Sample Essay

TOEIC Speaking Questions 4-6: Respond to Questions

Task Questions 4-6 of the TOEIC Speaking Test ask you to pretend that you are participating in a market research telephone interview. You will hear and read three questions on your screen. The questions are related to each other. Then you will respond to the questions. Hints and Preparation You will have no time to prepare your response. You should begin speaking immediately after you hear the beep. Choose the focus of your response quickly so that you can start speaking right away. The first and second questions ask for a short response. You will have 15 seconds to respond. The third question asks for a longer response. You will have 30 seconds. Some questions may have two parts. Be sure to answer both. Sample Questions and Responses The following are examples of the types of questions you hear in this section of the TOEIC speaking exam. Read them carefully and then read the responses that follow. Study the comments on the speakers responses. Question 4 What is one of your hobbies?

Response Well, one of my hobbies is collecting model airplanes. I have at least forty planes or so. Theyre all different types - old planes, military planes, stunt planes, commercial jets. I display them in my bedroom.

Question 5 How did you originally get interested in this hobby? Response I got interested in model planes when I was really young. My grandfather gave me a plane for my birthday. Let me see ... it was an orange biplane. We assembled it together, and it had stickers that I loved.

Question 6 What other hobbies are popular in your country and why? Response In my country, stamp collecting is a popular hobby, and so is painting. Theyre good hobbies because theyre inexpensive and theyre easy to do. Based on my experience, stamps are pretty cheap, and people trade them. They also put them in stamp books, like a photo album. These days, everybody seems to be painting. Paint-by-the-number sets are really popular. Even if you dont have much painting I guess you can make really nice pictures. skill, Macmillan Publishers 2008.

Comments on the Speakers Responses These responses contain the features of a good TOEIC spoken response, for the following reasons. The speaker understands the questions, including both of its parts if it has more than one. In the first sentence, the speaker repeats keywords from the question to show that he/she understood the question. The speaker answers in full sentences. This is preferable to one- or two-word answers. The speaker gives a complete response, adding details, opinions and other support. The speaker uses vocabulary and grammatical structures that are appropriate for the task. The speaker uses standard English phrases to fill long pauses (well, let me see). The speaker uses appropriate phrases to introduce opinions (based on my experience, I guess). The speaker may acknowledge opposing points of view but does not let this weaken the opinion being expressed. (Even if you dont have much skill, I guess you can make nice pictures.)

Scoring These answers would score high because they address the questions directly and logically. Their delivery is smooth and steady and requires little effort by the listener. The meaning is clear. Vocabulary and structures are effective for the task. Responses are scored on a scale of 0 to 3.

Macmillan Publishers 2008.