Preparing for the TOEFL TSE/SPEAK

The SPEAK or TSE is designed to test how well you speak English without prior planning. This ability is very important in your academic life as well as in your personal life.

One aspect of spoken English which is important in your dealings with Americans, and students in particular, is the ability to talk about aspects of life which do not seem directly related to academic life. In the United States, and especially at the University of Utah, students come from many different backgrounds, and their life situations are varied. Some are single and living at home or with roommates. Some are married; some have children; some are divorced; some are single parents. The vast majority of them work, at the same time they are studying at the University. When you are talking with these students, the situations you may find yourself talking about may be very far from your academic field. Therefore, it is imperative that you are comfortable in your spoken English abilities in many different situations, as you will be called upon to use language other than the language used in your academic field.

Some people have the mistaken belief that the SPEAK measures only aspects of spoken English such as pronunciation, grammar, etc. These are important, but there are other criteria which are examined by the raters when they are scoring your test. The four areas are:

1) Language functions such as describing, giving directions, persuading, defining, giving and defending an opinion, etc. Language functions are the things you can do with language. Pay attention to the specific language function you are being asked to perform in each question on the test. Be sure to perform those language functions in your response.

2) Appropriateness: This means responding to the intended audience or situation, with language appropriate to that situation. Pay attention to who the question asks you to address: are you speaking to a friend, supervisor, teacher, colleague?

3) Cohesion (your ideas are related to each other) and Coherence (your ideas are organized). Your responses should be clear and to the point. Reasons supporting an opinion or recommendation should be clearly connected to the main idea.

4) Accuracy includes pronunciation, grammar, fluency and vocabulary. The standard dialect of English you should use on the test is the English of a university educated person in the United States.

Above all, be confident when you take the test. Arrive early, so you will not be rushed. Bring a magazine to read while you wait so you will not get nervous. Remember that the actual content of the answer is not as important as how you deliver the message.

General tips for taking the test

•Arrive ahead of time. This will help you to be relaxed, which will help you do better on the test.

•Do not wear noisy jewelry, chew gum, or put your hands in front of your mouth while responding to the questions.

•Pretend you are talking to someone sitting across the table from you who you really want to understand what you are saying. Be enthusiastic! It will improve your intonation and you will communicate your thoughts more effectively.

•Keep your language simple and clear. Do not be afraid to speak slowly and enunciate clearly. Speak loud enough so that the tape will make a good recording.

•Remember: your goal is to make the rater's job easy; to make your responses easy to understand with a minimum of effort on the part of the rater. This is comprehensibility.

•Be confident. Even if you think you did poorly on one question, put it behind you and do your best on the rest of the questions.