Task types and prompts - Question 3: Academic integrated (re...

Learning Outcomes

After studying this article, you will be able to identify the format and skills required for TOEFL Speaking Question 3 (Academic Integrated: read–listen–speak). You will learn how prompts are structured, what content is assessed, how to take effective notes, and strategies for giving detail-focused, well-organized responses. This article prepares you to handle the types of topics and response tasks frequently tested in Question 3.

TOEFL iBT Syllabus

For TOEFL, you are required to understand the academic integrated read–listen–speak task format found in Speaking Question 3. For revision, focus on the following syllabus points:

• Identify the structure of an academic integrated (read–listen–speak) speaking prompt.
• Recognize the skills required to combine information from both a short academic reading passage and a lecture extract.
• Take strategic notes on content and main points in both the reading and listening sources.
• Summarize and integrate key information effectively in your spoken response, demonstrating accurate and concise reporting.
• Avoid giving personal opinions; focus on presenting the lecture and reading connections.
• Present your answer in a clear, logically organized, and well-supported format within the time limit.

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. What are the key steps in answering an academic integrated read–listen–speak speaking prompt on the TOEFL?
2. What are two common ways TOEFL might assess whether you have successfully combined information from the reading and listening?
3. How should you organize your notes during the read–listen–speak prompt to help with your answer?

Introduction

TOEFL Speaking Question 3 is known as the Academic Integrated (read–listen–speak) task. In this task, you read a short academic passage, listen to a lecture excerpt on the same topic, and then respond to a question that requires you to explain how the information in the lecture relates to or extends the reading. This task is meant to reflect skills used in university coursework.

Key Term: Academic Integrated Task
A TOEFL Speaking prompt where you first read a short academic text, listen to a connected lecture, and then deliver an oral summary and synthesis response based on both sources.

Key Term: Integrate
The requirement to combine information from two or more sources (here: reading and listening) into a clear, unified spoken response that demonstrates their relationship.

Task Format and Prompt Structure

Question 3 begins with a short reading passage (typically about 100 words) which introduces a concept, definition, or process from an academic subject (such as biology, psychology, or art history). After a brief pause, you hear a lecture excerpt (60–90 seconds) providing a related example, research finding, or case study that illustrates or applies the idea from the reading.

The speaking prompt then asks you to summarize the lecture’s main points and explain how they relate to or further clarify the information in the reading. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond.

Key Term: Prompt
The instructions and materials (reading, listening, question) you receive on the TOEFL for a specific task or question.

Essential Skills: Note Taking and Organization

Efficient note taking is critical for this task. In the reading time, quickly identify the main idea and list supporting details. As the lecture plays, write down key examples, research findings, or cases the professor discusses. Many students benefit from using a T-chart layout, with “Reading” on the left and “Listening” on the right, so matching information is easy to find.

Your response must be clear, objective, and well-supported. Avoid opinion and focus on reporting what was read and heard.

Key Term: Synthesis
Creating a connected, informative answer by combining key points from both the reading and the lecture into a single spoken summary.

Key Term: Objective Summary
A concise retelling of information from sources, using your own words, without personal judgment or extra opinions.

Response Requirements and Assessment Criteria

To score well, your answer should:

• Begin with a relationship sentence, e.g., “According to the reading, X is defined as… The professor illustrates this with…”
• Accurately present the main point(s) of the reading.
• Clearly explain relevant details and examples from the lecture.
• Demonstrate the link between sources (such as cause-and-effect, clarification, or extension of the reading by the lecture).
• Remain neutral and academic in tone (do not add your opinion).
• Be organized, concise, and within the 60-second limit.

Key Term: Relationship Sentence
A sentence that clarifies how the lecture content connects to, builds on, or exemplifies the reading passage in your response.

Common Prompt Types

• Definition + Example: Reading gives a definition or principle. The lecture provides an example, experiment, or case study.
• Theory + Illustration: Reading outlines a theory or principle; lecture shows a real-world application or research result.
• Process + Research: Reading describes a process; lecture highlights findings or exceptions related to it.

Planning and Answering the Task

1. Read: Note main idea and supporting details from the reading, using abbreviations.
2. Listen: Catch lecture’s main example/case, key facts, and how it explains or develops the reading idea.
3. Plan: In your 30-second prep, decide how to summarize the reading, how the lecture extends or clarifies it, and the best order for your points.
4. Speak: State the reading’s concept, show how the lecture’s example or research relates to it, and support your summary with specific points.

Worked Example 1.1

Reading passage:

Psychologists define ‘observational learning’ as acquiring new behaviors by watching others and imitating them, rather than through direct personal experience or trial and error.

Lecture excerpt:

In today’s class, the professor described a study involving children and puzzle solving. Children watched an expert solve a specific puzzle using a novel trick. When later given a similar puzzle, these children solved it faster than those who had not observed the demonstration, suggesting they had learned the technique simply by watching.

Question: Using the professor’s example, explain how the lecture illustrates the concept in the reading passage.

Answer:
The reading defines observational learning as learning from watching others. In the lecture, the professor talks about a study where children who saw an expert use a special trick to solve a puzzle were quicker to solve similar puzzles themselves. This shows they learned the method by observation, supporting the concept from the reading.

Worked Example 1.2

Reading passage:

In biology, a ‘mutualistic relationship’ is one in which two species interact in ways that benefit both participants, like bees and flowering plants.

Lecture excerpt:

The professor explains that bees pollinate flowers as they collect nectar for food. Flowers, in turn, rely on bees to transfer their pollen for reproduction. Bees gain nutrition and flowers achieve fertilization, so both benefit.

Question: Explain how the lecture example illustrates the concept in the reading passage.

Answer:
The reading says a mutualistic relationship benefits both species involved. In the lecture, bees collect nectar for energy and, in doing so, help flowers with pollination. This means both bees and flowers gain from the relationship, which demonstrates mutualism as defined in the reading.

Worked Example 1.3

Reading passage:

A ‘critical period’ in language acquisition refers to a specific age range during which exposure to language is necessary for full, native-like competence to develop.

Lecture excerpt:

The professor recounts a case where children isolated from language until age twelve struggled to acquire normal grammar despite later exposure, supporting the idea that there is an essential window for language development.

Question: Using the case from the lecture, explain how it supports the reading’s concept of a critical period.

Answer:
The reading mentions a critical period for learning language. The lecture describes children who did not hear language until age twelve and could not fully acquire grammar like native speakers, even after later intervention. This supports the theory that there is a time window in early development when language must be learned.

Revision Tip

Whenever practicing, write a simple T-chart (Reading | Listening) to quickly match main points and prevent confusion in the response.

Exam Warning

Do not include your own opinions or analysis in your answer for Academic Integrated Speaking – Question 3. Stick strictly to the information in the reading and lecture.

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• Understand the format and requirements for TOEFL Academic Integrated (read–listen–speak) Question 3.
• Identify prompt structure: reading presents a concept or definition, lecture provides an example or research, task asks for relationship summary.
• Take clear, concise notes to organize information from both sources.
• Integrate information accurately and objectively in your response.
• Avoid giving personal judgments or commentary.
• Structure answers logically: introduce the concept, describe the example/research, explain the relationship.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Academic Integrated Task
• Integrate
• Prompt
• Synthesis
• Objective Summary
• Relationship Sentence