Speaking for TOEFL
Question 4 (General to Specific)
Understand the Question
- There will always be a short reading on an academic topic (~100 words)
- This will be followed by a lecture on the same topic (~2 minutes)
- The lecture will usually include either two specific examples about the topic or two personal examples about the topic
- Sometimes one example is given, but it will have two clear parts ( cause and effect, situation and resolution, first stage and second stage, etc .)
Effective Note Taking
The Lecture
The Reading
- Topic: behavior modification
- People change behavior if aware of consequences (beginning of article)
- Positive consequences lead to repetition, while negative consequences do not (middle/end of the article)
- Example: child starting school
- Doesn't know rules, runs around (part 1) → gets punished by teacher, can't play outside (detail) → learns that this is bad behavior (detail)
- Raises hand and pays attention (part 2) → gets praised, or stickers (detail) → from this learns to repeat the behaviour (detail)
Structure Your Answer
- The reading is about ...
- It states that ...
- The lecturer elaborates on this by providing several examples/an example.
- First of all, he mentions ...
- Secondly, he says ...
- In this way, the professor expands upon the topic of ... (Optional).
TODAY'S QUESTION
A SAMPLE ANSWER
“ Behaviour modification”
The reading is about behaviour modification. It states that people modify their behavior if they are aware of the consequences. Positive consequences cause people to repeat behavior, while negative consequences discourage repetition. The lecturer elaborates on this by providing an example. First of all, he mentions a student who has just started school. This student doesn't know the rules, so he runs around and interrupts class. He is punished by not being allowed to play outside, and thus he learns to avoid repeating this behavior. Secondly, he says that the same student might later raise his hand to speak and pay attention during classes. After doing this he will be praised by his teacher, or get some nice stickers. This positive consequence will cause him to repeat his polite behaviour in the future.
A SAMPLE ANSWER
“ Behaviour modification”
The reading is about behaviour modification. It states that people modify their behavior if they are aware of the consequences. Positive consequences cause people to repeat behavior, while negative consequences discourage repetition. The lecturer elaborates on this by providing an example. First of all, he mentions a student who has just started school. This student doesn't know the rules, so he runs around and interrupts class. He is punished by not being allowed to play outside, and thus he learns to avoid repeating this behavior. Secondly, he says that the same student might later raise his hand to speak and pay attention during classes. After doing this he will be praised by his teacher, or get some nice stickers. This positive consequence will cause him to repeat his polite behaviour in the future.
GOOD LUCK