2026 TOEFL Speaking: ETS Sample Responses Analysis (Lecture Notes)

 

Introduction

• ETS recently released real TOEFL Speaking responses scored by official raters. (https://www.ets.org/toefl/teachers-advisors-agents/ibt/teaching/preparing-students.html)

• Goal:

• Analyze responses scored 3, 4, and 5.

• Identify why they received those scores.

• Learn strategies to improve TOEFL Speaking performance.

Part 1: Listen and Repeat Task

Task Description

• Listen to a sentence.

• Repeat it exactly as spoken.

• Focus on:

• Accuracy

• Pronunciation

• Fluency

• Stress and rhythm

Sample Sentence

"When you're finished using them, please return checked-out materials promptly and on time."

Score 3 and Score 4 Responses

Common Problems

1. Accuracy Errors

• Both students made mistakes when repeating the sentence.

• Difficulty with the phrase:

• "checked-out materials"

2. Trouble with Compound Nouns

• "Checked-out materials" is a compound noun.

• Compound nouns contain multiple words but express one idea.

Common Library Compound Nouns

• Checked-out materials

• Reference books

• Due date

• Circulation desk

• Book drop

TOEFL Tip

• Memorize common compound nouns.

• Listen-and-Repeat tasks frequently contain compound nouns.

3. Fluency Problems

• Long pauses and hesitation.

• Responses took too long to complete.

• Hesitation lowered fluency scores.

Score 5 Response

Strengths

Perfect Accuracy

• Repeated all words correctly.

Excellent Pronunciation

• Clear sounds.

• Accurate word stress.

Natural Rhythm

• Smooth connected speech.

• Native-like delivery.

Key Takeaway

A score 5 requires:

• Accurate repetition

• Smooth fluency

• Natural stress and rhythm

• Minimal hesitation

Part 2: Interview Task

Score 3 Response

Major Problem

• Difficult to understand.

Possible Causes

• Poor recording quality.

• Unclear speech.

• Microphone issues.

TOEFL Tip

Before the test:

• Check microphone settings.

• Ensure recording quality is clear.

Comparing Score 4 and Score 5 Responses

Similarities

Both responses demonstrated:

• Good pronunciation

• Natural rhythm and stress

• Strong grammar

• Native-like speech

Question:

Why did one receive a 4 and the other a 5?

Answer:

Topic Development

Analysis of the Score 4 Response

Strong Beginning

Example Used

• Harry Potter

Why It Was Effective

• Fantasy novels encourage imagination.

• Readers visualize:

• Characters

• Settings

• Events

Main Weakness: Lack of Development

What Happened?

• The speaker introduced Harry Potter.

• Did not fully explain the example.

• Switched topics.

New Topics Introduced

• Painting

• Singing

Problem: Inconsistent Argument

Original Position

• Reading improves imagination.

Later Discussion

• Focus shifted to painting and music.

Result

• Response became unfocused.

• Support for the original position became weak.

• Ended with a conclusion but lacked strong development.

How the Score 4 Response Could Improve

Instead of changing topics, the speaker could have expanded the Harry Potter example:

Possible Development Questions

• What makes Harry Potter imaginative?

• What images do readers create?

• How does reading differ from watching a movie?

• How does imagination strengthen creativity?

Lesson

• Expand one strong example.

• Do not jump to unrelated ideas.

Analysis of the Score 5 Response

Strong Organization

Step 1: Restates the Question

• Reformulates the prompt in her own words.

• Establishes a clear position.

Example

• Books are one of the best ways to improve imagination.

Step 2: Provides Reasons

Reading helps readers imagine:

• Environments

• Characters

• Events

Step 3: Maintains Focus

Every supporting idea connects to:

• Books

• Reading

• Imagination

Nothing distracts from the central argument.

Minor Weakness

Some Repetition

• Certain ideas were repeated.

Why It Still Earned a 5

• Clear structure.

• Relevant support.

• Consistent argument.

• Strong development.

What Can We Learn?

Difference Between Score 4 and Score 5

Score 4

• Inconsistent argument.

• Changed topics.

• Weak development.

Score 5

• Stayed focused.

• Maintained consistency.

• Developed ideas thoroughly.

Three Key Lessons

Lesson 1: Restate the Question Clearly

Why?

• Creates a roadmap for the response.

• Helps maintain focus.

Example

Instead of:

"Yes, I agree."

Say:

"I believe reading books is one of the best ways to improve imagination and creativity."

Takeaway

• Incorporate the question into your answer.

• Clearly state your position.

Lesson 2: Stay Consistent with Your Position

Score 4 Problem

• Claimed reading improves imagination.

• Spent most of the response discussing painting and singing.

Score 5 Strength

• Every point supported the claim that reading develops imagination.

Takeaway

• Once you choose a position:

• Every reason

• Every example

• Every detail

must support that position.

Analogy

• Think like a lawyer.

• Every piece of evidence should support your case.

Lesson 3: Develop Examples Fully

Score 4 Problem

• Introduced a good example.

• Abandoned it too quickly.

Score 5 Strength

• Took one idea and expanded it.

Takeaway

• One detailed example is often stronger than multiple undeveloped examples.

ETS Preference

ETS raters generally reward:

• Depth of explanation

• Strong support

• Clear development

more than:

• Multiple unrelated ideas

Appendix

ETS-graded responses

We have three questions that have students’ responses accompanied by ETS raters’ comments. Let's listen to the responses and read the raters’ assessments.

