What integrated campus tasks measure

Integrated campus Speaking items combine a short reading about a university policy or plan with a conversation between two speakers who react to it. Your job is to summarise the situation and explain one speaker's stance with supporting reasons — not to give your personal opinion unless the prompt explicitly asks.

This mirrors real campus life: read an announcement, then hear students debate it in the dining hall.

Phase 1: Reading the announcement (45–50 seconds)

Campus readings are brief. Capture:

• What changed — new rule, proposal, or problem.
• Why — stated reason from the administration or committee.
• Impact — who is affected (all undergraduates, dorm residents, etc.).

Jot three words: parking / fewer spots / commuters. You will not report every detail — only what the conversation develops.

Phase 2: Listening to the conversation

Identify:

• Two perspectives — often agreement/disagreement, or problem/solution debate.
• Which speaker the prompt will ask about — usually clear from instructions.
• Two reasons the target speaker gives — examples, personal experience, or predictions.

Note agreement markers (Exactly, That's why I think) and contrast markers (I see your point, but…).

Response structure (60 seconds)

Use a reporting frame, not an essay:

1. Situation (15 sec) — The university plans to… because…
2. Speaker's position (10 sec) — The man agrees / disagrees with the plan.
3. Reason 1 + detail (15 sec) — He says… for example…
4. Reason 2 + detail (15 sec) — He also argues that…
5. Optional brief close (5 sec) — Therefore he supports / opposes the change.

Past-tense reporting verbs are standard: The woman stated, He pointed out, She worried that.

Attribution without confusion

Mix-ups between man/woman and reading vs opinion are common score killers. While listening, label columns:

Reading: policy + official reason
Man: agree? R1 / R2
Woman: (if needed)

If the prompt asks about the woman, ignore the man's reasons unless she echoes them.

Balance reading and listening

Your answer should include both sources:

• Too reading-heavy — you sound like you ignored the conversation.
• Too listening-heavy — raters cannot tell you understood the written policy.

Aim for roughly 30% reading summary, 70% speaker reasons unless prep materials specify otherwise.

Language for integrated campus tasks

Useful frames:

• According to the announcement…
• The conversation is about whether…
• The man believes this is a good idea because…
• He supports his view by mentioning…

Avoid I think unless giving your own view — integrated tasks reward accurate reporting.

Practice without official item banks

Write a 100-word fake dorm announcement (curfew, meal plan, lab hours). Record a two-minute debate with a partner. Third person summarises in 60 seconds. Swap roles. Focus on reason completeness, not accent.

Timing under pressure

Prep time is short. Spend it organising columns, not drafting full sentences. If you stumble during the response, skip to Reason 2 rather than restarting — partial coverage beats silence.

Official reference

TOEFL iBT format overview — About the TOEFL iBT test.