4 Creative TOEFL Speaking Tips to Score 26+
Most students find TOEFL Speaking to be the hardest part in the TOEFL exam. TOEFL Speaking tests your ability to read, listen to and understand recordings by native English speakers, speak fluently and clearly, pronounce words correctly and use accurate grammar while speaking. All this while speaking to a microphone, inside a room full of test-takers, in 20 minutes.
Today, we are going to discuss 4 unorthodox yet highly effective tips that will make your TOEFL Speaking practice more productive. These are tips aimed to improve fluency, pronunciation, use of vocabulary and flow, without having to memorize sample answers the night before the exam!
4 Creative TOEFL Speaking Tips to Score 26+
Read out loud
This may sound simple but reading out loud is one of the best ways to train your mouth to different English sounds. Pick up a book, magazine or a newspaper and read it out loud as if you’re reading to an audience. You can record yourself using a recording device if you want. If you make a mistake or have a word that you find hard to pronounce, take note of it but continue reading.
Try this tactic everyday for 30 minutes few weeks before taking TOEFL Speaking. Compare your recordings and compare to Native English speakers. After a few weeks you will notice how your pronunciation is improving.
Listen to audiobooks and podcasts
Listening is an important skill tested in the TOEFL Speaking test. You must be able to Native English speakers and understand. This can be a daunting task if you are not used to how Native English speakers talk.
Listening to Audiobooks and Podcasts are a great way to improve your listening skills and train your ears to Native English speakers. Listening to stories is a very natural way of learning English, and because people in these audiobooks/podcasts are speaking “Real English”, you will learn colloquial phrases and natural English.
Practice Real English with Real Native Speakers
The best way to increase your TOEFL Speaking score is to practice Real Conversational English with Real Native speakers. This is the best way to get your improve English fluency. You can also learn new vocabulary and develop your own pronunciation to speak more clearly.
Use a website like Spoken English Practice and practice speaking with a Native Teacher. You can even choose your preferred topics beforehand to keep the conversation relevant and engaging. Just an hour a day of speaking English directly with someone can greatly improve your skills, and you can learn to speak about a variety of topics without memorizing.
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Learn the “Rhythm of English”
Most English learners do great in Writing and Reading but find TOEFL Speaking difficult. The main reason is because they find it difficult to speak English clearly. Some English learners speak too fast; others speak too slow.
A good way to overcome this is to listen to music and watch television shows in English. Like any other language, English has it’s own rhythm to it, and you can only learn this by listening to Native English Speakers.
Watching English speakers on television or on YouTube provides another opportunity to hear pronunciation of words. Pay attention to the speed English is spoken by Native speakers. Additionally, this activity provides a good chance to associate facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice with the words you hear.
