All about TOEIC – Test of English for International Communication

By Girish Sheshamani

TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is one of the most popular English language tests in the world today. An intermediate to advanced level exam, TOEIC is a standardized test designed to measure a person’s ability to understand all aspects of the English Language, as in, Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading (LSRW).

The TOEIC test was introduced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Founded in 1947, ETS develops, administers, and scores more than 24 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations around the world.

For more than 30 years, the TOEIC test has set the standard for assessing the competency level of the test taker covering all areas of the English Language.  Today, TOEIC test scores are used by over 10,000 companies, government agencies, individuals and many educational institutions worldwide. TOEIC has spread its reach across 120 countries and has 5 million test takers per year.

People from around the world wishing to work, study or settle in the United Kingdom can use the TOEIC test to demonstrate their English proficiency for all visas under UK's points-based system. This decision was made by the Home Office of the UK Border Agency, the party responsible for securing the UK border and controlling migration in the UK. The UKBA accreditation allows students, migrants and spouses, or partners worldwide to submit their TOEIC scores as evidence of having passed a UK Border Agency-approved English-language test

TOEIC is divided into two tests:

• TOEIC Listening and Reading Test(paper-and-pencil test)
• TOEIC Speaking and Writing Test(Online)

The TOEIC Listening and Reading test is a paper-and-pencil test

Listening test:

The listening test has a total of 100 questions and the time allowed is 45 minutes. There are four parts to the listening test:

The first part has 10 questions. In the first part the candidate has to look at 10 photographs.  There will be four statements made for each photograph. The candidate has to choose which option best describes the photograph.

The second part has 30 questions. It is a question and answer test in which the candidate will listen to a question which will be followed by three responses. The candidate has to choose the correct response.

The third part has 30 questions. The candidate will listen to a short conversation between two people. There will be three questions based on each conversation. There will be four answer options. The candidate has to choose the correct option.

The fourth part has 30 questions. This section consists of short talks. It could be an announcement, an advertisement or a recorded telephonic conversation. This will be followed by questions having four answer choices. The candidate has to choose the correct option.

Skills tested:

• Vocabulary
• Idioms and phrases
• Ability to focus on relevant information

Reading test:

The reading test has a total of 100 questions and the total time is 75 minutes. There are three parts to the reading test:

The first part consists of 40 questions. A sentence will be giving with a part of the sentence left blank. There will be four options. The candidate has to pick up the option which best completes the sentence and makes it grammatically correct.

The second part consists of 12 questions. There will be four passages. It could be a letter, an article, an application form or an e mail. Each passage will have three blanks to be filled up.

The third part is Reading Comprehension which has a total of 48 questions. It will be a combination of single and double passages. The single passage will have a total of 28 questions. The single passage will have anywhere between 7 – 10 passages with 2 – 3 questions per passage. The double passage will have a total of 20 questions. The double passage will have 4 reading texts with 5 questions per text.

Skills tested:

• Ability to skim and scan
• Vocabulary
• Grammar

The TOEIC Speaking and Writing test is an online test

Speaking test

The speaking test has 11 tasks and the duration is 20 minutes. There are six parts to the speaking test:

The first task is to read a text aloud. It could be an announcement or advertisement. There are two tasks. 

The second task is to give a verbal description of a photograph. This is a single task.

The third task is responding to questions. There are a total of three tasks.  The questions will be on common issues.

The fourth task is to respond to written information which appears on the screen. It could be an agenda or a schedule of events. This section has three tasks.

The fifth task is to respond to a problem. The candidate listens to a voice mail message which describes the problem and gives a response. The candidate is tested as to whether he is able to grasp what the problem is and expected to give a solution. This is a single task.

In the sixth task the candidate is asked to express his opinion on a specific topic or issue and is expected to back it up with logical arguments. This is also a single task.

Skills tested:

• Pronunciation
• Intonation
• Stress
• Vocabulary
• Clarity in the thought process
• Flow of language
• Rate of speech

Writing test

The writing test has 8 tasks and the duration is one hour. There are three parts to the writing test:

The first task is to write a sentence based on an image. Each image will have two words. The candidate has to study the image and put forth his understanding in one sentence. There are a total of five tasks.

The second task is to reply to an e mail. There are two e mails which have roughly 50 words and the candidate is expected to respond to the e mails. There are two tasks.

The third task asks the candidate to express his opinion on a topic or an essay. He has to back up his opinions or arguments with relevant examples. The write up should have a logical flow and there should be no deviation from the topic. The candidate has to ensure that there is an introduction, main body and a conclusion. The main body should be broken up into main points. There should be no ambiguity or repetition of points. This is a single task.

Skills tested:

• Vocabulary
• Grammatical accuracy
• Structuring of sentences
• Ability to organise thoughts logically
• Use of idioms

Scoring pattern

The raw score is determined by the number of correct answers, which are then converted to a scaled score of 0 -200. The test taker receives separate scores for each of the four modules – listening, reading, writing and speaking – and a fifth score, which is the overall score.

The TOEIC test is not a pass-or-fail test. The test results indicate proficiency levels covering all aspects of the English Language

Frequency of the test: TOEIC is held nine times per year (in January, March, May, June, July, September, October, November and December). Candidates who have completed the required application procedure take the test at a test center specified by the institute.

Test users: Many leading companies, academic institutions and language programs worldwide rely on TOEIC as a fair, objective measure of English-language proficiency for students and business professionals.

Test administration: The tests are administered on specific dates at secure Internet-based test centers.

Registration: Test takers can visit the ETS website www.ets.org where they will be guided on the registration process.

Fee: The cost of the test varies. Test takers can get the details from the ETS website  www.ets.org

Score sheet: It takes anywhere between three weeks to a month to get the scores

Validity: The TOEIC score is valid for up to 2 years.

Test preparation: There is no set way or method to prepare for the TOEIC test. There are lots of websites which offer free tests. This should more than suffice.

About the author:

Girish Sheshamani is an MBA from K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai. His focus areas are Soft Skills , Personality Development, Leadership Skills and Voice & Accent. He also trains aspirants for CAT , MAT , GMAT , GRE , IELTS, TOEFL and Communicative English.