teaching the toeic®

Teaching the TOEIC® exam

Teaching the TOEIC® exam•Background of the TOEIC® test.

Teaching the TOEIC® exam•Background of the TOEIC® test. •Our material, Tactics for TOEIC® textbook

Teaching the TOEIC® exam•Background of the TOEIC® test. •Our material, Tactics for TOEIC® textbook•How to go about teaching it.

Background on the TOEIC® exam

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is "an English language test

designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international

environment.“

There are different forms of the exam: The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test consists of two equally

graded tests of comprehension assessment activities totaling a possible 990 score.

The newer TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test comprises tests of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency,

overall coherence, and structure (organization of sentences) totaling a possible 400 score.

The Tactics for TOEIC® textbook

A comprehensive set of ETS-endorsed materials to improve language proficiency and succeed in the

TOEIC® Listening and Reading Test.Level: Beginner (A1) to Advanced (C1)

This course is designed specifically to develop the test-taking and language skills needed to do well in the TOEIC® Listening and Reading test. It is endorsed by

Educational Test Service (ETS) and contains authentic ETS test questions. The material can be used for self-study or in class, suiting a variety of course lengths and styles.

Features of the Textbook-Content is authorized by ETS and contains official TOEIC® test items-A range of practical Test tips, Language building activities, and Tactics reinforced with immediate practice to help students succeed in the test-Two complete practice tests with tapescripts and explanatory key provided by ETS-Listenings feature a range of speakers to familiarize students with the accents heard in the TOEIC® test-Understanding natural English sections raise awareness of sound changes that can make native speech difficult to understand-Mini-tests to review and reinforce test tactics and vocabulary from the units-Word list and accompanying vocabulary review quizzesStudent's Book and Practice Tests are available separately

-The book covers all 7 parts of the test, the 4 listening parts and the 3 reading parts, in sequence….4 times….for a total of 28 units. Have a look at the text, what is the student required to do in each part?


-Each unit focuses on two test skills. A skill will be introduced, then practiced, then the second skill will be introduced and practiced. After that, there is a mini-test to hone those skills and this can be done in class or as homework. Find out the student’s preference.


-Each unit focuses on two test skills. A skill will be introduced, then practiced, then the second skill will be introduced and practiced. After that, there is a mini-test to hone those skills and this can be done in class or as homework. Find out the student’s preference.

-Each unit ends with a practical application of some language point, usually related to the tasks in that unit.

How to go about teaching it.

When we say the test focuses on skills, there are number of them that you will familiarize yourself with in each lesson. For example, for the Reading Part 5, you’ll look at identifying which part of speech is necessary; a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. In some ways, it’ll be up to you to think of what you can “teach” the students in the part.

How would you go about helping a student improve on this skill?

The TOEIC® exam is a part of life in Japan, and for many people a barrier that is standing between you and your goals. Nevertheless, we don’t need to be afraid of the exam, because anyone can get a good score on the exam with basic knowledge of English and some test-taking skills. Today, I want to look at three basic skills for the TOEIC® Listening, or most any other English exam really. -Inference-Paraphrasing-Avoid distractersNow, what do I mean by those? Let’s start with inference.

Inference is the ability to guess, more or less. In the first part of the TOEIC® listening section, you will see photographs and then be asked to select a sentence which best describes each picture. Now, before you listen, you will need to make some inferences.

In order to do well on this section, practice quickly coming up with as many true English sentences in your head about a given photograph as you can. Infer what is happening and create sentences using mostly “there is/are”and present continuous “They are ___ing”.

1. There is a cup full of pens on the desk next to the computer.2. The woman is looking at her computer screen.3. The woman is holding a sheet of paper.

One of these will probably be the answer, and you'll prepare the vocabulary in you head. The best way to approach these questions is to scan the picture completely and identify what's happening, just like a journalist or a spy. Ask yourself: who, what, where, why? Listen for any words that are stressed, as they may hold a clue.

Paraphrasing is another important concept to remember. Paraphrasing is the ability to say the same idea, but using different words. Here is a quick example of paraphrasing:

1. "Paraphrasing is a very important skill for most English tests."2. "For many tests of English, being skilful at paraphrasing is extremely important."

Almost all the time, the answer that you see on the test will use different, paraphrased words, from the listening. The ability to recognize how they are paraphrasing will be key to identifying the answer. There are a few things to listen for. They may use different vocabulary with the same meaning in order to make it harder to choose the correct answer. They may also change the word order or use different grammar..

1. "The most effective way to build your English skill is to study regularly."2. "The most effective way of building your English skill is to do studying on a regular basis.“

If the original sentence is in the active voice, they may change it to passive or vice versa.

1. "To improve English, you should learn new vocabulary on a daily basis."2. "To improve English, new vocabulary should be learned on a daily basis".

Finally, let’s look at distracters which you will find in each part of the TOEIC® Listening. The multiple choice answers will try to distract you by using very similar, or even the same word.

For example, let's look at one word which can have several meanings, like 'mind'. .

Make sure that the answer is using the word in the same way it should be used in the answer. Because the correct answer is usually paraphrased, if you hear the same keyword in the conversation and the answer, it is usually not correct!

Here are some of the things to be careful about for part 1:words that sounds similar but are in fact differentthe right words used inaccuratelythe right words used in a confusing manneranswers that are only partially truewords that refer to a context other than the one shown in the picturewords related to, but not in the picture

for part 2:words that sound similar but have different meaningswh- questions - who what, when, where, why, what - that need logical answersquestions with question tagsyes / no questions which may have no direct yes / no answers

for part 3:similar-sounding wordsinaccurate wordsconfused word orderwords that change the meaningnegative words (hardly, not, etc.)words associated with time (always, never, etc.)

It will help if you can read the question, and possibly even the answers, before you hear the dialogue. Check all the options and don't choose too quickly. When you are taking the actual exam, pay attention to the context. Try and picture the speakers and where they are.

Any questions?