Three decades of TOEFL. Tens of thousands of samples graded.
I have been teaching English at a California public university since 1997 and grading TOEFL Speaking and Writing samples since 2002. Here is who I am and why my read on your sample is worth your time.
Three decades inside the classroom.
I have been an English professor at a California public university since 1997, with my specializations in composition and linguistics. The same skills I use to evaluate first-year college essays are the skills I bring to every TOEFL sample I read.
- Since 1997University-level English instruction in composition and linguistics
- Since 2002Grading TOEFL Speaking and Writing samples one at a time
- 30+ yearsFocused TOEFL preparation strategy and rubric analysis
What I have built.
I am the creator of the 7-Step System to Pass the TOEFL iBT, the comprehensive online course that has guided thousands of students through every iteration of the test, including the 2026 rubric overhaul. Every step of that system was rebuilt over the last twelve months to match how SpeechRater listens and e-rater reads.
I have personally evaluated tens of thousands of student samples. I do not delegate the grading. Every diagnosis you receive comes from me.
Mistakes do not lower scores. Poor recovery does. Raters do not count errors, they listen for whether your ideas are expressed clearly.
Free content, every week, for everyone.
My YouTube channel, BetterTOEFLScores, has 8,800+ videos and 17,700+ subscribers. New 2026-rubric strategy uploads land most weeks. Every TOEFL question type, every score band, every common error pattern, covered there for free.
My Complete TOEFL Speaking & Writing Roadmap (2026) is also a free download. It is the same playbook I follow when I diagnose a sample.
Why I take this work personally.
At 20, I taught myself Spanish from scratch. I know what it feels like to sit in a class listening to a language you only half-understand and to be expected to produce coherent answers in it. I have been on the other side of the test you are about to take.
I am also a competitive endurance runner in my age group. I know what it costs to train for a hard test. I know what it feels like to have a deadline that does not care whether you are tired. That is the kind of attention I bring to grading.
Who I am not affiliated with.
Better TOEFL Scores is an independent service. It is not affiliated with ETS, the organization that creates and administers the TOEFL exam. I am not a contracted ETS rater. I read your sample the way an ETS rater would read it, but I am free to tell you what I actually think about it, without an ETS NDA filtering my answer.
What you get from me is what I believe will move your score the most, in language plain enough to use. No NDA-filtered hedging. No "consult your testing center" boilerplate. Just the diagnosis.
Want me to read one of your samples?
Send a free sample ›