One of the clearest patterns I see in TOEFL Listen and Repeat data is that your first language changes where you struggle. Not whether you can score well, but which specific errors you are most likely to make. When we group scored responses by the test taker's first language, the average scores spread out in a way that is too consistent to be random.
We looked at Listen and Repeat responses across 12 first-language groups on My Speaking Score, covering 721 scored responses where the language was recorded. Average scores ranged from 3.31 to 4.55. That is a full point of difference, and it lines up with the kind of sound and grammar interference linguists have documented for decades.
This post shows the data, explains why first-language interference shows up so strongly on this task, and gives a specific fix for the most common groups. These are practice-data patterns, not a ceiling on what you can score. The point is to tell you where to aim your practice.
Quick answer: first-language interference is measurable on Listen and Repeat
On the TOEFL Listen and Repeat task, test takers from different first languages make different errors, and those errors produce measurably different average scores. In our data, Urdu, Turkish, and Portuguese speakers averaged lowest on Listen and Repeat, while Hindi, Russian, and Italian speakers averaged highest. The task rewards accurate reproduction of sounds and word endings, so any sound your first language does not use, or any ending it tends to drop, becomes a predictable place to lose points.
Listen and Repeat average score by first language
The table below shows the average Listen and Repeat score and word-perfect rate for each first-language group with at least 20 scored responses. Word-perfect means the test taker reproduced the sentence with no errors at all.
| First language | Average score | Word-perfect rate | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urdu | 3.31 | 18% | 28 |
| Turkish | 3.47 | 12% | 91 |
| Twi | 3.69 | 32% | 28 |
| Portuguese | 3.69 | 12% | 105 |
| Arabic | 3.79 | 32% | 112 |
| Spanish | 3.83 | 39% | 56 |
| Japanese | 3.83 | 21% | 56 |
| Korean | 4.04 | 24% | 126 |
| Italian | 4.32 | 35% | 49 |
| Russian | 4.53 | 62% | 21 |
| Hindi | 4.55 | 52% | 21 |
A note on reading this honestly: the smaller groups here, like Urdu, Russian, and Hindi at around 21 to 28 responses, are based on fewer test takers, so treat their exact numbers as directional rather than precise. The larger groups, like Korean, Arabic, and Portuguese, are more stable. What matters is the pattern, and the pattern holds: the spread is real and it tracks known sound and grammar differences.
Why first language creates a penalty on this task
The Listen and Repeat task asks you to hear a sentence and reproduce it accurately, scoring Repeat Accuracy, Intelligibility, and Fluency. That makes it unusually sensitive to first-language interference, because the task is testing the exact things your first language trains you not to notice.
If your first language does not end words in consonant clusters, your mouth is not used to producing "asked" or "passed," so you simplify them. If your first language does not mark plurals with a final "s," your ear does not flag a missing "s" as an error, so you drop it without noticing. If your first language has fewer vowel sounds than English, two English words can sound identical to you, so you substitute one for the other. Each of these is a small, automatic habit, and on this task each one is a point of accuracy lost.
The fix is targeted, not general
This is where a lot of test takers waste effort. They practice everything equally instead of attacking the two or three sounds and endings their first language makes hard. The table below maps common first-language groups to the interference pattern that most often costs them on Listen and Repeat, and the drill that targets it.
| First language | Common interference pattern | Targeted drill |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese, Korean | Adding vowels to consonant clusters; final consonants softened | Shadow consonant-cluster words and clip the word end sharply |
| Portuguese, Spanish | Dropped or softened final consonants; plural and past-tense endings lost | Exaggerate every final "s" and "ed" until it feels excessive |
| Turkish, Urdu | Vowel substitutions and stress placed on the wrong syllable | Mark the stressed syllable before repeating, then match the rhythm |
| Arabic | Vowel confusion between short English vowels; clusters broken up | Minimal-pair practice on close vowel sounds, then repeat in context |
This matters because the scoring system is not grading your accent in general. It is checking whether the specific words came out accurately and intelligibly. Fix the two or three patterns your first language makes hard, and your accuracy climbs faster than it would from broad, unfocused practice.
What to do with this
Here is what we can do. Identify your group in the first table, find your likely interference pattern in the second, and build your practice around that pattern instead of practicing at random. Then check whether it is working by getting your responses scored, because the errors driven by first-language habits are exactly the ones you cannot hear yourself making.
That last point is the whole challenge. A dropped plural or a softened final consonant feels correct to you in the moment, because your first language trained your ear to ignore it. You need an outside signal to catch it.
How My Speaking Score helps
On My Speaking Score, your Listen and Repeat responses are scored and laid out word by word against the target sentence, so the dropped "s" or the swapped vowel shows up clearly instead of slipping past you. Over a few sessions you can see which interference pattern is actually costing you points, rather than guessing from a general list.
If you want to find the specific patterns pulling your TOEFL Speaking score down, take a practice test on My Speaking Score and look at the data. That is a faster path than practicing everything at once. You can start at toefl.myspeakingscore.com.
Frequently asked questions
Does my accent lower my TOEFL Speaking score?
A noticeable accent is fine as long as your speech stays intelligible and your words are accurate. What costs points is when first-language habits change the actual words, like dropping a plural ending or substituting a similar-sounding word. The goal is accurate, clear reproduction, not a native accent.
Which first languages find TOEFL Listen and Repeat hardest?
In our practice data, Urdu, Turkish, and Portuguese speakers averaged lowest on Listen and Repeat, largely due to dropped final consonants and word endings. But every group had high and low performers. Your first language tells you where to focus, not what you are capable of scoring.
How do I stop dropping plural and past-tense endings?
Shadow native audio and deliberately exaggerate every final "s" and "ed" sound until it feels like too much. Because your first language may not mark these endings, you have to overcorrect before it sounds natural to your ear. Then confirm with scored feedback that the endings are actually landing.
Should I practice differently based on my first language?
Yes. Targeted practice on the two or three sounds and endings your first language makes hard improves accuracy faster than practicing everything equally. Identify your interference pattern first, then drill it specifically.
Is a 4.0 average on Listen and Repeat good?
It is a solid, competitive level in our data, above most first-language group averages. But the more useful question is your consistency across sentence lengths and your accuracy on word endings, since those are what move your score up from there.
One clear takeaway: your first language does not decide your score, but it does decide your starting weaknesses. Find the two or three patterns it makes hard, drill those, and verify with data. That is the fastest route up on this task.