Let us have a look at some of the points stipulated by the IELTS Speaking marking scheme to understand exactly what is required in terms of pronunciation.
- The scheme refers to 'mispronunciation' and 'unintelligibility', namely when words cannot be understood by the examiner because of the way they are being pronounced.
- Accent is mentioned only once in Band 8, where it is stated that 'accent from L1 may have minimal effect on intelligibility'.
Therefore, it is clear that the examiner is not looking for a perfect British accent, whatever that is, but rather that what is said can be clearly understood. Do not waste your time worrying about accent. Concentrate more on making sure you know how to pronounce the vocabulary you would like to use and aspects of stress, intonation and connected speech.
Many accents are also very nice to listen to and of course, they are part of you, they are your identity - don't feel like you have to move too far away from that.