Everything you Need to Know about TOEFL Speaking and Improvement Tips

FREE TOEFL Speaking 2026 online practice tests. 213+ questions & 19 quizzes with speaking tasks & sample answers. [Updated March 2026]

Everything you Need to Know about TOEFL Speaking and Improvement Tips

TOEFL Speaking

  1. Independent - tests your speaking skills (task 1)
  2. Integrated - tests other skills, such as reading, listening, and speaking, in addition to your speaking speakings (tasks 2 to 4) 

TOEFL Speaking Rubric

Score Reasons for Score
0 Haven't said anything
Spoke in your own dialect
Give a totally off-topic answer
1 Said something somewhat related to the question
Plenty of pauses between words and phrases
Very difficult to understand
2 Somewhat answered the question
Lack of explanations and facts and/or got them wrong
Had problems with pronunciation, intonation, and pacing
Limited use of vocabulary and grammar
3 Answered the question reasonably well
Have to broaden a bit more on ideas or details
Speech is quite straightforward and ordinary
Some difficulties with pronunciation, intonation, and pace
Wide range of grammar and vocabulary used
4 Provided reasons with excellent support
All essential details are given precisely
Conveyed information in an organized way
Speak properly with little hesitation and good pacing
Appropriate choice of words and grammatical constructions

TOEFL speaking scoring guide

  • Weak: 0-9 points
  • Fair: 10-17 points
  • Good: 18-25 points
  • Excellent: 26-30 points

TOEFL speaking tips

  1. Take notes - TOEFL lessons are lengthy. Making brief notes will allow you to stay focused on key ideas.
  2. Relax - Take a break of 10 to 15 seconds. Shut your eyes, sit quietly, and take some deep breaths.
  3. Stay focused - The testing place can be noisy with everybody talking at once. Practice talking in a room with distractions.
  4. Use a template - Develop a TOEFL speaking template with structure terms for each task to help you coordinate your response.
  5. Don’t Plagiarise - Templates may help, but be mindful. When you memorize statements and use them on the exam, your score may be canceled due to plagiarism.
  6. Block out distractions - When you can't stay concentrated, try covering your ears and closing your eyes to clear your head.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Look for ways to learn English fluently.
  2. Listen to the radio and watch movies and television. Pay close attention to the sentence structure and the different accents or speech patterns used.
  3. Practice talking about different topics for a limited time without much planning.
  4. To learn pronunciation, stress, and diction in English, use books that contain audio recordings.

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About the Author

Dr. Yuki TanakaPhD Applied Linguistics, MA TESOL

Applied Linguist & Language Proficiency Exam Specialist

Georgetown University

Dr. Yuki Tanaka holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and an MA in TESOL from Georgetown University. A former language examiner with the British Council, she has 18 years of experience designing and teaching language proficiency preparation courses for TOEFL, IELTS, CELPIP, Duolingo English Test, JLPT, Cambridge FCE/CAE, and Versant assessments worldwide.