IELTS Pronunciation Practice: /ɒ/ versus /əʊ/

Technique

How to say it

1
Open your jaw wide with lightly rounded lips to produce the crisp, short /ɒ/ sound in 'shop' and 'cost'.
2
Start with a relaxed, central vowel and smoothly glide towards a rounded position to form the longer /əʊ/ diphthong in 'hope' and 'boat'.
3
Keep /ɒ/ short and steady without letting your tongue move during vowel production.
4
Ensure /əʊ/ has noticeable duration and movement rather than collapsing into a flat single vowel.

7 pairs

Minimal pairs

Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.

not/note
cot/coat
cost/coast
hop/hope
got/goat
rob/robe
clock/cloak

12 sentences

Practice lines from IELTS-style answers

1
I often go for a jog along the coast near my home.
/ɒ/ in 'often', 'jog' vs /əʊ/ in 'go', 'coast', 'home'
2
To be honest, I hope to get a proper promotion soon.
/ɒ/ in 'honest', 'proper' vs /əʊ/ in 'hope', 'promotion'
3
My old flat is not so close to the local shops.
/ɒ/ in 'not', 'shops' vs /əʊ/ in 'old', 'so', 'close', 'local'
4
I wrote a quick note about the project's total cost.
/ɒ/ in 'cost' vs /əʊ/ in 'wrote', 'note', 'total'
5
Most people post photos of their holidays on social platforms.
/ɒ/ in 'holidays' vs /əʊ/ in 'most', 'post', 'photos', 'social'
6
We stopped by a lovely hotel on the road to Oxford.
/ɒ/ in 'stopped', 'Oxford' vs /əʊ/ in 'hotel', 'road'
7
I bought a thick coat because the weather got quite cold.
/ɒ/ in 'got' vs /əʊ/ in 'coat', 'cold'
8
I suppose modern phones offer a lot of useful options.
/ɒ/ in 'modern', 'offer', 'lot', 'options' vs /əʊ/ in 'suppose', 'phones'
9
The local council promised to solve the traffic problem.
/ɒ/ in 'promised', 'solve', 'problem' vs /əʊ/ in 'local'
10
I chose to enrol on a short course to improve my coding.
/ɒ/ in 'on' vs /əʊ/ in 'chose', 'enrol', 'coding'
11
I noticed a lot of pollution from motorboats on the coast.
/ɒ/ in 'lot' vs /əʊ/ in 'noticed', 'motorboats', 'coast'
12
I don't usually follow football, but I know the local coach.
/ɒ/ in 'follow' vs /əʊ/ in 'don't', 'know', 'local', 'coach'

Say it in a real answer

Record an IELTS Speaking answer and get a Pronunciation band from the AI examiner, with the exact words that were hard to understand.

Watch out

Common mistakes

→Monophthongising /əʊ/ into a flat, pure vowel, which can make words like 'coat' sound like 'caught' or 'cot'.
→Lengthening the short /ɒ/ sound, which blurs the boundary with other vowels.
→Rounding the lips too early during /əʊ/, omitting the essential central schwa starting position in British pronunciation.

In the exam: Pay close attention to high-frequency connecting words like 'so', 'although', 'because', and 'also' so that your vowel length and shape stay distinct during natural speech flow.

Frequently asked questions

How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+

A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.

Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+

No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.

How should I practise these lines?+

Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.

Keep practising

More vowel sounds practice

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