IMPORTANCE OF PRONUNCIATION IN YOUR IELTS SPEAKING
IELTS speaking is not a formal test and it lasts from 12 to 18 minutes. It is divided into three parts which are following:
– Part I consists of some general topics and it demands you to answer in 2-3 sentences.
– Part II is a prepared speech on a given cue topic.
– Part III is a discussion which is related to the subject in Part II.
The IELTS speaking test is evaluated on four different criteria: fluency and accuracy, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Each criterion is 25% towards your speaking band. Under this we will today discuss importance of pronunciation in your IELTS Speaking.
Let’s discuss about Pronunciation: Pronunciation is all about clear enunciation of individual sounds, connected speech, rhythm, word, and sentence stress, chunking, and intonation. It involves the flow of language with appropriate pausing for word stressing and sentence stress. Rise and fall in your intonation also shows that how good speaker you are.
The crucial element in pronunciation is that you should be easily understood by the person speaking to you. This is being assumed by many students that if I copy a British or American accent then I will get a higher band. That’s completely wrong! Imitating a native accent is not important, however, correct pronunciation is. So, work on speaking clearly and naturally.
The main reasons why people are having unclear pronunciation is just because of their native languages for example – speaking English with a Punjabi touch or having accents of Hindi and Punjabi or others. Sometimes, pupils think that if they speak too fast it would gave them good band scores , but it’ll not , it becomes unnatural and difficult for your listener to understand.
In the English language, it is interesting to note that all the words are made up of only 44 to 48 individual sounds known as phonemes and not all these sounds are necessarily pronounced in the mother language you speak. Therefore, they are never properly developed or practiced. It is very important to identify those sounds and practice them using the phonemic chart. Correct enunciation in IELTS speaking is very important. Some candidates have difficulty with correct word pronunciation because of some pronunciation features like word stress and sentence stress, silent letters, rising and falling intonation. Use pronunciation drills for sounds you have trouble making.
Some of the tips for you which are worth considering during preparation of IELTS
● PRACTICE SPEAKING ENGLISH REGULARLY: Students who achieve 7 or 7+ in IELTS have one similar trait – they entail the usage of English language in their daily routine. This, it is better to keep practicing and using English while doing common conversations daily.
●Clarify things you do not understand- As the speaking test is going to be a regular conversation. If you do not understand something, ask your examiner about the same. Just say that you are sorry before asking him to explain what a word means. You can also ask the examiner to repeat a question.
● Importance of Warming up- Most students usually need 10-15 minutes to warm up before giving their best performances. Make sure that you start this warm-up process before the actual Speaking test. Keep listening, reading, speaking, and writing in English for about 24 hours before the examination.
● Always give a proper and complete answer- Do not go by only No and Yes in the test. Try and provide complete answers with examples.
● Correct your errors- Small mistakes are inevitable, especially if you get a little nervous during the test. Rectify any errors just as you make them. It will demonstrate your knowledge of grammar and your command of vocabulary to the examiner.
IELTS Academic Reading Test
