CredenTrek
Independent roadmaps for accredited credentialsEdition 2026.2 · Register verified 9 October 2026
Library / TOEFL iBT / Guide 07 of 8
TOEFL · Practice questions

Ten TOEFL iBT practice questions for the 2026 test, and why the runner-up loses

By Mustafa K. Al-Dori · Checked against official documents on 9 October 2026 · 6 min read

The short answer

Below are ten original questions on the task types of the TOEFL iBT test since 21 January 2026: four Reading, two Listening, two Writing and two Speaking. Reading, Listening and Build a Sentence score one point per item. The other Writing tasks and both Speaking tasks are scored from 0 to 5. Each answer explains why the most tempting wrong option loses.

Many candidates still practise for a TOEFL test that ended on 21 January 2026. They rehearse long passages and integrated essays, then meet 30 short Complete the Words items and a Listen and Repeat task they have never tried.

How are these task types scored?

Scoring differs by task, and that decides where your marks come from.

Task type Items Scoring
Complete the Words 30 1 point each, by machine
Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage 5 to 15 each 1 point each, by machine
Listening tasks (four types) Varies by task 1 point each, by machine
Build a Sentence 10 1 point each, by machine
Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion 1 each 0 to 5, automated scoring
Listen and Repeat 7 0 to 5 each, automated scoring
Take an Interview 4 0 to 5 each, automated scoring

Each section is then reported on the 1 to 6 scale in half bands. Your overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. Task and scoring facts were checked against ETS's official pages and the 2026–27 Information Bulletin in October 2026.

Reading: four questions

Question 1 · Reading

Complete the Words. Each underscore stands for one missing letter. Which choice completes the text correctly?

Bees carry pollen fr__ one flower to anot___, which hel__ plants produce seeds.

A. from; another; help
B. for; another; helps
C. from; another; helps
D. from; anothers; helps

Show answer
Answer: C. "Which" refers to the whole action, so the verb is singular, and "hel" needs two letters: "helps". A is the runner-up: "help" fills one blank and breaks the agreement.

Read the notice, then answer Questions 2 and 3.

Library printing credit. From 1 November, every student receives 200 free pages each term. Each colour page counts as five pages. Unused credit does not carry over to the next term. To add credit, visit the front desk; card payments only.

Question 2 · Reading

Read in Daily Life. A student prints 10 colour pages and 50 black-and-white pages. How many free pages remain?

A. 140
B. 100
C. 150
D. 0

Show answer
Answer: B. Ten colour pages count as 50 pages, so the student uses 100 of the 200. A is the runner-up: it counts each colour page as one, missing the colour rule.

Question 3 · Reading

Read in Daily Life. What happens to 40 unused pages at the end of term?

A. They move to the next term.
B. The front desk refunds them.
C. They become colour pages.
D. They are lost.

Show answer
Answer: D. Unused credit does not carry over. B is the runner-up: the front desk appears in the notice, but only for adding credit.

Read the passage, then answer Question 4.

In the decades after 1950, many farmers removed hedgerows to create larger fields that machines could work faster. Researchers later found that hedgerows shelter birds and insects that feed on crop pests. Some farms have since replanted them, and a few now receive payments for doing so.

Question 4 · Reading

Read an Academic Passage. What can be inferred about the farmers who removed hedgerows?

A. They may have lost a natural form of pest control.
B. They harvested smaller crops than before.
C. They were paid to remove the hedgerows.
D. They did not use machines before 1950.

Show answer
Answer: A. Hedgerows shelter animals that eat pests, so removing them probably reduced that protection. B is the runner-up: plausible, but the passage never mentions harvest size.

Listening: two questions

Ask someone to read each transcript aloud once, and answer before looking at it.

Question 5 · Listening

Listen and Choose a Response. Choose the best reply.

Transcript. Man: "The printer on this floor has run out of paper again."

A. Yes, I printed it yesterday.
B. There's a box in the cupboard next to the lift.
C. It prints in colour, doesn't it?
D. Paper is so expensive these days.

Show answer
Answer: B. The man reports a problem, and B offers a solution. A is the runner-up: "printed" echoes "printer", a common trap, but it answers nothing.

Question 6 · Listening

Listen to a Conversation. What will the student probably do next?

