British Council IELTS Coach Reviews

The British Council IELTS Coach program is perfect for language learners looking to achieve a high score on the test (of 7 or above). Its lessons, classes, and activities cover the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills required for all test sections.

When picking classes, it’s possible to choose the subject, teacher, and skill focus. All classes have language-related activities to help students get used to the test format and question types.

The course is paid for with credits, and each plan comes with a set number of credits. A 55-minute group session costs one credit, while 25-minute private lessons cost two.

While group sessions aren’t as personalized as private ones, they are longer and cheaper. As such, they’re valuable for practicing the skills you’re already reasonably confident about.

Although classes cost credits, a subscription includes unlimited access to 25-minute live webinars (Live25s). These webinars focus on grammar and pronunciation, with some also presenting a general overview of the IELTS test structure.

There’s also the extra study section with several engaging short videos covering different English language learning topics. This added bonus is an excellent way to support your studies without spending credits.

The mock tests are an essential feature for getting familiarized with the IELTS test and gaining confidence. They cover speaking, reading, and listening and are great for practicing test-taking techniques.

Additionally, you can book tutorials where you bring a piece of writing and receive feedback from an expert IELTS marker.

It’s important to remember that teachers aren’t allowed to give a score for mock tests, as only a full official IELTS test can provide a valid score. Still, they provide detailed individual feedback on areas that need improvement based on publicly available IELTS criteria.

Course structure

The platform may be web-based and not offer any desktop or mobile apps, but its mobile-optimized website works like a charm. The learning environment is intuitive and student-friendly, providing an engaging experience with both classes and activities.

Booking classes can be done anytime and is straightforward, especially when you follow British Council’s suggestions. All sections have a small summary, material to help you prepare for class, and a helpful progression bar that considers all the lessons you still need to complete.

Additionally, the dashboard clearly presents your overall progress and how far you are from your goals. We found this a welcome motivator, encouraging us every time we logged in to keep studying and improving our skills.

The live classes are all conducted via Zoom, and teachers use its handy features, such as visual resources, to help students understand the material. These are then shared after class as PDFs.

More importantly, all the teachers we met were attentive and friendly, ensuring everyone felt comfortable and motivated. However, one thing that we found odd was that while our private lesson was recorded, the recording wasn’t shared with us. Considering that this would be a great way to revisit the concepts discussed during class, it would have made sense to have had access to it.

Each of the three British Council IELTS Coach plans comes with a set amount of credits. These are used to book group classes, costing one credit, or private lessons, costing two. The initial personal analysis session also costs two credits. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to purchase additional credits as you can only get them in bundles, which isn’t always ideal.

The Express, Lite, and Intensive packages provide 10, 20, and 50 credits, respectively. The more credits you get, the cheaper they become. For instance, each credit costs $15.44 if you get a 50-credit bundle, which is 12% off the 10-credit bundle. That said, this means forking out $772 in one go. Still, the company regularly provides discounts of up to 30%.

All plans provide access to the platform and unlimited live webinars for three months. Students lose all unused credits after this period, so it’s worth deciding how many classes you will take within this trimester and choosing the appropriate plan.

On the bright side, creating an account is free, allowing you to get a feel for the platform at zero cost. Credits used for classes are refunded to your account if you cancel more than 24 hours before the session. Plans also come with a 14-day cancellation period, but this only applies if you haven’t taken any classes yet.