Some universities require every student to take an art or music class. Do you agree with this policy?
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
Some universities require every student to take an art or music class. Do you agree with this policy?
15 seconds to prepare, up to 45 seconds to speak
A model answer at the right length
111 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 agree with the policy, though not for the reason usually given. The common argument is that art makes students well rounded, which is vague. My reason is more specific. An art class is often the only course where a student is evaluated on something they made rather than something they recalled, and for engineering students in particular that is a completely unfamiliar kind of difficulty. I took a drawing class in my second year, was clearly the worst person in the room, and learned more about handling criticism there than anywhere else. The objection is cost and time, and I think one course over four years is a reasonable price.
The words that carry it
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- policy
three syllables with the stress on the first
- evaluated
five syllables with the stress on the second
- recalled
the precise verb for remembering information
- engineering
four syllables with the stress on the third
- unfamiliar
five syllables with the stress on the third
- criticism
four syllables with the stress on the first
How to build the 45 seconds
- 1Agree, then set aside the usual argument.
- 2Give your own more specific reason.
- 3Support it with a personal example.
- 4Name the objection and answer it briefly.
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 111. 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.