A1–C2 · TOEFL iBT
TOEFL iBT Practice Test 5
AI-generated practice paper in the style of TOEFL iBT — original material, not a reproduction of any real exam paper, following the official task types. Listening audio is read aloud by your browser's voice. For Speaking you can record yourself and compare with a model answer, and Writing tasks include a model answer — neither is scored automatically, since that needs real speech and writing evaluation this site does not offer for this exam.
Reading
Complete the Words
Type the missing letters to complete the words in the paragraph.
Engineers cannot prevent earthquakes, but they can design buildings that survive them. The main goal is not to make a structure rigid; it is to let it mo without collapsing. Modern skyscrapers in Japan rest on flex rub bearings that absorb the shak. Others contain enormous pendu that swing against the motion of the building. Builders also reinf concrete with steel bars so that it ben instead of cracking. Stricter regula introduced after major disasters have grea reduced the number of vict.
Read in Daily Life
Read the text and answer the questions.
Menu: Corner Cafe — Breakfast (served until 11:00 a.m.)
Porridge with honey and berries — $6.50
Two eggs on toast (scrambled, fried or poached) — $7.00
Avocado toast with tomato — $8.50
Pancakes with maple syrup — $8.00
Add bacon or mushrooms to any egg dish — $2.00
Tea or filter coffee — $3.00 (free refills)
Fresh orange juice — $4.50
Vegan and gluten-free bread available on request.
1. How much would two fried eggs on toast with mushrooms cost?
2. What is stated about tea and filter coffee?
Lab Safety Rules — Chemistry 101
1. Wear goggles and a lab coat at all times.
2. Long hair must be tied back.
3. No food or drink in the laboratory, even if it is in a closed bottle.
4. Report every spill immediately, however small.
5. Wash your hands before leaving the room.
6. Never work alone; the instructor must always be present.
3. What must students do about spills?
4. Which of these is allowed in the lab?
Read an Academic Passage
Read the passage and answer the questions.
The blue colour of a clear daytime sky results from a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, named after the British physicist who mathematically described how sunlight interacts with molecules in the atmosphere far smaller than the wavelength of visible light. Sunlight arriving from space appears white because it contains a mixture of all visible wavelengths, but as this light passes through the atmosphere, gas molecules scatter shorter wavelengths, corresponding to blue and violet light, far more efficiently than they scatter longer wavelengths such as red or orange, since the intensity of Rayleigh scattering increases sharply as wavelength decreases. Although violet light is scattered even more strongly than blue according to this relationship, the sky appears blue rather than violet for two additional reasons: sunlight itself contains somewhat less violet light to begin with, and the human eye is considerably less sensitive to violet wavelengths than to blue, so the combined effect that reaches our perception is dominated by blue. This same scattering explains why sunsets appear red or orange: when the sun sits low on the horizon, its light travels through a much greater thickness of atmosphere to reach an observer, and by that point most of the blue light has already been scattered away in other directions, leaving primarily the longer, less-scattered red and orange wavelengths to continue directly toward the eye. On the Moon, which lacks any substantial atmosphere to scatter light, the sky appears black even during full daylight, a stark illustration of the atmosphere's role in producing the sky's colour on Earth.
5. According to the passage, why does the sky appear blue rather than violet, even though violet scatters more strongly?
6. As used in the passage, "stark" most nearly means
7. What can be inferred about the color of the sky on the Moon?
8. Why does the author explain what happens to sunlight during a sunset?
9. What is the main idea of the passage?
Listening
Listen and Choose a Response
Listen to each speaker, then choose the best response.
1. Choose the best response.
2. Choose the best response.
3. Choose the best response.
4. Choose the best response.
5. Choose the best response.
6. Choose the best response.
7. Choose the best response.
8. Choose the best response.
Listen to a Conversation
Listen to the conversation, then answer the questions.
Transcript (available after checking)
Emma: Professor Adams, I've hit a dead end with my research paper topic. Would it be possible to switch to something else?
David: It's a bit late in the semester, but let's talk about it. What's the new topic you're considering?
Emma: I'd like to write about renewable energy policy instead of my original topic on trade agreements.
David: That's a reasonable shift, especially if you already have relevant sources.
Emma: I do, actually, I've been reading about it for another class.
David: Then go ahead, just make sure your outline is ready by next week so we stay on schedule.
Emma: I'll have it ready, thank you for being flexible.
David: Of course, better to switch now than struggle through the whole paper.
9. Why does Emma want to change her topic?
10. What is her new topic?
11. What does David ask her to do by next week?
Listen to an Announcement
Listen to the announcement, then answer the questions.
Transcript (available after checking)
This is a notice for everyone using the chemistry lab this week. The fume hoods in Lab Three will be undergoing routine maintenance on Wednesday and Thursday, so that lab will be closed to all students during those two days. Any experiments scheduled for those days should be moved to Lab One or Lab Two, both of which have open slots in the afternoon. If your experiment cannot be rescheduled, please speak with your lab instructor as soon as possible to arrange an alternative. Maintenance is expected to finish by Friday morning, and Lab Three will reopen for normal use that afternoon.