Transcript. Student: "I'd like to drop the statistics module." Adviser: "You can, but it's required for your degree, so you'd have to take it next year. Have you tried the free tutoring on Thursdays?" Student: "I didn't know about that. I'll go before I decide."

A. Drop the module today
B. Change to a different degree
C. Attend the Thursday tutoring
D. Take the module next year

Show answer
Answer: C. The student says "I'll go before I decide". D is the runner-up: "next year" is said clearly, but only as the result of dropping the module.

Writing: two questions

Question 7 · Writing

Build a Sentence. Which order is correct?

could / tell / me / you / where / the / library / is

A. Could you tell me where the library is?
B. Could you tell me where is the library?
C. Could tell you me where the library is?
D. You could tell me where is the library?

Show answer
Answer: A. A question inside a request takes statement order: "where the library is". B is the runner-up: common in speech, but it keeps question order.

Question 8 · Writing

Write an Email. Tell your course leader you will miss next week's field trip, say why, and ask how to make up the work. Which email answers the task best?

A. Hi, can't come next week, sorry. Send the notes?
B. Dear Dr Lewis, I will miss the field trip because of a hospital appointment. I apologise.
C. Dear Dr Lewis, field trips are a valuable part of the course.
D. Dear Dr Lewis, I will miss the field trip because of a hospital appointment. How can I make up the work?

Show answer
Answer: D. It covers all three points the task lists, politely. B is the runner-up: polite and clear, but it never asks how to make up the work.

Speaking: two questions

Question 9 · Speaking

Listen and Repeat. Which repetition would score highest?

Transcript. "The lecture on climate history has moved to Thursday afternoon."

A. The climate history lecture is now on Thursday afternoon.
B. The lecture on climate history has moved to Thursday afternoon.
C. Lecture, climate history, Thursday.
D. The lecture on climate history has moved to Thursday afternoon, I think.

Show answer
Answer: B. Listen and Repeat rewards clear, complete, accurate repetition. A is the runner-up: the meaning survives, but this task scores accuracy, not paraphrase.

Question 10 · Speaking

Take an Interview. The interviewer asks, "Should university students work part-time while they study?" Which answer is strongest?

A. Yes, I think so.
B. Part-time work has advantages and disadvantages. It depends on the student.
C. Yes, for a few hours a week, because it teaches you to plan. My cousin worked in a café and finished assignments earlier.
D. Students should study, because studying is their job.

Show answer
Answer: C. It gives a direct reply, a reason and an example, which this task rewards. B is the runner-up: fluent and balanced, but it never takes a position.

What your answers tell you

If you missed The habit to build
1 Count the blanks and check grammar before meaning
2 or 3 Apply every rule in a short notice, including the small print
4 Infer only what the text supports
5 or 6 Answer the speaker's purpose, not a repeated word
7 Use statement order inside indirect questions
8 Tick off every point the email task lists
9 Repeat exactly, without improving the sentence
10 Give a direct reply, a reason and an example

Ten items test habits, not your score; only a full official practice test places you on the 1 to 6 scale. The TOEFL test format explains every task type, and how long to prepare turns weak types into hours.

Appendix G of the book adds 15 more questions, including scoring and conversion items, and Chapter 7 turns your misses into a dated plan.

Your next step
  1. Answer all ten questions before you read any explanation.
  2. Write down the task type behind every miss, not only the section.
  3. Take one full official practice test under timed conditions.
  4. Check that your practice materials name the twelve task types of the 2026 test.

Questions readers ask

Are these real TOEFL iBT questions?
No. They were written for this page to show the 2026 task types and the decisions behind them. They are not ETS questions, and ten items cannot produce a score on the 1 to 6 scale. Measure your level with an official ETS practice test.
Can I still use a TOEFL book printed before 2026?
Only for general English practice. A book that shows practice scores out of 120, a 20-minute integrated essay or four speaking tasks was written for the old test. Never use it as a mock test, because its tasks no longer appear.
Will the recordings play twice on test day?
No. Recordings play once in the TOEFL iBT test. When you practise Listening with a partner, ask them to read each transcript aloud one time only, and answer without looking at the text.
Why did the Reading questions get harder halfway through?
Reading and Listening are adaptive in two stages. Your first set decides whether your second set is easier or harder, so a harder second set is a good sign, not a reason to panic.
Sources

This guide is independent and is not endorsed by ETS. Facts change: confirm them on the official page before you act.