The TOEFL exam is one of the most widely accepted English proficiency tests in the United States, Canada, or other major English-speaking countries for academic and professional purposes. As we approach 2024, understanding the updated TOEFL syllabus is crucial for effective preparation. By mastering the specific skills tested in each section, test-takers can improve their chances of securing a high score. So, let’s break down the TOEFL exam syllabus section by section, providing you with the insight you need to prepare thoroughly.
TOEFL Exam Syllabus 2024
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam is a 2 hour test that assesses the ability of students to communicate effectively in four main sections, namely, Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.Mentioned below are the components of a TOEFL 2024 exam such as the duration, number of sections & questions, task description, and test score along with their syllabus.
| Section | Number of Questions & Duration iBT | Description |
| Reading | 20 questions 35 minutes | Candidates would be expected to read passages and answer questions based on them. |
| Listening | 28 questions 36 minutes | Candidates have to listen to brief lectures or classroom discussions and respond to questions in the given time. |
| Speaking | 4 tasks 16 minutes | Test takers would be required to discuss familiar topics and material they’ve read and listened to. |
| Writing | 2 tasks 29 minutes | Candidates read a passage, listen to a recording and type a response supporting an opinion. |
| Scoring | 120 | – |
TOEFL Reading Exam
This section of the TOEFL exam assesses comprehension and understanding of long texts. It aims to assess how well you can read and understand materials used in an academic environment. The two passages of the reading section of the TOEFL Test are excerpts from university-level texts that cover a wide range of topics and subjects like science, history, business, art, etc.
Syllabus
The TOEFL Reading Section includes two reading passages, each approximately 700 words long, with 10 questions per passage. Candidates are required to comprehend the passages and answer questions based on them. It should take about 35 minutes to complete the Reading section. The section is scored based on the number of correct reading comprehension responses.
2 passages, 10 questions each
Total questions: 20
Total time: 35 minutes
Question Types
TOEFL Reading Test is an objective-type part of the test that consists of multiple-choice questions with one or more correct responses as per the question type.
- Factual Information Related Questions: Identify details, the main idea, or inferences.
- Inference-based and Rhetorical Questions: Understanding the central themes, author’s purpose and overall arguments presented.
- Vocabulary-based questions: Discover or figure out the meaning of the words and phrases.
- Insert Text Question: Evaluate the logical order of ideas in the passage, place a sentence in the correct part of a passage.
- Prose Summary Questions: Choose the correct summary of the passage. Sentence
- Simplification: Select a shorter sentence that has the same meaning as the original sentence.
Scoring Pattern
The Reading section is scored between 0-30 points. With each correct answer you get a score, and scores are converted to the 30-point scale. It aims to evaluate candidates’ ability to comprehend and analyze academic texts, assessing skills such as reading comprehension, difficult vocabulary, the author’s intent and tone, different narration techniques, unfamiliar subjects, and various other factors. Mastering the TOEFL Reading section requires efficient strategies like skimming for main ideas, scanning for details, active reading and practicing time management. Focus on understanding the passage structure to tackle questions effectively.
TOEFL Listening Exam
The TOEFL test syllabus for the listening section measures the candidate’s ability to understand conversations both in academic and public contexts. The speakers in this section have accents from North America, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The candidate has to understand their accents and provide the answer.
Syllabus
This section takes about 36 minutes where you’ll face a series of audio recordings, each followed by a set of questions to assess your understanding. Each lecture and conversation lasts 3 to 5 minutes. You can take notes while listening to help answer questions.
(A) 3 Lectures, 6 questions each
(B) 2 Conversations, 5 questions each
Total questions: 28
Total time: 36 minutes
Question Types
- Detail questions: Test specific points in the conversation or lecture.
- Function questions: Evaluate understanding and interpretation of implied meaning.
- Attitude and opinion questions: assess speaker attitudes, opinions, and certainty levels.
- Main idea and organization questions: identify general topics and the structure of lectures or discussions.
- Inference and connection questions: Draw conclusions and relate ideas within passages.
Scoring Pattern
This section is also scored from 0 to 30. Your raw score from correct answers is converted to the scaled score. In the TOEFL Listening Section, you’ll encounter a variety of questions that test your grasp of main ideas, details, and implications from audio clips. To excel, engaging in TOEFL listening practice is essential. Start preparing with focused TOEFL listening practice to achieve your desired score and academic goals.
TOEFL Writing Exam
This section of the TOEFL exam assesses your ability to compose correct, error-free, and coherent sentences. In an academic setting, you will regularly be needed to summarize, take notes, and write essays and papers on a certain topic. This section evaluates a candidate’s skills in idea construction, connecting details, contrasting viewpoints, argument formation, and conclusion.
Syllabus
The Writing section has two essays. You need to write well-structured, well-developed responses with clear explanations and support. Your writing should flow logically and have no grammatical errors. The TOEFL Writing section consists of two tasks. There’s 1 integrated task and 1 writing task for an academic discussion. You’ll have 30 minutes for this section.
(A) Integrated task (20 minutes)
(B) 1 Writing for an Academic Discussion task (10 minutes)
Total questions: 2
Total time: 30 minutes
Task 1 – Integrated writing task
In this particular section, you have to summarize connections between reading and listening through writing. Participants must listen to a 20-minute recording and read a 250-300-word passage. Then they have to write about how they relate to each other based on their understanding of both. In this section, note-taking is allowed with no right or wrong answer. Moreover, the suggested word limit is 150-225 words, however, there is no penalty if you write more.
- Reading: 3 minutes to read a passage (approximately 250-300 words).
- Listening: 2-3 minutes to listen to a lecture (approximately 150-220 words).
- Writing: 20 minutes to write your response (150-225 words).
