Lecture on TOEFL Speaking Task 4: Strategies and Structure
Introduction
Hi everyone, today we will work on TOEFL Speaking Task 4. The key to achieving a high score is to provide a coherent narrative that is rich in details, which means careful and organized note-taking. The question is to summarize the lecture, so it depends on the content of the lecture. Therefore, you should anticipate the question as you listen to the lecture. This will help you determine what details are relevant and what are not. Today, we will show you how to predict the question as you listen to the lecture so that you can take effective notes.
We will consider three different types of Task 4 lectures: one that only talks about differences, a second that discusses both similarities and differences, and a third that describes an experiment. But let's first examine the format of Task 4.
How to Predict the Question
Your essential task for Task 4 is to summarize academic content logically, covering all key points supported by details. It involves a listening part that is delivered in a lecture style. The lecture is about 2 minutes long. You have 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds for your response. The typical questions ask you to explain the main idea of the lecture using the examples discussed. Here are sample examples of typical questions:
Using the examples of sharks and jellyfish, explain how animals cooperate with each other.
Using the points and examples from the lecture, explain the two pricing strategies described by the professor.
The first question is about animal cooperation, illustrated by two examples, and the second question is about two pricing strategies.
Recently, the questions have been asking about both similarities and differences as the lecture discusses both. Be prepared for these tweaks in the question.
Based on the lecture, explain what the similarities and differences between socialism and communism are.
Based on the lecture, explain what the similarities and differences between Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) are.
While far less common, the lecture can also talk about just one example that describes a fact or experiment. These are sample questions of that type:
Using the research described by the professor, explain what scientists have learned about the mathematical abilities of babies.
Using the example of the thunderbird, explain a possible effect of a major climate change.
In these two questions, we can tell the lecture must be about one example.
Lecture Organization
The first challenge with Task 4 is that the question is given after the lecture, not before. Since you are given the question after the lecture, you need to expect the question in advance while listening to the lecture. To do that, you need to know how the lecture is organized.
Task 4 lectures typically consist of an introduction and a bodIf there are two examples, there is no conclusion part. If the lecture has only one example, it usually does have a conclusion part that recaps the main point. Most Task 4 lectures usually have two examples. With the two-example format, the lecture can be divided into three parts: introduction to the topic, first example, and second example. The lecture is often about two characteristics of something, such as two features, two benefits, two problems, two causes, or two methods.
You can expect what the question will be at the end of the introduction part of the lecture. If the lecturer says something like "two examples that illustrate the topic," then the question will be to explain the two items in the body.
Examples with Introductory Lecture Remarks
Let's consider examples with introductory lecture remarks. Consider this example:
"So, of course, many animals live in groups with others of their species. And there are benefits to living together in groups ... It can help animals survive ... but there are also certain disadvantages. So today we're going to talk about two disadvantages of living in groups for animals."
From these remarks, we know that the question will be about two disadvantages of living in groups for animals. So, you need to take notes accordingly, focusing on two disadvantages in the remaining lecture.
Another example:
"So, we've been talking about forest fires and, usually when a forest fire occurs, the animals in the area will of course run away, flee as fast as they can so as not to get hurt by the flames. Some animals, though, actually benefit from forest fires and so will seek them out because forest fires can help them fulfill certain survival needs. Let's discuss two benefits forest fires can have for these animals. One benefit is that…."
So we know that the question will be about two benefits of forest fires for some animals. Some introductory remarks provide more information. Consider this one:
"So most cities of the ancient world tended to be small, often limited to the banks of a river. They had very little means to expand. These old cities couldn't really cross natural barriers, like rivers, or be located very far from water sources. But Roman cities, on the other hand, grew much larger. How did this happen? Well, for one thing, the Romans had more advanced technology. Let's look at a couple of Roman developments that allowed their cities to expand."
So the question should be about two developments that allowed ancient Roman cities to expand. This lecture actually provides more context as it talks about two limitations for city expansions, which are "old cities couldn't really cross natural barriers, like rivers, or be located very far from water sources." So you can expect that the main part of the lecture will explain how Roman cities overcame these two types of challenges, allowing them to expand.
