Get corrected by an English speaker you trust.
The last really important step is to make sure that you are not making mistakes when you speak English for TOEFL.
Most TOEFL students are so stressed out, that they do not accurately or confidently identify their own mistakes when they speak English. Of course, they can feel when they speak well or poorly, but they do not often accurately diagnose their own grammar or vocabulary mistakes. Usually, people need extra help identifying and fixing pronunciation mistakes.
Here is a real dialogue between me and a student whose speaking score was 23-24:
Jaime: What kinds of mistakes do you think you make in English?
Student: I have a lot of trouble with prepositions.
Jaime: *confused* Really? I haven't noticed that... Did someone tell you that you can't use prepositions correctly?
Student: Yes. About a year and a half ago, my previous English teacher told me that I didn't use prepositions correctly.
Jaime: Hmm... I see... And so then did you study prepositions?
Student: Yes. I studied it a lot.
Jaime: Well, that just shows us how smart you are! I've been listening to you speak English for hours in our lessons, and I can say that you really don't have significant mistakes with prepositions anymore. I do not agree with your self-assessment. You fixed that problem. Congratulations!
Student: *happy* Ok that's great! So why is my TOEFL speaking score low now?
... and our conversation and lessons continued. A few weeks later, she got a speaking score of 27.
However, if we had not identified her current problems, she would have continued worrying about a problem that didn't exist! Focusing energy on the wrong part of your English limits your TOEFL score.
So... what should you do now?
If you can read this article, it means that you are smart and have a good education. I have seen so many students succeed with TOEFL speaking when they focus their attention on the right things instead of getting old scores again and again because they keep studying the wrong things.
Most TOEFL students are so stressed out, that they do not accurately or confidently identify their own mistakes when they speak English. Of course, they can feel when they speak well or poorly, but they do not often accurately diagnose their own grammar or vocabulary mistakes. Usually, people need extra help identifying and fixing pronunciation mistakes.
Here is a real dialogue between me and a student whose speaking score was 23-24:
Jaime: What kinds of mistakes do you think you make in English?
Student: I have a lot of trouble with prepositions.
Jaime: *confused* Really? I haven't noticed that... Did someone tell you that you can't use prepositions correctly?
Student: Yes. About a year and a half ago, my previous English teacher told me that I didn't use prepositions correctly.
Jaime: Hmm... I see... And so then did you study prepositions?
Student: Yes. I studied it a lot.
Jaime: Well, that just shows us how smart you are! I've been listening to you speak English for hours in our lessons, and I can say that you really don't have significant mistakes with prepositions anymore. I do not agree with your self-assessment. You fixed that problem. Congratulations!
Student: *happy* Ok that's great! So why is my TOEFL speaking score low now?
... and our conversation and lessons continued. A few weeks later, she got a speaking score of 27.
However, if we had not identified her current problems, she would have continued worrying about a problem that didn't exist! Focusing energy on the wrong part of your English limits your TOEFL score.
So... what should you do now?
If you can read this article, it means that you are smart and have a good education. I have seen so many students succeed with TOEFL speaking when they focus their attention on the right things instead of getting old scores again and again because they keep studying the wrong things.
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