TOCFL Speaking Test Practice (Basic, Band A): Short Answers, Experiences and Video Description

By the end you can

• Know every task of the TOCFL Speaking Basic test and its timing. Two warm-ups that are not scored, then two short answers of 30 seconds, two experiences and one video description, each with 50 seconds to prepare and 1 minute to talk.
  我想想看。 · Wǒ xiǎngxiang kàn. · Let me think.
• Answer everyday questions in full sentences within 30 seconds. Start by repeating the key words of the question, add one detail, and give a reason with 因為. Eight questions on where you live, breakfast, weekends and family, each with a model answer.
  我平常坐捷運去上班。 · Wǒ píngcháng zuò jiéyùn qù shàngbān. · I usually take the MRT to work.
• Tell an experience in order for one minute. Three model experiences: a time you were ill, a time you helped someone and a first time. Move the story on with 先, 後來 and 最後, and mark finished actions with 了.
  那天發生了一件事。 · Nà tiān fāshēngle yí jiàn shì. · Something happened that day.
• End an experience with a feeling and a reason. Close each story with 我覺得… and 因為…, as in the first time you ate stinky tofu at a night market or took a bus to Tamsui on your own.
• Describe a short video still by still. Two videos drawn as four stills: a forgotten bubble tea and a bike ride caught in the rain. Say what happens with 在 + verb, link it with 一邊…一邊 and 這時候, and show the turn with 突然, 只好 and 結果.
  影片裡有一個男生。 · Yǐngpiàn lǐ yǒu yí ge nánshēng. · In the video there is a young man.
• Try the Advanced tasks for the next band. Describe a busy MRT carriage, give an opinion with 我覺得 and 因為, and show the other side with 不過.
  我覺得這樣比較好。 · Wǒ juéde zhèyàng bǐjiào hǎo. · I think this way is better.
• Do a full timed Basic run. All seven tasks in order with the timer, from the warm-ups to a new video, then compare your recording with the model answers in the key.
  我準備好了。 · Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le. · I'm ready.

What’s inside

• The test: The Basic Test on One Page
• Short answers: Short Answers in 30 Seconds
• Experiences: Experience 1: A Time You Were Ill · Experience 2: Helping Someone · Experience 3: A First Time
• Video: Video 1: The Forgotten Bubble Tea · Video 2: Caught in the Rain
• Next band: A Taste of the Advanced Tasks
• Mock run: A Full Timed Basic Run
• Plan: Four Weeks of Speaking Practice

How to use this book

Nine pages of tasks, each with model answers and audio. The TOCFL speaking test records you on a computer, so record yourself too, and follow the book's four-week plan on page 12: a little speaking every day with the timer.

1. Week 1, days 1–3: Short answers. Answer the eight questions on page 4 with a 30-second timer, then answer two new questions of your own.
2. Week 1, days 4–7: Shadow the experiences. Shadow one experience answer from pages 5 to 7 each day with the audio, until you can say it without the book.
3. Week 2: A new experience every day. Plan for 50 seconds and talk for 1 minute about a trip, a meal, a mistake, a gift or a rainy day. Use 先, 然後, 後來 and 最後, and end with 我覺得…因為….
4. Week 3: The videos. Tell both videos on pages 8 and 9 again from the pictures alone. Then film ten seconds of your own day on your phone and describe it for 1 minute.
5. Week 4: Full timed runs. Do the full run on page 11 twice, listen back and mark every long pause. Try one Advanced opinion question from page 10 for 2 minutes.
6. Test week: One more full run. Do one more full run with the timer and pick the answer you most need to make longer. Mei Lin is SayMei's AI tutor for speaking practice, and her lessons are her own.

Who it’s for

Learners taking the TOCFL Speaking test at Basic level (Band A), often for study or work in Taiwan, who want to practise every task with a timer and model answers in Taiwan Mandarin.

Before you start: Band A Mandarin: everyday words and short sentences. The book is in Traditional characters with Taiwan words like 捷運 and 便利商店. Key phrases add Zhuyin, the free audio reads every Chinese line, and the key has every model answer.

Frequently asked questions

Which TOCFL speaking level is this for?

Speaking Basic, for Band A (about A1 to A2). The book covers its tasks: two warm-ups, two short answers, two experiences and a video description. Page 10 gives a taste of the Advanced tasks, a picture description and an opinion, for when you move up a band.

How do I practise the video description without a video?

Each video is drawn as four numbered stills. Plan for 50 seconds, then tell it still by still for a minute and say how it ends. The model answer and the audio show one way to do it, with 一邊…一邊, 這時候, 突然, 只好 and 結果.

What if I run out of things to say in the test?

Keep talking until the time is up: a short pause is fine, and a simple sentence beats silence. The book's rescue line is 我想想看 ("let me think"). Start every answer by repeating the key words of the question, so your first sentence is complete and on topic.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 16-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

Keep going

TOCFL Band A Practice: Listening and Reading in the Test Format, with Answers and Audio · TOCFL Band B Practice: Listening and Reading in the Test Format, with Answers and Audio · TOCFL Writing Test Practice (Basic): Picture Descriptions and Letters with Model Answers · TOCFL Band C Practice: Advanced Listening and Reading in the Test Format, with Answers and Audio · More exam practice · Browse all 294 workbooks