SpeakingNotes.pdf

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Speaking Notes

For TOEFL iBT

Useful tips: (suitable for all questions)

☛ Make it NATURAL , pauses, such as “well”, “um”, and “you know”, are advisable, but

don’t do it too much.

☛ CORRECT your mistakes as soon as you find out, for example, “... I really like standing

in, I mean, ON the mountain,” (I know it’s a bad example. What I’m trying to clarify is that it

is OK to make mistakes, but you gotta correct it once you made it.) so the examiner would

not count down your score.

☛ There is NO NEED to use freaking words, like “exonerate”, which means absolve, and

“flamboyant”, which means showy. But those words are good to use in your essay.

☛ “The FIRST way, the LAST way, the NEVER FAILING way to develop self-confidence

in speaking is-- TO SPEAK .” --Dale Carnegie

Independent speaking (Question 1 & 2)

In this section, you are asked to present your own opinion and provide examples to

support your ideas.

Useful tips:

☛ Your answer should be as SPECIFIC as possible. You need to stick to a point UNTIL

you finish it, have done with it, and need never return to it again.

☛ The key to score high is to make each point WELL-DEVELOPED , and that DOES NOT

mean you need to make as much points as you can, two would be great.

☛ Truth and REASONABLE LIES are totally acceptable.

☛ DO NOT say “I have three (or whatever) reasons to support my idea”, or something like

that after you state your opinion. There is no guarantee that you are able to finish your

answer within 45 seconds. Instead, you can say “I have a couple of reasons to say.”

Question 1

Your answer can go like this:

“Personally, I would have to say that, um, my favorite ... is .... And there are a couple of

reasons to name. The most important thing is that, you know, .... What’s more, .... So that’s

why ....”

Question 2

Your answer can go like this:

“Well, in my opinion, I would definitely agree with the point that, um, .... The first reason

that I wanna say is that .... More importantly, .... So, uh, that’s why I choose ... for the two

reasons listed above.”

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Old Exam: Question 1

1. Person

1. Describe the characteristics of a good teacher (2006-3-3) (2007-11-3)

2. Describe a famous person that you most admire (2006-3-17) (2006-10-22) (2007-3-24) (2008-6-22)

3. Characteristics of friends (2006-5-12) (2006-6-24) (2007-1-27) (2007-10-20)

4. The person who has greatest influence on you (2006-5-26) (2007-9-22)

5. The characteristics of a good parent (2006-8-2)

6. Qualities of a good leader (2006-10-21) (2008-1-13)

7. Quality of a good team member (2007-3-15)

8. Describe a person with whom you like to talk with, why (2007-6-24)

9. Describe what your life will be like in five years / changes in five years of your life (2007-7-28)

10. Describe a person you will ask for advice when you meet any difficulty (2007-9-29)

11. Which one is the quality that is most essential to friendship: faithfulness, honesty or humor

(2007-10-21)

2. Place

1. Your favorite place in the city you are now living (2006-1-6) (2006-7-15) (2007-12-1)

2. Where do you usually go with your friends (2006-1-14)

3. What park or public area do you like (2006-1-21) (2006-11-17)

4. Do you prefer to go to restaurant, café or stay at home with your friends (2006-2-11)

5. Describe one of your favorite rooms, either of your house or other places (2007-1-13) (2008-4-27)

6. What kinds of features are important to you when you go to a restaurant or café. Why? (2007-1-14)

7. Describe a place you have never been to but like to go someday (2007-1-19) (2007-8-11) (2008-2-2)

8. If your foreign friends are going to visit your country, where do you suggest them to go? (2007-2-24)

(2007-12-15)

9. Where do you want to live, forests, desert, or plain? (2007-4-21)

10. Where do you like to go when it is sunny? (2007-8-17)

11. What is the most important element you take into account when you are choosing a house

(2007-9-12)

12. Students choose foreign country for further education because of academic programs and so on.

What do you think is the most import aspect besides academic program, location, cost, or size?

