Test
of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL /ˈtoʊfəl/ toh-fəl, is a standardized
test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers
wishing to enroll in U.S. universities. TOEFL is a trademark of ETS
(Educational Testing Service), a private non-profit organization, which designs
and administers the tests. The scores are valid for two years; then they are no
longer reported.
History
In
1962, a national council made up of representatives of thirty government and
private organizations was formed to address the problem of ensuring English
language proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at U.S.
universities. This council recommended the development and administration of
the TOEFL exam for the 1963-1964 time frame. The test was originally developed
at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction of Stanford
University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson. TOEFL test
was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association financed by
grants from the Ford Foundation and Danforth Foundation.
In
1965, The College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for the
continuation of the TOEFL testing program.
In
1973, a cooperative arrangement was made between ETS, The College Board, and
the Graduate Record Examinations board of advisers to oversee and run the
program. ETS was to administer the exam with the guidance of the TOEFL board.
Computer-based test
The
Computer-Based TOEFL Test In July 1998, ETS introduced the computer-based
version of the TOEFL test (TOEFL cBT) in many areas of the world. This move was
the fi rst critical step toward a long-term goal of enhancing assessments by
using electronic technology to test more complex skills. A primary goal of the
TOEFL program is to provide more extensive information than it has in the past about
candidates’ English proficiency. In response to institutions’ requests to include
a productive measure of writing, the program added :
1. Reading
The
Reading section consists of questions on 4–6 passages, each approximately 700
words in length. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of
material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages
require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast
and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details,
inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical
purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the TOEFL iBT test require
filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject
under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.
2. Listening
The
Listening section consists of questions on six passages, each 3–5 minutes in
length. These passages include two student conversations and four academic
lectures or discussions. The conversations involve a student and either a
professor or a campus service provider. The lectures are a self-contained
portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and
does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each
conversation and lecture passage is heard only once. Test-takers may take notes
while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the
questions. Each conversation is associated with five questions and each lecture
with six. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main
ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas,
organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.
3. Speaking
The
Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent and four integrated. In
the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion questions on familiar
topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey
their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the integrated tasks, test-takers
read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation
about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information
from the text and the talk. In the two remaining integrated tasks, test-takers
listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and
then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks,
test-takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and
effectively convey information from the reading and listening material.
Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to
help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a short preparation time
before they have to begin speaking. The responses are digitally recorded, sent
to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN), and evaluated by three to six raters.
4. Writing
The
Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting
and consists of two tasks: one integrated and one independent. In the
integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then
listen to a speaker discuss it. The test-taker then writes a summary about the
important points in the listening passage and explains how these relate to the
key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, the test-taker must
write an essay that states their opinion or choice, and then explain it, rather
than simply listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the
ETS OSN and evaluated by at least 3 different raters.
Paper-based Test
The
paper-based version of the TOEFL test (TOEFL pBT) continues to be administered on
specifi ed dates in some countries, particularly in areas where accessibility
to the Internet-based test (e.g.,TOEFL iBT) is a concern. Each form of TOEFL
pBT consists of three separately timed sections; the questions in each section
are multiplechoice, with four possible answers or options per question. All
responses are gridded on answer sheets that are scored by computer.
1.
Listening Comprehension
The listening comprehension measures the
ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America. The oral
features of the language are stressed, and the problems tested include vocabulary
and idiomatic expression as well as special grammatical constructions
frequently used in spoken English. The stimulus material and oral questions are
recorded in standard North American English; the response options are printed
in the test books.
2.
Structure and Written Expression
The
structure and written expression measures recognition of selected structural
and grammatical points in standard written English. The language tested is
formal, rather than conversational. The topics of the sentences are of a
general academic nature so that individuals in specifi c fi elds of study or
from specifi c national or linguistic groups have no particular advantage.
3.
Reading Comprehension
Reading
Comprehension measures the ability to read and understand short passages that
are similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter
in North American colleges and universities. Examinees read a variety of short
passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage.
The questions test information that is stated in or implied by the passage, as
well as knowledge of some of the specifi c words as they are used in the
passage.
