
5. Know how to mark your answer sheet
6. No matter what, always guess
7. Use the process of elimination to make the most of your guess
8. Learn to control test anxiety
 General Advice
• Bring an HB pencil + eraser
• ID (Identification)
• Be careful when filling out basic information
• All questions have the same value
• No penalty for incorrect answers – guess
• Work quickly – don’t lose time on difficult
questions
 How to prepare
• Practice tests
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• General exposure: press, film, TV, radio…
• Netflix series/movies with settings in the
workplace
 Vocabulary
Find the definitions on your own and know these
when you come to the next class!
Also, find any additional parts of speech for the word:
ex. cancel (v.) -> cancelled (adj.)/cancellation (n.)
contract (n.) requirement (n.)
cancel (v.) primarily (adv.)
provide (v.) accommodate (v.)
specify (v.) duplicate (v.)
attract (v.) ignore (v.)
Sample questions
 Listening: Picture Identification
Listen to four statements about each photo. Select the letter of the best description of
the photo.

A. B. C. D.
 Listening: Picture Identification
Listen to four statements about each photo. Select the letter of the best description of
the photo.

A. The children are speaking to each other

B. The teacher is holding up her hand
C. The children are sitting in groups
D. The children are participating in the lesson
 Listening: Question/Response
In each question, you will listen to a question and then listen to 3 possible
responses. Choose the correct response.

A.

B.

C.
 Listening: Question/Response
In each question, you will listen to a question and then listen to 3 possible
responses. Choose the correct response.

They’ve reduced the price of the flights.

A. B. C.
A. Then let’s go ahead and book one.
B. I don’t think we met at the airport.
C. OK. Why not?
 Listening: Short Conversations
You are going to listen to a short conversation, with 3 questions. For each question,
choose the answer which you think fits best according to what you hear.

1 Where is the woman calling?

an office
a garage
a doctor’s surgery
a factory

2 What information does that man ask for? 3 What is the man going to do?

the woman’s name telephone the suppliers

the registration number of the bike call the woman back
the make of the bike order a new part
the woman’s phone number pick up the motorbike
Man: Hello, Tom Wilson’s, can I help you?
Woman: Hi there, it’s Emma Lloyd here. I’m calling about my motorbike. Is it ready to be
collected yet?
Man: Can you remind me, what’s the make of the bike?
Woman: It’s a City Zip. It’s blue.
Man: Oh yes. We had to order in some parts, but they still haven’t arrived yet I’m afraid.
Woman: Do you know when the bike will be ready to pick up?
Man: Sorry, I don’t know. But I’ll call our suppliers and find out if they’ve sent out the spare
parts yet. Once the parts are here we can fix the bike in two or three days.
Woman: Okay, I’ll give you a call at the end of the week, then.
Man: Sure.

1 Where is the woman calling?

an office
a garage
a doctor’s surgery
a factory
Man: Hello, Tom Wilson’s, can I help you?
Woman: Hi there, it’s Emma Lloyd here. I’m calling about my motorbike. Is it ready to be
collected yet?
Man: Can you remind me, what’s the make of the bike?
Woman: It’s a City Zip. It’s blue.
Man: Oh yes. We had to order in some parts, but they still haven’t arrived yet I’m afraid.
Woman: Do you know when the bike will be ready to pick up?
Man: Sorry, I don’t know. But I’ll call our suppliers and find out if they’ve sent out the spare
parts yet. Once the parts are here we can fix the bike in two or three days.
Woman: Okay, I’ll give you a call at the end of the week, then.
Man: Sure.

2 What information does that man ask for?

the woman’s name

the registration number of the bike
the make of the bike
the woman’s phone number
Man: Hello, Tom Wilson’s, can I help you?
Woman: Hi there, it’s Emma Lloyd here. I’m calling about my motorbike. Is it ready to be
collected yet?
Man: Can you remind me, what’s the make of the bike?
Woman: It’s a City Zip. It’s blue.
Man: Oh yes. We had to order in some parts, but they still haven’t arrived yet I’m afraid.
Woman: Do you know when the bike will be ready to pick up?
Man: Sorry, I don’t know. But I’ll call our suppliers and find out if they’ve sent out the spare
parts yet. Once the parts are here we can fix the bike in two or three days.
Woman: Okay, I’ll give you a call at the end of the week, then.
Man: Sure.

3 What is the man going to do?

telephone the suppliers

call the woman back
order a new part
pick up the motorbike
 Listening: Short Talks
You are going to listen to a short talk, with 3 questions. For each question, choose the
answer which you think fits best according to what you hear.

1 Where does the woman work?

in a shop
in a doctor’s surgery
in a train station
in a factory
3 What does the woman tell her
2 What should someone do if they make a mistake colleagues to do with the records?
on the records?
file them away
correct the mistake using pencil give them to the administration
use correction fluid manager
draw one line through the mistake put them in a box
use a coloured pen to highlight the mistake give them to the patient
Today, I’m going to give you some advice about record-keeping.
Keeping accurate records is very important, because if a patient is
unhappy about his treatment, he may want to make a complaint to
the surgeon. These records will help us to make a case. Always write
your name, the date and the time on all the records. Don’t use
pencil, or coloured pens. Use black ink. If you make a mistake, just
cross it out with a single line. Don’t use correction fluid. Don’t try to
file the records away yourself, or they may get lost. Put them in this
box here. The administration manager will make sure they are filed
away correctly.

1 Where does the woman

work?

in a shop
in a doctor’s surgery
in a train station
in a factory
Today, I’m going to give you some advice about record-keeping.
Keeping accurate records is very important, because if a patient is
unhappy about his treatment, he may want to make a complaint to
the surgeon. These records will help us to make a case. Always write
your name, the date and the time on all the records. Don’t use
pencil, or coloured pens. Use black ink. If you make a mistake, just
cross it out with a single line. Don’t use correction fluid. Don’t try to
file the records away yourself, or they may get lost. Put them in this
box here. The administration manager will make sure they are filed
away correctly.

2 What should someone do if they make a

mistake on the records?

correct the mistake using pencil

use correction fluid
draw one line through the mistake
use a coloured pen to highlight the
mistake
Today, I’m going to give you some advice about record-keeping.
Keeping accurate records is very important, because if a patient is
unhappy about his treatment, he may want to make a complaint to
the surgeon. These records will help us to make a case. Always write
your name, the date and the time on all the records. Don’t use
pencil, or coloured pens. Use black ink. If you make a mistake, just
cross it out with a single line. Don’t use correction fluid. Don’t try to
file the records away yourself, or they may get lost. Put them in this
box here. The administration manager will make sure they are filed
away correctly.

3 What does the woman tell her colleagues to do with

the records?

file them away

give them to the administration manager
put them in a box
give them to the patient
 Reading: Incomplete Sentences
For each question you will see an incomplete sentence. Four words or phrases, marked
A-D are given beneath each sentence. You are to choose the one word or phrase that
best completes the sentence.

The executives pointed to immigration __________ the biggest drivers

of the domestic market.

A. rather than
B. as leading
C. as one of
D. resulting in
Reading: Text Completion; Single Passage;
Double Passage

See Worksheet