TOEFL speaking topics for 2026: practice questions for the new test

The new TOEFL Speaking format, explained

Listen and Repeat measures, in ETS’s words, your ability to process spoken English and produce speech that is accurate and clearly intelligible. It’s really a test of pronunciation, rhythm and listening memory.

Take an Interview measures your ability to communicate clearly, keep a natural pace, and use appropriate vocabulary and grammar. ETS says the first questions ask about facts and your personal experience, and the later ones ask you to give and support opinions about broader issues. The topics on this page follow that order.

The test is also adaptive, so the number of items and the time can vary slightly from person to person.

48 Take an Interview questions (12 topics)

Each set below is one interview: a campus context, then four questions that get harder. Practise them the way the test works: read the context, then answer each question out loud straight away, with a 45-second timer and no notes.

A model answer, and how it’s built

Question: Do you think students learn more by studying alone or in groups? Why?

That’s about 100 words: roughly 45 seconds at a calm pace. Notice what makes it work: it answers in the first sentence, gives one clear reason, supports it with a short personal story, and ends by recognising the other side. You don’t need two reasons; one well-developed reason is better than two thin ones.

Listen and Repeat: practice sentences and tips

In the test you hear seven sentences from one campus situation, getting longer as you go. Practise with these: ask someone to read them to you, or record yourself reading them, wait a few seconds, then repeat from memory.

Scenario A: a library welcome talk

1. Welcome to the main campus library.
2. Please show your student card at the desk.
3. Quiet study rooms are on the second floor.
4. You can borrow up to ten books at a time.
5. Laptops can be charged at the tables near the windows.
6. If you need help finding a source, ask a librarian at the information desk.
7. Group rooms can be booked online for up to two hours, but please cancel if you can’t come.

Scenario B: a campus tour

1. This is the student center.
2. The cafeteria is open until nine.
3. You can print documents on the first floor.
4. The bookstore sells textbooks and campus clothing.
5. Free shuttle buses leave from the stop outside every fifteen minutes.
6. Most students meet their academic advisor here at the start of each semester.
7. If you lose your student card, report it at the front desk so we can cancel it and print a new one.

How to do well

• Remember meaning, not words. Long sentences are impossible to hold word by word. Picture the situation ("cancel the room if you can’t come") and rebuild the sentence from it.
• Hear the chunks. Sentences come in groups of words: If you lose your student card | report it at the front desk | so we can cancel it. Repeat chunk by chunk.
• Copy the rhythm and the links. Natural speech joins words: report‿it‿at sounds like "re-por-ti-tat". Our guide to linking sounds in English explains the six patterns you’ll hear.
• Keep going if you miss a word. A fluent sentence with one small gap usually sounds better than a long pause while you search for it.

How TOEFL Speaking is scored now

Since January 2026, each TOEFL section, including Speaking, gets a score on a 1–6 scale, and your overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. For a two-year transition period, score reports also include a comparable overall score on the old 0–120 scale.

According to ETS, strong interview answers:

• address the question with a clear, coherent response, with support and elaboration;
• are intelligible and fluent, at a natural pace;
• use a good range of vocabulary and grammar, accurately.

For Listen and Repeat, what counts is repeating the sentence accurately and clearly.

Are old TOEFL speaking topics still useful?

Partly. If you have older books or websites:

• Old Task 1 opinion questions ("Do you prefer…", "Do you agree…") are still good practice for interview questions 3 and 4. Answer them in 45 seconds with no preparation, not the old 15 seconds of preparation.
• Old Tasks 2–4 (read a passage, listen to a lecture, summarise) are no longer part of Speaking. Skip them for speaking practice.

A 4-week TOEFL Speaking practice plan

1. Week 1: Listen and Repeat. Ten minutes a day: play a podcast or lecture, pause after each sentence, and repeat it. Start with short sentences, then longer ones.
2. Week 2: Interview sets 1–4. Answer every question out loud with a 45-second timer. Record yourself and listen back once.
3. Week 3: Sets 5–8. Focus on structure (answer, reason, example, wrap-up) and on one pronunciation problem. Our comparison of pronunciation apps can help you find the right tool.
4. Week 4: Sets 9–12, test conditions. No pauses between questions, no notes, and do a full Listen and Repeat scenario first. Do it three times this week.

The most important habit is speaking out loud every day. Reading model answers silently doesn’t train the skills TOEFL scores: fluency and clear pronunciation under time pressure.