Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview are the only TOEFL speaking task types on tests taken since January 21, 2026. Together they fill 11 items in about 8 minutes. This guide covers how ETS weights each task, how old 0–30 Speaking scores convert to the new 1–6 band, how test takers scored in 2025, and which Speaking bands three US universities now require.
TOEFL Speaking Task Types
What Are the Two TOEFL Speaking Task Types?
ETS’s 2026 test blueprint splits Speaking into Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview. Both are AI scored, both span CEFR levels A1 to C2, and each item is worth up to 5 points.
Responses are scored by a combination of AI scoring and ETS-certified raters, according to ETS’s score-user content page. Unlike adaptive Reading and Listening, Speaking is linear: everyone on a given form gets the same tasks.
| Task type | Items | Max points per item | Raw points | CEFR range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listen and Repeat | 7 | 5 | 35 | A1–C2 |
| Take an Interview | 4 | 5 | 20 | A1–C2 |
| Speaking total | 11 | 5 | 55 | A1–C2 |
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test Blueprint and Specifications, 2026 Update; ETS TOEFL iBT content page, 2026
Listen and Repeat
Test takers hear seven sentences and repeat each one word for word. ETS says items start as one independent clause and grow into compound verbs, dependent clauses, relative clauses and complex noun phrases.
This task supplies 35 of the section’s 55 raw points.
Take an Interview
A prerecorded interviewer asks four questions set in academic or campus situations. Prompts move from brief factual statements to opinion, explanation, prediction and narration, per the ETS blueprint.
It is the only Speaking task with original answers, and it carries 20 raw points.
The format it replaced had 4 tasks and ran about 16 minutes, based on ETS’s earlier content listing.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test Blueprint and Specifications, 2026 Update; ETS TOEFL iBT test content page, pre-2026 format
Speaking Holds 55 of 145 Raw Points but One Quarter of the Band
Speaking has the fewest items of the four sections, 11, yet the most raw points: 55 of the test’s 145. Reading and Listening carry 35 raw points each, and Writing carries 20.
Raw points do not decide the overall score. Each section is reported on the 1–6 scale, and the overall score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band.
ETS gives two examples: an average of 5.25 reports as 5.5, and 5.125 reports as 5. Until January 2028, score reports also carry a comparable 0–120 total.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test Blueprint and Specifications, 2026 Update; ETS TOEFL Score Scale Update guide, 2026
Converting Old 0–30 Speaking Scores to the 1–6 Band
ETS publishes a score-by-score chart linking the retired 0–30 section scale to the new bands.
Speaking steps are uneven. Band 6 covers old scores 28–30, band 4 covers 20–22, and band 5.5 covers one score, 27.
An identical old score can land in different bands by section. An old 22 converts to Speaking 4 but Listening 5, and an old 24 converts to Speaking 4.5 but Listening 5.
ETS says its linking methods do not assume equal intervals. Two half bands can hold different numbers of old score points.
No IELTS Speaking band maps to TOEFL Speaking 5.5 in ETS’s table: IELTS 7.5 maps to 5, and IELTS 8 maps to 6. Applicants still picking a test can compare which IELTS module fits a US application.
| Speaking band (1–6) | CEFR | Old Speaking score (0–30) | IELTS Speaking (ETS match) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | C2 | 28–30 | 8, 8.5 or 9 |
| 5.5 | C1 | 27 | None listed |
| 5 | C1 | 25–26 | 7.5 |
| 4.5 | B2 | 23–24 | 7 |
| 4 | B2 | 20–22 | 6.5 |
| 3.5 | B1 | 18–19 | 6 |
| 3 | B1 | 16–17 | 5.5 |
Source: ETS, TOEFL Score Scale Update: A Guide for Institutions, conversion tables published 2026
How Did Test Takers Score Before the New Speaking Task Types?
ETS’s 2025 Test and Score Data Summary covers tests taken from January to December 2025, the last full year of the old format. The mean Speaking score was 20.6 on the 0–30 scale, against 20.7 in 2024.
Speaking had the lowest section mean in both years. In 2025, Reading averaged 21.9, Listening 22.1 and Writing 21.2.
Speaking also had the narrowest spread. Its 2025 standard deviation was 4.7, against 4.9 for Writing, 6.3 for Listening and 6.6 for Reading.
