Short vs Long-term Planning - TOEFL Speaking Practice Test (Independent)

To excel in TOEFL Speaking Independent Section of the TOEFL iBT® exam, you must balance effective time management with strong speaking skills. As you only have 15 seconds as the preparation time, you may feel it to be limited. However, with practice, you can quickly outline your response ensuring that it is organised and clear. When speaking with confidence, focus on maintaining fluency and clarity while avoiding long pauses. Managing time wisely allows you to stay focused on your main points and effective speaking ensures that your ideas are effectively communicated within the 45-second limit. Development of both these skills will increase your ability to perform well in the section.

The TOEFL Speaking Independent Practice Test on 'Short vs Long-term Planning' would help you understand the key speaking skills to be used while attempting this section. The time management skills are quite important as you will be aware of your pace in which you would have to brainstorm your ideas. You will be assessed based on your fluency, grammar, vocabulary, content, and coherence. Therefore, it is important to practice before sitting for the actual exam to get familiar with the pattern.

Let's start with the practice test!

Instructions:

• You'll receive a familiar topic to speak about with no accompanying reading or listening passages.
• After hearing the question, you will have 15 seconds to prepare your response and 45 seconds to deliver it.
• Remember, 15 seconds might seem short, but it's ample time for preparation.
• For this Question, you'll encounter two situations or opinions and must express your preference, providing reasons for your choice.

Now, play this Audio to hear the Question.

Question:

When it comes to planning, some people prefer to focus on short-term goals, while others believe in setting long-term objectives. Which approach do you prefer and why? Provide specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

Points to Remember

When addressing the question about short vs long-term planning, consider these key points to craft a well-rounded response. You must clearly state your position and provide specific reasons to justify your opinion. Include relevant examples and maintain a clear, logical organization. Your response should be concise yet detailed enough to demonstrate your speaking abilities within the time limit.

Answer Key with Explanation for TOEFL Independent Speaking Test - Short vs Long-term Planning

Here, we've included two sample answers, one at a mid-level and one at a high-level proficiency. By comparing the differences in language use, you will gain valuable insights into the key elements that contribute to achieving a higher TOEFL score.

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

Mid-Level Answer Audio Transcript:

Rater’s Comment:

The response earns a score of 1 due to significant language and delivery issues. Language errors include subject-verb agreement mistakes, such as "Short-term goals is also good," and tense inconsistency, as seen in "This helped me to stay focused and, uh, organised." The use of filler words like "um," "uh," and "like" throughout the response, such as in "I prefer, um, short-term goals," disrupts fluency and indicates a lack of confidence. Delivery is choppy with unnatural pauses, making the speech difficult to follow. Content development is minimal, with repeated ideas like "short-term goals" being "more practical" and "easier to manage," lacking depth and support. To improve, the speaker should focus on reducing filler words, ensuring grammatical accuracy, and providing more detailed examples and explanations to enhance coherence and content richness.

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

High-Level Answer Audio Transcript:

Rater’s Comment:

The response effectively addresses the task, demonstrating a clear preference for long-term objectives with well-organised content and coherent arguments. The speaker uses advanced grammar structures, such as "when I decided to pursue a career in medicine, I set a long-term goal of becoming a doctor," showcasing complex sentence construction. Sophisticated vocabulary choices like "anticipate challenges" and "comprehensive framework" enhance the response's clarity and precision. The delivery is characterised by a natural flow and effective pacing, with smooth transitions between ideas, such as moving from educational choices to motivation. The articulation is clear, with minor lapses that do not impede understanding. The response is well-developed, with strong supporting examples, such as participating in medical internships, illustrating the benefits of long-term planning. This response earns a score of 4 due to its mastery of language use, delivery, and topic development, with notable strengths in coherence and vocabulary.

Fantastic job working through this practice test! Looking to push your skills further? We have plenty more practice materials ready to help you tackle any speaking challenges you face.

Your dedication to practice will pay off!

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