(2007-10-28)

13. Describe your favorite place when you were a kid. (2008-3-8)

3. Object

1. Describe one important book (2005-11-8) (2005-11-19) (2006-3-25) (2006-12-8)

2. Which one do you prefer, magazine, fiction or poetry (2006-2-3) (2006-10-28) (2006-12-10)

(2007-1-6)

3. The most efficient transportation in your country (2006-4-8) (2006-12-15)

4. One of the most important inventions in the past 100 years (2006-4-28) (2007-3-10)

5. A job or career you’d like to pursue (2006-7-29) (2006-11-18) (2007-10-6) (2008-3-2)

6. Which kinds of film do you like best: comedy, drama… (2006-9-9) (2006-11-3) (2007-2-3)

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7. Describe an object which is very important to you. (2006-10-29) (2008-2-24)

8. Describe a painting you have seen before. Why do you like it or dislike it? (2007-2-10) (2007-12-10)

9. Your most important gift, why is it so significant for you (2007-3-4)

10. Describe a letter or poem or essay you wrote that is important to you (2007-3-23) (2008-5-17)

11. How do you like traveling, by bike, automobile or train? (2007-5-18)

12. Among computer, television, and telephone, which do you think is the most important to your life

(2007-6-9)

13. What is your favorite subject and how do you become fond of it (2007-7-7) (2008-1-12)

14. What is the subject you would like to learn more about and why? (2007-7-21)

15. If you are going to give your friend a gift, what would you choose and why (2007-12-8)

16. Describe a work of art such as a song or painting that gives you long lasting impression (2008-3-15)

17. Describe a job or career you admire but you won’t choose it yourself (2008-5-10)

4. Activity

1. What do you do in your spare time to relax yourself (2005-12-3) (2006-9-15) (2006-11-19)

(2007-7-14) (2008-5-31)

2. A popular group sport, game or activity in your country (2006-6-9) (2006-6-10) (2007-6-30)

3. An important skill for you (2006-11-5) (2008-1-19)

4. What should students do in a holiday (2006-11-19)

5. A new skill you’d like to learn (2007-5-19)

6. If a foreigner came to your home, what would your family and you prepare? (2007-10-27)

5. Event

1. The most important decision that you made in your life (2005-12-2) (2007-10-17)

2. An impressive celebration /a ceremony or public event you attended (2005-12-16) (2006-2-12)

(2006-6-16) (2006-12-3) (2008-2-16)

3. A social or politics celebration event in your culture (2005-12-17) (2006-2-25)

4. What is your goal? State why it is so important and its influence on you (2006-8-15) (2006-10-14)

(2006-10-15) (2007-12-15)

5. Describe a challenging experience and how to solve this challenge (2006-8-26) (2007-3-3)

6. An enjoyable event in your childhood (2006-9-23) (2006-12-1)

7. What do you miss most when you are away from home? (2006-10-8)

8. Describe a special opportunity given to you (2006-10-18) (2007-11-11)

9. Describe a happy time in your life (2006-12-16) (2007-6-16) (2008-1-5)

10. Describe a time when you needed help from others, how he or she helped you and what was the

result (2007-4-29) (2007-9-15)

11. Describe a day you enjoy most (2007-8-4)

12. Describe a special event in your country (2007-8-25)

13. Describe the most impressive surprise your friend gives you because of his or her action (2007-10-5)

14. Describe a memorable event you had with your family members or friends (2007-11-24)

15. Describe an accomplishment that requires you to work hard and why it is so important to you

(2007-12-12)

16. Describe your first day in the school, and explain whether you like the school or not (2008-1-18)

17. Describe a disappointed moment you have ever experienced (2008-3-30)

18. Describe a recent experience that is important to you (2008-5-4)

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Old Exam: Question 2

1. Money

1. Do you prefer to save money or spend it off (2006-7-15) (2007-12-8)

2. If you have a large sum of money, what will you do with it, to spend on practical thing or

entertainment (2006-11-18) (2008-3-2)

3. Whether students should pay for their courses or not (2007-7-14)

4. Are power and money the criteria to evaluate success (2007-7-28)

5. Do you agree with the statement: colleges should invest all the money on academic education rather

than entertainment such as films? (2008-6-22)

2. Courses

1. Do you think high school should teach music and arts as other basic science subjects? (2005-12-2)

(2007-10-17)

2. Is musical education necessary (2006-4-8)

3. Do you prefer online course or traditional course (2006-10-8) (2007-2-24) (2007-12-15)

4. Do you like to study in a large class or small class (2006-10-15) (2008-1-12)

5. Some universities offer PE courses while others do not. What do you think? (2006-11-3)

6. Which will you choose: a subject which will lead to better jobs or which you are interested in

(2007-3-3)

