Task 1 — IndependentDifficulty 3/5

Task 1 — Giáo dục

TOEFL Speaking practice questions in the real exam format and timing.

Questions

Question 115s to prepare · 45s to speak

Some students prefer to study alone, while others prefer to study in groups. Which do you think is more effective, and why?

Question 215s to prepare · 45s to speak

Do you agree or disagree: universities should require every student to take at least one course outside their major?

Question 315s to prepare · 45s to speak

Some schools have replaced printed textbooks with tablets. Do you think this is a positive change? Explain.

Question 415s to prepare · 45s to speak

Which is more important for a teacher: deep knowledge of the subject, or the ability to explain it simply? Why?

Model answer

Written by 8020 teachers. Do not memorise it — take the structure and the way ideas are developed, then speak about your own life.

KHUNG TOEFL Task 1 — CHON GIUA HAI PHUONG AN (45 giay) 15 GIAY CHUAN BI: 1. Quyet dinh A hay B — 2 giay dau tien, khong can nhac lai 2. Mot ly do cu the — khong phai ly do chung chung 3. Mot vi du tu kinh nghiem ban than KHUNG 45 GIAY: Cau 1 (5s): "I prefer [A/B] to [B/A]." HOAC "I would rather [A] than [B]." Cau 2 (8s): "The main reason is that [ly do]." Cau 3-4 (20s): "For example, in my own experience, [tinh huong cu the]. This showed me [ket qua cu the]." Cau 5 (12s) — Co the them nhuong bo va chot: "While [B] has the advantage of [diem manh cua B], I still believe [A] because [ly do ngan]." VI DU — DE: "Is it better to take notes during class or record the lecture?" "I prefer taking notes to recording lectures. The main reason is that writing forces active engagement with the material — rather than passively listening and relying on the recording later. In my own experience, I used to record everything in first year and almost never reviewed those recordings. When I switched to taking notes, my comprehension improved noticeably. This showed me that the act of summarising in real time is itself a form of learning. While recordings are useful for checking specific details, I still believe active note-taking is more effective for understanding the content overall." DE KHAC CUNG KHUNG NAY: "learn from books or from experience" → prefer experience: more memorable, retain better "study in groups or alone" → prefer alone: fewer distractions, set own pace "take easy courses or challenging courses" → prefer challenging: growth, more learning

Vocabulary you can use today

active engagement
su tham gia chu dong — doi lap voi passive listening
passively listening
nghe thu dong — dac tinh cua viec chi ghi am
comprehension improved
kha nang hieu bai cai thien — tu hoc thuat TOEFL
the act of summarising
hanh dong tom tat — dien giai tai sao ghi chu giup hieu
noticeably
ro rang, dang ke — /ˈnəʊtɪsəblɪ/ trong am thu 1
in real time
ngay tuc thi, trong thoi gian thuc — dung trong nhieu ngu canh

Common traps for Vietnamese speakers

TOEFL Task 1 chuc nang giong IELTS P1 nhung ngan hon (45 giay). Co 15 giay chuan bi — dung het 15 giay do, dung bat dau noi som. Cau vi du phai LA TRAI NGHIEM CA NHAN, khong phai ly thuyet. "In my own experience" roi den tinh huong that: "I used to record everything and never reviewed those recordings." Cau do cu the va dang tin han bat ky ly thuyet nao. Cau nhuong bo o cuoi ("While recordings are useful...") keo diem Language Use vi no doi hoi cau ghep. Nhung phai NGAN — mot menh de. Nhuong bo dai la mat lap truong va mat diem.

/ɪ/ trong 'noticeably', 'specifically', 'effectively'am cuoi /d/ trong 'switched', 'improved', 'summarised'/θ/ trong 'think', 'throughout'trong am 'efFEctive', 'compreHENsion', 'NOticeably'

Try this topic and see your band

Record 90 seconds. You get four criteria, the exact words that slipped, and your own sentence rewritten two levels up.

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