TOEFL iBT Integrated Speaking Structure example

Reading passage
The Middle Eastern body of water called Bahr Lut in Arabic is known as the Dead Sea. This body of water is said to be ‘dead’ not because it is the dried-out remnant of a formerly living sea but instead because its high salinity makes it difficult for life-forms to survive in it. The Dead Sea is a landlocked body of water with the Jordan River as its source and no outlet. Its high salt content, which results from the rapid evaporation due to the area’s extremely high temperatures, makes it the saltiest body of water on Earth

Main idea: Why the Dead Sea is called Dead Sea
MP 1: -- dead because high salinity
            --- therefore, difficult for life to survive
MP2: -- landlocked
           --- source Jordan, no outlet to sea
MP3: -- high temperature area, rapid evaporation
           --- therefore, saltiest water in world

Listening passage
An interesting point that I’d like to add about the body of water called the Dead Sea is that it’s not actually a sea but is instead a rather large lake, but a lake, not a sea. A sea refers to either a division of the ocean or a large body of water that’s partially, but not entirely, enclosed by land, one that opens into an ocean: a lake is a body of water that’s entirely enclosed. The North Sea, for example, is a sea because it’s a section of the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean is a sea because it opens into the Atlantic. Because the Dead Sea is landlocked with no outlet, it’s a lake rather than a sea.

Main idea: Dead Sea not a sea
MP 1: -- sea is part of ocean
            ---  e.g. North Sea
MP2   -- sea is body of water that opens into ocean
            --- e.g.Mediterranean
MP3: -- Dead Sea landlocked, no outlet
            --- therefore, lake not sea

See sample speech below.

(1) Main point 1, (2) Main point 2,
Introductory paragraph

In this set of materials the reading passage tells us why the Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea and the listening passage tells that that it is not really a sea at all.

Section describing Reading passage
In the reading passage we're told that the Dead Sea is called dead (1) because has very high salinity and this means it's difficult for things to live there. It's very salty because (2) it's landlocked and in a very hot area with high evaporation.
Section describing Listening passage

The eh listening passage informs us that the Dead Sea is actually a lake. (1) To be a sea, an area of water has to be part of the ocean or open out into the ocean. (2) The Dead Sea is completely surrounded by land and has no outlet to the sea, so it's a lake not a sea.
Concluding statement
There is no concluding statement



return to example text page, or go back to speaking structure page