The TOEIC® Test (Test of English for International Communication) assesses your ability to use the English language in a business setting.
| I. Overview of the New TOEIC® Test |
| II. Listening Section |
| III. Reading Section |
| IV. Speaking Section |
| V. Writing Section |
| VI. TOEIC Test Study Resources (download ebooks) |
I. Overview of the New TOEIC® Test
Over ten years of research on the English language and how people actually communicate confirmed the need for a new proficiency test that better reflects English language tasks likely to be encountered in business contexts. Therefore, the TOEIC® Test has been redesigned to include authentic reading and listening tasks in addition to new Speaking and Writing sections. The improved TOEIC® Test assesses proficiency by aligning questions with everyday language scenarios that happen in today’s workplace. Tasks are now more authentic. Not all tasks have been changed, but some tasks give test-takers the opportunity to respond with language that is appropriate to the situation; in other words, how would someone at work respond in this particular situation? The difficulty range is the same. Many of the question types are the also the same.
| Changes to the Listeningsection: |
| A decrease in the number of photograph questions in Part I. |
| The use of recorded as well as written questions in Part 3 (short conversations) and Part 4 (short talks). |
| A shift from individual questions to sets of questions in Part 3 (short conversations). |
| The use of different English accents, such as those spoken in the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, and Australia, are used in the recordings. |
| Changes to the Readingsection: |
| The elimination of Part 6 (error recognition questions) of the current test. |
| The inclusion of passage-based sentence completion questions (Part 6) to sentence completion items (Part 5). |
| The inclusion of some reading sets of questions based on two inter-related passages (Part 7). |
The new Speaking test will measure a test taker’s ability to speak English in business contexts. Test-taker responses will be rated by online scorers who will evaluate the test taker's ability in language areas such as pronunciation, intonation, grammar, vocabulary, relevance, and completeness of response. The test will take 20 minutes to complete. Eleven questions will be used to measure different aspects of speaking ability. The new Writing test will measure a test takers’ ability to use written English. The responses will be evaluated by raters who will consider overall organization, appropriate and precise use of grammar, and vocabulary. The test has eight questions and will take 60 minutes to complete. The scoring system for the revised TOEIC® Test will remain almost the same: 5 to 495 for each section of the test and 10 to 990 for the total test score. However, a new scoring scale for the Speaking and Writing sections will be introduced. Additional improvements to the TOEIC® Test include enhanced score reports that will provide performance feedback within a test section and identify strengths and weaknesses in specific skill areas.
| The new TOEIC® Test will begin to be administered:May 2006 Japan and South Korea January 2007 U.S. and Canada Test Dates September 2007 Central America/South America Europe Southeast Asia |
Back to Top
II. Listening Section
| Testing time: | 45 minutes |
| Number of questions: | 100 |
| Test administration: | The exam will include an audio CD and a booklet. Your answers will be recorded with paper and pencil. |
| Scoring: | Scored by ETS trained raters. |
| Part | Topic | Questions |
| 1 | Photographs | 10 |
| 2 | Question-Response | 30 |
| 3 | Short Conversations | 30 |
| 4 | Short Talks | 30 |
Back to Top
III. Reading Section
| Testing time: | 75 minutes |
| Number of questions: | 100 |
| Test administration: | The exam will include an audio CD and a booklet. Your answers will be recorded with paper and pencil. |
| Scoring: | Scored by ETS trained raters. |
| Part | Topic | Questions |
| 5 | Incomplete Sentences | 40 |
| 6 | Reading Comprehension | 60 |
Back to Top
IV. Speaking Section
| Testing time: | 20 minutes |
| Number of questions: | 11 |
| Test administration: | Internet-based test administered at secure testing sites. Responses are recorded for rating later. |
| Scoring: | Scored by ETS trained raters through the ETS Online Scoring Network |
| Scoring criteria: | Pronunciation, intonation, grammar, vocabulary, relevance and completeness of response. |
| Score Scale: | Questions 1-9: 0-3 Questions 10-11: 0-5 |
| Question | Task | Assessment Criteria | Prep Time | Scale |
| 1 - 2 | Read text aloud | Pronunciation, intonation, stress | 45 seconds to prepare; 45 seconds to respond | 0-3 |
| 3 | Describe a picture | Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary | 30 seconds to prepare; 45 seconds to respond | 0-3 |
| 4-6 | Respond to questions | Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, relevance/completeness of content | No prep time; 15 seconds to respond for questions 4 and 5, 30 seconds for question 6 | 0-3 |
| 7-9 | Respond to questions (using information provided) | Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, relevance/completeness of content | 30 seconds to read; no prep time; 15 seconds for question7 and 8, 30 seconds for question 9 | 0-3 |
| 10 | Propose a solution | Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, relevance/completeness of content | 30 seconds to prepare; 60 seconds to respond | 0-5 |
| 11 | Express an opinion | Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, relevance/completeness of content | 15 seconds to prepare; 60 seconds to respond | 0-5 |
Back to Top
V. Writing Section
| Testing time: | 60 minutes |
| Number of questions: | 8 |
| Test administration: | Internet-based test administered at secure testing sites. |
| Scoring: | Scored by ETS trained raters through the ETS Online Scoring Network |
| Scoring criteria: | Overall organization, appropriateness and precise use of grammar and vocabulary. |
| Score Scale: | Questions 1-5; 0-3 Questions 6-7: 0-4 Question 8: 0-5 |
| Question | Task | Assessment Criteria | Preparation Time | Scale |
| 1-5 | Write a sentence based on a picture | Grammar, relevance of content | 8 minutes | 0-3 |
| 6-7 | Respond to a written email request | Quality and variety of sentences; vocabulary; organization | 10 minutes each | 0-4 |
| 8 | Opinion essay | Grammar, vocabulary, organization, support, cohesion | 30 minutes | 0-5 |
Back to Top
V. TOEIC® Test Study Resources
| Free Downloadable E-Books:Use our free e-books to prepare for the TOEIC® Test, or get extra practice on your speaking, writing, reading, or listening skills. |
| Getting Ready for the TOEIC® Test Prepare yourself for the TOEIC® Test with our study tips and example questions. It also includes a section on how to read faster, which will greatly benefit you on this difficult exam. |
| Accent Reduction Workbook Covers topics such as how to improve your pronunciation, phonics, speech articulation disorders, and North American English vs. British English. |
| Summarizing, Paraphrasing, & Basic Study Techniques Includes tips on summarizing, paraphrasing, and some great study skills including a list of useful workbooks and resources. |
| How to Improve Your Listening Skills Go through our checklist to see if you are a good listener, find out about some common listening problems, and get tips to become a better listener by using active listening techniques. |
