10 Strategies to do well in TOEIC Speaking Exams By Thomas Gowing 26/01/12 By following some tips, non-native English speakers can get high or higher scores in TOEIC Speaking exams. Please take notes, these tips should help you !

The challenge presented Speaking in effortless English during TOEIC Speaking exams is certainly a challenge. In my opinion the following are some of the reasons;

I feel that these are the reasons the TOEIC speaking test is a challenge. 1. Students fear committing grammar mistakes. 2. Students grapple for words to express their thoughts. Their vocabulary needs improving. 3. They are overly conscious about their local accents and how these accents stop them from pronouncing English words properly. 4. Their listening comprehension may be poor.

So, Here are my ten tips for getting high(er) scores in TOEIC Speaking exams. Study with an English Tutor - We at SIGMA BASE CAPITAL Corp. can help you set this up smoothly. Using a teacher for TOEIC Speaking exams is a good decision because: 1. A teacher can assess student’s weaknesses. 2. A teacher can give suggestions on how to answer some questions. 3. A teacher can teach a student how to speak by example.

TIP# 1 Work with a teacher Working with a teacher for TOEIC Speaking exams is a good decision because: 1. a teacher can assess student’s weaknesses 2. a teacher can give suggestions on how to answer some questions. 3. a teacher can teach a student how to speak by example. 1. corrects all of student’s mistakes, 2. explains student’s mistakes, 3. tells a student how to avoid mistakes, 4. gives a student some suggested answers, 5. provides the student with better word choices, 6. monitors student’s progress, 7. suggests ways to improve student’s speaking skills, 8. clarifies difficult-to- understand topics.

TIP# 2 JOIN A DISCUSSION CLASS Joining a TOEIC Speaking discussion class is an effective way to learn how to speak in English. We try to find questions that relate to both TOEIC questions AND current events. The teacher in a TOEIC Speaking exams review or discussion class usually gives the students tips about the following:

Discussion Class Continued 1. what to expect in the actual TOEIC Speaking exams 2. how to compose answers to questions 3. how to verbalize these answers 4. common mistakes in TOEIC Speaking exams The teacher in a TOEIC Speaking exams review or discussion class usually gives the students tips about the following:

TIP # 3. TRY TO Neutralize Local Accents – That is try to take out some of the “Katakana” pronunciation from your natural dialogue A Katakana kind of accent stops TOEIC test-takers from pronouncing their English words correctly. Test-takers must try to neutralize their accents in the months or weeks before taking the TOEIC Speaking exams.

TIP# 4. Speak Clearly TOEIC Speaking exams are your chance for speaking clearly, loudly and confidently. Test-takers must avoid speaking softly and vaguely. Mumbling to hide mistakes in speaking will not be helpful. It can (in my experience) lead to score reductions. The goal is to make the ETS examiners (the people that conduct TOEIC exams) understand the recorded answers to test questions.

TIP# 5 Speak slowly Speaking slowly in TOEIC Speaking exams is a way for test-takers to make themselves understood. It is practical for the test-takers to avoid speaking quickly BECAUSE by speaking quickly, test-takers risk being misunderstood. This is an important point. It would be better for test-takers to speak slowly in an understandable manner. With proper training, speaking in relaxed English during TOEIC Speaking exams is possible.

TIP# 6 Focus The rooms for TOEIC Speaking exams can be noisy for some people. This is because the rooms are filled with other students. These examinees speak on microphones to record their answers for TOEIC Speaking To practice focusing, TOEIC Speaking exams test-takers must train how to speak in noisy places. These places include restaurants filled with people, living rooms where the TV or radio is turned on, or crowded train stations. If you can we recommend you practice in such areas. The goal here is to focus on speaking clearly even though the surrounding area is noisy.

TIP# 7 Speak plain English TOEIC Speaking exams test-takers must try to avoid slang or colloquial speech when giving answers. This is because slang is sometimes not understood by most people, including some ETS evaluators. This might not be an obvious point. As a result because slang can cause the test-takers to be misunderstood, their scores may also be reduced. This is similar to what I mentioned above in the “speak slowly” tip. Common sense tells us to be safe, test-takers must try to use plain English that is understood by many people.

TIP# 8. Mind Your Grammar Grammar is very important in TOEIC Speaking exams Simply, this is because proper use of grammar shows TOEIC Speaking test-takers’ understanding of English language rules. It also shows the test-takers’ abilities to structure English sentences correctly. Test-takers should definitely review grammar rules thoroughly before taking the TOEIC Speaking exams.

TIP# 9 Choose words correctly Using general words in TOEIC Speaking exams can show test-takers’ inadequate English vocabulary. For that reason, it is wise to vary words correctly. Avoid using general terms like good, nice, pretty, or big. Instead use skillful, polite, gorgeous, or enormous. (Search your brain for synonyms !) The goal here is to choose words that precisely express your thoughts.

TIP# 10 Add life to speech Test-takers must avoid a monotone voice, that is a voice is one that has only one tone. BECAUSE it can cause the test-takers to sound robotic and lifeless. Instead of using a monotone voice, you must vary your tone. Use INTONATION in your voice. By varying their tones, test-takers can make their recorded answers to TOEIC Speaking exams animated, lively, and engaging.

In Conclusion……………. Well, those are my tips that I hope will help you in the speaking section of the TOEIC test. Please print this out and go over them. Even reading them over and over will help your sub conscious mind understand and prepare you better for this component of the Exam. All the best for when you take the test. Thomas Gowing SIGMA BASE CAPITAL Corp.