What Development Means in TOEFL Speaking Scoring

The TOEFL Speaking rubric repeatedly references "development" as a criterion for scoring. Yet many test-takers misunderstand what this term means. Some equate development with length. Others think it means having multiple points. Neither interpretation captures what raters actually evaluate.

This clarification guide explains what development means in TOEFL Speaking scoring and provides concrete strategies for demonstrating it when responding to TOEFL speaking example questions.

What Development Is Not

Before defining development, clarify common misconceptions:

Development Is Not Length

A long response is not necessarily a developed response. You can speak for 60 seconds and say very little of substance. Conversely, a shorter response can be well-developed if every sentence adds meaningful content.

Development Is Not Multiple Points

Having three reasons is not automatically better than having one reason. Three undeveloped reasons score lower than one thoroughly developed reason. Breadth is not depth.

Development Is Not Complexity of Language

Using sophisticated vocabulary or complex sentences does not constitute development. You can express simple, undeveloped ideas in complex language.

Development Is Not Repetition

Restating the same idea in different words does not develop it. "It saves time. You don't waste time. The time savings are significant." This is not development—it is repetition.

What Development Actually Means

Development means elaborating ideas with substance. A developed response:

Explains Why

Development answers "why" questions. Why is this true? Why does it matter? Why should we care?

Undeveloped: "Online learning is convenient."

Developed: "Online learning is convenient because it eliminates geographic and scheduling constraints—students can engage with material when and where their circumstances permit, rather than rearranging life around fixed class times."

The developed version explains why online learning is convenient.

Explains How

Development answers "how" questions. How does this work? How does it produce this effect?

Undeveloped: "Group study improves understanding."

Developed: "Group study improves understanding by forcing articulation—when you explain concepts to others, you must organize your thoughts coherently, which reveals gaps in comprehension that passive review misses."

The developed version explains the mechanism.

Provides Specifics

Development moves from general to specific. Abstract claims become concrete through examples, illustrations, or particulars.

Undeveloped: "Technology has changed education."

Developed: "Technology has transformed educational access—students in remote areas can now take courses from leading universities through platforms that did not exist a decade ago, accessing resources that geography once denied them."

The developed version provides specific illustrations.

Shows Implications

Development explores consequences. What follows from this? What are the effects? What does this lead to?

Undeveloped: "Time management is important."

Developed: "Time management is crucial because it determines whether the same number of hours produces minimal output or substantial progress—the difference between students who struggle despite effort and those who accomplish goals efficiently often traces to how they allocate their limited time."

The developed version shows implications of time management (or its absence).

Development in Different Task Types

Independent Speaking Development

For example TOEFL speaking questions asking your opinion:

Development means explaining your reasoning, not just stating your preference. Each reason you give should include:

The claim (your reason)
The explanation (why this is true or how it works)
Evidence or example (concrete grounding)

Example:

Claim: "Remote work increases productivity."

Explanation: "Without office interruptions and commute fatigue, workers can dedicate sustained attention to complex tasks that fragmented office time prohibits."

Evidence: "Many companies report that remote employees complete projects faster than their in-office counterparts."

Integrated Speaking Development

For Integrated tasks, development means:

Accurately conveying source information
Explaining how examples illustrate concepts
Showing connections between reading and listening
Not just summarizing but synthesizing

Undeveloped synthesis: "The reading describes anchoring bias. The professor gives an example about guessing numbers."

Developed synthesis: "The reading defines anchoring bias as disproportionate reliance on initial information. The professor's experiment demonstrates this: participants exposed to a high number before guessing UN membership estimated significantly higher than those exposed to a low number, showing how arbitrary anchors distorted their judgment."

The developed version explains how the example demonstrates the concept.

The Development Scale

Think of development on a scale:

Level 1: Assertion Only

"Group study is beneficial."

This is a claim with no development.

Level 2: Assertion + Reason

"Group study is beneficial because you learn from others."

