20 sets
Consonant sounds
th, v and w, r and l, and the endings learners drop.
- ch versus j (cheap / jeep)
- Consonant clusters at the end of words (texts, months)
- Consonant clusters at the start of words (street, spring)
- f versus p (fast / past)
- Final consonants that learners drop (want, hand, desk)
- h at the start of words (hair / air)
- r versus l (right / light)
- s versus sh (seat / sheet)
- sh versus ch (share / chair)
- Silent letters (knee, listen, foreign)
- Silent r after vowels in British English (car, work)
- th versus d and z (they / day / zay)
- th versus s and t (thank / sank / tank)
- The ng sound /ŋ/ (sing, thinking)
- The voiced th sound /ð/ (this, mother)
- The voiceless th sound /θ/ (think, month)
- The /ʒ/ sound (measure, decision)
- v versus b (vote / boat)
- v versus w (vest / west)
- z versus s (rise / rice)
10 sets
Vowel sounds
Long and short vowels, the schwa and diphthongs.
- /æ/ versus /ʌ/ (cap / cup)
- Diphthongs /eɪ/, /aɪ/ and /ɔɪ/ (late, light, boy)
- Diphthongs /aʊ/ and /əʊ/ (now, know)
- Long /ɑː/ in British English (car, after, bath)
- Long ee /iː/ versus short i /ɪ/ (sheep / ship)
- Short e /e/ versus /æ/ (bed / bad)
- /ɒ/ versus /əʊ/ (not / note)
- Short /ʊ/ versus long /uː/ (full / fool)
- The /ɜː/ sound (work, bird, early)
- The schwa /ə/ in unstressed syllables
7 sets
Word stress
Which syllable to stress, and how it moves.
- Numbers: -teen versus -ty (fifteen / fifty)
- Stress in compound nouns (BUS stop, HOMEwork)
- Stress in long academic words for IELTS topics
- Stress in phrasal verbs (give UP, look AFter)
- Word stress in two-syllable nouns and verbs (REcord / reCORD)
- Word stress in words ending -ic, -ical and -ity
- Word stress that moves in word families (PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy)
5 sets
Sentence stress and rhythm
Stressing the words that carry your meaning.
7 sets
Linking and connected speech
How fluent speakers join words together.
- Assimilation (would you, don't you, ten people)
- Chunking and pausing in a Part 2 answer
- Contractions in natural speech (I'd, we've, it's)
- Elision: dropping t and d between consonants (next day)
- Linking a consonant to a vowel (pick it up)
- Linking r in British English (far away, more often)
- Linking with /j/ and /w/ sounds (I am, go out)
6 sets
Intonation
Rises and falls that show meaning and interest.
4 sets
Word endings
-ed, -s and other endings examiners notice.
Frequently asked questions
How is pronunciation scored in IELTS Speaking?+
It is one of four criteria, worth a quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners look at how clear your sounds are and how well you use stress, rhythm, linking and intonation.
Which pronunciation features matter most for a higher band?+
Beyond clear sounds, Band 7 and above needs control of word and sentence stress, natural linking and intonation that shows meaning. Start with the sounds you know you find hard, then move to stress and intonation.
Can I improve pronunciation before the test?+
Yes, with short daily practice: say a set of lines aloud, record yourself, compare, and then use the feature in a spoken answer. A few weeks of this changes how clear you sound.
Related
More speaking practice
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