How clearly can you speak in English? When you talk to someone in English, can they understand
you? Pronunciation is one of the things that is assessed in the IELTS Speaking Test. But
what does good pronunciation involve? Well, it’s all about communication. You don’t
have to sound like a native speaker, but you do need to speak clearly so that people can
understand you and you can get your message across. Let’s look at how you can do this
successfully.
In your Speaking Test, the examiner will be listening to your pronunciation. Let’s see
what this involves.
Firstly, you should pay attention to how you pronounce individual sounds. For example,
pear, or bear?
Next, you need to place stress correctly in words and sentences. For example, in the word
‘university’ the stress is on the third syllable - ‘uniVERsity’. In the sentence,
‘I teach at the University of Queensland’, the stress is on these words: ‘I’, ‘teach’,
‘University’ and ‘Queensland’, because these are content words. They contain meaning,
so they’re important. We don’t usually stress little grammar words, like ‘at’,
‘the’, and ‘of’.
Now, what about pause? It’s okay to pause between ideas. You don’t need to rush. But
try not to pause in the middle of an idea.
Intonation is also important. It’s useful for emphasising keywords. Also, if you are
telling the examiner about an exciting experience, try to make this apparent in your voice. Try
not to sound like a robot. “It was so exciting”, “It was so exciting!”
Finally, think about speaking in ‘chunks’. By that I mean, speak in phrases rather than
individual words. For example, when we say ‘fish and chips’, we don’t say ‘fish
- and - chips’, we say ‘fish 'n' chips’.
Now let’s see some examples of good pronunciation.
Examiner: Let’s talk about something different now. What do you like to do in your free time?
Candidate: Okay, well I don’t have a lot of spare time at the moment because I am quite
busy with study but when I do have time off I like to get outside and do something active.
I enjoy outdoor pursuits like hiking and camping. I love going to wild and beautiful places.
Examiner: Do you think it’s important for people to have hobbies?
Candidate: Yes I do. Everyone needs them. When we are working or studying, free time
activities are vital for relaxation and relieving stress. Then later in life when we retire,
having interests will become crucial. Suddenly we will have lots of leisure time, so we
will need to have things we enjoy doing to stay active and enjoy our retirement.
Did you notice how the candidate pronounced the word 'busy'? Be careful not to say 'beezee', that first vowel sound must be short. And what about stress? The candidate used the word ‘pursuits’. Notice how the stress
is on the second syllable, ‘purSUITS’. She also used stress to emphasise keywords,
for example, ‘when I DO have time off’.
Did you notice her intonation when she said ‘vital’? Her voice went up slightly to
help to emphasise this keyword and make it sound important, ‘free time activities are
VITAL for relaxation and relieving stress’.
There was a nice example of chunking, too, when the candidate used the phrase ‘a lot
of’. She ran those words together.
And finally, did you notice how the candidate paused between her ideas? You might like to
watch the video again so that you can focus on these aspects of her pronunciation.
Remember, when answering the examiner’s questions, try to pronounce the words clearly and use
the aspects of pronunciation featured in this lesson.