TOEFL syllabus was created to evaluate candidates’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in a university context. The TOEFL exam and syllabus were designed to test candidates’ diverse skills and determine their English language competency. The TOEFL syllabus covers all components of the exam, including writing, reading, listening, and speaking.
TOEFL Reading Question Types
- Factual Information and Negative Factual Information: Factual information question structure aims at the main ideas, supporting facts, and definitions. Negative factual information questions are mostly similar with the only difference in identifying the single false answer from the list of 4. Note the words ‘NOT’ and ‘EXCEPT’ while answering negative factual information questions.
- Inference and Rhetorical: The inference questions of the TOEFL exam pattern and syllabus of reading direct at explaining identifying the ambiguous statement of the passage. Inference questions can be identified by seeing words like ‘INFERRED’, ‘IMPLIES’, and ‘ SUGGESTS’. Rhetorical purpose questions are highly similar with the only difference of answering the question ‘WHY’, thereby stating the purpose.
- Recognizing Vocabulary: Probably the easiest to answer, vocabulary questions in the TOEFL latest pattern of reading require the candidates to find and answer the meanings of certain highlighted words in the passage.
- Sentence Explanation: these kinds of questions in the TOEFL pattern of reading require the candidates to identify the difference in very similar sentences and choose the one explained in a more simplified manner.
- Insert Text: This type of reading questions aim at analyzing the logical placement of ideas in a particular reading passage. There is one insert text question in all the reading passages.
- Prose Summary: This kind of question in the TOEFL question pattern of reading requires the candidates to recognize the main ideas and significance of the reading passage. There are 6 answer choices with 3 correct ones.
TOEFL Listening Question Types
Few candidates get confused with TOEFL Listening Question Details. Most of the listening questions come from reading section passages and the candidates should pay attention to understanding the tone of the passage.
- Gist Content/Purpose: the gist content asks you to provide the fundamental idea of the recording listened to. Whereas, the gist purpose asks you to find the main aim of the recording. This question type can be recognized by phrases like – ‘MAINLY ABOUT’, ‘MAINLY DISCUSSING’, ‘WHY DOES THE STUDENT’, ‘WHAT IS THE MAIN PURPOSE;
- Detail Questions: This kind of question ask the candidate to provide the factual details they derived from the recording. This can be recognized by questions like – ‘ACCORDING TO..’, ‘WHAT IS…’;
- Function: This kind of question require the candidate to identify the original meaning of the context given. The difference between the surface meaning and real meaning needs to be studied here;
- Attitude: Here, the candidates need to identify the attitude or expression of the stated words. It can be identified by phrases like – ‘WHAT IS THE PROFESSOR’S ATTITUDE?’, ‘WHAT DOES THE CANDIDATE THINK ABOUT?’
- Organization: This type of question require the candidate to showcase how the lecture is structured. This can include questions like – ‘WHY DOES THE PROFESSOR MENTION ABOUT..?’, ‘WHY DOES THE PROFESSOR DISCUSS…?’
- Connections in Content: This question type focuses on the connections among the ideas given in the lecture. This question generally appears in the fill-in-the-blanks type with questions like – ‘WHAT IS THE LIKELY OUTCOME..”
- Inference: The candidate needs to identify the underlying meaning of the lecture since it will not be explicitly stated.
TOEFL Speaking Questions Types
The TOEFL iBT exam pattern of speaking consists of two tasks:
- Question 1 – Independent Task: This task asks the test-takers to present their own thoughts, opinions, and experiences;
- Questions 2 – 4 – Integrated Task: This is a cross-functional task where alongside the speaking skills, the listening, writing, and reading skills are integrated.
TOEFL Writing Questions Types
The two categories of TOEFL writing pattern are:
- Integrated writing task: similar to the speaking task, this requires the candidates to thoroughly read a passage, pay attention to a brief lecture, and eventually provide a response of the listened and read materials;
- Independent writing task: Similar to the speaking task, here the candidate is required to present their own ideas, opinions, and experiences through writing.
