¿Qué estrategias se pueden usar
para obtener una buena puntuación en dos de las tareas de la sección Speaking
(Integrated Speaking tasks)? En esta segunda entrega, se comienza por una breve
introducción a los Integrated Tasks, y luego se enfoca en dos Integrated tasks,
que requieren tanto leer un texto como escuchar una conversación o una clase
magistral. Como en la entrega anterior, se presentan las respuestas de un
hispanohablante y se hace un análisis de cada respuesta.
In this post, we will provide a brief introduction to the Integrated tasks and then discuss the first two of the Integrated Tasks in the TOEFL iBT® test. (This post is a continuation of «Tactics for the Speaking Section»)
Integrated tasks
You will have four integrated tasks. The integrated tasks give you some sort of input, such as a text that you read and a listening that connects with it. After that you will need to talk for one minute and connect the two sources together or summarize the one source you have.
Tasks 3 and 4: Reading/listening/speaking
For tasks three and four you will have both a text to skim through and a related listening to listen to. The text you will see will be between one and two paragraphs long, but you will only have 45 seconds to “read” it. Really you will not have time to read it. What you will be required to do is skim/scan it very quickly while looking for and writing down key information such as the topic and important supporting information.
Task three: The announcement/discussion task
Your first integrated task is more socially focused. You will have a text to read that will give information about some sort of social issue/concern happening, normally, around a university campus.
In 45 seconds, you will need to skim/scan for important information such as the topic and a description of that topic. Also, you will need to find supporting information to try to answer the WH- question words: What is happening? When is it happening? Who is affected? What options are given? How can they solve this problem?
After reading, you’ll listen to a conversation about the announcement. You’ll then respond to a question like:
«The man gives his opinion about the announcement. Explain his opinion and the reasons he has for that opinion.»
- A brief description or definition of the topic of the announcement.
- The supporting information (the WH- questions) from the text
- The student’s opinion
- The reasons he or she gives for having that opinion and how that connects to the supporting information of the text.
Please listen to the example response below from a native Spanish speaker.
Juan gives a great response again. I might call this a three. He clearly presents information from an announcement about a laptop giveaway program… I would recommend that he better connect and transition between the sources of information.
Task four: The General/Specific Task
Task four, like task three, requires you to “read”, listen, and finally talk. Task four has a more academic leaning of the information. This task is called the general/specific task. That means that the article you “read” will have general academic information, and the listening will have a specific application of that general information.
Example: General topic = Photosynthesis
Specific example = Cacti
The question might be:
«The lecturer describes how cacti photosynthesize. Explain how this is related to the normal characteristics of photosynthesis described in the reading.»
- Talk about the general topic and describe or define it
- Discuss the two or three characteristics/categories/subdivisions of the general topic
- Introduce the specific topic or topics and describe or define them
- Tie together how the specific topic(s) are related to the general topic
Please listen to the example response below from a native Spanish speaker.
Juan’s response is not bad. I would probably give him a three again. He has pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar issues. He attempts to explain the general topic “Utopias” and its three characteristics, and links it to the specific case of Brook Farms, though with factual inaccuracies.