This adds a reason but does not explain it.

Level 3: Assertion + Reason + Explanation

"Group study is beneficial because you learn from others. Different group members have different strengths and can explain concepts in ways that textbooks cannot."

This explains why learning from others helps.

Level 4: Full Development

"Group study is beneficial because peer explanation often succeeds where textbooks fail. Each group member brings different backgrounds and ways of understanding—one person's intuitive grasp of statistics might clarify concepts that formal definitions obscure. In my economics study group, a classmate's real-world analogy about supply curves made sense of material I had struggled with for weeks."

This includes explanation, mechanism, and specific example.

High-scoring responses operate at Level 3-4. Low-scoring responses stay at Level 1-2.

Strategies for Better Development

Strategy 1: The "So What" Test

After every assertion, ask "so what?" If you cannot answer, you have not developed the point.

"Online learning saves time." So what?

"The saved time can be redirected to actual learning rather than logistics." So what?

"This efficiency means more progress per hour invested."

Continue until you reach meaningful substance.

Strategy 2: The Mechanism Question

For any claim, ask "how does this actually work?"

Claim: "Group discussion improves retention."

Mechanism: "When you articulate ideas aloud and receive questions, you must process the information more deeply than passive reading requires. This active processing creates stronger memory encoding."

Strategy 3: The Concreteness Push

Take abstract statements and make them specific.

Abstract: "Technology helps students."

Concrete: "Video lectures allow students to pause and rewind explanations—something impossible in live classrooms—meaning they can review difficult concepts until comprehension occurs."

Strategy 4: The Implication Extension

State what follows from your claim.

Claim: "Flexible scheduling is valuable for online learning."

Implication: "This flexibility means that working students or parents can pursue education that fixed schedules would prohibit—expanding access beyond those with conventional availability."

Common Development Mistakes

Mistake 1: Circular Development

Restating the claim in different words is not development.

Circular: "Communication skills are important. Being able to communicate well matters for success. Good communication is essential."

This says the same thing three times.

Mistake 2: Insufficient Depth

Stopping at shallow explanation.

Insufficient: "Group study helps because you can learn from others. This is useful for learning."

This adds only minimal explanation before returning to assertion.

Mistake 3: Vague Examples

Examples that do not actually illustrate the point.

Vague: "For example, my friend studied in a group and it was helpful."

This example provides no specific information about how or why it was helpful.

Mistake 4: Abandoning Development for Breadth

Adding more points instead of developing existing ones.

Breadth over depth: "First, it saves time. Second, it saves money. Third, it's convenient. Fourth, it's flexible. Fifth, it's accessible."

Five undeveloped points score lower than two developed ones.

Practicing Development

Exercise 1: Layer Addition

Start with a simple assertion. Add one layer of explanation. Then add an example. Then add an implication. Practice building up from assertion to full development.

Exercise 2: Development Analysis

Listen to your practice recordings. Count how many assertions you make versus how many explanations. If assertions outnumber explanations, you are under-developing.

Exercise 3: The One-Point Challenge

Respond to TOEFL speaking questions sample prompts using only one point, but develop it thoroughly for the full time. This trains depth over breadth.

Exercise 4: Why Chain Recording

Record yourself asking "why" after each statement and answering. This trains the instinct to develop rather than assert.

Conclusion

Development in TOEFL Speaking means elaborating ideas with substance—explaining why claims are true, how mechanisms work, what specifics illustrate the point, and what implications follow. It is not length, number of points, language complexity, or repetition.

Developed responses demonstrate thinking. They show raters that you can do more than state opinions—you can explain, illustrate, and reason. This ability distinguishes high scores from adequate ones.

When practicing with TOEFL speaking example questions, monitor your development level. Use the "so what" test, ask about mechanisms, push for concreteness, and extend to implications. Build the habit of depth over breadth. The development dimension of scoring rewards responses that think through ideas rather than simply listing them.