HOW TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE TOEIC®

TEST

Overview of presentation

About the TOEICRecognitionTOEIC Levels and ASEPMyths about the TOEICLanguage Schools & TOEIC PreparationHow to use TOEIC Practice Tests as Teaching Tools

Listening Section: Parts 1 – 4 Reading Section: Part 7 – Single and Double texts

About the TOEIC3

Highly reliable, high-quality test produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the world’s largest educational testing and measurement organization

Also does TOEFL, GRE, and the American university entrance examinations (SAT)

Over 5,000,000 candidates for the TOEIC each year!Paper & pencil test, lasts about two hoursOne test, tests various levels of language abilityTests everyday English found in the workplace not “business English”Administered every week, results out in five days

Recognition 4

Private Sector2,000 European companies rely on the TOEIC to determine the level of English-language competency of their employees. Renault, BMW, Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank, Nat West, Credit National, BP, Aventis, Glaxo-Welcome, Hoffmann-La Roche, Boehringer Ingleheim, As well as American multinationals active in Europe such as Ford, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Sun, Apple…

Public SectorUsed by state agencies and ministries in various countries as certification of English-language competencyIn Greece, recognized by ASEP

TOEIC Scores5

Different from ECPE and ECCE-type tests—not a pass/fail but rather…Gives a range of scores Each section ranges from 5 to 495, and the total score from 10 to 990 Totals scores can be grouped into levels that correspond to ability bands of the Michigan and other tests

TOEIC Levels and ASEP6

ΑΣΕΠ

Level Language Level TOEIC Score

(Άριστη)* (Proficiency (ECPE)) (905-990)

Πολύ

Καλή Advanced (ALCE) 785-900

Καλή Lower (ECCE) 505-780

Μέτρια Basic 405-500

ASEP recognizes Advanced, Lower and Basic level TOEIC Scores

*ASEP does not recognize the Proficiency‐level TOEIC scores. 

Myths about the TOEIC7

Language schools don’t prepare school-aged students for TOEIC

It’s not a certificate and students want a certificate

It’s for adults, students in my school wouldn’t do well, they don’t know Business English

Language schools do prepare school-aged students for TOEIC

8

Thousands of candidates sent by schools each year

In general, schools are doing a good job of preparing school-aged students for TOEIC

TOEIC Scores % of Candidates sent by Language Schools

100‐199 1%200‐299 8%300‐399 16%400‐499 22%500‐599 20%600‐699 15%700‐799 10%800‐899 5%900‐999 1%Grand Total 100%

51% > 500

Advantages of TOEIC10

There’s no pass/fail with the TOEIC. The test is designed to measure English-language competency along a broad spectrum of ability.Even if a candidate doesn’t get the score s/he wants, doesn’t mean failure simply a lower score.Every candidate gets a certificate

A Reasonable Chance 11

For students at ECCE-level ASEP: “Good” knowledge (ECCE) for TOEIC means score of 505-780How likely is it for someone who fails ECCE to get the corresponding level in TOEIC?Small-scale research …

# of Fails

# of BF 0 1 2 Total

0 370 310 327

1 518 438 363 459

2 482 406 323 458

3 459 459

4 435 435

Total 489 421 339 450

ECCE Fails & Average TOEIC Score

Students with 1 borderline fail and no fails had average TOEIC score of 518Students with 2 BF’s and no fails were close to cutoff point (average TOEIC score 482)Students with 2 Fails far from reaching the 505-threshold

12

Figures in table are average scores; 

actual TOEIC scores are multiples of 

5

What this means for your students! Strategy13

Students who just missed passing ECCE, intensive 60-hour prep course for TOEIC good chance of getting 505 or higherStudents who are solid Fails need more English training to get to ECCE level

If willing, do another year of English, re-take examIf unwilling, prepare for TOEIC, more hours; may get certificate that corresponds to “Good” level (505 or higher)But will definitely get some certificate

Be ready to offer guidance—and courses!—to potential clients who ask about TOEIC

TOEIC®

Test format14

TOEIC®

Test FormatPart Listening Comprehension (Section 1

)

1 Photographs: 10 questions

2 Question-Response: 30 questions

3 Conversations: 30 questions (10 conversations, 3 questions each)

4 Short Talks: 30 questions (10 talks, 3 questions each)

Reading Comprehension (Section 2

)5 Incomplete Sentences: 40 questions

6 Text Completion: 12 questions (4 reading sets, 3 questions each)

7 Reading Comprehension: 48 questions (single passages: 28 questions; double passages: 20 questions)

From what kind of contexts are the TOEIC®

test questions drawn?

