TOEFL Speaking in 2026: What Changed and What It Means for You

If you studied for the TOEFL iBT® test a year or two ago, or you are using older books and videos, be careful. On 21 January 2026 ETS introduced an updated version of the test, and the Speaking section changed more than any other. The task types are different, the timing is different and the score scale is different.

This post explains what changed, what stayed the same, and how to adjust your preparation. Every fact here comes from ETS’s own materials: the Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview, the Speaking section page and the Speaking Scoring Guide.

The short version

	Before 21 January 2026	Since 21 January 2026
Speaking tasks	4 tasks: one opinion question and three tasks based on material you read and heard	2 task types: Listen and Repeat (7 items) and Take an Interview (4 items)
Number of items	4	11
Section time	About 16 minutes	About 8 minutes
Score	0–30	Band 1–6 in half-band steps
Position in the test	Third section, before Writing	Last section, after Reading, Listening and Writing

The old Speaking section

The old section had four tasks. In one you gave your opinion on a familiar topic. In the other three you read a short passage, listened to a conversation or lecture, or both, and then summarised and connected what you had read and heard. Each task was scored on a 0–4 rubric, and the section was reported on a 0–30 scale.

That format rewarded a particular set of skills: taking fast notes, combining two sources, and speaking from a plan you made during a short preparation period.

The new Speaking section

The updated section has two task types and 11 items, and ETS estimates it takes about 8 minutes.

Listen and Repeat (7 items)

You are placed in a campus or academic situation. In ETS’s sample you are learning to welcome visitors to a zoo, and your manager tells you things that you repeat back. You hear seven sentences, one at a time and only once, and you repeat each one exactly. A picture of the setting is on screen, and your progress through the sentences follows parts of that picture.

The sentences get longer and more complex as the set goes on. ETS gives you a maximum of 8 to 12 seconds to record each response. This task checks whether you can process spoken English and reproduce it accurately and intelligibly.

Take an Interview (4 items)

You take part in a simulated conversation with a prerecorded interviewer. ETS’s examples include applying for a scholarship and taking part in a research study. The interviewer asks four questions and you have 45 seconds to answer each one. The early questions are about facts and your own experience. The later ones ask you to give and support opinions on wider issues.

This task checks whether you can answer clearly and coherently, keep a good conversational pace, speak intelligibly, and use a range of vocabulary and grammar.

The new score scale

Since January 2026, ETS reports every section, and the overall score, as a band from 1 to 6 in half-band steps. The bands are designed to line up with CEFR levels. For Speaking, a 6 corresponds to C2, 5–5.5 to C1, 4–4.5 to B2, 3–3.5 to B1, 2–2.5 to A2 and 1–1.5 to A1.

Each Speaking item is scored from 0 to 5 using the scoring guides, so the 11 items give a maximum of 55 raw points. ETS then converts the raw points to the band through a statistical linking process. It does not publish a simple item-to-band formula, so be wary of anyone who claims to have one.

ETS says that for two years after the change, score reports will also show a comparable score on the old 0–120 scale. That helps universities whose requirements are still written on the old scale. If you need to know what a particular institution expects, check with that institution directly.

What did not change

It is still a computer-delivered test. You speak into a microphone and your responses are recorded.
You can still take it at home or at a test centre. ETS offers both options.
Speaking is still about academic and campus life. ETS says no specialised background knowledge is needed.
Accents. You may hear speakers from North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

What this means for your preparation

Drop the integrated-task drills. If your study plan includes “read a passage, listen to a lecture, summarise both in 60 seconds”, that task no longer exists in Speaking. Those listening and summarising skills still help, but they are not what the section measures any more.

Train your listening memory and accuracy. Listen and Repeat makes up seven of the 11 items. It rewards accurate, clear repetition, including the small words such as articles, prepositions and word endings. Most learners have never practised this, so it is often the quickest place to improve.

Get used to answering with no preparation time. ETS gives 45 seconds per interview answer and lists no separate planning period. You need to start talking within a second or two and organise your answer as you go.

Practise for clarity, not a “native” accent. Both scoring guides put weight on intelligibility: whether a listener can understand you without effort. Clear word stress and sentence rhythm matter more than sounding like a particular region.

Stop counting to 30. Old score targets like “26 in Speaking” need translating to the new scale. Use ETS’s official comparison tables on the score scale update page, not unofficial converters.

A quick self-check

Before you change your study plan, try both tasks once:

Ask someone to read you a 12–15 word sentence once. Repeat it. Did you keep every word, including “the”, “of” and “-ed”?
Set a timer for 45 seconds and answer: “Think about the last time you learned a new skill. What was it, and how did you learn it?” Did you answer directly, give a detail, and use most of the time?

Whichever felt harder is where to start. In the next posts we look at each task in detail.

Practise this

Lingo Copilot Speaking has both 2026 task types with the timings ETS describes: seven Listen and Repeat sentences played once each, and a four-question interview with a 45-second clock. Every answer gets an AI estimate on the 0–5 item scale, and a full speaking section gives you an estimated Speaking band with its CEFR level.

Open TOEFL speaking practice, or create a free account. Your first full TOEFL speaking mock is free.

Scores in Lingo Copilot Speaking are AI estimates for practice, not official TOEFL scores. TOEFL and TOEFL iBT® are registered trademarks of ETS. Lingo Copilot Speaking is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS.