TOEFL 2026 Speaking Practice — Level Medium (for score 90+) #22

Listen to each question and give a spoken response. Aim to speak for 20–30 seconds per answer.

Score 100 — Perfect

I recall a time when I had a major misunderstanding with my best friend, Min-ji, about a project we were working on. Initially, I was tempted to just send a long text message to clear things up, but I realized that digital communication is inherently limited because you can’t hear someone’s tone or see their facial expressions. So, I decided to meet her at a coffee shop instead. It was definitely the right choice because, once we were face-to-face, the tension just melted away. We were able to have a nuanced conversation, and I could tell she wasn’t actually mad, just stressed. I think that meeting in person was pivotal in saving our friendship. If I had just texted, I probably would have misinterpreted her words, so choosing to talk in person made all the difference.

136 words

Score 80 — Good

I recall a time when I had a disagreement with my best friend about a project. At first, I thought about just sending a long text message to explain my side, but then I realized that digital communication can be kind of cold and confusing. So, I decided to meet her in person at a coffee shop instead. It was definitely the right choice because we could hear each other’s tone of voice and see our facial expressions. We cleared up the misunderstanding pretty quickly, and we felt much better after talking face-to-face. I think that meeting in person is always better when you need to solve a serious problem because it feels more sincere.

115 words

Score 100 — Perfect

In my daily life, I prefer face-to-face interaction over instant messaging whenever possible. While texting is obviously convenient, I find that digital communication is inherently limited because you miss out on tone and body language. For instance, last week I met my best friend, Min-ji, at a cafe in Gangnam just to catch up on our lives. We spent two hours talking, and it was so much more meaningful than just sending a few emojis back and forth. I mean, it’s really easy to misunderstand someone’s mood through a screen, right? But when you’re sitting right across from someone, you can have a much more nuanced conversation. So, even though it takes more time and effort to meet in person, I think it’s essential for maintaining a strong and genuine connection with the people I care about.

137 words

Score 80 — Good

In my daily life, I prefer to see my friends and family in person whenever I can. I mean, instant messaging is okay for quick updates or things like that, but it’s not the same as being together. When I meet people face-to-face, I can see their facial expressions and hear their tone of voice, so it’s much easier to understand how they really feel. Messaging can be kind of confusing sometimes because you can’t tell if someone is joking or serious. So, even though it takes more time to travel and meet up, I think it’s worth it because our conversations are just better and more meaningful that way.

110 words

Score 100 — Perfect

Personally, I believe that digital communication often makes our relationships more superficial, even though it’s super convenient. I mean, sure, we’re connected all the time, but it’s kind of a shallow connection, right? For instance, last month I realized I hadn’t actually spoken to my best friend, Sarah, in over three months. We were constantly liking each other’s photos on Instagram, so I mistakenly felt like we were still close. When we finally grabbed coffee, I realized I didn’t even know about the major career shift she’d gone through. It was a pretty profound wake-up call. Digital tools inadvertently replace deep, meaningful conversations with quick, low-effort interactions. As a result, we lose that nuanced emotional support you only get face-to-face. So yeah, I’d say constant digital contact is no substitute for real-life bonding.

133 words

Score 80 — Good

Personally, I believe that digital communication makes our relationships more superficial. I mean, even though we can text or call our friends whenever we want, it’s not the same as being there in person. When you talk to someone face-to-face, you can see their facial expressions and hear their tone of voice, so you really understand how they feel. But with digital messages, it’s easy to misunderstand people or just keep things very short. I think we spend so much time sending quick texts that we don’t really have deep conversations anymore. So, I feel like we’re losing that personal connection because it’s just too easy to send a message instead of meeting up.

114 words

Score 100 — Perfect

I believe that such policies would be a positive step for both schools and offices. Honestly, I think we’ve become way too reliant on screens, and it’s actually hurting our ability to connect. You know, when everyone is just staring at their phones during lunch, you lose those spontaneous, casual conversations that really build trust. For instance, at my last internship at a marketing firm in Seoul, our manager started a ‘no-phone’ rule during team lunches, and it was pretty transformative. We started actually talking to each other, and it helped us bond on a personal level, which made our collaboration much more seamless. It’s kind of a counterintuitive idea in our tech-heavy world, but forcing people to disconnect from devices is essential to fostering genuine human interaction. So yeah, I’m totally in favor of it.

136 words

Score 80 — Good

I believe that such policies would actually be a good idea for schools and workplaces. I mean, nowadays, people are always looking at their screens, even when they’re sitting right next to each other. If we had a digital-free time, it would force everyone to talk more and build better relationships. Like, at lunch, instead of just checking emails or scrolling through social media, people could actually have real conversations and get to know their coworkers better. It would make the environment feel a lot more connected. So, yeah, I think banning devices for a little while is a smart way to encourage people to interact face-to-face and just be more present.

112 words