Written by David S. Wills · March 22, 2021
Ah… let’s see… what was this article going to be about? Oh yes, that’s right: hesitation. Er… Where should we begin? Hmm… I wonder. Um… Let’s start at the beginning…
😂
Today, let’s look at the topic of hesitation and IELTS. What I mean by “hesitation” is the gaps that we leave in between words when we cannot quite think what to say. In the above example, I have used “ah,” “er,” “hmm,” and “um.” These are all audible forms of hesitation, which we call “filler words.”
What is Hesitation and What are Filler Words?
When people speak in any language, they might find that there is a gap between some words or ideas. They might fill that gap with a sound, and that sort of word is usually called a “filler.” In English, we use many of these:
- Ah
- Uh
- Um
- Er
- Erm
- Hmm
There are some others that are more modern, such as “like.” You may notice that many young people fill their sentences with “like” whenever they cannot think what to say.
- I went to Chris’ party last weekend. It was like so much fun.
We also have others. The words “so” and “well” can often fill gaps or indeed begin sentences. (You may have noticed in my YouTube videos that I over-use the word “so”!) Some people say things like “let’s see” or even “ok.”
All of these words serve the purpose of filling a gap because we are hesitating.
I have learned a few languages in my life and it is interesting to encounter those other filler sounds. In Chinese, they say “那个” (naga) and in Japanese “あの” (anno).
Can I Hesitate and Use Fillers in IELTS?
First of all, you absolutely can use fillers in IELTS when you hesitate. It is definitely a part of normal English and you would not be penalised for doing it up to a certain point.
However, it is important to note that hesitating too much is not a good thing. In particular, hesitation for reasons related to vocabulary could be a problem.
In the IELTS speaking rubric, you will find that hesitation is an issue of “Fluency and Coherence.” You can still get a band 7 for this section even if you hesitate a little too much:
- may demonstrate language-related hesitation at times
However, to get a band 8, your hesitation would be a matter of content rather than language:
- hesitation is usually content-related and only rarely to search for language
What this means is that you may pause a little to think of an idea to sufficiently answer a tough question, but