toefl changes
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toefl changes
Can anyone outline the changes to the TOEFL test and how that might affect preparation for the test? All the texts I have are for the old test and I have to rely on the internet for newer stuff. There's a lot of information to wade through and some of it is contradictory. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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toeflsmeagle
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:02 pm
TOEFL changes
hlamb,
I've posted elsewhere on this forum on various TOEFL issues. It's the kind of thing you'll need to roll up your sleeves for and find out on your own.
The new iBT is more relevant to communication than the PBT or the CBT. Although you can use CBT-era essay topics for preparation, the test now has additional tasks. The structure section, which tested accuracy using a serioues of grammaticality-judgment questions, is gone. Now grammar will be evaluated in one's writing and speaking, and occasionally buried in the reading.
The big new addition is a speaking section. This section requires only a few seconds to prepare for a prompt -- say, 15 seconds -- with 45 seconds allowed for the response.
Another innovation is the approach of having integrated tasks. For example, you may have to read about a topic, listen to a short lecture on the topic, and write about the relationship between the two.
There's no quick-and-dirty way to prepare for the iBT other than to get a decent prep book, Google for ETS advice and details, and let your Internet spirit run wild. And no, the information is not contradictory. It is out there and it is clear. This is a great opportunity for TOEFL teachers, because now they can do some amazing things with TOEFL preparation that they couldn't do before. And learning about how the new TOEFL works will help you with your other classes.
A good place to start:
http://upload.mcgill.ca/applying/TOEFL_Tips.pdf
This is the ultimate PDF for explaining what the new TOEFL is like, published by ETS.
Good luck finding more material!
toeflsmeagle
I've posted elsewhere on this forum on various TOEFL issues. It's the kind of thing you'll need to roll up your sleeves for and find out on your own.
The new iBT is more relevant to communication than the PBT or the CBT. Although you can use CBT-era essay topics for preparation, the test now has additional tasks. The structure section, which tested accuracy using a serioues of grammaticality-judgment questions, is gone. Now grammar will be evaluated in one's writing and speaking, and occasionally buried in the reading.
The big new addition is a speaking section. This section requires only a few seconds to prepare for a prompt -- say, 15 seconds -- with 45 seconds allowed for the response.
Another innovation is the approach of having integrated tasks. For example, you may have to read about a topic, listen to a short lecture on the topic, and write about the relationship between the two.
There's no quick-and-dirty way to prepare for the iBT other than to get a decent prep book, Google for ETS advice and details, and let your Internet spirit run wild. And no, the information is not contradictory. It is out there and it is clear. This is a great opportunity for TOEFL teachers, because now they can do some amazing things with TOEFL preparation that they couldn't do before. And learning about how the new TOEFL works will help you with your other classes.
A good place to start:
http://upload.mcgill.ca/applying/TOEFL_Tips.pdf
This is the ultimate PDF for explaining what the new TOEFL is like, published by ETS.
Good luck finding more material!
toeflsmeagle