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TOEFL iBT Take an Interview: practice prompt 1

One real-format Take an Interview prompt with a model spoken answer and notes on why it scores. Read the interviewer's question, take a few seconds to plan, then answer for about a minute. Speak in full sentences and give a reason for what you say.

The prompt

Think about a place in your home town that visitors usually miss. Describe it, and explain why you would send someone there rather than to the obvious attractions.

15 seconds to prepare, up to 75 seconds to speak.

Hear a strong answer

One way this question can be answered well, spoken at the pace and length the task expects. Listen for where the pauses fall, then try it again in your own words and with your own examples.

I'd send them to the fish market at Oniru, early, around seven in the morning. Most visitors go to the beaches and the galleries, which are fine, but they're the version of the city that was arranged for them. The market isn't arranged for anybody. You get the noise of the auction, the smell of the ice, women running three conversations and a calculator at the same time, and the whole thing is over by ten. I took a friend from Nairobi there last year and she said it told her more about how people actually live than three days of sightseeing had. That's my reason, really: the obvious attractions show you what a city is proud of, and a market shows you how it works.

Why this earns band 6

  1. Names one specific place and one specific time instead of describing places in general.
  2. The reason at the end answers the second half of the question, which is where most answers run out of time.
  3. Concrete detail (the ice, the calculator) is what raises Vocabulary above everyday words.

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to earn the top of the TOEFL iBT scale, band 6, and the notes under it say why.

How long do I get for this prompt?

15 seconds to prepare and up to 75 seconds to speak.

What should I watch for in my own answer?

Names one specific place and one specific time instead of describing places in general.

Answer it yourself, then see your score

Record your own answer and get a score with your transcript in about a minute. Your first test is free, no sign-up.

Record my answer

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