Here is the most controversial topic in ELT community - should we have a British/American accent or not?

Is our accent assessed on IELTS exam?

Without further ado, I’m going to share my take on it and it’s

NO, you should NOT have a British or American accent. And NO, your accent is NOT assessed on the exam.

When it comes to the accent, it’s up to a person whether they want to get rid of it or not. Any accent reveals our identity, who we are, our background.

Since the modern world is diversity-oriented, most people prefer keeping their accent rather than emulating British and American people.

However, there are people who strive to polish the accent and the best compliment for them to be taken for a native speaker (to be honest with you, i belong to the second group).

Whatever side you take, it’s fine. It’s your choice and nobody should be stigmatized for having an accent.

So, spare your students the torture of mastering British or American accent if they are not into it.

But mind that their speech should be intelligible. It means the sounds are to be articulated correctly to avoid any misunderstanding.

What else should we focus on in terms of pronunciation? Definitely, connected speech and rhythm. These features make you sound fluent and get your message across easily.

When it comes to pronunciation, there’s more to it and we cover all intricacies on our course IELTS for teachers 😌