What has the Speaking section included since January 2026?
According to ETS’s content page, the Speaking section has two task types: “Listen and Repeat” and “Take an Interview.” Its table lists 11 items and a base time of 8, without naming the unit. The test specifications, published on ETS’s website, say “8 min” and divide the 11 items into 7 sentences to repeat and 4 interview questions; the test’s technical manual, an ETS research report from October 2025, gives the same breakdown. The specifications note that they could undergo minor revisions before the test launched: the total of 11 appears on the content page, and the 7-plus-4 breakdown appears in the specifications and manual. If your book or study plan predates 2026, make sure it prepares you for both task types.
The same specifications state that Reading and Listening are two-stage adaptive, while Writing and Speaking are linear: all candidates taking the same test form receive the same tasks. The content page says the test adapts and its duration can vary; according to that document, Speaking gives all candidates on a given test form the same tasks.
The Speaking page, specifications, and technical manual cited here do not give a specific preparation or response time for each question. We therefore do not infer per-item timing from the section’s estimated 8 minutes. During the test, follow the instructions and on-screen timer; when practicing, check the source and version for any timing you use.
You speak into a microphone, which records your responses. For the at-home test, ETS requires a microphone that is not part of a headset, and headsets and earphones are not allowed; the Bulletin adds that the entire session is recorded and monitored by a human proctor, in a room where you are alone.
To receive scores, ETS requires you to answer at least one Speaking task and at least one Writing task, as well as at least one question in Reading and Listening. If you do not answer any Speaking tasks, you will not receive scores.
What is the TOEFL iBT?, in the TOEFL guide GuideHow are your responses scored?
According to the specifications, each Speaking item is worth up to 5 points, for a total of 55 raw points across the 11 items, and all 11 are labeled “AI Scored.” ETS defines this term at the bottom of its table: constructed responses evaluated using natural language processing and machine learning, on criteria such as fluency, coherence, and grammar. The test’s technical manual, an ETS research report from October 2025, explains what the engine measures: speech rate, the length of speech runs without pauses, the number of pauses and hesitations, pronunciation accuracy, rhythm, and prosody; for the interview, it also measures vocabulary range, grammatical accuracy, discourse coherence, and use of connectors. The scoring rubric, reproduced in the manual’s appendix, describes levels 0 through 5 for each task; the next two sections summarize them.
Scoring is not entirely automated: the same manual says Speaking responses are evaluated by ETS scoring engines and by human raters; human raters score responses when the engine has low confidence, and certified raters regularly review a sample of responses. It adds that scoring is centralized and conducted separately from the test session. For a fee, you can request a review of your Speaking or Writing score within 30 days of the test date, provided you have not already requested that your scores be sent to an institution. Scoring specialists then review your responses; if the score is confirmed, ETS notifies you by email within 3 weeks, and any change, upward or downward, becomes your official score. On the fee page, checked October 15, 2026, a review of one section, Speaking or Writing, costs US$80, and a review of both sections costs US$160, excluding VAT or other applicable taxes.
These raw points are not your score on the 1-to-6 scale. In its April 2026 report, ETS explains that it used a study to set the minimum raw scores (the sum of task scores) for each CEFR level in Speaking, then linked those levels to the 1-to-6 scale; its technical manual says the raw-point conversion accounts for small differences in difficulty between test forms. ETS does not publish the table that converts raw points to a band in these documents, so no calculation based on your impressions will produce your section score. Speaking contributes one quarter of the overall score average, which is then rounded to the nearest half point.
The score calculation, in the TOEFL guide GuideHow can you do well on Listen and Repeat?
ETS describes the task this way: you listen to short sentences and repeat them exactly as you heard them. It measures your ability to process spoken English and produce accurate, clearly intelligible speech. The specifications add that the sentences get longer and more complex: they may progress from a simple sentence with one independent clause to coordinated verbs, subordinate clauses, relative clauses, and complex noun phrases, including features of spoken language such as contractions. According to the technical manual, the sentences form a series within a scenario, usually academic, accompanied by an illustration of the setting; after each sentence, there is a pause, and then you repeat exactly what was said.
The rubric is more nuanced than the instruction. A 5 requires an exact repetition, but a 4 allows minor deviations that do not change the meaning. The table summarizes ETS’s descriptions level by level.
- Preserve the meaning, then focus on the exact words: level 4 describes minor deviations that preserve the general idea, level 3 a complete sentence with less faithful meaning, and level 2 a fragmentary response. These descriptions do not assign a fixed penalty for each missed word.
