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TOEFL iBT Take an Interview: practice prompt 3

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

Universities often ask students to work in groups. What makes a group project work well, and what usually goes wrong? Use an experience of your own if you have one.

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.

What makes a group project work is deciding who owns what in the first meeting, before anyone gets excited about the idea. What usually goes wrong is that nobody does that, so the work quietly collects around whoever is most anxious about the grade. That was me in my second year. Four of us had a presentation, we agreed to meet and talk about it, and two days before the deadline I had written most of it. The next term I tried something different: at the first meeting I wrote four names and four sections on a shared document, and asked everyone to say out loud which one they were taking. It felt awkward for about a minute and it saved the entire project.

Why this earns band 6

  1. Both halves of the question are answered, in the order they were asked, which protects Organization and development.
  2. The personal experience is used as evidence for the point, not told as a story for its own sake.
  3. Ends on a short, concrete sentence rather than trailing off as the time runs out.

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?

Both halves of the question are answered, in the order they were asked, which protects Organization and development.

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.

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