Task 2 – Writing for an Academic Discussion task
This is an experience-based essay for independent writing where a problem or topic is presented, and the test-taker must express their opinion or thoughts on a given topic in at least 300 words. You have to state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion in about 10 minutes.
Question Types
- Summarization (Integrated Writing): Summarize connections between reading and listening.
- Essay (Independent Writing): State and support your opinion in essay format.
Scoring Pattern
Writing tasks are scored based on the Writing Scoring Guides by a combination of AI scoring and certified human raters. The raw score for the TOEFL writing part ranges from 0 to 5. Thus, the TOEFL essay writing score ranges from 0 to 10. Scaled scores with a range of 0 to 30 are created from evaluated raw scores. To optimize your Writing test results, equip yourself with specific strategies, techniques and skills needed to craft high-scoring essays.
TOEFL Speaking Exam
The TOEFL Speaking section consists of four tasks in total, including one independent task and three integrated tasks. The section evaluates delivery, language use, and topic development. The TOEFL Speaking test includes discussion on topics and prompts in different formats. The questions are designed in a way that resembles the real-life situations that you could encounter in and outside of a classroom.
Syllabus
TOEFL integrated speaking tasks require candidates to combine their English-language abilities — listening and speaking, or listening, reading and speaking — just as they would in or out of a classroom. This section has 4 tasks/questions and a 16-minute completion time.
(A) One independent task
(B) Three integrated tasks
Total questions: 4
Total time: 16 minutes
Task 1 – Independent Speaking Tasks (1 task, 45 seconds prep, 45 seconds response)
In these tasks, test-takers are required to express their opinions or experiences on familiar topics. They are given 45 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to respond and then must then deliver a structured and coherent speech within a specified time limit. Independent tasks assess the ability to generate ideas, organize thoughts logically, and express opinions clearly and persuasively.
Task 2 – Integrated Speaking Tasks – Reading and Listening (30 seconds prep, 60 seconds response)
These tasks require test-takers to integrate information from a short academic reading passage and an accompanying audio clip. They must then summarize the main points and express their opinion on the topic presented. These tasks evaluate skills such as listening comprehension, note-taking, and synthesizing information from multiple sources.
Task 3 – Integrated Speaking Tasks – Listening and Speaking (30 seconds prep, 60 seconds response)
Similar to the previous tasks, these tasks involve integrating information from an audio clip with a spoken prompt. Test-takers must listen to a conversation or lecture and then respond to a related question. This assesses the ability to comprehend spoken English, extract key information, and construct coherent responses under time constraints.
Task 4 – Integrated Speaking Tasks – Listening (20 seconds prep, 60 seconds response)
In this task, test-takers are presented with a spoken prompt and must respond by summarizing the main points and expressing their opinion. They are then asked to write a brief response that mirrors their spoken answer. These tasks evaluate the ability to articulate ideas verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in both spoken and written English.
Question Types
- Personal response – Introduce yourself and answer questions about your personal experiences, interests, and background.
- Summarization – Read a short passage and summarize the main points in your own words.
- Discussion – Listen to a short lecture or conversation and discuss the main points, expressing your opinions and providing supporting details.
- Monologue – Speak on a given topic, expressing your opinions and providing supporting details.
Scoring Pattern
The TOEFL Speaking section is scored on a scale of 0 to 4 points for each task, with a total possible score of 0 to 30 points for the entire section. Certified raters assess Speaking responses based on the aforementioned criteria, assigning a score that reflects the overall quality of the test-taker’s speaking performance. The test graders are looking for a highly comprehensible and sustained dialogue. Delivery, language use, and topic development are the three key components that make up the section’s scoring.
| Criteria | |
| Delivery | Fluency: Smoothness and ease of speech Pronunciation: Clarity and accuracy of pronunciation Intonation and Stress: Effective use of intonation and stress patterns |
| Language Use | Vocabulary: Range and appropriateness of vocabulary Grammar: Accuracy and complexity of grammatical structures |
| Content | Completeness: Addressing all aspects of the task prompt Coherence and Cohesion: Organization and logical progression of ideas |
| Scoring Scale | Scored on a scale of 0 to 4 for each task Total possible score of 0 to 30 for the entire Speaking section |
Conclusion
We believe you understand the TOEFL exam syllabus in detail. Understanding the detailed syllabus for each section of the TOEFL exam is key to effective preparation. By focusing on the specific skills tested in reading, listening, writing, and speaking, you’ll be able to enhance your performance across the board. Ensure you are well-prepared with a study plan that covers each section in depth to score high on your exam. Students can either go for self-study or prepare themselves. For more preparation resources, explore our TOEFL courses, which provide expert guidance to help you ace the test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the syllabus of TOEFL?
Ans: The TOEFL exam tests your English proficiency through four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Each section assesses different language skills, such as comprehension, communication, and articulation. For a detailed syllabus breakdown, the TOEFL Reading section includes academic passages, the Listening section features academic lectures and conversations, the Speaking section involves expressing opinions and summarizing information, and the Writing section focuses on essay writing and integrated tasks.
Q: What subjects are on the TOEFL test?
Ans: The TOEFL test doesn’t cover specific subjects like traditional exams. Instead, it evaluates your ability to understand and use English in academic contexts. It includes diverse topics from various fields such as science, arts, social sciences, and more, making it essential for students planning to study in English-speaking environments. The passages and lectures you encounter may discuss anything from biology to literature, ensuring a diverse assessment of your language skills.
Q: What is the TOEFL pass mark?
Ans: Actually, there are no passing or failing marks in the TOEFL exam. Each institution or university has its own requirements. You can contact the agency or an institution to know about the requirements. Test-takers receive a scaled score ranging from 0 to 120, with higher scores indicating greater proficiency in English. An average TOEFL score is about 90. Any score above 100 is considered to be a good TOEFL score.
