TOEFL iBT Speaking from January 2026
About 8 minutes, about 11 items
- Speaking is about 8 minutes and about 11 items.
- Two task types: Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview.
- Listen and Repeat is scored as Speaking: the mark is on what you say back.
Practice
About how many minutes is TOEFL Speaking? Use the figure ETS publishes.
ETS says about 8 minutes and 11 items.
Listen and Repeat
- You hear a sentence or short turn and say it back.
- Content and pronunciation both matter. Missing a word is a miss.
- Practise with the official sample audio, not with a text you can see.
Practice
Complete: Speaking has about ___ items.
About 11 items across Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview.
Take an Interview
- You answer spoken questions, the way you would in a short interview.
- Answer the question that was asked. A prepared speech on a neighbouring topic is still off-task.
- A pause to think is fine. A ten-second freeze is not.
Practice
Listen and Repeat is scored as which section?
You are scored on what you say back, so it belongs to Speaking even though you listen first.
How to practise
- Eight minutes is short. Do a full run without stopping, then review the recording.
- For Listen and Repeat, shadow once, then try from memory.
- Sample materials in the Library are official where we could download them. Interactive speaking still lives on the ETS site.
Practice
You should read a memorised Independent-speaking template for Take an Interview.
Take an Interview follows the questions you are asked. A template from the old test does not fit.
2026 format
- Sources, checked on 19 September 2026: TOEFL iBT content and structure, TOEFL iBT prepare.
Practice
Match each Speaking task to what you do.
Two tasks, both spoken. Practise out loud, not on paper.