Pronunciation
⏱ ~3-min readAceMark Guide
What this topic is really about
Pronunciation is judged on how intelligible you are, including word and sentence stress, rhythm and intonation. You are not required to have any particular accent or to sound accent-free; clarity, not accent, is what matters.
Natural stress and intonation emphasise the key words and help convey meaning, which raises the Pronunciation score. Flat, equal stress, rushing, or whispering all make you harder to understand.
See the mechanism
Pronunciation is judged on how intelligible you are, including word and sentence stress, rhythm and intonation. A diagram for this topic isn't available yet — the worked example below walks the same reasoning step by step.
An exam-style question, fully explained
In the Pronunciation criterion, examiners are mainly assessing:
- Identify what the question tests: In the Pronunciation criterion, examiners are mainly assessing:.
- Pronunciation is judged on how intelligible you are, including word and sentence stress, rhythm and intonation.
- You are not required to have any particular accent or to sound accent-free; clarity, not accent, is what matters.
Traps the examiner sets
- Read each option carefully — distractors on Pronunciation are designed to look plausible.
- Re-check the exact wording of the question stem before committing to an answer.
- Watch the qualifiers ("always", "only", "except") that flip a correct-looking option.
Test your recall
Answer each from memory — you'll see instantly whether you're right and why.
Run a focused 10-question mini-mock on Pronunciation and see it stick.
Practice more of this topic →