TOEFL Speaking Practice Test #1 With Answers

Try our TOEFL Speaking Practice Test, which includes all 4 TOEFL Speaking Tasks with sample answers to help you get ready for the TOEFL Speaking Exam.

Before you start this test you will need:

A stopwatch timer
Pen/pencil and paper to take notes
A voice recorder to record and listen to your answers afterwards

TOEFL Speaking Task 1

For this task, you will be asked a question about a familiar topic.

Your timings for this question are as follows

Preparation Time: 15 seconds
Response Time: 45 seconds

TOEFL Speaking Task 1 Question:

You have 15 seconds to prepare your answer and 45 seconds to speak

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is better to live on campus than off campus during university.
Use reasons and examples to support your answer.

TOEFL Speaking Task 1 High-Scoring Sample Response:

Task 1 High-Scoring Answer Download

TOEFL Speaking Task 2

For this task, you will read a short passage about a situation on campus and then listen to a conversation. You will be asked a question based on what you have read and heard.

Your timings for this question are as follows:

Preparation Time: 30 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

Reading Passage (Campus Newspaper Article)

You have 50 seconds to read the article below

New Proposal to End Paper Course Evaluations

The university is considering a proposal to discontinue paper course evaluations and switch entirely to an online format. According to the administration, this change would reduce paper waste and support the school’s commitment to environmental sustainability. They also believe that digital evaluations will be more efficient, since they can be processed and analysed more quickly than handwritten ones. The article states that the new system will use the university’s existing student portal and would be implemented starting next semester if approved.

Listening Conversation

Listening Transcript

Click to view listening transcript

Narrator: Now listen to two students discussing the article.

Man: Did you read that article about moving course evaluations online?

Woman: Yeah, and I’m not really in favour of it.

Man: Really? I thought it sounded like a smart idea.

Woman: I get the environmental point, but I don’t think students will take them seriously online. People are more likely to rush through them without thinking, or even skip them.

Man: That could happen.

Woman: Also, some students only give thoughtful feedback when they’re sitting in class and actually have time set aside for it. If it’s optional and online, professors might end up with fewer responses overall.

Man: Yeah, I can see that being a problem

Woman: I just think we’d lose a lot of useful feedback that way. Paper evaluations aren’t perfect, but at least students usually complete them.

Click to hide listening transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 2 Question:

You have 30 seconds to prepare your answer and 60 seconds to speak:

The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal to switch to online course evaluations. State her opinion and explain how it relates to the points made in the article.

TOEFL Speaking Task 2 High-Scoring Sample Answer

Task 2 High-Scoring Answer Download

TOEFL Speaking Task 3

For this question, you will read a passage about an academic concept or topic, and then you will listen to an excerpt of a lecture about that same concept or topic.

Your timings for this question are as follows:

Preparation Time: 30 seconds
Response Time: 60 seconds

Reading Passage – Confirmation Bias

You have 45 seconds to read the passage below:

Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to search for, focus on, and remember information that supports what they already believe, while ignoring or dismissing evidence that goes against their views. This mental shortcut can influence how people gather facts, evaluate sources, and make decisions. As a result, it may lead to incorrect conclusions, even when better information is available. Confirmation bias appears in many everyday situations, such as political debates, product reviews, or personal health choices. Psychologists are interested in this bias because it can interfere with critical thinking, especially when people rely only on evidence that confirms their beliefs.

Listening

Now listen to part of a lecture from a psychology course

Listening Transcript

Click to view full transcript

“Let me give you an example of confirmation bias from one of my psychology classes. I divided the students into two groups and asked them to research a question: is drinking coffee healthy or unhealthy? But there was a twist. One group was made up of students who already believed that coffee is bad for your health. The other group believed that coffee is actually good for you.

I gave both groups access to the same set of websites, articles, and scientific studies. They were told to find as much evidence as they could to support their argument. After about an hour, each group gave a short presentation on what they found.

Here’s what happened. The group that believed coffee was unhealthy mostly talked about the negative effects of caffeine—like increased heart rate, anxiety, or trouble sleeping. They showed articles that warned people to avoid drinking too much coffee.

The other group, which believed coffee was good, gave completely different examples. They talked about how coffee might lower the risk of certain diseases or improve mental focus. They used studies that supported those benefits.

What’s interesting is that neither group mentioned any information that went against their belief—even though it was right there in the materials I gave them. They either ignored it, or said it wasn’t reliable.

This is a perfect example of confirmation bias. Both groups focused only on what supported their opinions and ignored anything that didn’t.”

Click to hide full transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 3 Question

You have 30 seconds to prepare your answer and 60 seconds to speak:

Explain how the professor’s example of the student research activity supports the concept of confirmation bias described in the reading passage.

TOEFL Speaking Task 3 High-Scoring Answer

Task 3 High-Scoring Answer Download

TOEFL Speaking Task 4

Now listen to a part of a lecture from a biology class

Listening: Mimicry in Animals

Listening Transcript

Click to view full transcript

Today I want to talk about a concept in biology called mimicry—that’s when one species evolves to look or behave like another in order to increase its chances of survival. This is especially common in animals that are trying to avoid being eaten by predators.

Take the viceroy butterfly, for example. It looks almost identical to the monarch butterfly, which is poisonous to birds. Birds that eat monarchs usually get sick, so they quickly learn to avoid them. Because viceroy butterflies have nearly the same colours and patterns, birds mistake them for monarchs and leave them alone—even though viceroys are completely harmless. In this case, mimicry works as a form of protection. The viceroy gains a survival advantage by looking like something predators already avoid.

Another example is the milk snake. It has red, black, and yellow bands that are very similar to the coral snake, which is highly venomous. Many predators can’t easily tell the difference, and since mistaking a coral snake could be deadly, they avoid both snakes. Even though the milk snake is not dangerous at all, it benefits from looking like something that is. This kind of mimicry helps it avoid becoming prey.

So in both cases, mimicry gives harmless animals a defence by copying the appearance of species that predators fear.

Click to hide full transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Question:

You have 20 seconds to prepare your answer and 60 seconds to speak:

Using points and examples from the lecture, explain how mimicry helps animals avoid predators.

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 High-Scoring Response

Task 4 High-Scoring Response Download

TOEFL Speaking Practice Test #1 With Answers

TOEFL Speaking Task 1

TOEFL Speaking Task 1 Question:

TOEFL Speaking Task 1 High-Scoring Sample Response:

TOEFL Speaking Task 2

Reading Passage (Campus Newspaper Article)

Listening Conversation

Listening Transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 2 Question:

TOEFL Speaking Task 2 High-Scoring Sample Answer

TOEFL Speaking Task 3

Reading Passage – Confirmation Bias

Listening

Listening Transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 3 Question

TOEFL Speaking Task 3 High-Scoring Answer

TOEFL Speaking Task 4

Listening: Mimicry in Animals

Listening Transcript

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Question:

TOEFL Speaking Task 4 High-Scoring Response

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