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. The test is accepted by many
English-speaking academic and professional institutions.
TOEFL is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other
being the IELTS.
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.
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 .
The 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.
To the present day, college
admission criteria for international students who are Commonwealth of Nations
nationals are exempted from taking the TOEFL exam - nations which are part of
the Anglosphere (from Commonwealth realms to former British colonies e.g. Hong
Kong SAR or former protectorates of the United States) where English is the de
facto official language automatically grants a TOEFL exemption with some
restrictions (e.g. residents of Quebec are required to take TOEFL while the
rest of Canada is exempt - also inclusive of Commonwealth nations where English
is not a official language e.g. Mozambique or Namibia (English is co-official
but spoken by 3% of the population).
Internet – Based Test
Since
its introduction in late 2005, the TOEFL Internet-based Test (iBT) format has
progressively replaced the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests
(PBT), although paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The TOEFL
iBT test has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France,
Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in
2006, with test centers added regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September
2006 and these scores are no longer valid.
Initially,
the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to
wait for months. It is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks
in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring
one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple
skills), and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education
environment. Note-taking is allowed during the TOEFL iBT test. The test cannot
be taken more than once every 12 days.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
TOEFL paper-based Test (PBT) is available in limited areas. Scores are valid
for two years after the test date, and test takers can have their scores sent
to institutions or agencies during that time.
- Listening (30 – 40 minutes)
The Listening section
consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short
conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The
last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
- Structure and Written
Expression (25 minutes)
The Structure and Written
Expression section has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25
exercises of identifying errors.
- Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
The Reading Comprehension
sections has 50 questions about reading passages.
- Writing (30 minutes)
The TOEFL PBT
administrations include a writing test called the Test of Written English
(TWE). This is one essay question with 250–300 words in average.
English toefl test
consists of two types namely computer-based testing and paper-based testing.The
computer-based testing is a test using the computer.A rating score this model
to be around 216-677.The company is using community-based testing test paper as
its media.The judgment with this model to be around 450-550 upward.The test
scores ranging from 310 ( toefl, the minimum ) to 677 ( the maximum ) for a
paper-based pbt ( test ).
Since 1998, toefl
test is held online, using computers ( cbt ), computer-based testing / and
since 2005 called internet-based ibt ( test ).In places that cannot exercise
cbt or ibt ( since there was a computer and the internet ) toefl test is still
held by manually using paper and potlot paper-based pbt ( a ).
Fuller information about the cbt
and paper-based toefl pertaining to admission; the site, a fee, and the
preparation tests be seen at the official site toefl, http: / / www.toefl.org (
toefl test scores of the cbt have ranged between 0 and 300, while the value of
ibt is from 0 to 120 ).
Recently the tests
are also toefl test of twe ( test of written english ) that the results of a
separate from its toefl test scores.This test within 30 minutes, and they will
be asked to write a short of describing the ability to express and pour an idea
or ideas; and supports the idea that the examples are in everyday life using
standard english.If twe ( test of written english ) includes parts are, usually
the test is held before an exam listening comprehension.
Sumber :
Nama : Nurul Fitri Awalia
NPM : 25212536
Kelas : 3EB09
