Listen to an Announcement

What Is Listen to an Announcement?

Listen to a short message addressed to a group, such as instructions, a schedule change or a campus notice. Identify why the announcement is being made and what listeners should do.

Detail	Study reference
Exam	TOEFL iBT (2026 format)
Response	Answer questions about a spoken notice
Timing	Listening section timer and audio sequence
Primary skill	Main purpose, updates and required actions

How It Is Scored

Answers must preserve the announcement’s actual conditions and practical consequences. A changed room does not imply a changed time unless the speaker says so.

Official Video

Watch the official TOEFL explanation of the updated Listening section, then apply it to this task using the notes below. This video covers the section as a whole.

Technical Foundations

Information hierarchy

Capture the headline first: cancellation, relocation, instruction or reminder. Details then attach to that headline. Without the main change, a room number alone is not useful.

Old versus new

Announcements often contrast an original arrangement with an updated one. Draw an arrow from old to new in your notes and keep times separate from locations.

Audience and requirements

Distinguish everyone from a subgroup, and required actions from optional suggestions. Listen for holders of, participants in, must and may.

Step-by-Step Approach

Step	Action and purpose
1	Identify the announcement’s main purpose in a few words.
2	Record changes as old → new and label time, location and audience.
3	Listen for required action, deadline and exceptions.
4	Check whether the question asks for purpose, detail or what listeners should do.

Worked Examples

These are original teaching examples, not official ETS questions. Suggested practice timings are study targets, not extra test time.

Example 1

Partner script: Today’s chemistry review will take place in Room 204 instead of the auditorium. It will still begin at four. Bring your practice worksheet. What has changed?

Explanation / model: The location. The time remains four, and participants must bring the worksheet. Notes: auditorium → 204; 4 unchanged; worksheet.

Example 2

Partner script: The north car park closes tomorrow for repairs. Permit holders may use the south lot, but spaces next to the clinic remain reserved for patients. Where may permit holders park?

Explanation / model: In permitted spaces in the south lot, excluding the patient-reserved spaces. The exception narrows the general permission; it is not permission to use every space.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Why it fails	Correction
Recording old information as current	The announcement may correct it.	Use an explicit change arrow.
Missing the target group	Instructions may apply only to some listeners.	Label the audience.
Ignoring a final exception	The last clause may limit the rule.	Stay attentive through the ending.

Practice Routine

Have a partner read five original announcements once each. Immediately complete a four-field note: purpose, audience, change and action. Increase the density by adding an exception only after you can capture the main message reliably. Compare your notes with the script and practise replacing long phrases with clear abbreviations.

Quick Reference

Check	Reminder
Before answering	Identify the announcement’s main purpose in a few words.
Before submitting	Check whether the question asks for purpose, detail or what listeners should do.
Review focus	Main purpose, updates and required actions

Sources and Format Check

Format checked on 22 October 2026 against ETS TOEFL guidance. Explanations, examples, routines and time allocations within tasks are teaching guidance. Follow the instructions and timer on your test screen.