Infrequently, the lecture provides one example, which is often an experiment. An experiment is conducted to demonstrate that a claim is true or that a traditional view is incorrect. Consider these introductory remarks where the professor makes claims. You need to jot down the claims and expect that the rest of the lecture will be about experiments that vindicate the claims. let’s take a listen to this introductory part of the lecture:
"Psychologists used to believe that babies become attached to the person who feeds them. Makes sense, right? Babies depend on others to provide nourishment to keep them alive. But most psychologists now believe otherwise. Today most psychologists think that a warm and loving touch is actually more important than feeding."
In this introductory part, the professor offers two contrasting ideas: one, the old refuted view, and the other, the new view that the lecture aims to show to be true. Both views are about how babies are attached to a person, called bonding. So two theories of bonding are proposed: the old theory is the feeding view that babies attach to the person who feeds them. The second, more recent view is the loving touch theory that babies attach to someone who touches them warmly and lovingly. You can expect that the professor will talk about an experiment where the subjects of the experiment were treated differently. One group was treated based on traditional belief, by just feeding, and the other by loving touch.
Sample lectures, note-taking, and top-scoring responses
Now that we know how to predict the question, let's take notes and formulate answers based on the notes. We will consider three types of lectures: the first lecture only talks about differences, so we can expect that the question will be about the difference between the two items in the lecture. The second lecture describes both similarities and differences, so we can expect that the question will correspondingly ask you to describe similarities and differences. And the third lecture has one example that is an experiment.
Lecture 1
Let's begin with the first lecture. Let's listen.
This is the introduction part, and we know that the question will be explaining in detail what the cost-based pricing strategy and value-based pricing strategy are. Let's listen to the first part of the body lecture, which will be the cost-based pricing strategy.
So we know that we are moving into the second example. So what is the cost-based pricing strategy based on the notes? Cost-based pricing and value-based pricing. Cost-based pricing involves setting prices based on the production cost of a product and the markup, which is the amount added to the cost price of goods to cover overhead and profit. This pricing strategy is clear in retail stores that determine the final product price based on wholesale price and markup percentage that covers overhead and profits.
Now let's listen to the second example on value-based pricing strategy.
Value-based pricing focuses on the perceived value of the product or service to the customer. This strategy allows companies to charge higher prices for products perceived as more valuable, regardless of production costs. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci use this strategy as some people feel prestige or exclusivity with this type of product, which allows charging premium prices for their products.
Due to “the differences between these two” we know that this last part is a conclusion. Let’s listen. The conclusion recaps the main point of the lecture.
You do not need a conclusion, but if you have time, you could wrap up your response by mentioning that these two pricing strategies allow businesses to maximize profits and satisfy customer needs.
So the key points you must cover are that the Cost-based strategy determines the pricing based on the cost of the product plus markup, and the example is the retail stores' method of calculating the price of their products. And for the value-based strategy, it capitalizes on customer perception and willingness to pay for exclusivity, and the example is luxury brands.
So this is a sample response.
The two most common pricing strategies are cost-based pricing and value-based pricing.
Cost-based pricing involves setting prices based on the production cost of a product plus a markup. This markup covers overhead and profit. Retail stores often use this strategy, determining the final product price based on the wholesale price and a markup percentage.
Value-based pricing, on the other hand, focuses on the perceived value of the product or service to the customer. This strategy allows companies to charge higher prices for products perceived as more valuable, regardless of production costs. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci use this strategy, as some customers associate their products with prestige and exclusivity. This perception allows these brands to charge premium prices.
Both strategies aim to maximize profits while satisfying customer needs. Cost-based pricing ensures costs are covered, while value-based pricing capitalizes on customer perception and willingness to pay.
