Describe an important decision you made and explain how you made it.
A strong Task 1 answer states the choice immediately, gives two supports or one support with an example, and lands its last word around forty seconds. Fifteen seconds of preparation is enough for the plan, not for the wording.
The prompt and the clock
Describe an important decision you made and explain how you made it.
15 seconds to prepare, up to 45 seconds to speak
A model answer at the right length
112 words — what 45 seconds actually holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record yours first. A memorised TOEFL answer is audible in the rhythm, and raters mark delivery, which is exactly what memorisation damages. Read this afterwards for the shape and the vocabulary.Four years ago I turned down a job in another city that paid considerably more, and it took me seven weeks to decide, which is absurd for a decision that size. The difficulty was that the two sides were not comparable. One side was money and a title, which are easy to measure, and the other was every relationship I have, which is not, and anything measurable tends to win an argument by default. What broke the deadlock was writing out what an ordinary Wednesday would look like in each version. Seeing them side by side made it obvious in about ten minutes, and I have used the same method twice since.
The words that carry it
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- considerably
five syllables with the stress on the second
- absurd
two syllables with the stress on the second
- comparable
stress on the first syllable, often misplaced
- measurable
four syllables with the stress on the first
- default
used in the phrase by default
- deadlock
compound noun for a decision that will not move
How to build the 45 seconds
- 1State the decision and how long it took.
- 2Explain why it was difficult, structurally.
- 3Describe the method that resolved it.
- 4Say that you reused it, which proves it worked.
Sounds to watch
Straight answers
How long should this answer be?
Forty-five seconds, which is roughly 110 to 130 words at a natural pace. The model below is 112. If your version runs past fifty seconds the recording cuts off, and raters hear an answer that stops mid-sentence.
Does it matter which side I take?
No. Raters mark delivery, language use and topic development, never which opinion you chose. Pick one in the first second and spend the preparation time on two supports rather than on deciding.
What does sayit score here?
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar. The transcript is shown in full, so you can judge your own wording and development yourself.
What the score on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.Drill it until the clock stops mattering
A free account keeps every take, so you can watch your pace settle and your filler count fall across a fortnight.