At what age should children be allowed their own smartphone, and why?
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
At what age should children be allowed their own smartphone, and why?
15 seconds to prepare, up to 45 seconds to speak
A model answer at the right length
110 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.I would separate the phone from the internet, which I think is the useful distinction. A device that makes calls and sends messages solves a real problem for a parent, and there is no reason a ten-year-old walking home alone should not have one. Unrestricted social media is a different product, and I would put that closer to fourteen. My reason is that the platforms are designed by adults to be difficult to stop using, and expecting an eleven-year-old to manage that is not a fair test. The practical difficulty is that a child without what everybody else has is genuinely excluded, so this only works if enough families agree.
The words that carry it
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- distinction
three syllables with the stress on the second
- unrestricted
four syllables with the stress on the third
- platforms
the precise noun for social media services
- designed
past participle with the stress on the second syllable
- excluded
three syllables with the stress on the second
- practical
three syllables with the stress on the first
How to build the 45 seconds
- 1Split the question into two products.
- 2Answer the easier half with a reason.
- 3Answer the harder half and justify the age.
- 4Name the practical difficulty honestly.
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 110. 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.