Key takeaways
- On 21 January 2026, every TOEFL iBT section got new tasks. Reading and Listening now adapt to the student.
- Speaking has no preparation time any more. Old integrated speaking templates do not match the test.
- Writing is now Build a Sentence, a 7-minute email and a 10-minute Academic Discussion. The integrated essay is gone.
- Scores run from 1 to 6. For two years, reports also show a comparable 0 to 120 score.
A TOEFL teacher in Ahmedabad opens last year's speaking handout. Task 2: read a campus notice, hear two students discuss it, prepare for 30 seconds, speak for 60. It is a good handout. It describes a test that no longer exists.
ETS changed the TOEFL iBT for tests from 21 January 2026. Students can read a list of changes anywhere. An institute needs something else: a check of its own course, section by section.
What Changed on 21 January 2026
The old figures come from ETS's 2025 test content page and speaking page. The new ones come from the current test content page and ETS Practice Test 1.
Before and now
The TOEFL iBT, section by section
ETS says to allow about two hours in all, and that times and item counts may vary as the test adapts.
Two rules matter for your mocks. Reading and Listening are two-stage adaptive tests: the second module depends on how the first went. And once Module 2 starts, a student cannot go back to Module 1. In Listening, they cannot go back to any earlier question.
Material You Can Retire, Material You Must Write
ETS describes the new Reading section as focused texts “instead of long textbook passages”, and Listening as short clips instead of long sets. That one change makes a lot of old practice the wrong length.
Retire
- • Integrated speaking templates and drills built around preparation time
- • Read, listen, then write essays (the integrated writing task)
- • Long reading passages with question sets built for 35 minutes
- • Long lecture sets in listening practice
Keep
- • Academic Discussion writing (10 minutes)
- • Vocabulary and word-form work
- • Note-taking practice (notes are still allowed)
New material to write
Complete the Words
Short texts with parts of some words missing. Students fill in the missing letters.
Read in Daily Life
Notices, messages and other short everyday texts, with questions on the main idea and details.
Build a Sentence and Write an Email
Sentence order drills, and emails written against a 7-minute clock.
Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview
Repeat a sentence exactly. Answer interview questions with no time to plan.
Write all of it in your own words. For the look of the screen, use the ETS Interactive Sample, which looks close to the real test screen. ETS says its PDF practice test is not an exact copy of the real test. Use your own sets for volume.
Writing new sets this term? Bring one reading set to a 30-minute demo. We will set it up as a timed test under your institute's name.
Explaining Band Scores 1 to 6
Each section gets a score from 1 to 6 in half bands. The overall score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS's own example: an average of 5.25 becomes 5.5. For two years after January 2026, the report also carries a comparable 0 to 120 score.
For the front desk
Bands next to the old totals
6
about 114+
5.5
about 107+
5
about 95+
4.5
about 86+
4
about 72+
Overall band and the start of its old 0–120 range, from the ETS score comparison table for tests taken before 21 January 2026. A 2026 report's own 0–120 figure is the middle of the range, so it will be higher than these starting points.
When a student asks “Is 5 good?”, the honest answer is that it depends on the university. ETS sets no pass mark. Some universities now use the new scale. Others still list 0 to 120. Keep the table above at the counter, and ask students to check each university's own page.
Tick each line that is still true. Every tick is a part of the course to rewrite.
- Speaking handouts still give students time to prepare before they answer
- The integrated essay (read, listen, then write) is still on the timetable
- Reading sets are still built for a 35-minute section
- Listening practice still uses long lectures
- Counsellors still quote scores only on the 0 to 120 scale
Rebuilding Practice in Vacademy
Vacademy runs your tests on its standard test screen. Here is how the new tasks map onto it.
Reading sets. Comprehension questions hold a passage with several questions under it. One-word answer questions work for missing-letter drills, though students type in a box, not inside the paragraph.
Timed writing. A mock assessment locks its time once a student starts. Make a 7-minute email mock and a 10-minute discussion mock with long-answer questions.
Written feedback. AI evaluation scores long answers against the rubric, keywords and tolerance you set, and writes feedback comments. Results can go out at a time you choose, so a teacher can read them first. See how AI marking works against your scheme.
Listening material. Upload a recorded talk to Vsmart Audio and it drafts questions from it (how the AI question tools work). Reports then show time spent per question, which finds the student who runs out of time.
What Vacademy does not do for TOEFL. There is no TOEFL-style test screen and no adaptive second module. Audio inside a test question and recording of spoken answers are not listed Vacademy features today; ask us in the demo. Run Listen and Repeat and interview drills in live classes. For a screen close to the real one, send students to the ETS Interactive Sample. Compare the two English tests in TOEFL or IELTS in 2026.
Rebuild One TOEFL Batch First
Bring one reading set and one writing task. In a 30-minute demo, we will set them up as timed tests under your institute's name.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the TOEFL iBT format change?
On 21 January 2026. Every section got new task types, Reading and Listening became adaptive, and scores moved to a 1 to 6 scale.
Is there preparation time in the new TOEFL Speaking section?
No. ETS says no time for preparation is given in either Speaking task, Listen and Repeat or Take an Interview. The old test gave 15 to 30 seconds before each answer.
How is the overall TOEFL score worked out now?
Each of the four sections gets a score from 1 to 6 in half bands. The overall score is their average, rounded to the nearest half band. For two years after January 2026, the report also shows a comparable score on the old 0 to 120 scale.
What is a good TOEFL score in 2026?
ETS sets no pass mark. Each university sets its own requirement, and some still list it on the 0 to 120 scale. Ask students to check the exact page of each university they apply to.
Can Vacademy run TOEFL-style mock tests?
Vacademy runs timed mock tests on its standard test screen. You can use passage-based, one-word and long-answer questions. AI drafts marks and feedback on written answers for a teacher to check. There is no TOEFL-style screen and no adaptive test. Recording spoken answers is not a listed feature today, so ask us in the demo.
TOEFL and TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of ETS. Vacademy is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS.