Everyone speaks English with the influence of their first language, and that is completely normal. IELTS does not expect you to sound British or American. But some patterns from your first language can make your English less accurate or harder to follow, and those do cost marks.
This guide covers the mistakes examiners hear most often from speakers of Urdu, Hindi and Arabic, with a quick fix for each. Most of them are easy to correct once you notice them.
Grammar mistakes
1. Using the continuous tense for states
❌ I am having two brothers. / I am knowing the answer.
✅ I have two brothers. / I know the answer.
Verbs that describe states — have (possession), know, like, believe, understand — are almost never used in the -ing form.
2. “Since” with the present tense
❌ I am living here since 2015.
✅ I have lived here since 2015. / I have been living here since 2015.
With since and for, English uses the present perfect, not the present continuous.
3. Missing articles (a, an, the)
❌ I went to market and bought new phone.
✅ I went to the market and bought a new phone.
Urdu, Hindi and Arabic handle articles differently from English. Before every singular countable noun, ask yourself: a, an, or the?
4. Missing “is” or “are”
❌ My brother very tall. / The weather hot today.
✅ My brother is very tall. / The weather is hot today.
Arabic often drops the verb “to be” in the present. In English it is always needed.
5. Question order in reported questions
❌ I don’t know what is his name.
✅ I don’t know what his name is.
Inside a longer sentence, a question goes back to normal word order.
Vocabulary and expressions
6. Direct translations
❌ Do one thing, call me tomorrow. / The meeting got preponed.
✅ Could you call me tomorrow? / The meeting was brought forward.
Phrases like “do one thing”, “prepone” and “out of station” are common in South Asian English but sound unusual to international examiners.
7. “Itself” and “only” for emphasis
❌ I will finish it today itself. / I was there only.
✅ I will finish it today. / I was right there.
This emphasis comes from Urdu and Hindi word order. In standard English it usually sounds odd.
8. Overusing “very”
❌ It was very very good.
✅ It was absolutely fantastic.
A higher vocabulary score comes from precise adjectives: delighted, exhausted, fascinating, overwhelming.
Pronunciation
9. V and W
Many Urdu and Hindi speakers use the same sound for v and w, so “vest” and “west” sound identical. For v, touch your top teeth to your bottom lip. For w, round your lips without touching your teeth. Practise pairs: vine/wine, vest/west, verse/worse.
10. P and B
Arabic has no p sound, so “park” can become “bark”. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: p should release a small puff of air, b should not.
11. Adding a vowel before S + consonant
“School” becomes “iskool” and “street” becomes “istreet”. Start the word directly with the s sound — hiss first: “sss-chool”.
12. The “th” sounds
“Think” often becomes “tink” and “this” becomes “dis”. Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth and blow air. It feels strange at first, but it is one of the most noticeable improvements you can make.
13. Word stress
English stresses one syllable strongly and reduces the others: PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy, photoGRAphic. Saying every syllable with equal strength makes speech harder to follow even when each sound is correct. When you learn a new word, learn its stress too.
Fluency habits
- Translating in your head. Thinking in your first language and translating creates long pauses. Practise short daily answers in English until common phrases become automatic.
- Memorised answers. Examiners notice when a candidate suddenly sounds like they are reciting. It can lower your score.
- Fillers in your first language. “Matlab…”, “yaani…” or “haan…” sneak in under pressure. Replace them with English fillers: “well…”, “let me think…”, “the thing is…”
How to fix these mistakes quickly
- Record yourself answering one question a day and listen back. Most people notice their own mistakes straight away.
- Focus on one mistake per week. Trying to fix everything at once does not work.
- Get feedback on your own sentences, not just general tips. Seeing your exact sentence corrected is what makes the change stick.
For more practice material, see IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions and answers and Part 2 cue cards with Band 8 sample answers.
Frequently asked questions
Will my accent lower my IELTS score?
No. IELTS does not mark accent. It marks how easy you are to understand. Clear sounds, word stress and intonation matter; sounding British or American does not.
Which of these mistakes matters most?
The ones you make most often. A missing article in every sentence affects your grammar score far more than one mispronounced word.
How long does it take to fix these habits?
Most people can fix one habit in one to two weeks of daily practice, as long as they get feedback on their own speech.
Practise IELTS speaking with AI
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- A real exam-style Speaking test: Parts 1, 2 and 3 with an examiner voice and a one-minute preparation timer for Part 2
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