Learning from mistakes

Score 4 response

Transcript of High-level Sample Response:

The statement if one of the best ways to learn, uh, by making mistakes, it’s, can be, um, can be discussed controversially but I personally think that the statement is complicate because, um, it is definitely one of the best ways to learn if you do mistakes yourself. I personally, uh, tried, uh, to, um, apply once for a consulting job and, uh, I made the mistake to not inform myself about the company and so I came to, um, to the assessment center and didn’t know anything so it was a great mistake, uh, performed by me and so afterwards I wouldn’t do this mistake again. So if I apply the next time, I will be, uh, prepared in a, in a correct manner.

ETS Rater Comments:

This is an example of a high-level response. The speaker gives a full, clear response after struggling at the beginning. His first sentence is confusing, but he is then able to provide a solid response. He makes a couple of grammatical and word choice errors (“the statement is complicate” instead of “the statement is complicated” and “I wouldn’t do this mistake again” instead of “I wouldn’t make this mistake again”), but the message is clear and these minor errors do not interfere with his meaning. Because the speaker states his stance about the statement and provides a clear personal example, this response is easy to understand and the speaker’s stance is well justified. His delivery is also very clear, and no words or phrases are difficult to understand.

Score 2.5 response

Transcript of Mid-level Sample Response:

In my opinion, I totally agree with this statement. That learning by making mistakes is the one of the best ways, because a couple of reasons. For instance, when I was a high school students, uh, I always try to get a high degree in my math class. But at that time I really didn’t know about to how to resolve the every questions. So I tried the several ways even though I mistakes a lot of the time and I had to spend a lot of time to get the correct answer but after doing that, I, right now I couldn’t find the correct way and very easy and fast and the study guidelines so I can get the grade, the high grade.

ETS Rater Comments:

This is an example of a mid-level response. The speaker has a rather strong accent, but is for the most part still relatively easy to understand, and he provides a sustained response. He starts off strong by stating his opinion (that he agrees with the statement), and attempting to provide an example of a personal experience in order to explain why he agrees. The example is somewhat unclear, however, and it isn’t obvious how making mistakes helped him learn math. Near the end of the explanation, he says, “right now I couldn’t find the correct way,” which is confusing since it sounded like he was talking about how he learned to improve in math (a listener would expect him to say something like, “Now I can always find the correct way to solve a problem.”). The response has some grammatical and vocabulary issues as well, such as extra articles (“how to resolve the every questions” and “I tried the several ways” instead of “I tried several ways”) and some confusing sentences (“I always try to get a high degree in my math class” instead of “I always tried to do well/get a high grade in math classes”). 

Favorite type of book 

Score 4 response

Transcript of Response:

I like reading biography books the most, there’re two reasons for it. First, uh, we can learn some pretty good productivity hacks from these books. Like I have read about Jerry Seinfeld where he uses the Seinfeld strategy, which is to at least write something daily, be it good, bad, but he used to write daily. Uh, second reason would be, you can find the right motivation. Um, like, as in the case when things are going down south for you, you can keep pushing for your dreams, you can keep on pursuing it, and, things will do go right, like in the case of Google founders, um, Larry Page and Sergey Brin—they were rejected by Yahoo, uh, but now they are successful. Google is a very successful company.

ETS Rater Comments:

This is an example of a high-level response. In the beginning of the response, Sarthak clearly states his preference for biographies, and then goes on to explain why he likes biographies so much. His first reason is that you can learn from biographies by seeing how other people do things. His second reason is that biographies can provide their readers with motivation. He explains that the founders of Google were successful even after facing rejection, though it is not completely clear how this has motivated Sarthak (or if he learned about it in a biography). This response would be even more full and complete if Sarthak provided a clearer explanation of how biographies personally motivate him. In terms of the delivery of the response, Sarthak has a noticeable accent, but he speaks clearly and his accent does not make it difficult for listeners to understand him. He effectively uses some idiomatic phrases, such as, “productivity hacks” and “when things are going down south for you.” While there are some minor errors (“second reason would be,” instead of “the second reason would be,” and “things will do go right,” instead of “things will go all right”), the response is overall very clear and mostly complete.

Score 2 response

I think adventure books more enjoyable than other books, because, uh, other books generally based on, uh, only one topic or only one event, but adventure books has lots of events and topics, uh, so I think adventure books more fluently and enjoyable than other books when I, uh, reading, uh, adventure books, uh, I can’t understand how I spent my time. Uh, it is so fast for me.

ETS Rater Comments:

Nihal O.’s response is mid-level. She does a good job of clearly stating which type of books she enjoys the most (adventure books) and starts to explain why she likes these books, but parts of her explanation are somewhat unclear. For example, when talking about how enjoyable these books are, she says, “when I, uh, reading, uh, adventure books, uh, I can’t understand how I spent my time. Uh, it is so fast for me.” A more effective way of expressing this idea would be to say, “When I’m reading adventure books, time goes by so quickly. I’m so focused on what I’m reading that I lose track of time.” Grammatically, this response has room for improvement, such as changing “adventure books more enjoyable than other books,” to “adventure books are more enjoyable than other books,” or saying “adventure books have lots of events” instead of “adventure books has lots of events.” Nihal speaks with some hesitations and pauses, but her pronunciation is mostly clear. To improve this response, she could provide clearer explanations for her ideas and try to pause less frequently in between words and phrases.