TOEFL Speaking Topics: The 20 Most Common Interview Topics

What Are TOEFL Speaking Topics?

A TOEFL speaking topic is what one part of the Interview asks you to talk about. Since January 2026, the Speaking test ends with an Interview. A researcher asks you about four topics, one at a time, and you have 45 seconds for each one with no preparation time. The four topics share one theme, such as city life.

For example, a city life interview can ask where you live, how cities make you feel, whether city life is more interesting, and whether cities need more parks. That is four topics. The first topic is usually about your own life. The second and third are about your habits, your feelings, or your opinion. The fourth is about a bigger issue, a rule, or the future. Some learners call these TOEFL conversation topics, because the Interview feels like a conversation. They are the same thing.

The 20 Most Common TOEFL Speaking Topics

The most common TOEFL speaking topic in our Interview practice sets is "How you plan and prepare for a trip": 6 sets ask about it. Our 102 sets cover 287 different topics, and most topics come up only once. So the topics below are the ones to prepare first, because each one comes up in at least 3 sets.

The average score is our AI score out of 5 for each answer. In this list, "The future of travel" has the lowest score, 2.58, and "How you relax and recharge" has the highest, 3.32. Topics about your own life are easier to talk about than topics about society or the future. So give the second kind more practice time.

TOEFL Speaking Topics by Template

Every TOEFL speaking topic needs one of seven speaking templates, and the template tells you what to do with the topic. 201 of the 408 topics in our sets (49%) need the Opinion or Preference template. So the most common job is to say what you think and give a reason.

Topics that need the Something You Learned template score lowest, at 2.66 out of 5. Topics that need the Personal Background template score highest, at 3.12. Each template is its own answer structure. Our TOEFL speaking templates show all seven, each with a sample answer and audio.

Which TOEFL Speaking Topics Are the Hardest?

The last topic of the Interview is the hardest TOEFL speaking topic for our learners. In 16,742 Interview sets scored by our AI, the average score went from 3.15 out of 5 on the first topic to 2.86 on the fourth. Support and Development fell the most, from 2.91 to 2.52.

This means learners can talk about their own life. But when the topic becomes abstract, they give an opinion with no reason or example. So practice the third and fourth topics the most. Give your opinion in the first sentence. Then add one reason and one example from your own life.

TOEFL Speaking Topics with Sample Answers

Here are four TOEFL speaking topics from one Interview set in our practice tests, with a sample answer for each. The theme is physical activity in daily life, and the four topics are how weather affects you, team sports or exercising alone, online privacy, and what keeps you healthy.

Topic 1, how weather affects you: Thanks for taking part. I'd like to ask about seasons and weather. How does a change from hot to cold months, or the opposite, affect the activities you choose?

Sample answer: Well, when the calendar flips from those sticky hot months to crisp chilly ones, my routine shifts quite a bit. During summer, you know, I gravitate toward outdoor things like swimming at the public pool after work, cycling along the river before breakfast, and even late night walks because the daylight lingers. However, once autumn rolls in and the temperature dips, I swap water and pavement for more sheltered options. I start visiting the indoor climbing wall, do longer sessions at the gym, and bake bread on weekends, which somehow feels like an activity too.

Topic 2, team sports or exercising alone: I see. Team sports and solo exercise both have fans. If you had to pick only one for the next year, which would you choose, and what would you miss about the other?

Sample answer: Honestly, if I absolutely had to pick only one style of exercise for the whole next year, I would probably go with team sports. First of all, the social pressure keeps me accountable, and I really feed off the shared energy when everyone is chasing the same goal. Of course, I would definitely miss solo workouts. Running alone with a podcast lets me clear my head, and lifting weights in my own corner feels meditative. Yet, you know, I think the laughter, the post match chats, and the small rivalries would win in the end.

Topic 3, online privacy: Interesting. Wearable devices can share heart-rate and step data with apps and insurers. Does that kind of tracking worry you, excite you, or leave you indifferent? Explain.

Sample answer: Well, the whole idea of wearable devices streaming my heart rate and step count to insurance companies gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am a bit of a data nerd, so having real time graphs that show how a short walk after lunch lowers my resting pulse genuinely excites me. On the other hand, I worry that algorithms could misinterpret a lazy Sunday and decide I am suddenly high risk, you know. Therefore, I would welcome the tracking only if the user keeps control over who sees what and can delete records easily.

Topic 4, what keeps you healthy: Good points. For my final question, do you think doctors should routinely prescribe specific amounts of weekly movement the way they prescribe medication, or is that too personal for a standard rule?

Sample answer: Actually, I believe doctors should give movement prescriptions, but they need to leave plenty of space for personal adjustment. First, a simple written target like one hundred fifty minutes of moderate cardio per week makes the health advice concrete rather than abstract, which motivates many patients. However, bodies, schedules, and preferences differ wildly, so the prescription should read more like a flexible recipe than a strict rule. If someone hates jogging, the doctor could suggest brisk dancing or gardening instead. In short, clearer guidelines yes, but with room for individual flavor and gradual progress.

To hear the interviewer on video and record your own answers, open TOEFL Speaking Interview Practice 101. This set is part of the premium course.

How to Practice TOEFL Speaking Topics

The best way to practice TOEFL speaking topics is to answer a set, check the feedback, and then answer the same set again. Our learners answered the same Interview set a second time 1,811 times. The average score went up from 2.87 to 3.19 out of 5, and 70% of the second tries scored higher.

So do not only read the list of topics. Pick five topics from the table and talk about each one out loud with a 45-second timer. Then compare your answer with the sample answers and try again. Learn a few words for each topic too, because the topics use words such as "sustainable", "commute", and "routine". A topic you have talked about once is much easier on test day. Our TOEFL speaking practice guide shows both parts of the Speaking test.

Free TOEFL Speaking Topic Practice Resources

• City Life Interview Full Practice Set: a video interview with four topics, open to everyone, with sample answers.
• TOEFL speaking practice: the guide to both parts of the Speaking test, with samples and tips.
• TOEFL speaking templates: the seven answer structures for the Interview topics.
• TOEFL speaking rubric: how each Interview answer is scored from 0 to 5.
• Sample Test 1: a free full-length adaptive TOEFL with the Speaking section.

TOEFL Speaking Topics Before 2026

Before January 2026, the TOEFL Speaking test started with an independent speaking task. You had 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to talk about one topic. Those topics came in six types: Agree or Disagree, Preference, Three Choices, Description or Explanation, Advantages and Disadvantages, and If or Imaginary.

For example: "Do you agree or disagree that students should have a job while they are studying in school?" The independent task is no longer in the test. But the same kind of opinion topic is now the third or fourth topic of the Interview. So the old TOEFL speaking topics are still good practice for those two parts.