Level B2 (approx. band 5.5-6.5) · Academic and General Training You read the transcript after a practice test and think: "I know every word here. Why didn't I hear it?" The answer is connected speech. In fast, natural English, words do not arrive one by one, like beads on a string. In this episode: • Linking • Weak forms • Elision: disappearing sounds • Assimilation and contractions • Listening lab • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key points: • in linked speech, the end of one word often sounds like the start of the next. • weak grammar words shrink to "uh" sounds; numbers and key content words stay strong. • if a sound seems missing, it may still be in the spelling, so let grammar and context restore it. • changed sounds still belong to the words you know, so listen for the whole chunk, not each word alone. IELTS Complete Course: a self-study podcast from A1 to C2 for Academic and General Training. Listen, pause and answer, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair. Independent course, not affiliated with the IELTS test owners.