The TOEIC Speaking test will include series of questions with different content and different requirements. Each TOEIC Speaking question type will have its own challenges for candidates, so a clear grasp of the structure of each question type will also be extremely important in affecting your test score. In this article, Phuong Nam Education will learn with you in detail about questions 4-6 TOEIC Speaking, and some useful "tips" so you can give good answers to this series of questions.

Questions 4-6 TOEIC Speaking

Overview of questions 4-6 in TOEIC speaking

Questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking include three questions related to the same topic. Questions will appear on the screen and someone will read them. You won't have time to prepare. This question section is used to test your ability to understand and answer the question. For questions 4 and 5, you will have 15 seconds to answer each question, for question 6, 30 seconds. Your answer will be assessed based on pronunciation, intonation and stress, grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, relevance and completeness of content.

Common text topics for questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking:

Personal and social interests (entertainment, travel, hobbies)

Community life (environment, banking, housing)

Research marketing and consumer activities

Questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking test your ability to speak about personal experiences and familiar topics. You are asked to respond with two short personal answers and one longer opinion or description. You will state a preference, use descriptive language, give reasons and explanations, state your opinion and elaborate your answer in detail.

Skills targeted in this series of questions:

Express your opinion clearly, using details to support your answer

Understand the main topic and identify “key words”

Choose and use appropriate vocabulary

Describes the frequency or duration of events or activities

Provide detailed information and explain your opinion

Some examples of questions you may encounter on the test:

Personal and social interests: What kinds of sports do you like?

Community life: What type of transportation do you use everyday?

Marketing Research: What's your favorite food? Why?

Some things to note:

First, let's quickly analyze the topic of questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking. 

What “key words” are in that topic? What does the question ask to do? What information do you need to include in your answer? Next, think about what you want to talk about. 

Think of "key words" immediately, which will help you answer faster and easier. You will hear a beep to indicate when to start. Begin your answer with a sentence that reiterates the topic and add your own information.

 Make sure you explain the main reason in your answer and provide a personal perspective to support this reason.

 Questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking are scored on a scale of 0-3. Your answer will be scored based on the same criteria as questions 1-3 - pronunciation, intonation and stress, grammar, vocabulary and cohesion. Your answer will also be graded based on relevance and completeness of the content.

Content relevance is the degree to which your answer connects to the topic. If the question is: "What museum is your favorite and why do you like it?", you must explain what type of museum it is (e.g. museum of modern art, natural history, film , sports or photography). You also have to say what you like about the museum (for example, the large collection, the architecture, or the awards). You must avoid talking about unrelated topics, as that can affect your score.

Content completeness is how complete your answer is. Some questions may have more than one section. For example, for the question “What is your favorite museum and why do you like it?”, you must talk about two things to complete your answer to this question: (1) Your favorite museum is what and (2) why you feel like it.

Questions 4-6 ask about your interests and habits, or they ask to describe or give an opinion on a topic. Questions 4 and 5 are usually Wh-questions (who, what, where, why, how often). Question 6 may ask you to give a longer answer about something or give a more detailed opinion.

Sample questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking

To answer questions 4-6 well in TOEIC Speaking, follow these tips:

Tip 1: Get familiar with the topics. The introductory sentences you hear before the questions, are usually about a survey. Imagine that a marketing company is asking you for information about yourself and your interests. As you read and listen to the introduction, pay attention to what the survey is about, such as movies, sports, or TV shows. Then, focus your answers around that topic.

Tip 2: Get familiar with the types of questions 4-6 in TOEIC Speaking you may encounter. There are several different types of TOEIC Speaking questions 4-6 that you may encounter in this part of the TOEIC test.

Tip 3: Question 5 often asks you to talk about how long something lasts (duration) or how often something happens (frequency). To answer, you will need to think about numbers, time of day, or details related to days of the week or dates. These types of questions may also ask you how many hours or days you spend doing something.

Tip 4: Learn to recognize questions that require more information to answer. Some questions may ask you to expand on your description of something. You may also be asked to give your opinion on a topic, defend your choice of why one thing is better than another, or state how you could improve something.