- Finish the sentence even if you lose your place: level 3 still describes a complete sentence, while level 2 describes a fragment.
- Do not stop for an extended correction: level 4 allows self-correction as long as you complete the response.
- Pay attention to small markers such as “-s,” “-ed,” or “has”: a missing or incorrect tense, aspect, or number marker is among the deviations the rubric places at level 4, while level 5 requires an exact repetition. These four tips are our takeaways from the rubric, not ETS rules.
| Score | What the rubric describes |
|---|---|
| 5 | Exact repetition of the sentence, perfectly intelligible. |
| 4 | The meaning is conveyed, but the repetition is not exact: one or two function words may be missing or changed; a tense, aspect, or number marker may be missing or incorrect; two words may be switched; a content word may be missing (in a long sentence) or replaced by a similar word; or one or two content words may be unclear because of imprecise pronunciation. Self-correction is allowed if the sentence is completed. |
| 3 | A complete sentence, but the original meaning is not faithfully conveyed: several function words are changed or missing, or one or more content words are missing or substantially altered; intelligibility may be reduced. |
| 2 | A large part of the sentence is missing and some meaning is lost; the response is no longer a coherent sentence and is difficult to understand. |
| 1 | Only a few words, or a response that is almost unintelligible. |
| 0 | No response, an unintelligible response, a response not in English, or one unrelated to the sentence (or reduced to “I don’t know”). |
Listen and Repeat (practice). You hear this sentence: “The library has extended its opening hours so that students can study before their exams.” Below are five transcriptions of what different test takers said. Assume every word was clearly pronounced. Which one is an exact repetition of the sentence?
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
D: only answer D repeats the sentence word for word.
The method in action
- Compare each transcription with the original word by word, from left to right. A changes “their” to “the”: one function word is changed, preserving the general idea here but making the repetition inexact. B omits “that”: one function word is missing.
- C replaces “has extended” with “extended,” removing the tense and aspect marker. E replaces “study” with “learn,” substituting a similar content word. D is the only answer with no deviation.
- Under ETS’s rubric, a 5 requires an exact repetition; deviations like those in A, B, C, or E fall into the kinds of level-4 deviations that preserve meaning. This exercise does not predict a score: the rubric also says a 5 requires fully intelligible speech, which a transcript cannot show.
How can you do well on Take an Interview?
ETS describes a simulated interview about academic situations or campus life: you answer questions about your experiences and opinions. According to its post on test design, the interviewer is prerecorded and you are scored on four questions: the first ones ask about facts and personal experience, while later ones ask you to express and support an opinion on broader topics. The specifications describe increasing difficulty, from brief factual statements to opinion, explanation, prediction, or narration, on topics accessible to everyone, such as life sciences, history, or business. Each task begins with a scenario presented orally and in writing, sometimes with an image. The technical manual gives a scholarship application or participation in a research study as interview settings, and the specifications say the vocabulary avoids highly technical or unfamiliar terms.
The rubric assesses the same criteria at every level: how you address the question, pace and pauses, pronunciation including rhythm and intonation, grammar, and vocabulary. Here are its descriptions, summarized.
- Answer the question in your first sentence: the rubric distinguishes “on topic” from “vaguely related.”
- Develop your answer: a position, a reason, and a concrete example. A level 5 response is “well developed”; level 3 has “limited” development.
- Connect your sentences with linking words: the rubric says a level 4 response may lack them.
- Keep a conversational pace: natural pauses, but no long silences or strings of filler words, which are described at level 3.
- Do not repeat the question as your answer: a response made mostly of its words falls at level 2.
- Do not leave the response blank: an answer reduced to “I don’t know” receives a 0. These tips are our takeaways from the rubric, not ETS rules.
