What is the fee of registering for the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

Applicants who choose to take the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition must pay an amount of INR 16,900 for registering, which is the same for TOEFL iBT.

How many times is the TOEFL iBT Home Edition conducted in a month?

The TOEFL iBT Paper Edition is offered once or twice every month.

As the TOEFL iBT exam is conducted in two sessions, do I have to book two dates or one?

You need to schedule two appointments when you register: one at your neighbourhood testing facility and the other at your house.

In some places, why is the duration of the first session of TOEFL iBT Paper Edition written as three and half hours? What is the actual duration?

The test duration at a centre is three hours. An additional thirty minutes is allocated for test administration tasks, such as admitting examinees, allowing them to input identifying information, and managing test materials.

Are there any special requirements for the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT Paper Edition?

As the Speaking section is conducted from home, please ensure that you have the required setup for both the equipment and environment before registering. You will get the details from the official website.

TOEFL Speaking Score: Calculation, Marking Criteria & More

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TOEFL iBT® Speaking Score Calculation: Marking Criteria, Score Interpretation

Kasturika Samanta

4 min read

Updated On September 10, 2024

Key Highlights

Overview of TOEFL Speaking Tasks
TOEFL Speaking Grading Criteria
Score Descriptors for TOEFL Speaking Tasks
TOEFL Speaking Raw to Scaled Score Conversion

The Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT® exam is crucial as it not only evaluates your English speaking skills but also assesses your ability to think and respond quickly. As a result, understanding how your responses for the speaking section are scored is important to set realistic goals and make preparation plans accordingly.

In this blog, we will provide you with the details on TOEFL Speaking iBT grading to help you prepare better and fulfill your dream.

Overview of TOEFL Speaking Tasks

The Speaking section of the TOEFL test comprises 4 tasks which are mainly of two types - Independent and Integrated.

No. of Tasks	Duration (in Minutes)	Task Details	Skills Assessed
1 Independent Task	16	You are presented with two contrasting viewpoints and are asked to select a side and explain and provide examples to support your opinion.	Articulation and Fluency, Vocabulary Usage, Grammar and Sentence Structure, Content and Coherence
3 Integrated Tasks	16	You will read a short passage and listen to a conversation discussing the same topic, followed by a question about it, which you will have to answer.

TOEFL Speaking Grading Criteria

The TOEFL Speaking evaluation is done by a combination of AI scoring and several highly skilled human raters based on three criteria - Delivery, Language Use, and Topic Development.

Let’s delve deeper into the TOEFL Speaking marking criteria to understand what they mean and how to work on them.

Delivery: It assesses your pronunciation, intonation, and clarity of speech. In other words, your answer should be easily understandable to native speakers.
Language Use: It assesses the correct use of grammar and vocabulary. It means that your answer should demonstrate a solid grasp of English, employing a variety of fitting words while maintaining correct grammar usage.
Topic Development: It assesses the coherence and completeness of your answer. It includes arranging ideas logically, offering enough details, and connecting ideas effectively.

Check out - TOEFL Speaking Templates for All Speaking Tasks

Score Descriptors for TOEFL Speaking Tasks

Each task is scored on a scale of 0 to 4, with 4 being the highest. Then, the four task scores are added together to create a raw TOEFL speaking point. So, let’s understand what each of the score descriptors means.

Score	Overall Description of Independent Task	Overall Description of Integrated Tasks
4	The response fulfills the demands of the task, with at most minor lapses in completeness. It is highly intelligible and exhibits sustained, coherent discourse.	The response fulfills the demands of the task, with at most minor lapses in completeness. It is highly intelligible and exhibits sustained, coherent discourse.
3	The response addresses the task appropriately but may fall short of being fully developed. It is generally intelligible and coherent, with some fluidity of expression, though it exhibits some noticeable lapses in the expression of ideas.	The response addresses the task appropriately but may fall short of being fully developed. It is generally intelligible and coherent, with some fluidity of expression, though it exhibits some noticeable lapses in the expression of ideas.
2	The response addresses the task, but the development of the topic is limited. It contains intelligible speech, although problems with delivery and/ or overall coherence occur; meaning may be obscured in places.	The response is connected to the task, though it may be missing some relevant information or contain inaccuracies. It contains some intelligible speech, but at times problems with intelligibility and/or overall coherence may obscure meaning.
1	The response is very limited in content and/or coherence or is only minimally connected to the task, or speech is largely unintelligible.	The response is very limited in content or coherence or is only minimally connected to the task. Speech may be largely unintelligible.

Want to boost your speaking performance?
Practice with our TOEFL Speaking Practice Tests and get real-time insights to improve your score!

TOEFL Speaking Raw to Scaled Score Conversion

The raw scores from the four tasks are combined to give a total raw score out of 16. This TOEFL speaking mark is then converted to a scaled TOEFL Speaking score out of 30, which is the highest score in the TOEFL speaking test and you will see it on your TOEFL score report.

The TOEFL speaking raw score conversion to scaled scores is based on a scoring table followed by ETS, the organisation that administers the TOEFL. It ensures that scores are standardised and comparable across different test versions and administrations.

The table below shows an approximate conversion of the scores.

Raw TOEFL Speaking Score	Scaled TOEFL Speaking Score
0	0
1	2
2	4
3	6
4	8
5	9
6	11
7	13
8	15
9	17
10	19
11	21
12	23
13	24
14	26
15	28
16	30

Learn more about What is a Good TOEFL Score?

To sum up, imagine the possibilities that await with a top TOEFL Speaking score. To reach that goal and unlock doors to a world of academic opportunities, you need a better understanding of the TOEFL score calculation.

Remember, there is no minimum TOEFL score in speaking and top scores can grant you access to prestigious universities, competitive programs, and scholarship opportunities. And, with your fluency and communication skills recognised, you'll be well-positioned to thrive in an English-speaking academic environment and beyond.

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