7. Should students focus time on academic subjects or it is not enough to learn academic subjects

(2007-3-24)

8. Do you agree with the statement: it is more important to learn math and science than arts and

literature? (2008-3-8)

3. Education

1. Should University be opened to everyone or a limited number of students / Is it necessary for

everyone to receive higher education (2006-3-17) (2006-10-22)

2. Is it more likely to succeed in career if someone has attended college? (2006-4-28)

3. Which one do you think is better to do research, internet or academic books (2006-6-9) (2007-6-30)

4. Do you like indoor or outdoor teaching (2006-9-15)

5. Do you agree or disagree: Students should wear uniform in school (2007-2-3)

6. Someone thinks it’s important to study in a university, and some do not. What do you think?

(2007-3-10)

7. Is it important for students to attend class regularly or study by oneself? (2007-4-11)

8. Do you agree or disagree: The most important lessons is learned outside the classroom (2007-6-9)

(2008-5-31)

9. Do you agree or disagree: students should participate in class discussion (2007-6-24)

10. Would you prefer to search for information by reading books or by using computers with access to

the internet? (2007-10-27)

11. If you have any questions or problems, do you prefer to ask instructor or internet and books for help?

(2007-12-1)

12. Which one do you think is better for college students, studying part-time or full-time? (2007-12-15)

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4. Entertainment & Vacation

1. Long vacation or short vacation, which do you prefer (2006-7-29) (2007-10-6)

2. Some people prefer go to the destination directly when they are on a trip while others prefer to spend

time in some other places along the trip. Which do you prefer and why? (2007-1-13) (2008-4-27)

3. Some people prefer fantasy literature, such as fiction, while some prefer nonfiction such as

biography, which do you like? (2007-4-21)

4. Do you agree or not that student should have a one-year holiday before going to university

(2007-5-19)

5. Do you prefer to go to college directly after high school or take a time off (2007-8-11)

6. What do you think students should do in a vacation, continue studying, take a rest or go to work?

(2007-8-17)

7. Do you like to travel to a place you have ever been to or a new place? (2007-11-24)

8. Some people like to finish reading a book without discontinuity, while some like to divide it into

several times. Which way do you prefer and why? (2008-3-15)

9. How do you like to spend your weekend, to study or to relax and socialize with friends? (2008-5-10)

5. Cooperation & Independence

1. Do you prefer to live with roommates or you prefer to live by yourself (2006-2-3) (2006-10-28)

(2007-1-6)

2. Choose profession that need you study independently or profession require you to work as a group

(2007-3-23) (2008-5-17)

3. Do you prefer to make friends with a large number of people or would you rather spend most of your

time with a small group of friends? (2007-8-25)

4. Do you like to go to movies or concerts alone or with a group of friends? (2007-9-12)

6. Lifestyle & Habits

1. Would you like to become a leader or a follower (2006-5-26) (2007-9-22)

2. Do you prefer indoor activities or outdoor activities (2006-6-24) (2007-10-5) (2007-10-20)

3. Do you agree or disagree that we can judge a person by the appearance at the first glance?

(2006-7-15) (2008-2-24)

4. Do you agree that people should always tell the truth (2006-10-21) (2008-1-13)

5. Some people like going to bed early and getting up early, while some others prefer staying up late

and rising late, which one do you prefer (2006-11-19)

6. Which kind of life would you choose: a relaxed and unhurried life or a busy life? (2006-12-16)

(2008-1-5)

7. Do you agree that childhood is the happiest (or precious) time in life (2007-1-19) (2008-2-2)

8. Getting advice from family and friends/learning through personal experience, which do you prefer

(2007-1-26)

9. Do you think life is much better if your grandparents are still alive / Do you agree or disagree with the

following statement: today's life is easier or more difficult than our grandparents'? (2007-3-4)

10. Young adult are influenced by the family members. Do you agree or disagree? (2007-9-15)

(2008-5-4)

11. Do you like to make friends with people who have different interest with you? (2007-11-3)

12. Some people prefer to plan spare time while others do not, which do you prefer? (2008-1-19)

13. Some people prefer to eat the same food while others would like to try new food. Which do you

prefer? (2008-3-30)

14. Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults. Other people

think that friends are the most important influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with?

(2008-5-4)

7. Place

1. Do you prefer to eat at home or outside in a restaurant (2006-1-14) (2006-2-11)

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