Hello all! I took the new TOEFL that began in August of 2019. In this blog post, I want to share with you my experience as well as give you some insight about what to expect.
I took the new format of the TOEFL test.
I am not allowed to be extremely specific and tell you exactly what the questions or topics were, but I will try my best to give you the general idea.
I am not allowed to be extremely specific and tell you exactly what the questions or topics were, but I will try my best to give you the general idea.
lTHE READING SECTION
As you probably know, each reading passage now has ten questions. Here are the topics and the question types:
READING PASSAGE ONE was about a type of animal behavior. It had three detail questions, one negative detail question, one vocabulary question, one purpose question, one inference question, one sentence insertion question, one paraphrase question (also called the “sentence simplification” question) and ended with a summary question.
READING PASSAGE TWO was about evolution. It had two detail questions, two negative detail questions, one vocabulary question, one purpose question (this one was the purpose of a paragraph), one paraphrase question, one sentence insertion question, and ended with a chart/table question. You may notice this is a total of NINE questions. I believe that is because the chart/table questions are worth three points.
READING PASSAGE THREE was about the history of a particular invention. It had three detail questions, one negative detail question, one purpose question, one pronoun referent question, one vocabulary question, one inference question, one sentence insertion question, and ended with a summary question.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM THIS INFORMATION: Notice there has been a major reduction in the number of vocabulary questions. Now there is usually only one vocabulary question per passage. What does that mean for you, the test taker? Vocabulary questions are typically the fastest for students to complete. You may recall I mentioned in a previous blog that you now have more time per question—but with the reduction in the “quick” questions, that cancels out the benefit of having more time per question.
The ETS is still following the pattern of having one paraphrase, one sentence insertion, and one final summary or chart question per passage.
Detail and negative detail questions seem to be the most common on the new test, based on my experience. Purpose and inference questions appear at about the same statistical frequency as previous tests, although overall there are fewer simply because there are fewer questions.
THE LISTENING SECTION
The listening section went by so quickly I was unable to remember much from it. I found it to be an average difficulty level. There were two sets. The first set consisted of a conversation between a university employee and a student, and a lecture about animal behavior in a biology class.
The second set consisted of a conversation between a student and a professor, as well as two lectures. One lecture was in an astronomy class, and the other was in a music history class.
(Sorry I cannot be more specific)
THE SPEAKING SECTION
I know this section is what you have all been waiting for. However, there isn’t much to report. The speaking section very closely followed the prompts you see in most ETS textbooks.
The first question was the AGREE/ DISAGREE format.
The second question was a proposal, and the woman agreed with both points in the proposal.
The third question was about a concept in psychology, and the professor gave an example of it from his own life.
The fourth question was about two benefits of a behavior in animals, with specific examples.
Overall, I found it a lot easier to complete a speaking section with only four prompts. It went by very quickly and it was not as tiring. I know this news isn’t very exciting, but the ETS has not changed the prompts that are still on the test, they have simply eliminated prompts #1 and #5.
THE WRITING SECTION
The writing section has not changed.
The reading part of the integrated writing stated that an invention of the past existed and was used by ancient people, and the lecture cast doubt on the existence of the invention.
The independent writing was the AGREE/ DISAGREE format. Sorry I can’t give you the prompt but there are plenty of examples online and in ETS books.
My overall thoughts on these changes are that they are positive because they offer a more pleasant test- taking experience. It felt much faster and less exhausting than it was before. However, I do not expect to see a big improvement in student scores because the ETS ensured that scores would remain consistent despite the changes. Nonetheless, it was still a more comfortable experience.
That sums up my TOEFL Ibt experience with the new format.
As always, good luck on your test!
As you probably know, each reading passage now has ten questions. Here are the topics and the question types:
READING PASSAGE ONE was about a type of animal behavior. It had three detail questions, one negative detail question, one vocabulary question, one purpose question, one inference question, one sentence insertion question, one paraphrase question (also called the “sentence simplification” question) and ended with a summary question.
READING PASSAGE TWO was about evolution. It had two detail questions, two negative detail questions, one vocabulary question, one purpose question (this one was the purpose of a paragraph), one paraphrase question, one sentence insertion question, and ended with a chart/table question. You may notice this is a total of NINE questions. I believe that is because the chart/table questions are worth three points.
READING PASSAGE THREE was about the history of a particular invention. It had three detail questions, one negative detail question, one purpose question, one pronoun referent question, one vocabulary question, one inference question, one sentence insertion question, and ended with a summary question.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM THIS INFORMATION: Notice there has been a major reduction in the number of vocabulary questions. Now there is usually only one vocabulary question per passage. What does that mean for you, the test taker? Vocabulary questions are typically the fastest for students to complete. You may recall I mentioned in a previous blog that you now have more time per question—but with the reduction in the “quick” questions, that cancels out the benefit of having more time per question.
The ETS is still following the pattern of having one paraphrase, one sentence insertion, and one final summary or chart question per passage.
Detail and negative detail questions seem to be the most common on the new test, based on my experience. Purpose and inference questions appear at about the same statistical frequency as previous tests, although overall there are fewer simply because there are fewer questions.
THE LISTENING SECTION
The listening section went by so quickly I was unable to remember much from it. I found it to be an average difficulty level. There were two sets. The first set consisted of a conversation between a university employee and a student, and a lecture about animal behavior in a biology class.
The second set consisted of a conversation between a student and a professor, as well as two lectures. One lecture was in an astronomy class, and the other was in a music history class.
(Sorry I cannot be more specific)
THE SPEAKING SECTION
I know this section is what you have all been waiting for. However, there isn’t much to report. The speaking section very closely followed the prompts you see in most ETS textbooks.
The first question was the AGREE/ DISAGREE format.
The second question was a proposal, and the woman agreed with both points in the proposal.
The third question was about a concept in psychology, and the professor gave an example of it from his own life.
The fourth question was about two benefits of a behavior in animals, with specific examples.
Overall, I found it a lot easier to complete a speaking section with only four prompts. It went by very quickly and it was not as tiring. I know this news isn’t very exciting, but the ETS has not changed the prompts that are still on the test, they have simply eliminated prompts #1 and #5.
THE WRITING SECTION
The writing section has not changed.
The reading part of the integrated writing stated that an invention of the past existed and was used by ancient people, and the lecture cast doubt on the existence of the invention.
The independent writing was the AGREE/ DISAGREE format. Sorry I can’t give you the prompt but there are plenty of examples online and in ETS books.
My overall thoughts on these changes are that they are positive because they offer a more pleasant test- taking experience. It felt much faster and less exhausting than it was before. However, I do not expect to see a big improvement in student scores because the ETS ensured that scores would remain consistent despite the changes. Nonetheless, it was still a more comfortable experience.
That sums up my TOEFL Ibt experience with the new format.
As always, good luck on your test!
Baca Juga :