These are some examples of the settings, situations, and formats

you may find in TOEIC test questions:

Dining Out: business and informal lunches, restaurant reservationsEntertainment: cinema, theater, music, art, exhibitions, museumsHealth: medical insurance, visiting doctors, dentists, clinics, hospitalsOffices: letters, memoranda, telephone, fax and e-mail messagesPersonnel: hiring, salaries, promotions, job applications, job advertisementsPurchasing: shopping, ordering supplies, shipping, invoicesTravel: trains, airplanes, taxis, buses, ships, ferries, tickets, schedules, station and airport announcements, car rentals, hotels, reservations, delays and cancelations

Listening Part 1-

Example

Look at the example item below:

Now listen to the four statements.

A.

They’re leaving the room.

B.

They’re turning on the machine.

C.

They’re standing near the table.

D.

They’re reading the newspaper.

Statement C, “They’re standingnear the table,”

is the correct

answer choice as it is the best description of the picture.

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Listen

Listening Part 1: Activity 1 (scanning the photograph)

Nouns Verbs Adjectives

puppets working big

man looking small

glasses wearing long

apron   etc. old

tools,  etc.

etc.

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Listening Part 1: Activity 2 (scanning the photograph)

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When viewing people:Who are the people?

colleagues, boss- employeesWhat are they doing?

talking What are they wearing?

suitsWhere are they?

OfficeHow many people are in the picture?

3What makes them different from each other?

A man , two women One person (man) sitting downTwo women standing up

Listening Part 1: Activity 2 (scanning the photograph)

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When viewing objects:What type of object is it?

pencil holder, lap top

Where is the object usually found?pencil holder - on office desk

What is the object made of?pencil holder – glass, metal, plastic

Listening Part 1: Activity 3 (unwarranted assumptions & distractors)

Look at the picture markednumber 7 in your test booklet.A.

They are in the tower.B.

The concert is about to begin.

C.

They haven’t put away their instruments.

D.

The performers are praying.

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Listening Part 2: Question –

Response Example

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For example, you will hear: Where is the meeting room?You will also hear:

(A) To meet the director(B) It’s the first room on the

right(C) Yes, at two o’clock

The best response to the question “Where is the meetingroom?”

is choice B, “it’s the first room on the right.”

You

should mark answer (B) on your answer sheet.

Listen

Listening Part 2: Activity 1 (A) (recognizing question types)

Function 

QuestionNegative 

QuestionInformation 

QuestionAlternative 

QuestionYes/No 

Question

# 1 √# 2 √ √# 3 √# 4 √# 5 √

1.

When’s the best time to meet?

2.

Can you tell me where the manager is?

3.

Why weren’t we told in advance?

4.

Would you care for some coffee or tea?

5.

What would you recommend I do?

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Listening Part 2: Activity 1(B) & Activity 2 (recognizing information needed & predicting suitable responses)

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1.

When’s the best time to meet?time reference

2.

Can you tell me where the manager is?Yes/ No or natural response

3.

Why weren’t we told in advance?reason

4.

Would you care for some coffee or tea?a choice of the two; both;neither; or natural response

5.

What would you recommend I do?suggestion/advice

Listening Part 2: Activity 4 (forming appropriate questions)

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A. The accounting department

B. The secretary typed the memo.

C. We received it yesterday.

Listening Part 3: Conversations Example

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Questions 50 -

52 refer to the following conversation.

Man:

Why is your computer making this beeping noise? Do you have so many incoming messages?