| Score | What the rubric describes |
|---|---|
| 5 | Fully answers the question with clarity and fluency: on topic and well developed, at a conversational pace with natural pauses, easy-to-understand pronunciation, and varied, accurate grammar and vocabulary. |
| 4 | Answers the question fairly clearly: on topic and developed, but sometimes without effective connectors; good pace with some pauses; grammar and vocabulary sufficient to convey the general meaning. |
| 3 | Answers the question with limited development or clarity: choppy pacing with frequent or long pauses and filler words, at times difficult to understand, with limited language. |
| 2 | An unsupported attempt to answer: barely related to the question, with little or no development, or mostly made up of words repeated from the question; meaning is often difficult to grasp. |
| 1 | Barely addresses the question: a vaguely related, nearly unintelligible response made up of isolated words or phrases. |
| 0 | No response, an unintelligible response, a response not in English, or one unrelated to the question (or reduced to “I don’t know”). |
Take an Interview (practice, written). The interviewer asks: “Some universities let first-year students choose all their courses freely, while others give them a fixed schedule. Which approach do you think helps new students more, and why?” Write what you would say aloud, in five or six sentences: answer the question, give a reason and a concrete example, and link your ideas with connectors. Then say it aloud and record yourself.
Enter your answer before viewing the review.
The solution, step by step
Fictional model answer to compare with yours (there is no right opinion, only a clear response): “I think a fixed schedule helps new students more. When you arrive at a university, you don’t know yet which courses are demanding or how much time they take. A fixed schedule removes that pressure, so you can focus on settling in. For example, a friend of mine chose too many laboratory courses in her first semester, and she was exhausted by November. That said, free choice becomes useful later, once students know their strengths. So I would start with a fixed schedule and open the choice in the second year.”
The method in action
- Content: the first sentence answers the question, followed by a reason and a concrete example. This is what the rubric calls an on-topic, developed response. An answer that merely repeats “Free choice is good because students like it” would remain unsupported.
- Delivery: “so,” “for example,” and “that said” link the sentences, addressing the rubric’s description of a level 4 response, which may lack effective connectors. Read your text aloud: if you have to search for words, simplify the phrasing rather than leave a long silence.
- Review: listen to your recording again with the table. Did you answer in the first sentence? How many filler words did you use? Is there a word that someone without the transcript would not understand? Assess yourself honestly without assuming what score you would receive on a real test.
How can you practice on your own without a rater?
The method below is ours, not ETS’s: ETS’s rubric can help you track your progress, but it does not replace an official assessment. The method is a simple loop: record, listen back, compare, repeat.
For Listen and Repeat, use a written sentence with a recording, or ask someone you know to read it aloud. Repeat it from memory, then transcribe what you actually said and compare it word by word with the original. Classify each deviation: function word, tense or number marker, content word, or word order. When the deviations disappear, move on to longer sentences with subordinate and relative clauses.
For Take an Interview, write about ten questions, first about facts and your experience, then about opinions. Draw one at random and answer without stopping while recording yourself. The cited documents do not give a time limit for each question: set a practice duration and adjust it as you improve, without presenting it as official timing.
Listen three times, focusing on one thing each time: content (answer, reason, example), delivery (pauses, filler words, connectors), then pronunciation. Play a clip for someone who does not have your text: any word they cannot understand could affect intelligibility. Try the same question again three days later and compare the recordings. No practice result predicts your score.
The pitfall
Memorizing a prepared answer
You may come across advice to memorize a sample answer and recite it regardless of the question. ETS’s rubric does not reward this: level 5 is reserved for an answer that fully addresses the question, stays on topic, and is well developed; level 1 describes a response only vaguely related to the interviewer’s question. The Bulletin adds a risk: ETS reserves the right to cancel your scores if, in its view, an oral or written response contains text substantially similar to other TOEFL responses, or uncredited quotations or paraphrases from sources, published or unpublished, including material found online or provided by a third party. ETS says such responses do not reflect the independent speaking or writing skills measured by the test. This passage in the Bulletin concerns text similar to other responses or borrowed from a source; it does not mention a “sample answer.” The warning is about reused text, not preparation itself.
Instead, prepare reusable building blocks: ways to introduce an opinion, connect a reason to an example, and regain your train of thought after losing it. Build your response around the question asked. This method advice is ours; the prohibition is ETS’s.
Key takeaways
- Since January 21, 2026, Speaking has had two task types, Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview: 11 items in ETS’s table, split into 7 and 4 in its specifications.
- The cited documents do not give preparation or response times per question; follow the test instructions and timer.
- ETS’s rubric scores each response from 0 to 5: accuracy and intelligibility for Listen and Repeat; how well you address the question, development, pace, pronunciation, and language for the interview.
- Finish every sentence and response: an answer reduced to “I don’t know” receives a 0.
- Practice by recording yourself and reviewing your responses with the rubric; avoid memorized answers, which the rubric does not reward, and any text borrowed from or similar to other responses, which ETS may penalize.