12. Why is Lab Three closing on Wednesday and Thursday?
13. When is Lab Three expected to reopen?
Listen to an Academic Talk
Listen to part of a lecture, then answer the questions.
Transcript (available after checking)
So one of the biggest challenges facing renewable energy right now isn't actually generating electricity, it's storing it. Solar panels only produce power when the sun is out, and wind turbines only generate when there's enough wind, but demand for electricity doesn't follow either of those patterns. People still need power at night, and on calm, cloudy days. Now, the most common storage solution today is lithium-ion batteries, similar to what's in your phone, just scaled up dramatically. They're efficient and have gotten much cheaper over the past decade, but they still can't cost-effectively store energy for more than a few hours at grid scale. That's where alternative approaches come in. Pumped hydro storage, for instance, uses excess electricity to pump water uphill into a reservoir, then releases it through turbines when power is needed, essentially using gravity as a battery. It's incredibly efficient, but it requires very specific geography, which limits where it can be built. There's also growing interest in green hydrogen, where excess renewable electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the hydrogen gets stored and later converted back into electricity, or used directly in industry. The efficiency is lower than batteries, but hydrogen can be stored for months, which batteries currently cannot do economically. Most experts now agree the future grid will likely combine several of these technologies rather than relying on just one.
14. What does the professor identify as the main challenge for renewable energy?
15. What limitation of lithium-ion batteries is mentioned?
16. What does pumped hydro storage rely on?
17. What is the professor's conclusion about the future grid?
Writing
Build a Sentence
Click the words and phrases to put them in the correct order.
1. Did you enjoy the concert?
2. How is the new software?
3. What is the professor's view on essays?
4. How is your grandmother?
5. How can I improve my writing?
Write an Email
Write an email that responds to the situation.
You have been asked to give a talk at a local school about your career. Write an email to the school's coordinator, Mr. Blake.
In your email, do the following:
- Accept the invitation.
- Say what you will talk about.
- Ask about the age of the students and the length of the talk.
Show sample answer
Model answer: Dear Mr. Blake,
Thank you for inviting me to speak at Riverside School. I would be delighted to accept, and I think it is wonderful that your students are interested in careers in science.
I plan to talk about my work as a marine biologist, including what I studied, how I found my first job and what a typical day on a research boat is like. I will also bring some photographs and a few samples to show.
Could you tell me how old the students will be and how long the talk should last? Knowing this would help me to choose the right language and to leave enough time for questions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Dr. Elena Costa
Write for an Academic Discussion
Read the discussion and write a post that contributes to it.
Professor Villanueva: In linguistics this week, we're discussing endangered languages. Roughly half of the world's languages could disappear this century as younger generations shift to dominant languages. Should governments actively intervene to preserve dying languages, and if so, how?
Amaru: Governments absolutely should intervene. A language carries a community's entire way of understanding the world, including concepts that don't translate, and losing it is losing irreplaceable knowledge, not just words.
Freya: I sympathise, but I question whether government intervention actually works. Language use is a personal choice, and forcing children to learn a language their parents already abandoned for practical reasons rarely succeeds.
Write a post that contributes to the discussion (at least 100 words).
Show sample answer
Model answer: I think Amaru's underlying reasoning about cultural loss is completely correct, but I take Freya's practical concern seriously too: policies that feel forced onto communities from above have a poor track record of reviving everyday language use.
What has worked in some cases, like Māori language revival in New Zealand, involved community-led immersion schools, media and cultural pride campaigns rather than top-down mandates, combined with government funding rather than government control. I would support governments providing serious funding, teacher training and media resources for communities that want to revive their own language, while letting the community itself lead the effort. Intervention without community ownership, as Freya suggests, is unlikely to succeed, but funding and infrastructure without any support are equally unlikely to be enough on their own.
Speaking
Listen and Repeat
Listen to each sentence and repeat it exactly.
Show sample answer
Model answer: Volcanoes form along tectonic plate boundaries.
Show sample answer
Model answer: How far is the station from here?
Show sample answer
Model answer: He negotiated a better contract after comparing several job offers.
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Model answer: She switched to a plant-based diet after reading about its health benefits.
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Model answer: The environmental group organised a protest outside the factory accused of polluting the river.
Take an Interview
Answer each interview question. Speak for about 45 seconds.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I most enjoy cooking a homemade lasagne for others. It takes a couple of hours, but people always seem impressed, and it's satisfying to see everyone finish their plate.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I learned it from my aunt, who used to make it for every family celebration. She taught me over a video call during the pandemic, correcting my technique step by step.
Show sample answer
Model answer: Yes, the first time I made it alone, I forgot to let the pasta sheets cool, and the whole dish collapsed when I tried to serve it. It still tasted fine, but it looked quite messy.
Show sample answer
Model answer: I think it's meaningful because it shows care in a very direct way. Spending hours preparing a meal for someone communicates appreciation that's harder to express through words alone.
Keep your streak going
Up next: TOEFL iBT Practice Test 6