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Chemistry Department Scholarship - TOEFL Speaking Practice with Answers

Chemistry Department Scholarship - TOEFL Speaking Integrated Practice Questions with Answer Key

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The Speaking Integrated Task goes beyond the general English communication skills assessed in the TOEFL Speaking Section. This task specifically evaluates your capacity to integrate knowledge from reading and hearing passages and present it in a logical manner in your response.

The Speaking Integrated Task evaluates various aspects of spoken English proficiency, including pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary usage, and overall coherence. We have created a Speaking Integrated practice test on "Chemistry Department Scholarship" to assist you in honing these abilities.

Let's begin your practice journey with this TOEFL Speaking Integrated Task and enhance your comprehension and communication strategies!

Instructions

  • The narrator will introduce you to the question format, consisting of reading a short academic passage followed by a related lecture on a similar topic.
  • Subsequently, you will be asked to respond to a question, integrating information from both the passage and the lecture.
  • After hearing the question, you will have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to deliver it.
  • Following the initial instructions, the narrator will prompt you to read the passage on "Chemistry Department Scholarship" within 45 seconds.
  • The reading passage will be displayed on the screen for your convenience.

Chemistry Department Scholarship

The Chemistry Department is planning to award scholarships to students who have received an average grade of 90% or above. We have found there to be a serious need for well-educated chemistry students and the current pool of chemists is highly lacking. By awarding these scholarships, it will allow future chemists to get a better handle on their tuition costs as well as encourage students to study harder in class. After the recent audit, we have found there to be plenty of funds for this department and we feel this is the best place to use them. Considering this school spends most of its funds on the Sports Department, we want to get students more interested in chemistry and we feel this is the best place to start.

Directions: After the passage appears, a timer located at the top of your computer screen will commence counting down the time allocated for reading. Once the reading time concludes, the passage will disappear from the screen, replacing an image showing a professor.

Chemistry Department Scholarship - TOEFL Speaking Integrated Questions with Answers

Now, listen to this Audio and answer the question that follows.

Audio Transcript:

Abigail: This is a bad move from the Chemistry Department. I can’t believe they are going to spend school funding like this. 

Oliver: Why would you say that? 

Abigail: Have you seen the outdated equipment in the Chemistry Department? Most of it is older than I am. If the department has so much extra money, they should spend it on updating the chemistry equipment before pushing for more students. I mean, think about it! Most companies use updated equipment, so how do they expect us to compete for positions when we’re accustomed to using outdated equipment? We’re going to be at a disadvantage. 

Oliver: Yea, you’re right. I never thought about that. We will need to know how to use the latest equipment in the Chemistry field for our future careers. 

Abigail: Exactly! Also, I think they should consider spending money on current students who are actually working hard and not try to lure in potential students. I know a lot of my friends are studying hard. Even though they are not getting an average grade of 90%, they are still getting good grades in Chemistry. I think the Chemistry department should award them, like giving them a bonus or something. 

Oliver: That’s true! You make a good point. It would be great if my hard work was rewarded.

Directions: Once the lecture concludes, the picture of the professor will be replaced by a screen instructing you to prepare for answering the question. Subsequently, the following question will appear on the screen and will be read aloud by a narrator.

Question:

The woman expresses her opinion about the announcement on the Chemistry Department Scholarship. State her opinion and explain the reasons that she gives for holding that opinion.

Preparation Time: 20 seconds

Response Time: 60 Seconds

Hold on to those answer sheets! Before you jump into the sample response, make sure to go through our top 7 Tips for TOEFL preparation

Answer Key with Explanation for TOEFL Speaking Test - Chemistry Department Scholarship

We've provided two sample responses at different proficiency levels (low-level and high-level). By understanding the differences, you'll gain valuable insights into the key elements that contribute to achieving a top score on the TOEFL exam.

Listen to the audio recording to hear a low-level answer to the provided question.

Low-Level Answer Audio Transcript:

The conversation between Abigail and Oliver, um, suggests Abigail's viewpoint on the Chemistry Department’s decision to spend school funding on attracting more students. She mentions that it is not a good idea.  She thinks, um, that the equipment is very old. So, um, the department can use money to, uh, update it. Also, she feels that the department should focus on rewarding the current, um, set of students. There are many of her friends who are, um, working hard. (79 words)

Rater’s Comment:

This response provides a summary of the conversation but it is not being elaborated much. Even though Abigail’s reasons are mentioned, it could be improved with more detailed explanations and examples to strengthen the argument. In addition to that, the sentences could have been varied with a better approach towards its structure. This could have helped in the logical arrangement of the ideas to keep them coherent and the clarity could have been improved.

Listen to the audio recording to hear a high-level answer to the provided question.

High-Level Answer Audio Transcript:

In the conversation, Abigail is critical of the Chemistry Department’s decision to use school funding to attract more students. Her main reason for not supporting this decision lies in the fact that the equipment in the Chemistry Department is outdated. She feels that rather this amount could be spent on updating the equipment because modern equipment is essential. There are many companies which prefer state-of-the-art technology and so, students are required to become familiar with it. Moreover, the amount can also be used to reward the current students who work hard, which could be proven more beneficial than attracting new students. In her class, there are many who are doing well in Chemistry and should have been rewarded. (118 words)

Rater’s Comment:

This response effectively summarizes Abigail’s opinion and explains the reasons for the same. The sentences are well-articulated and the coherence is appropriate. The elaboration of the reasons is also well-presented by providing context and examples to enhance the overall response. The sentence structure is appropriate as well as relevant to the conversation, making this a high-level answer.

Finished the practice test? Awesome job! Now, let’s take your TOEFL skills to the next level. Try more of our practice tests, crafted to mirror the actual exam, and watch your progress soar!

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