The short answer
If you are searching for TOEFL Speaking Task 1, Task 2, Task 3 or Task 4, those four tasks have been retired. In the January 2026 redesign the Speaking section was rebuilt from scratch around two new task types: Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview. The old independent opinion task and the integrated read, listen, then speak tasks are gone. For the full picture of every section change, see the TOEFL 2026 format changes guide.
What the old four tasks were
For years the Speaking section had four tasks: Task 1 asked for a personal opinion in 45 seconds, and Tasks 2 to 4 were integrated, meaning you read a short text or heard a lecture and then spoke about it. Templates and memorised openings were a common strategy. All four of these are no longer on the test, so practice material built around "Task 1" or "Task 2" is now out of date.
The 2026 Speaking section at a glance
The new Speaking section is short and fast: 7 Listen and Repeat items plus 4 Take an Interview items, 11 items in about 8 minutes. Like the rest of the 2026 test it is scored on the new 1.0 to 6.0 band scale rather than the old 0 to 30. The format rewards genuine fluency over rehearsed templates, which is the single biggest change in how you should prepare.
- Listen and Repeat · 7 items · you hear a sentence and say it back exactly
- Take an Interview · 4 items · you answer spoken questions on a familiar topic
Listen and Repeat
You hear a spoken sentence once and repeat it back as accurately as you can. It tests pronunciation, rhythm, stress and short-term memory rather than ideas, so there is nothing to brainstorm. The way to improve is to train your ear and your mouth together: shadow native audio, repeat full sentences out loud, and rebuild your memory span one clause at a time. Work through the method on the TOEFL Listen and Repeat drills guide.
Take an Interview
You answer a short series of spoken interview questions on an everyday topic, as if talking to a person. It tests whether you can respond naturally and keep going without long pauses. Memorised templates hurt here, because the follow-up questions break the script. Build the habit of speaking in full, connected sentences under light time pressure. The Take an Interview guide walks through sample questions and band-5 answers.
How to prepare for the new format
Two shifts matter most. First, drop templates and build real fluency: speak English daily, summarise a short podcast out loud, or record yourself answering everyday questions and listen back. Second, train listening accuracy, because both new tasks depend on catching exactly what you heard. For section-level strategy across both task types, see the TOEFL Speaking tips for 2026.
Practise the 2026 Speaking format
The fastest way to get used to Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview is to do them under real timing. Take a free Speaking practice test, scored on the 2026 1 to 6 band scale. The first test is free.
Start a Speaking practice test