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TOEFL iBT Take an Interview: practice prompt 2

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

Some people learn best by reading and others by doing. Which describes you? Give an example of something you learned recently and explain how you learned it.

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'm firmly in the doing camp, and I only worked that out recently. I tried to learn spreadsheet formulas last year by reading a manual, and after two evenings I could recognise the functions but I couldn't use one. So I changed approach: I took my own budget, a real one with my real expenses, and forced myself to build it with formulas instead of typing the totals in. I got stuck constantly and looked things up as I got stuck, which turned out to be the whole point. Within a week I was writing formulas I had never read about. I think reading gives you the vocabulary of a subject, but doing is what turns the vocabulary into a skill, at least for me.

Why this earns band 6

  1. Answers the question in the first six words, then spends the rest supporting it.
  2. One example, followed all the way through, beats three examples mentioned in passing.
  3. Past tenses, a past perfect and a present opinion all appear naturally, showing range in Accuracy and fluency.

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?

Answers the question in the first six words, then spends the rest supporting it.

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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