The TOEFL listening section of the iBT exam is designed to assess the listening comprehension of the test takers in academic settings. It evaluates to what degree test takers are able to understand the academic conversations and lectures.
Apart from listening comprehension, candidates are also assessed on the basis of their understanding of the speaker’s attitude and degree of certainty. In this blog, we have discussed the TOEFL listening section, along with their question types, format, marking system, and preparation tips.
Table of Contents
TOEFL Listening Section: An Overview
- In the TOEFL iBT listening section, test takers are required to attempt 28 questions, with 6 questions each on 3 lecture prompts and 5 questions each on 2 conversation prompts.
- It would take around 36 minutes to complete the section.
- The listening section of the TOEFL iBT exam remains the same for both the centre and home editions.
- It assesses the ability of the test takers to understand the academic conversations and lectures in English in real-life situations.
- Each conversation and lecture is played only once, so test takers need to pay undivided attention while listening.
- To complete all the questions, test takers should attempt 2 questions in a minute.
| Features | TOEFL iBT Exam (Centre & Home Edition) |
|---|---|
| Contents | 5 prompts/tasks |
| Types of Prompts/Tasks | 3 Lectures (3-5 minutes each) 2 Conversations (3 minutes each) |
| No. of Questions | 3 Lectures- 6 questions per lecture 2 Conversations- 5 questions per conversation |
| Total Questions | 28 |
| Total Duration | 36 Minutes |
Types of Prompts in TOEFL iBT Test Listening Section
As mentioned above, 3 lectures and 2 conversations will be played, and then after each prompt, related questions will appear on the screen. Test takers can make notes while listening and use them for answering questions. Below, we have discussed the types of prompts in the listening section of the TOEFL iBT exam.
Conversations
- There will be 2 conversations played sequentially, each between a student and a professor or other university staff on any topic.
- The conversations are of a problem-resolution type, where the student wants to get assistance from the professor or university staff.
- For this, the student will express his/her needs to that staff.
- The conversation averaged 2.5 minutes.
Lectures
- There will be 3 classroom lectures played sequentially, covering history, science, business, social science, etc.
- Test takers are not presumed to have specialised knowledge in that field
- Each lecture averaged 4-5 minutes.
How to Answer Questions in the TOEFL Listening Section?
- After a conversation or lecture has finished, questions appear on the screen, one at a time.
- These questions are spoken by a narrator as it appears on the screen
- Answer choices are not spoken
- While hearing the audio excerpts, test takers can note down important details and use them to answer questions on the sheet.
- For each question, the response time would be around 30 seconds.
- There will be a brief pause between each audio excerpt or prompt.
Types of Questions in the TOEFL iBT Test Listening Section
The following are the types of questions in the TOEFL iBT test listening section.
Gist Content: Understanding the central idea of the listening passage
Gist Purpose: Understanding why the speaker is communicating certain information
Detail Questions: Identify specific information or key details in the listening passage
Function Questions: Understanding the purpose or intent of the speaker’s statement
Attitude Questions: Understanding the speaker’s attitude, tone, and opinions toward a particular topic
Organisation Questions: Ability to recognise the structure and organisation of the information
Inference: Drawing conclusions from the listening passage
What Skills Are Evaluated in the TOEFL Listening Section?
The TOEFL iBT test listening section assesses the following skills in a test taker.
- Active listening skills
- Organisation of ideas
- Attention to details
- Ability to draw conclusions
- Understanding the speaker’s tone, attitude, and intent behind the statement
How is TOEFL Listening Scored?
- The TOEFL listening section is scored between 0-30.
- The listening section score is then added up with the rest of the section’s scores to derive a final total score, which is between 0-120.
- The listening section has five proficiency levels.
- Where a test taker’s score falls within that range, it tells their proficiency for that skill.
| Reading Section Score | Level of Proficiency |
|---|---|
| 0-8 | Below Low-Intermediate |
| 9-16 | Low Intermediate |
| 17-21 | High Intermediate |
| 22-30 | Advanced |
Preparation Tips for TOEFL iBT Test Listening Section
Below, we have presented some useful preparation tips for the TOEFL listening section that will help test takers achieve their desired score in the exam.
- Go through the format and pattern of the TOEFL listening section
- Practice listening to English news and podcasts.
- While hearing, note down the key information. It will help you build note-making skills.
- While interacting with others in your daily life, pay full attention to their voice and opinions to understand their intent.
- Practice for the listening section with the official ETS TOEFL guide at least 2 hours a day.
Key Takeaways by Smart Academy
The listening section of the TOEFL iBT test plays an important role in evaluating a test taker’s ability to comprehend and engage with spoken English in academic settings. The skills that are assessed in this section include active listening, attention to detail, ability to conclude, and understanding the speaker’s intent behind their statements.
It includes the accents of native speakers from English-speaking countries to better reflect the variety of accents test takers might encounter in their journey of study abroad.
FAQs
What is a good score in the TOEFL listening section?
A score between 17-30 is considered good for the TOEFL listening section, which strongly demonstrates the candidate’s high proficiency in listening skills.
How long does it take to complete the TOEFL listening section?
It takes around 36 minutes to complete the TOEFL listening section.
How does TOEFL listening work?
In the TOEFL listening section, test takers listen to 3 lectures and 2 conversations, based on which they are required to answer 28 questions in the time duration of 36 minutes. While hearing audio lectures and conversations, test takers can make notes which can be utilised later to answer questions.
How many questions are there in the TOEFL iBT test listening section?
There are a total of 28 questions in the TOEFL iBT test listening section. 6 questions per lecture (total 3 lectures) and 5 questions per conversation (total 2 conversations).
What TOEFL score is required for the UK universities?
For UK universities, a TOEFL score between 90-110 is generally considered good. However, it might depend on the institutes and courses.
