Everyone speaks English with an accent.For example, if you compare how an Australian, Irish or American person speaks, they all speak English perfectly, but with different accents. IELTSexaminers are experienced language teachers and have been certified to assess your spoken Englishand not your accent. They arealwaysprepared to hear an extensiverange of accents when conducting an IELTS Speaking test.
Your performance in the Speaking test will be assessed on four assessment criteria. One of these criteria is pronunciation. It is worth 25% of your performance, sohow clearly you pronounce wordsisveryimportant.Ifthe examiner has troubleunderstanding youbecauseyoumispronounce words and have unusual stress patterns in your sentences, you will probably get a lower scorebecauseit prevents communication and causes misunderstanding.
How you deliver your words using stress, intonationand rhythm canallbeinfluencedby your accent. Sotoday we will take a closer look atsome tips tohelp you speak more clearlyand ensure that the examiner can understand you.
Use stress
English is a stress-timedlanguage. Weuse stresswhen we speakto help communicate and express our opinions.In the Speaking test you are assessedonyour ability to communicate in Englishand akey part of intelligibility in speaking is to use your voice to communicate meaning.
Stress can be used to emphasise important words or tocompare and contrastsomething you are talking about. Forexample, ‘I used tolovewatching TV, but now Ihateit. I only use the TV to watchNetflix’.
Your accent can impact how you deliver individual sounds and words.Individualwords need to be stressed correctly so meaning is not confused.If we stress the wrong syllable in a word, it can change the meaning from a verb‘record’to a noun‘record’.
If the examiner has trouble understanding you because words are mispronounced and have unusual stress patterns, you will probably get a lower score as meaning is unclear.So,stress is very important.
Use intonation
When we talk aboutintonation,wemean the rise and fall of your voice when you speak.So, make sure you use your voice to help communicate meaning.
When we ask a question, we usually have a rising inflection,meaningour voice goes up at the end of sentence.It’s like punctuation in writing.When we finish a statement, our voice falls, whichhelps with communication because we knowa speaker is ending a sentence.If you speakina monotone, youwillsound flat and expressionless,makingit hardfor examiners tofollow what you are trying to say.
Use rhythm
English is a stress-timed language, using rhythmto communicate at the correct speed.For example, if you sing a song, you use phrasing, rhythm and stress to express yourself. This is the samewhen speakingEnglish.
Make sure you:
Speak clearly and at a natural pace, stressing words that are important or thatemphasiseor contrast ideas that you are trying to express
Speak in meaningful phrases and don’t produce single wordanswers.
Don’t speak very slowly as it will be difficult to follow what you are saying
Speak at a normal speed and nottoo quickly as it will be hard tounderstand you
Phrase your words into meaningful word groups (e.g. when I was child – I loved playing soccer)
Be natural
While preparing for the IELTS Speaking test, focus on the features of pronunciationthatcanlead to a higher score.Make sure you:
Speak clearly and at a natural pace, stressing words that are important orthatemphasiseor contrast ideas that you are trying to express
Speak in meaningful phrases and don’t produce single words.
Vary the pitch of your voice and imitate theEnglishintonation patterns you hearevery day,onthetelevision, in movies, on the bus.
Speak at a normal speed
Speak so others can understandyou.
Don’t stress too much over your accent. If you clearly communicate your ideas with the examinerand put the tips above into action, you’ll be on your way togettingthe Speaking score you need.
Remember, that we all, includingexaminers speak with a variety of accents. Try and expose yourself to a range of accents by watching English news programmes, movies, TV shows and listening to podcasts or English radio.Andifyou still feel nervouson test day, imagineyourselfsitting andspeaking with a friend in a coffee shop.
