Lucy Passmore, co-author of the Mindset for IELTS series, looks at how to bring IELTS-specific pronunciation training into class. Pronunciation forms 25% of a candidate’s score for the IELTS speaking test, so why does it often receive less attention than the other criteria?
Time pressures may be a factor. Fluency is a skill best practised in the classroom with other students, while Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy are relevant to writing as well as speaking, and may therefore be seen as worthy of more class time. This can lead to pronunciation taking a back seat; something that we instruct students to work on individually outside the classroom.
It could be argued that speakers of different languages will have different pronunciation issues and that individual practice is more productive. Or that students may feel reluctant to correct one another’s pronunciation, either because they feel that this is the job of the teacher or because they don’t feel qualified to comment on a fellow non-native speaker’s pronunciation. However, learning how to critically evaluate other students’ pronunciation is an important skill as it will raise awareness of the pronunciation features examiners are looking for.
What the Band Descriptors say about pronunciation
The IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors are used to assess 3 main areas of a candidate’s pronunciation:
1. The range of pronunciation features used (e.g. ‘full range’, ‘wide range’, ‘limited range’)
2. The level of control a candidate exercises over these features (e.g. ‘flexibility’, ‘prone to lapses’)
3. The candidate’s level of intelligibility (e.g. ‘effortless to understand’)
Features of pronunciation
Before taking the test, candidates should be familiar with the following features of pronunciation:
- Accuracy
- Word stress
- Sentence stress
- Weak sounds
- Linking words
- Intonation
3 practical classroom activities for improving pronunciation for IELTS
It’s crucial to ensure that students are familiar with these pronunciation features, have plenty of opportunity to practise using them, and receive feedback in the classroom. The steps outlined below will help you to introduce IELTS-specific pronunciation training into your classes and make your students feel more confident about getting a good score for pronunciation.
1. Use model answers to practise pronunciation
Using a model answer featured in their coursebook, students can identify features of pronunciation that are assessed and practise using them themselves. This could be done through listening to a recorded version of the model answer or through marking up a transcript and practising the features in small groups.
The example transcripts of IELTS speaking test Part 1 responses below come from MINDSET for IELTS Level 3. Here they have been marked up to show word stress and weak sounds – two of the pronunciation features assessed.
_____
Examiner: How often do you eat healthy meals?
Candidate: It depends what you mean by ‘healthy’, but I try to keep my intake of junk food down to a minimum. And most days I make sure that I have at least some fruit and vegetables, even if it isn’t as much as I should. Also, because I’m young and in relatively good shape, I don’t worry about my diet too much at the moment, to be honest.
______
Examiner: How do you like to relax?
Candidate: if I had to choose, I’d say that I most like to sink into the sofa, put my feet up and lose myself in a good movie. The thing is, I’ve got ə lot əf pressure on at the moment, as I’m in my final year of study, so I really need time tə switch off. Watching a film helps me to forget that pressure for a while.
______
2. Get students to record themselves speaking
Pre-recording should eliminate the pressure students may feel at being asked to speak spontaneously, and will enable them to give their best version of their speech. Tutors using MINDSET for IELTS can direct students to the online skills modules for speaking, which end with a task where students can record themselves doing Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3 of the test. Students record themselves in advance and then evaluate one another’s pronunciation in class.
3. Introduce students to speech recognition software
Speech recognition software, such as Speechnotes, is an excellent resource for analysing pronunciation features, as it transcribes speech in real time. A great resource for self-study, it can also be used in class with students analysing one another’s pronunciation errors.
All three activities can be done as self-study tasks; stress to your students that they continue pronunciation practice outside class to speed up their progress. However, the opportunity to bring pronunciation practice into the classroom and to train students to critically evaluate their own and other’s pronunciation is an opportunity not to be missed!
Catch up on Lucy’s webinar:
Find more advice and ideas for the IELTS classroom here.