Common Mistakes on the TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

The TOEFL iBT tests academic English. It is long (about 2 hours now after the recent changes) and integrates skills (you might listen to a lecture and then write about it).

A. Integrated Writing: The "Copy-Paste" Penalty

• Mistake 1: Plagiarizing the Reading Passage

  • Scenario: The task presents a reading passage (about a topic) and then a lecture that contradicts it. The student is supposed to summarize how the lecture challenges the reading. The student, running out of time, copies full sentences directly from the reading passage.

  • Fix: The automated scoring system and human raters are trained to detect lifted language. You must paraphrase. Listen to the lecture carefully and write down the lecturer's counterarguments in your own words. Use the reading for context, but the lecture is where the points come from.

• Mistake 2: Including Your Own Opinion

  • Scenario: The prompt asks, "Summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they cast doubt on the reading." The student writes, "In my opinion, the professor is correct because..."

  • Fix: The Integrated Writing task is not an opinion essay. It is a report. You should never use "I" or "me." Just report what the reading said and what the lecture said. Your opinion is irrelevant and will lower your score.

B. Independent Speaking (Question 1): The "Empty Elaboration" Trap

• Mistake 3: Giving a List Without Details

  • Scenario: Prompt: "Do you prefer to study at home or in the library?" Response: "I prefer to study in the library because it is quiet, it has books, and I can focus. Also, my friends go there. That's why I like it."

  • Fix: You have 45 seconds. Depth beats breadth. Pick ONE reason and explode it with detail. "I prefer the library because the quiet environment allows me to enter a state of deep concentration. For example, when I was preparing for my biology final last semester, the silence of the library helped me memorize complex diagrams in half the time it would have taken at home, where my siblings are always watching TV." One reason + a specific example is better than three reasons with no support.

C. Integrated Speaking (Question 2): The "Campus Announcement" Mix-Up

• Mistake 4: Summarizing the Announcement Instead of the Conversation

  • Scenario: The task gives a campus announcement (e.g., "The university will increase parking fees") followed by a conversation between two students about it. The question asks, "State the woman's opinion and the reasons she gives for her opinion." The student spends 20 seconds summarizing the parking fee increase.

  • Fix: The announcement is just context. You need to state it briefly in one sentence ("The university plans to raise parking fees...") and then spend the rest of the time on the student's opinion and the reasons for that opinion. The majority of your speaking time should be about what the student said, not what the university said.

D. Listening: The "Note-Taking Blackout"

• Mistake 5: Writing Too Much

  • Scenario: The lecture begins. The student tries to write down every word the professor says. They miss the next 10 seconds of audio while writing, and then they are lost.

  • Fix: You cannot write down everything. Listen for signpost language. When the professor says, "There are three main theories..." or "The first reason is..." or "On the other hand...", that is what you write. Focus on the structure and the main points, not the minor examples (unless a question specifically asks for an example).

E. Reading: The "Vocabulary in Context" Trap

• Mistake 6: Picking the Dictionary Definition

  • Scenario: The passage says, "The artist's work was seminal for the modern movement." The question asks, "What does 'seminal' mean?" The student knows the word means "related to seed or semen" and picks that.

  • Fix: In TOEFL reading, vocabulary questions test your ability to understand the word in this specific context. "Seminal" here means "influential" or "groundbreaking." Go back to the sentence, replace the word with your guess, and see if it makes sense. Do not rely on your memorized first definition.