What the Listen and Repeat task asks you to do
ETS describes Listen and Repeat as listening to short sentences and repeating them exactly as heard. The aim is accurate, clearly intelligible speech—not a summary or a paraphrase.
Chunking is a preparation technique, not an official ETS rule. Use it to support exact recall, rather than as permission to replace the original words with your own.
Break the sentence into meaningful blocks
Listen for who or what the sentence is about, what happens, and any extra information about time, place or reason. These often form natural thought groups.
The slashes below show possible groupings for practice. They do not mean the speaker will pause there, and you do not need to insert a long pause when repeating.
The university committee / postponed the final presentation / due to severe weather conditions.
Keep the small words inside each block
Articles, prepositions and word endings can be easy to miss. Remember “the final presentation,” not just “final presentation,” and “due to severe weather conditions,” not just “weather.”
Stressed words and intonation help you hear the structure, but they cannot fill in missing words automatically. Aim to remember each phrase as it was spoken.
Students can borrow books / from the main library / until Friday afternoon.
Try a listen–group–repeat drill
Start with a short, clear recording outside a timed attempt. Gradually move to longer sentences as you become more comfortable.
- Listen to the whole sentence without speaking or reading a transcript.
- Notice its main idea and two or three natural phrase groups.
- Repeat the complete sentence in order, with clear words and a steady pace.
- Afterward, compare your response with the recording or transcript. Identify one missing word or phrase.
- Practise that phrase separately, then say the whole sentence again. In your next test-style attempt, listen only once.
Practise a steady delivery—not a rushed one
Speaking faster does not guarantee better recall. Use a pace at which your words stay clear, and try to keep the sentence moving rather than repeatedly restarting it.
If you miss a word, keep your attention on the remaining sentence. After the exercise, review the error instead of practising the same omission. This is practical coaching advice, not a claim about a specific ETS scoring penalty.
Move from supported drills to test-style practice
A transcript and replays can help during a learning drill. They should not become something you depend on when practising one-listen repetition.
On ShadowPrep, the sentence stays hidden during an attempt and its audio plays once. Each set contains seven sentences. Use your completed-set results to notice recurring problems, such as lost endings or forgotten final phrases. ShadowPrep scores are practice feedback, not official TOEFL scores.
Sources & scope
These are independent practice suggestions, not official ETS instructions or a guarantee of a test score.
ETS: TOEFL iBT Speaking section
