Updated October 2026
Common mistakes that cost bands in Speaking and Writing
Most points lost in TOEFL Speaking and Writing are not lost to difficult grammar or rare vocabulary. They are lost to a handful of habits that repeat from one test taker to the next. This guide goes through them task by task, with a fix for each.
Why habits matter more than vocabulary
Writing and Speaking responses are rated against descriptions of performance. For writing these cover how completely the task is done, how the response is organised, and the range and accuracy of the language. For speaking they cover how easy you are to understand, how smoothly you speak and how well you use the language.
Notice how much of that has nothing to do with knowing impressive words. A response that does the whole task, in clear and accurate everyday English, usually beats one that reaches for advanced vocabulary and leaves part of the task undone. The mistakes below are the common ways that happens.
Write an Email
Leaving out one of the required points
The task lists what the email must do. Missing one is the most frequent and the most costly mistake, because no amount of good language makes up for an incomplete task. Fix: write one short paragraph per point, in the order of the task, and tick them off before you finish.
The wrong tone for the reader
"Hey, I need the notes ASAP" may be fine for a close friend but not for a professor or a manager. Fix: decide who the reader is before you write the greeting, and keep that level of politeness to the end.
Requests with no details
"Can we meet sometime?" leaves the reader with nothing to answer. Fix: give a day, a time, a reason or an alternative. Specific details are also the easiest way to show control of the language.
Vague: "Could we meet sometime to talk about my project?"
Specific: "Could we meet on Thursday afternoon, after 2 p.m., to talk about my project outline? If that does not suit you, I am also free on Friday morning."Write for an Academic Discussion
Repeating the other students
Summarising the two classmates' posts fills space but adds nothing of your own. Fix: mention another student in one sentence at most, and only to agree with a reason or to disagree.
Never taking a position
"There are advantages and disadvantages" is not an answer. Fix: state your view in the first sentence, even if you then admit the other side has a point.
Listing reasons instead of explaining them
Three reasons in three short sentences is a list. Fix: choose one main reason and develop it with an explanation and a specific example.
Running out of time with no ending
Fix: stop writing new ideas with about a minute left, add one closing sentence, and use the remaining seconds to correct visible errors.
Build a Sentence
Statement order in a question
"Can you tell me where is the library?" is a classic error. In an indirect question the subject comes before the verb: "where the library is". Fix: when the reply is a question, check the subject and verb order twice.
Not reading the finished sentence
Fix: read the completed sentence once in your head before moving on. Most misplaced adverbs and prepositions are caught this way.
Listen and Repeat
Stopping and starting again
Restarting a sentence uses up the short recording time and breaks fluency. Fix: say the sentence once, and if a word is lost, replace it with the closest word you have and keep going.
Dropping endings and small words
Plural -s, past tense -ed and words such as "the", "to" and "of" disappear when speakers rush. Fix: speak at a normal, steady pace, not a fast one.
Take an Interview
A slow start
Several seconds of silence after the beep is time you cannot get back. Fix: begin by turning the question into your first sentence: "The place I study best is..."
Stopping too early
An answer that ends after fifteen seconds leaves most of the 45 seconds unused. Fix: practise an answer shape of point, reason, example and a final comment, which naturally fills the time.
Memorised answers that do not fit
A prepared speech about your hometown does not answer a question about public transport. Fix: prepare useful phrases, not whole answers.
Question: Do you prefer to study alone or with other people?
Slow start: "Hmm… well… that's a very interesting question. There are many… um… many opinions about this…"
Direct start: "I prefer to study alone, mainly because I concentrate better when nobody is talking. For example, before my chemistry exam last term…"Mistakes that hurt both sections
Practising without a clock: both sections are tightly timed, and untimed practice hides the problems that matter most. Practising by hand: Writing is typed, so practise on a keyboard without a spelling checker. Never listening back: you cannot fix speaking problems you have not heard.
And finally, not checking the equipment. A microphone that is too quiet or too close can make clear speech hard to understand. Test your setup before every practice session, and before the real test.
A two-minute self-check after every practice task
For an email: did I cover every point? Does the tone fit the reader? Is every request specific? For a discussion post: is my position in the first sentence? Did I explain one reason properly and give a concrete example? Does it have an ending?
For a spoken answer: did I start within two seconds? Did I answer the question that was asked? Did I speak for most of the time? Were there long silences? Two minutes of checking like this after each task turns practice into improvement.
This is an independent summary written for test takers. ETS publishes the official specification of the test on its own website.