After 14 years and hundreds of IELTS candidates coached, I often hear students ask questions like: “Will my accent affect my IELTS score?” or “How is pronunciation actually assessed?” These are great questions, and depending on the answers, they can make a significant difference in how you prepare for the IELTS Speaking test.
So, let’s get started on what I tell my students every day. We will discuss the difference between accent and pronunciation, how you are scored on pronunciation in IELTS, and how to improve the clarity and performance of your speaking.
What’s the difference between accent and pronunciation?
Your accent is just your way of speaking, which has been influenced by your mother tongue, geography, or the context where you studied English. Every person has an accent, which is completely okay – and even something to be proud of! I always tell my students: no matter where they come from, their accent tells a story about who they are and where they are from. For the IELTS, you are not penalized by the dreaded “accent”, as long as it does not impede communication.
Pronunciation, on the other hand, is a measure of how clearly and accurately you produce individual sounds, word stress, rhythm, and intonation. Pronunciation is tested in the IELTS Speaking, and it is very important! Even if you have an accent, if your pronunciation is clear and easy to understand, then you will receive a solid score.
Here is an example I use in the classroom – if you say both “seat” and “sit” the same and the examiner is confused, your pronunciation score is not going to be as good as it would be now if your accent allowed you to say the /t/ sound a little differently, but still being able to understand you..because that is all that matters to the examiner – clarity.
Why Pronunciation Matters in IELTS Speaking
You may have great ideas, good grammar, and good vocabulary, but if your pronunciation is unclear, the examiner may struggle to understand your speech. That’s why pronunciation is one of the four IELTS Speaking assessment criteria (the other three are Fluency & Coherence, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy).
Clear pronunciation boosts your overall confidence, too. The more people understand you easily, the more fluent you’ll feel, which helps reduce test-day stress.
6 Proven Ways to Improve Your Pronunciation and Build Clarity
Now let me share with you the top strategies I use in my IELTS coaching sessions to help students improve their pronunciation.
1. Analyse Your Own Speech
The first step is awareness. You need to identify which sounds or patterns you’re struggling with. Here’s an exercise I often assign:
- Choose a video of someone whose English you admire (interviews work great — for example, Emma Watson’s Vogue interviews).
- Use a recording app on your phone or computer.
- Play one sentence, pause, and try to imitate it exactly.
- Record yourself and compare your version with the original.
- Focus on sounds, stress, intonation, and rhythm. Write down what’s different.
This exercise builds self-awareness and helps you create a personalized pronunciation improvement plan. I recommend doing this once a week and keeping a pronunciation journal.
2. Practice with Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are word pairs that differ by only one sound, like “bit” and “beat” or “ship” and “sheep.” These are perfect for training your ear and tongue to hear and produce the right sounds.
Try this: Say these out loud and record yourself:
- Southern /ˈsʌð.ən/ vs Sudden /ˈsʌd.ən/
- Live (verb) vs Leave
- Bat vs Pat
Websites like EnglishClub or the BBC Learning English site have excellent lists of minimal pairs. Practising with these will strengthen your phonemic awareness and sound accuracy.
3. Master Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters are a fun and effective way to improve pronunciation, particularly for tricky consonants or vowel combinations.
Try these:
- /s/ and /ʃ/: She sells seashells by the seashore.
- /iː/ and /ɪ/: I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit.
- /r/: Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.
Start slowly, then gradually speed up. You’ll train your mouth muscles and increase control over your speech.
4. Understand Word Stress
English is a stress-timed language, which means that some syllables are naturally emphasized more than others. Misplacing word stress can confuse listeners and lower your score.
Examples:
- REcord (noun) vs reCORD (verb)
- OBject (noun) vs obJECT (verb)
When learning new words, don’t just memorize spelling — check the pronunciation and stress in a reliable dictionary (I recommend the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary).
5. Use Sentence Stress for Natural Rhythm
Sentence stress gives English its natural rhythm and melody. Focus words — usually nouns, verbs, and adjectives — are stressed more, while grammar words (articles, prepositions) are less stressed.
For example:
“I want to go to the cinema.”
The words want, go, and cinema are stressed; the rest are weak.
Practicing sentence stress will make you sound more fluent and confident. Try reading news articles or movie scripts out loud, focusing on natural emphasis.
6. Use Shadowing and Recording Techniques
Shadowing is one of the most powerful tools for improving your pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how I train students to shadow effectively:
Method 1: Pause and Repeat
- Listen to a sentence, pause, repeat. Focus on accuracy.
Method 2: Speak Along
- Speak at the same time as the audio, mimicking the pace and rhythm. Focus on fluency.
Start with easier material like children’s audiobooks or slow YouTube interviews, and then move to TED Talks or fast-paced podcasts.
I recommend tools like:
- YouGlish – to hear words in context from real speakers.
- TED Talks – for engaging, clear academic speech.
- Spotify Podcasts – especially for listening on the go.
- YouTube – interviews, monologues, film clips for variety.
Additional Strategies I Recommend to My IELTS Students
Use Pronunciation Apps
There are many apps now that use AI to analyze your speech and give you feedback. I personally recommend:
- Elsa Speak
- Speechling
- Sounds: The Pronunciation App
These apps let you record and compare your speech to native speakers, and can help track your progress over time.
Read Aloud Every Day
This is simple but powerful. Pick a short article or story and read it aloud every day. Focus on clarity, intonation, and pacing. Over time, this builds mouth muscle memory and boosts fluency.
Join English-Speaking Clubs
If you’re preparing for IELTS and have few opportunities to speak in English, join a language exchange or English-speaking club online. I run weekly speaking practice groups for my students, and the improvement I see when they get regular speaking exposure is remarkable.
Final Thoughts: Clarity Over Perfection
Remember: the IELTS examiner isn’t looking for a British or American accent. They’re looking for clear and intelligible pronunciation. You don’t need to sound like a native speaker to get a high score, but you do need to make sure your ideas are communicated clearly.
This is what I have for you as your IELTS Coach – Work steadily on your pronunciation, keep a record of your progress, and don’t be afraid to speak. It’s simple, with improvement in pronunciation and productive practice, you can change your pronunciation amazingly quickly and improve your speaking band result as a consequence.
And don’t forget – I’m here to help. If you’re serious about improving your speaking, then I encourage you to check out the free IELTS Speaking preparation resources at YLIC and start putting those tips into practice today!