Woman:

No, I don’t. For some reason I can’t log on to my Outlook account to read my messages.

Man:

You’ve probably been locked out for some reason; youneed to contact the help desk to unlock you.

Woman:

I think I’ll just log off my computer first; it might have jammed! It’s not that it’s state-of-the-art equipment. I should have upgraded it a long time ago.

Listen

Listening Part 3: Conversations Example

52. What is the problem?A. Her computer is making a

strange noise.B. Her emails aren’t clear enough

to read.C. She has too many incoming

messages.D. She cannot access her emails.

53. What advice does the man give her?A. To buy a new computer.B. To get some professional help.C. To restart her computer.D. To upgrade her computer.

54. What can be inferred about her computer?A. It’s really modernB. It’s rather old.C. It’s locked.D. It’s got a virus.

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Listening Part 3: Activity 1 (understanding the conversation)

1.

Who are the speakers?colleagues

2.

What is their profession?secretaries – not computer experts

3.

What is their relationship?colleagues

4.

Where are they?office

5.

What are they discussing?computer problems & possible solutions

6.

Why are they discussing this?computer making noise – computer old

52. What is the problem?

53. What advice does the man give her?

54. What can be inferred about her computer?

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Listening Part 3 –

Activity 2 (recognizing key words)

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Question 41: Why

is the man going to Spain?

Question 42: What advice

does the woman give him?

Question 43: What can be inferred

about the man?

Listening Part 4: Short Talks Example

29

Questions 77 –

79, refer to the following weather reportThanks, Marcy, Dan ... and yes, that cold front is rapidly approaching. The weather service is predicting snow overnight. For those of you driving in from a weekend get-away, you'll want to be on the road early this afternoon and back home before it starts.

And

that can be anytime after sundown in the upper elevations. So, if you're coming into town on the national highway, remember to be careful on those high passes on Mt. Patton. The snow will continue until midday tomorrow ... making it less than pleasant for those

of

you who have to get to work in the morning rush hour. And once the snow stops, temperatures will fall even further. We're looking for a low of minus ten tomorrow night in higher elevations, and zero to minus one, here in the city. So cover your outdoor plants and make sure any outdoor animals have a sheltered place to sleep. It's going to be very chilly for the next few days. That's the local weather. Now for a look at ...

Listen

Listening Part 4: Short Talks Example

30

77.

What is the speaker’s job?A. A garden and pet care advisorB. A meteorologist at the weather service.C. Part of a road crew for snow clearance.D. The weatherman on a news program.

78. The report is intended for people in which area?A. A fairly large countryB. A mountainous wildernessC. Just within the city itselfD. The city and its surroundings

79.

What severe weather conditions will the listeners face?A. Heavy snow for a weekB. Low temperatures followed by heavy snowC. Severely cold temperatures but no snowD. Snow followed by cold temperatures

Listening Part 4: Activity 1 (understanding the talk)

1.

Who is the speaker?weather forecaster

2.

What is his/her profession?weather forecaster

3.

Where is the speaker?radio station studio

4.

What is the purpose of the talk?

to inform – to warn the locals (Mt. Patton)

5.

Who is the audience?locals

77. What is the speaker’s job?

78. The report is intended for people in which area?

79. What severe weather conditions will the listeners face?

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Listening Part 4: Activity 2 (recognizing key words)

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Question 77: What is the speaker's job?

Question 78: The report is intended for people in which area?

Question 79: What severe weather conditions

will the listeners face?

Reading Part 7 –

Single text

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ETS Official Example

Reading Part 7 –

Single Text “Employee Polygraph Protection Act’’

Activity 1(A)recognizing key words & skills/ subskills

Activity 1 (B)locating correct answer

Document

Reading Part 7 –

Double texts Example

35

ETS Official Example

Document

TOEIC is not Economics!36

Language is not business but workplace EnglishDon’t need economics vocabulary but familiarity with workplace settings and some workplace English

Some of these students already know from Internet & TV, some can be taughtWe already know that school-aged students can get ECCE-level (or higher) TOEIC scores

But TOEIC not for everyone