Lecture 2
Moving on to the next lecture, let's take a listen for the intro part to anticipate the question. Now let's analyze this lecture:
Here the lecturer mentions both similarities and differences, so we know that the question will be about both characteristics. Since the sentence begins with "communism and socialism," we know that similarities are presented first. Let's take notes on similarities. Since he explicitly mentions differences, we are finished with the similarities. The professor provides several similarities:
Wealth accumulation through exploitation is unstable
This exploitation method of wealth creation must be changed to individual contribution modes where individuals contribute to the production based on their own ability
It should be the government that makes the decisions on production, investment, and resource allocation
Let's listen for the differences. So these are the differences:
In communism, resources are distributed based on what they believe to be needed for each individual. By contrast, in socialism, resources are distributed based on individual contribution. So if someone worked harder or is more talented, they can have more.
The other main difference relates to private property. Communists reject private property. By contrast, although they do believe that the means of industrial production must be owned by the public, socialists acknowledge private property.
So the key points you must cover are that regarding the similarities, both communism and socialism find that the exploitation method of becoming rich is unstable and instead individual contribution should be how wealth should be created. Two differences are mentioned in the lecture: one is the resource allocation where communists believe in need-based and socialists believe in contribution-based distribution. The other difference is whether to recognize private property. This is a sample response.
This is a sample response:
Communism and socialism share several key similarities. Both ideologies recognize that wealth accumulation through exploitation is unstable and unsustainable. They propose changing this method of wealth creation to one based on individual contributions, where people contribute to production according to their abilities. Additionally, both systems advocate for government control over major economic decisions, including production, investment, and resource allocation.
However, there are significant differences between communism and socialism. The first major difference lies in resource distribution. In communism, resources are distributed based on perceived individual needs. In contrast, socialism distributes resources based on individual contributions, allowing those who work harder or have more talent to receive more.
The second key difference concerns private property. Communists reject the concept of private property entirely. Socialists, while believing that the means of industrial production should be publicly owned, do acknowledge and allow for private property in other areas.
These similarities and differences highlight the nuanced relationship between communism and socialism, two related but distinct economic and political philosophies.
Lecture 3
Moving on to the last lecture of the day. Let's take a listen to the intro part and determine what the question will be.
Since the professor begins to describe the experiment itself, we can tell that she is beginning the body part. In the case of an experiment, we need to make notes. So the professor introduces a claim that babies can do basic math, and we know this through an experiment. So you can expect that the question is to describe the experiment that vindicates the claim of babies' math ability. Unlike the previous lecture where differences or items are clearly mentioned, describing an experiment can be quite challenging if you just write down the words. You need to think about how the experiment is devised. There will be a setup, there will be a specific procedure, and then a conclusion based on the setup and procedure. So focus on that aspect. Let's take a listen to the experiment.
Researchers place a doll on the table. So babies know there is a doll. Researchers lower a screen in front of the baby and place another doll behind the screen. So there should be two dolls, but actually, the researcher secretly took away one doll so there is one doll actually. Researchers then raise the screen. The baby is surprised to see one doll. Why was the baby surprised? Because the baby expected to see two dolls.
The professor adds that we know the baby was surprised because they record the eye movement, and when babies are surprised, they stare, and the baby indeed stared. Since the baby is surprised to see one doll, the baby must have expected to see two dolls. this fact that the baby was surprised allows the researchers to conclude that babies can do 1 plus one equals two.
The key points here are that babies can do basic math since in the experiment the baby was surprised to see one doll, indicating that they expected two dolls and can therefore do simple addition.
This is a sample response
Scientists have discovered that babies possess basic math skills through a cleverly designed experiment. In this study, researchers first placed a doll on a table in front of a baby. They then lowered a screen in front of the baby and added another doll behind it. From the baby's perspective, there should now be two dolls behind the screen.
However, the researchers secretly removed one doll, leaving only one. When they raised the screen, revealing just one doll, the baby showed surprise. Researchers know that the baby is surprised because they recorded the baby's eye movements. It's known that babies stare when they're surprised, and in this case, the baby indeed stared at the single doll. This reaction is crucial because it indicates that the baby expected to see two dolls, not one.
This behavior strongly suggests that the baby had mentally added the two dolls together and was confused when the result didn't match their expectation.
Thank you for listening. If you would like more high scoring strategies on toefl speaking and hundreds of sample responses, check out Dr byrnes’s website, www.nanheebyrnes.com. Let us know if you have any questions about today's lecture. Have a good day.