Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC)
Listening Comprehension
Test purpose
The TOEIC tests are English language proficiency tests for people whose native language is not English. The tests assess the everyday English skills of people in the global workplace who may communicate in English both with other non-native speakers and those from English-speaking cultures. TOEIC tests use authentic tasks that reflect the kinds of language people actually use in the global marketplace. The introduction of the TOEIC Speaking & Writing tests supplements the TOEIC Listening & Reading test, allowing direct evaluation of all four English-language skills.
Length and administration
The TOEIC is a norm-referenced test, meaning that a testee's score is determined only in relation to the scores of other testees. This fact makes its use as an achievement test problematic; the results do not show the students' gains/losses against her own prior scores, but against two comparisons of her scores to other testees. The test's format is multiple choice, with a total of 200 questions. It is divided into two timed sections corresponding to the two skill sets it measures, reading comprehension (75 minutes) and listening comprehension (40 minutes). Each section is comprised of 100 questions. The sections are further divided into subsections based on question type. The first two subsections of the Reading Comprehension section contain cloze questions and error analysis items. Other reading comprehension questions refer to readings that simulate common business text such announcements, advertisements, directions, notices, schedules, and signs (Chauncey Group International, 1999). The Listening Comprehension section contains questions and possible answers spoken in English, short monologues, two-party conversations and statements describing a photograph that is displayed. The type of questions asked within the both the Listening section (main idea, vocabulary, idioms, minimal pairs, or inference) and the Reading section (main idea/ topic, inference, attitude/tone, vocabulary, idioms, or details/application within the passage) are similar to those found in other English-language tests (Gilfert, 1996).
Scores
The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test is a 2 hour multiple-choice test consisting of 200 questions. Each candidate receives independent scores for listening and reading comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points.
The following are TOEIC® test scores and what they mean:
Score Level General Description
905 - 990
(91% - 100%) International Professional Proficiency
Able to communicate effectively in any situation.
785 - 900
(79% - 90%) Working Proficiency Plus
Able to satisfy most work requirements with language that is often, but not always, acceptable and effective.
605 - 780
(61% - 78%) Limited Working Proficiency
Able to satisfy most social demands and limited work requirements.
405 - 600
(41% - 60%) Elementary Proficiency Plus
Can initiate and maintain predictable face-to-face conversations and satisfy limited social demands.
255 - 400
(26% - 40%) Elementary Proficiency
Speaker has functional, but limited proficiency. Able to maintain very simple face-to-face conversations on familiar topics.
10 - 250
(0 - 25%) Basic Proficiency
Able to satisfy immediate survival needs.
A TOEIC score of 450 is frequently considered acceptable for hiring practices… 600 is frequently considered the minimum acceptable for working overseas. [An] engineer [who] is being considered for a posting overseas.. must usually … score ..about 625. A domestically-based desk-worker [should score] 600 … For the same desk-worker to go overseas, she or he must usually … score … 685
TOEIC Speaking and Writing Test Scoring
The TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are administered by computer and scored
by multiple human raters. In order to assess responses as objectively as possible,
the TOEIC Speaking test does not require a face-to-face interview.
Each TOEIC Speaking or Writing question response is scored anonymously online
by highly trained and qualified raters. All raters must meet strict Englishlanguage
proficiency requirements and complete an ETS Assessment Specialist
training program, which concludes with a certification test.
In addition, raters must pass a qualifying test each day before scoring begins and
are closely monitored throughout the day by a team of scoring leaders. A minimum
of three raters assess the speaking or writing responses of each test taker,
ensuring the most objective and reliable results possible.
Test Scoring Standards
Training and Certification
Raters undergo rigorous training and must pass a certification test.
Daily Calibration
Each day that raters score responses, they must pass a qualifying
test for each question type. If performance is unsatisfactory on a
particular question type, raters cannot score that question type.
Topic Familiarization
Raters familiarize themselves with the test questions they will be scoring
using task-specific notes that will help them apply the scoring guidelines.
Ongoing Quality Assurance
Raters are continually monitored for accuracy and adherence to the scoring
guidelines by experienced and qualified scoring leaders, who answer
questions and provide feedback and reinforcement.
TOEIC Listening and Reading Test Scoring
TOEIC Listening and Reading test scores are determined by the number of
questions answered correctly, with no penalty for wrong answers. The number of
correct responses on each section is converted to a number on a scale of 5 to 495.
The statistical process used to convert scores to a common scale ensures that
scores obtained on different administration dates reflect the same level of English
proficiency indicated. This means that scores of different test takers can be reliably
compared, no matter where or when they took the tests.
TOEIC Listening Score descriptors
Level 400
Strenght / Test takers who score around 400 typically have the following strengths:
They can infer the central idea, purpose, and basic context of short
spoken exchanges across a broad range of vocabulary, even when
conversational responses are indirect or not easy to predict.
They can infer the central idea, purpose, and basic context of extended
spoken texts across a broad range of vocabulary. They can do this even
when the information is not supported by repetition or paraphrase and
when it is necessary to connect information across the text.
They can understand details in short spoken exchanges, even when
negative constructions are present, when the language is syntactically
complex, or when difficult vocabulary is used.
They can understand details in extended spoken texts, even when
it is necessary to connect information across the text and when this
information is not supported by repetition. They can understand details
when the information is paraphrased or when negative constructions
are present.
Weaknesses / Test takers who receive a score at this level typically have weaknesses
only when uncommon grammar or vocabulary is used.
Level 300
Strengths / Test takers who score around 300 typically have the following strengths:
They can sometimes infer the central idea, purpose, and basic context of
short spoken exchanges, especially when the vocabulary is not difficult.
They can understand the central idea, purpose, and basic context of
extended spoken texts when this information is supported by repetition
or paraphrase.
They can understand details in short spoken exchanges when easy or
medium-level vocabulary is used.
They can understand details in extended spoken texts when the
information is supported by repetition and when the requested information
comes at the beginning or end of the spoken text. They can understand
details when the information is slightly paraphrased.
Weaknesses /Test takers who score around 300 typically have the following weaknesses:
They have difficulty understanding the central idea, purpose, and basic
context of short spoken exchanges when conversational responses are
indirect or difficult to predict or when the vocabulary is difficult.
They do not understand the central idea, purpose, and basic context
of extended spoken texts when it is necessary to connect information
within the text or when difficult vocabulary is used.
They do not understand details in short spoken exchanges when
language is syntactically complex or when difficult vocabulary is
used. They do not usually understand details that include negative
constructions.
They do not understand details in extended spoken texts when it
is necessary to connect information across the text or when the
information is not supported by repetition. They do not understand
most paraphrased information or difficult grammatical constructions.
Level 200
Strengths /Test takers who score around 200 typically have the following strengths:
They can understand short (single-sentence) descriptions of the central
idea of a photograph.
They can sometimes understand the central idea, purpose, and basic
context of extended spoken texts when this information is supported by a
lot of repetition and easy vocabulary.
They can understand details in short spoken exchanges and descriptions
of photographs when the vocabulary is easy and when there is only a
small amount of text that must be understood.
They can understand details in extended spoken texts when the requested
information comes at the beginning or end of the text and when it
matches the words in the spoken text.
Weaknesses /Test takers who score around 200 typically have the following weaknesses:
They do not understand the central idea, purpose, or basic context
of short spoken exchanges, even when the language is direct and no
unexpected information is present.
They do not understan