TOEFL Conversation Practice: Campus Arrangements
Practice TOEFL listening through three original conversations about campus arrangements, from organizing club printing to choosing a volunteer activity and collecting borrowed equipment. You’ll answer six questions in the Listen to a Conversation format.
You will learn vocabulary for campus services with audio for every word, use aim to and intend to to express plans, practice distinguishing why people are talking from the details they discuss, answer six questions on the practice video, and review your listening with a short checklist.
Campus services and everyday arrangements
Use these words to discuss practical plans, available services, and responsibilities.
VOCABULARY
arrangement (noun)
A plan about how something will happen. Synonyms: plan, preparation
Our travel arrangements include a night near the airport.
ordinary (adjective)
Usual or standard, rather than special. Synonyms: usual, standard
The café serves its soup in ordinary bowls rather than bread bowls.
to handle (verb)
To deal with a task or situation. Synonyms: to manage, to deal with
The receptionist handles questions about insurance.
to collect (verb)
To go somewhere and bring something away. Synonyms: to pick up, to retrieve
I need to collect my coat from the cleaner’s.
reliable (adjective)
Able to be trusted to work well or happen as expected. Synonyms: dependable, trustworthy
We need a reliable internet connection for video calls.
timetable (noun)
A schedule showing when planned activities or services happen. Synonyms: schedule, program
The ferry timetable changes in winter.
to commit (verb)
To make a firm promise or decision to do something. Synonyms: to pledge, to undertake
Read the full contract before you commit to a year of membership.
available (adjective)
Free or ready to be used when needed. Synonyms: accessible, obtainable
A larger suitcase is available if you need more space.
to lend (verb)
To let someone use something temporarily and then return it. Synonyms: to loan, to let someone borrow
My neighbor offered to lend me a ladder.
confirmation (noun)
A message or document showing that an arrangement has been accepted. Synonyms: verification, acknowledgment
Keep the confirmation of your hotel reservation.
GRAMMAR FOCUS
Expressing intentions in English
People use intention language to describe a result they want to achieve or an action they plan to take. Aim to and intend to often overlap: the first can emphasize a goal, while the second states a plan. Neither expression tells you that the action has already happened.
Describe a goal or a plan with the verbs aim and intend
In a conversation, keep a speaker’s intention separate from the result. Follow to with a base verb phrase, such as reduce waste or visit a friend.
- [S] aim/aims to [base verb phrase]. Use aim to to state a goal or intended result. The examples describe a target, not proof that it has been achieved.
“What is the shop changing?” — “It aims to use less packaging.”
“Why do you read on the train?” — “I aim to finish a novel each month.”
“What matters most to your support team?” — “We aim to answer messages within a day.”
- [S] intend/intends to [base verb phrase]. Use intend to to state what someone plans to do. The plan may be firm, but the words alone do not guarantee that it will happen.
“What will you do during your time off?” — “I intend to visit my cousins.”
“Is the family keeping that apartment?” — “They intend to sell it next spring.”
“Has the gallery changed its hours?” — “Not yet. It intends to open later on Fridays.”
TEST TIP
Identify why the speakers are talking
A conversation may mention several people, places, or plans without being mainly about each of them. Ask what the speakers are trying to find out, decide, or arrange, then use the whole exchange to check your answer. This helps you distinguish their purpose from a detail that only explains the situation.
Illustrative example
A question about purpose, worked through
Transcript
What is the man’s main purpose in the conversation?
Why this interpretation fits
The ingredient interpretation fits his opening question about “anything extra.” But she used the written ingredients, and he then compares their cooking times. He is investigating a different result; an omitted ingredient was one possible explanation. Follow the problem across the exchange instead of treating the first question as the whole purpose.
TASK PRACTICE
Listen to three campus conversations
Listen to three independent exchanges about campus arrangements and answer two questions after each. Identify the purpose when asked, and use the relevant details to answer the other questions.
This focused lesson groups three conversations around campus arrangements to build useful vocabulary. On the TOEFL, each conversation is consistent with our practice questions, but the subject changes between conversations.
Exam format
Each conversation plays once, followed by two questions with four written choices each. You may take notes. Choose one answer per question and move forward; wait until you have completed all six before replaying or reviewing the transcripts and answers.
Review your listening
After answering the questions, replay the conversation and review each choice against what the speakers actually said and meant.
Reveal the answer key
1. B · 2. D · 3. A · 4. C · 5. D · 6. B
After your TOEFL campus conversation practice
In this lesson you practiced following three campus conversations and answering six questions about the speakers’ purposes, plans, and responsibilities. Furthermore, you built vocabulary for discussing services and practical decisions.
You learned how to use aim to and intend to to describe goals and plans without treating them as completed actions. Finally, you practiced checking that an answer to a purpose question explains the whole exchange rather than one detail.
For another campus listening exchange, try Campus Services Choose a Response.
The TOEFL Practice guide shows how this conversation task fits into the listening section.
Browse all current lessons in the TOEFL practice index.
CONTINUE PRACTICING
Continue with the slide collection
Turn this lesson into a class-ready sequence with spoken vocabulary practice, an activity for expressing goals and plans, three short purpose comparisons, complete transcripts, worked answers, and a speaking connection. The deck includes brief teacher notes with suggested timing and learning objectives.