A Speaking 22 carried a percentile rank of 51 in 2025, and a 26 carried 88, the same ranks as in 2024. Study-hour estimates for moving up the scale appear in this TOEFL preparation timeline for a 100+ score.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2025 (January–December 2025 test data) and 2024 edition, Table 2
2025 Speaking Means by Test-Taker Group
ETS sorts test takers by their stated reason for testing. Undergraduate-level applicants posted the highest Speaking mean, 21.2, and two-year college applicants the lowest, 18.5.
| Test-taker group (ETS label) | Mean Speaking score (0–30) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Level Students | 21.2 |
| Graduate Level Students (non-business) | 21.1 |
| Graduate Level Students in Business Schools | 21.0 |
| Applicants for Professional License | 20.5 |
| Applicants for Immigration | 20.1 |
| Applicants for Employment | 19.9 |
| Students in English-language Schools | 19.5 |
| Other | 19.4 |
| High School Students | 19.3 |
| Two Year College Students | 18.5 |
| Total Group | 20.6 |
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2025, Tables 2–12
Among test takers who answered a gender question, women averaged 21.1 in Speaking and men 20.1. Both groups averaged 85.8 on the 0–120 total.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2025, Tables 13–14
Band 5.5: Teaching Assistant Cutoffs at Three US Universities After the Task-Type Change
ETS sets no passing or failing scores, so each institution sets its own. Purdue, Georgia and Oklahoma State publish old- and new-scale Speaking cutoffs for international teaching assistants.
Purdue certifies teaching assistants in oral English with a TOEFL Speaking score of 27 or higher on tests before January 2026, 5.5 or higher on later tests, or IELTS Speaking 8.0.
Admission sits lower. Purdue’s Graduate School lists an old-scale Speaking minimum of 18, and program pages such as Civil Engineering list 3.5 for tests taken on or after January 21, 2026.
Georgia places teaching assistants at Level 4, cleared to serve as instructor of record, with Speaking 5.5, an old 26 or higher, or IELTS 7.5 or higher.
Level 3 at Georgia allows limited instructional duties while enrolled in LLED 7769. It requires Speaking 5.0, an old 23–25, or IELTS 7.0.
Oklahoma State waives its ITA exam at Speaking 5.5, an old 26 or higher, or IELTS 8.5 or higher. Scores of 5.0, an old 22–25, or IELTS 7.0 to 8.0 require the exam but allow direct registration.
Source: Purdue University Oral English Proficiency Program and Graduate School; University of Georgia College of Education ITA placement table; Oklahoma State University Graduate College ITA Policy; requirements as published October 2026
ETS’s chart converts an old 27 to 5.5 and an old 26 to 5. Purdue pairs 5.5 with 27, while Georgia and Oklahoma State pair it with 26.
In ETS’s 2025 data for graduate-level applicants outside business programs, a Speaking 27 carried a percentile rank of 90 and an 18 carried 19. Admission floors for the other major test are tracked in IELTS band score requirements at top US universities.
Source: ETS, TOEFL Score Scale Update guide, 2026; ETS, TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2025, Table 6
TOEFL Speaking vs Reading by Country: 2025 Means for Top US Senders
The 10 countries in the chart sent the most international students to the US in 2024/25, according to IIE’s Open Doors 2025 report. India led with 363,019 students and China followed with 265,919, out of 1,177,766 in total.
Nepal posted the fastest growth of the 10, up 48.7% from 2023/24. LingoBright also tracks international student statistics in the US.
Source: IIE, Open Doors 2025 Fast Facts, 2024/25 academic year
Vietnam’s 2025 Speaking mean of 13 sat 10 points below its Reading mean of 23, the widest gap among the 10. Nepal and Nigeria were the only two with a Speaking mean above Reading.
Bangladesh’s Speaking mean fell from 21 in 2024 to 19 in 2025. Test takers who listed the United States as their native country averaged 23 in Speaking in both years.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary 2024 and 2025, Table 16 (native country)
ETS calls country rankings based on these means a misuse of data, since test takers are not representative of any defined population. Country splits for the other major test sit in these IELTS test-taker statistics by country.
FAQs
What are the two TOEFL speaking task types?
Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview. ETS’s 2026 blueprint gives Listen and Repeat 7 items and Take an Interview 4, each worth up to 5 points, for 55 raw points in about 8 minutes.
How long is the TOEFL speaking section now?
About 8 minutes for 11 items on tests taken since January 21, 2026. ETS listed the earlier Speaking section at about 16 minutes for 4 tasks.
Is TOEFL speaking scored by AI?
ETS’s 2026 blueprint lists both Speaking task types as AI scored. Its score-user page says Speaking and Writing responses are scored by a combination of AI scoring and ETS-certified raters.
What TOEFL speaking score do you need to be a teaching assistant?
Band 5.5 at Purdue, for Georgia’s Level 4 and for Oklahoma State’s ITA exam waiver. ETS sets no passing score, so each school publishes its own cutoff.
Are TOEFL speaking score conversions on Reddit accurate?
Check any Reddit conversion against ETS’s official chart. ETS converts an old Speaking 27 to 5.5, an old 26 to 5 and an old 22 to 4. Forum posts are not ETS guidance.
Sources
https://www.ets.org/pdfs/toefl/toefl-ibt-test-specifications-2026.pdf
https://www.ets.org/toefl/institutions/ibt/score-scale-update.html
https://www.ets.org/pdfs/toefl/toefl-ibt-test-score-data-summary-2025.pdf
https://opendoorsdata.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OD25_Fast-Facts.pdf
